"Casanova" is the sixth single by the Dutch girl group

Luv' Luv' were a Dutch girl group that scored a string of hit records in Continental Europe ( Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, Denmark, Norway and Finland) as well as Israel, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, Cana ...

, released in the spring of 1979 by

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by Netherlands, Dutch electronics company Philips and in 1999 was absorbed into Netherlands, Dutch-United States, American music corporation Universal Music Group. It was founded as Philips Phonograph ...

. This song appears on the formation's second album, Lots Of Luv', and was a Top 10 single in a large part of

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by som ...

, maintaining Luv's position as the best Dutch export act of 1979.

Background

After the success of the hit singles U.O.Me,

You're the Greatest Lover "You're the Greatest Lover" is a single by the Dutch girl group Luv', released in July 1978 by Philips/Phonogram Records. It appears on the 1978 debut album '' With Luv. The song is the group's international breakthrough as it was successful ...

and

Trojan Horse In Greek mythology, the Trojan Horse () was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer, Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending ...

as well as the album With Luv' in 1978,

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

Phonogram Records Phonogram Incorporated was started in 1970 as a successor to Philips Phonographic Industries, a unit of the Grammophon-Philips Group (GPG), a joint venture of Philips N.V. of the Netherlands and Siemens AG of Germany. It was a holding company f ...

released in April 1979 the new single, "Casanova", as a foretaste of the Lots Of Luv' LP. Casanova's lyrics deal with an unfaithful man who can't help seducing women. The song's arrangements were inspired by Flamenco, Latin American music and 1970s Europop, making it a smash hit in

Benelux The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...

, the German-speaking countries and

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. A Spanish version was recorded.

Commercial performance

"Casanova" was a Top 5 hit in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

(

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

), a Top 10 single in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

as well as a Top 20 song in Spain. According to a special issue of

Billboard magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...

about the German recording industry published on December 8, 1979, the single sold 300.000 copies in the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...

Track listing and release

7" Vinyl * a. "Casanova" * b. "DJ"

Cover versions

* In 1979, the German female singer, Kirstin Lill, recorded a Schlager version in German entitled "Du bist ein Casanova". * Orchester Kai Werner from Germany covered it in 1979. * German singer Max Greger recorded his version of in 1979. * Ady Zehnpfennig from Germany rendered it in 1979. * French formation Guy Denys His Organ And His Orchestra performed a cover version in 1979. * Belgian singer Frank Vlietinck covered the song in 1979. * Pop/Disco artist, Mona Carita, sang the track (entitled "Voi Mikä Casanova!") in Finnish which was included on her 1979 eponymous album. * Swiss band Claudius Alzner Und Seine Solisten covered the track for their compilation ''Cocktail International Vol. 17'' in 1980. * In 1980, Michael Schau Und Seine Wersi-Orgel from Germany recorded their version of the track. * In 2006, Klaus Beyer recorded a German version of the song. * In 2009, Flemish singer, Lindsay, performed the song in Dutch for her album ''De Mooiste Dag''.Information about Lindsay's cover of "Casanova" on Flemish Charts Website
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Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1979 singles Luv' songs Songs written by Hans van Hemert Songs written by Piet Souer 1979 songs Phonogram Records singles Philips Records singles