"Dominique" is a

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

popular song, written and performed by the Belgian female singer Jeannine Deckers, better known as Sœur Sourire ("Sister Smile" in French) or

The Singing Nun Jeanne-Paule Marie "Jeannine" Deckers (17 October 1933 – 29 March 1985), better known as Sœur Sourire () and often called The Singing Nun in English-speaking countries, was a Belgian singer-songwriter and a member of the Dominican Order in ...

. The song is about

Saint Dominic Saint Dominic ( es, Santo Domingo; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilian Catholic priest, mystic, the founder of the Dominican Order and is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientis ...

, a Spanish-born priest and founder of the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

, of which she was a member (as Sister Luc-Gabrielle). The English-version lyrics of the song were written by

Noël Regney Noël Regney (born Léon Schlienger; 19 August 1922 – 22 November 2002), was a French World War II veteran and songwriter who is best known for composing the Christmas standard "Do You Hear What I Hear?" with his then-wife Gloria Shayne Baker in ...

. In addition to French and English, Deckers recorded versions in Dutch, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese. It was a top selling record in 11 countries in late 1963 and early 1964.

Commercial performance

"Dominique" reached the Top 10 in 11 countries in late 1963 and early 1964, topping the chart in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It reached the Top 5 in Norway, Denmark, Ireland and South Africa, with the song making it into the lower reaches of the Top 10 in the Netherlands, West Germany, and the United Kingdom. The song reached and stayed at No. 1 on

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

radio station WABC in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

for the four weeks of 19 November through 10 December. On WLS

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, the song was No. 1 for the three weeks 15–29 November 1963. On both the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and "

Easy Listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

", "Dominique" was No. 1 for the four weeks 7–28 December

. The song won the

Grammy Award for Best Gospel or Other Religious Recording (Musical) The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many ...

in 1964. It was also a nominee for

Grammy Award for Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

, and Sœur Sourire was a nominee for Best Female Vocal Performance. It was the second foreign language song to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1963, the first being "

Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish that is prepared and served in the ''nabemono'' (Japanese hot pot) style. It consists of meat (usually thinly sliced beef) which is slowly cooked or simmered at the table, alongside vegetables and other ingredients, in ...

" by

Kyu Sakamoto was a Japanese singer and actor. He was best known outside Japan for his international hit song "Ue o Muite Arukō" (known as "Sukiyaki" in English-speaking markets), which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies. It reached number ...

. For the next ten years or so, although there were a number of hits with most of the vocals in a language other than English (e.g.,

The Sandpipers The Sandpipers were an American easy listening trio who carved a niche in 1960s folk rock with their vocals and innovative arrangements of international ballads and pop standards. They are best remembered for their cover version of "Guantanamera ...

' "

Guantanamera "Guantanamera" (; Spanish: (the woman) from Guantánamo) is perhaps the best-known Cuban song and that country's most-noted patriotic song, especially when using a poem by the Cuban poet José Martí for the lyrics. The official writing credits ...

René y René René y René was a Latin pop duo from Laredo, Texas. Composed of René Ornelas (born August 26, 1936) and René Herrera (born October 2, 1935; died December 20, 2005), the group scored two hit singles in the U.S. in the 1960s. 1964's " Angelito" ...

's "Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero", etc.), no other purely foreign language song reached the ''Billboard'' Hot 100's top 40 until the Spanish language hit " Eres tú (Touch The Wind)" in 1974. "Dominique" outsold

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

during its stay on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; it was the second to last No. 1 hit before the

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on b ...

The song

"Dominique" became a worldwide hit in 1963 and was the first, and only, Belgian number-one hit single in the American ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' charts. It is remembered chiefly for its

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...

, which goes: : ''Domi-nique -nique -nique s'en allait tout simplement,'' : ''Routier, pauvre et chantant.'' : ''En tous chemins, en tous lieux, : ''Il ne parle que du Bon Dieu,'' : ''Il ne parle que du Bon Dieu.'' A literal English translation is: : ''Domi-nic -nic -nic went about simply,'' : ''a poor singing traveller.'' : ''On every road, in every place,'' : ''he talks only of the Good Lord,'' : ''he talks only of the Good Lord.'' The lyrics of the chorus of Regney's English-language translation are: : ''Domi-nique -nique -nique, o'er the land he plods along,'' : ''And sings a little song.'' : ''Never asking for reward,'' : ''He just talks about the Lord,'' : ''He just talks about the Lord.''

