| "J'ai demandé à la lune" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byIndochine | ||||
| from the albumParadize | ||||
| Language | French | |||
| English title | "I Asked the Moon" | |||
| B-side | "Punker", "Glory Hole" | |||
| Released | March 2002 | |||
| Length | 3:29 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter | Mickaël Furnon | |||
| Producers | Oli de Sat, Phil Delire, Indochine | |||
| Indochine singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "J'ai demandé à la lune" on YouTube | ||||
"J'ai demandé à la lune" (English:"I Asked the Moon") is a song by the Frenchnew wave bandIndochine, from their 2002 albumParadize. Written by Mickaël Furnon, the singer ofMickey 3D, the song was released as the second single from the album in March 2002 and quickly became a national success, topping theFrench Singles Chart and selling over 750,000 units in France alone.
During the recording of the album, Indochine's singerNicola Sirkis asked Pauline, the eight-year-old daughter of his friend Rudy Léonet, to perform the background vocals. The music video shows Sirkis walking towards the camera with a baby, then a young child in his arms, and finally Pauline appears alongside him and sings a duet with Sirkis.
The song debuted on the FrenchSNEP Singles Chart at number 14 on 13 April 2002 and reached number one for one week on 20 July. The single remained in the top 10 for 20 weeks, in the top 50 for 27 weeks, and on the chart for 31 weeks.[1] It achieveddiamond status on 6 November 2002[2] and was the fifth best-selling single of the year.[3] As of August 2014, the song was the 25th-best-selling single of the 21st century in France.[4]
InWallonia, the single charted for 36 weeks. It entered the top 10 during its 12th week on theUltratop chart and stayed there for 17 consecutive weeks, peaking at number one for five weeks.[5] The single was ranked fifth on Wallonia's 2002 year-end chart.[6] In Switzerland, "J'ai demandé à la lune" debuted at its peak of number four on 21 July 2002[7] and became the 39th-best-selling hit of the year.[8]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium[11] | Platinum | 21 September 2002 | 40,000 |
| France[2] | Diamond | 6 November 2002 | 750,000 |
The song is also covered by Vox Angeli, a choir composed of children, and features as the first track on the 2008 album of the same name.[12]
In 2011, the single was partly re-written by Mickaël Furnon under the title "On demande pas la lune" for the annualLes Enfoirés charity concert. This version peaked at number 30 on the French Singles Chart, and at number nine on the Belgian (Wallonia) Ultratop 40.
In 2021, Québecois singer-songwriterGhostly Kisses (real name Margaux Sauvé) released her version of the song in partnership with composer pianist Louis-Étienne Santais.[13]