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Cover versions

Mary Ford Mary Ford (born Iris Colleen Summers; July 7, 1924 – September 30, 1977) was an American vocalist and guitarist, comprising half of the husband-and-wife musical team Les Paul and Mary Ford. Between 1950 and 1954, the couple had 16 top-ten hi ...

recorded an English-language version that was released in November 1963 by Calendar Records. * Sister Adele (a.k.a. Madelaine) also recorded a cover version of the song in 1963, which was released on

Diplomat Records Diplomat Records is an American hip hop record label co-founded by Harlem rappers Jim Jones and Cam'ron. History In the early 2000s, Dipset was very popular for having star rappers with radio hits like Juelz Santana and Cam'ron, as well as t ...

. * The Cuban artist

La Lupe Lupe Victoria Yolí Raymond (23 December 1936 – 29 February 1992), better known as La Lupe, was a Cuban singer of boleros, guarachas and Latin soul, known for her energetic, sometimes controversial performances. Following the release of her ...

, the Mexican artist

Angélica María Angélica María Hartman Ortiz (born September 27, 1944), known professionally as La novia de Mexico (Mexico's sweetheart), is an American-Mexican actress and singer-songwriter. Her songs El hombre de mi vida (The man of my life) peaked at No. ...

, the Colombian artist Aníbal Velázquez and the Venezuelan artist

Mirla Castellanos Mirla Castellanos, is a noted Venezuelan singer with a career spanning over 40 years. Often referred to as "La Primerísima", she started her career as a singer with the band "Cuarteto Los Naipes" in the 1960s before taking up a solo career. She h ...

recorded

Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...

versions of this song. * The Brazilian singer Giane recorded a

Brazilian Portuguese Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...

version of this song. *

Spike Jones Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones (December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader specializing in spoof arrangements of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment were punctuated with gun ...

recorded a version that combined "Dominique" with "

When the Saints Go Marching In "When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as simply "The Saints", is a traditional black spiritual. It originated as a Christian hymn and is often played by jazz bands. This song was famously recorded on May 13, 1938, by Louis Armstron ...

", merging both the melodies and the styles of the two songs. * A variation including "

" is the Regimental March of the 5th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment. * Tommy Roe recorded an English version of the song for his U.S. album release, "Something for Everybody" in 1964. *

Sandler and Young Sandler and Young were an American musical duo from the 1960s through the 1980s, composed of Belgian singer Tony Sandler and native New Yorker Ralph Young. First success Sandler and Young appeared with Polly Bergen in her show at the Las Vegas ...

revived the song in late 1966, a version that appeared on the ''Billboard'' easy listening chart. The performance was a medley including other religious-themed songs including "Deep River" and "

Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" is an African-American spiritual song that originated during the period of slavery but was not published until 1867. The song is well known and many cover versions of it have been done by artists such as Mar ...

". * The Czech singer

Judita Čeřovská Judita Čeřovská (21 April 1929 – 9 October 2001) was a Czechoslovakia, Czech Pop music, pop and chanson singer. Career Born in Most (Most District), Most, as a child Štěrbová lived in northern Bohemia. She remained there with her Germa ...

covered this song in 1964 under the name "Dominiku".

Soundtrack appearances

* In the 1966 film ''

'', very loosely based on Deckers,

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portra ...

, playing the title role, sings an English-language version of the song (with different lyrics from those of Deckers' English-language version). * The song is heard in the 1985 film ''

Heaven Help Us ''Heaven Help Us'' (also known as ''Catholic Boys'') is a 1985 American drama film starring Andrew McCarthy, Mary Stuart Masterson, Kevin Dillon, Malcolm Danare, Patrick Dempsey, and Stephen Geoffreys as a group of 1960s Brooklyn teenagers, wit ...

''. * In the 1987 '' Married... with Children'' episode "

Thinnergy This is a list of episodes for the premiere season (1987) of the television series ''Married... with Children''. This season introduces the major characters: Al, Peg, Kelly and Bud Bundy, along with their neighbors, Steve and Marcy Rhoades. The fi ...

", "Dominique" is one of several songs Peg (

Katey Sagal Catherine Louise "Katey" Sagal (; born January 19, 1954) is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing Peggy Bundy on '' Married... with Children'' (1987–1997), Leela on ''Futurama'' (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2023), Cate Henne ...

) sings in an attempt to annoy Al (

Ed O'Neill Edward Leonard O'Neill (born April 12, 1946) is an American actor and comedian. His roles include Al Bundy on the Fox Network sitcom '' Married... with Children'', for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes, and Jay Pritchett on the awar ...

). * It was used in the 1990 film ''

Mermaids In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes asso ...

'' with

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

. * It was used in the 1993 film as elevator music '' For Love or Money'' with Michael J Fox. * The song was referenced in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' episode "

Bart's Friend Falls in Love "Bart's Friend Falls in Love" is the twenty-third episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' (and the ''de facto'' season finale). It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 7, ...

" (1992), where

Milhouse van Houten Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series ''The Simpsons'' voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at ...

visits his girlfriend in an all-girls

convent school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...

. A

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

playing guitar and singing "Dominique" passes along, followed by several equally happy little girls. The nun's character voice was provided by cast member

Maggie Roswell Maggie Roswell is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer from Los Angeles, California. She is well known for her voice work on the Fox network's animated television series ''The Simpsons'', in which she has played recurring characters ...

, who knew none of the song's actual French lyrics and instead made up her own. Jean, Al. (2003). ''The Simpsons'' season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart's Friend Falls in Love." VD

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

. * In 1999, it was sung in ''

Everybody Loves Raymond ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' is an American sitcom television series created by Philip Rosenthal that aired on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005, with a total of 210 episodes spanning nine seasons. It was produced by Where's Lunch and ...

'' by Robert and Raymond when they learn Debra's sister is becoming a nun. * The song also featured in an episode of Welsh sitcom '' High Hopes''. * In 2009, the song was used in the third series premiere of British teen drama '' Skins''. * In 2009, it was also used in ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its fict ...

'' in the episode "The Color Blue", when

Don Draper Donald Francis Draper, born Richard “Dick” Whitman, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the AMC television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), portrayed by Jon Hamm. Up to the Season 3 finale, Draper was creative director of ficti ...

walks into Suzanne Farell's apartment for the second time. * In 2012, the song is featured prominently in US anthology series '' American Horror Story: Asylum'', the events of which take place in 1964. The original Belgian French version of the song is playing over and over in the common room of the insane asylum, and the inmates are punished if they disrupt or stop the song from playing. The record for the song is smashed by then inmate Judy Martin in a later episode stopping its constant play, the song is briefly mentioned by Sister Mary Eunice in the episode "The Name Game" when she recapped the event of Judy destroying it right as she reveals the new jukebox she has bought for Briarcliff Aslyum. * In season 2 of episode 20 (titled 'Rock n Roll Fantasy') of ''

Just the Ten of Us ''Just the Ten of Us'' is an American sitcom starring stand-up comedian Bill Kirchenbauer as Coach Graham Lubbock, a teacher and the head of a large Catholic family with eight children living in Eureka, California. The series is a spin-off of ' ...

'', it is sung by

Heather Langenkamp Heather Elizabeth Langenkamp (born July 17, 1964) is an American actress. She is considered an influential figure in horror films and in popular culture, noted for her acting in several works of the genre and her behind-the-scenes work coordinat ...

, who played Marie Lubbock. It originally aired 28 April 1989. * In the season 3 episode of the science fiction series ''

Dark Matter Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe. Dark matter is called "dark" because it does not appear to interact with the electromagnetic field, which means it does not ab ...

'', entitled "All the Time in the World", it is sung by Anthony Lemke and Zoie Palmer. Lemke, who is fully bilingual, plays a character who is caught in a time loop similar to "Groundhog Day" and spends his time learning French from the spaceship's android. * In 2019, the song appears at the beginning of first episode of season two of '' Happy!'', the

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

and

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

Series.

Samples

* The musician

Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is widel ...

used a sample of the song in her album ''

Haunted Haunted or The Haunted may refer to: Books * ''Haunted'' (Armstrong novel), by Kelley Armstrong, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Cabot novel), by Meg Cabot, 2004 * ''Haunted'' (Palahniuk novel), by Chuck Palahniuk, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Angel novel), a 200 ...

,'' on the track "House of Leaves". * The anonymous Australian rock band

TISM TISM (an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist Eu ...

sampled the song in the chorus to their 1998 song " I Might Be a Cunt, But I'm Not a Fucking Cunt".

References

External links

"Dominique" lyrics in English and French
Allthelyrics.com

* {{authority control 1963 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in Argentina Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Canada Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in South Africa Number-one singles in Venezuela Soeur Sourire songs Songs written by Noël Regney French-language songs Philips Records singles 1963 songs Number-one singles in Mexico