"Le Banana Split" is the debut single by Belgian pop singer
Lio
Vanda Maria Ribeiro Furtado Tavares de Vasconcelos (born 17 June 1962), known professionally as Lio, is a Portuguese-Belgian singer and actress who was a pop icon in France and Belgium during the 1980s.
Life and career
Vanda Maria Ribeiro Furt ...
. It was a very big hit when it was first released in 1979, selling 700,000 copies.
It is considered today Lio's
signature song
A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...
.
Background
"Le Banana Split" was remixed in 1995 and re-released to promote Lio's greatest hits album ''Peste Of!''.
Live performances
In 1996, Lio performed a punk version of "Le Banana Split" on the French TV show "
Taratata
''Taratata'' is a French television music show showcasing live and pre-recorded footage of current acts. Presented by Nagui since its début in 1993, the show was initially shown on France 2. The show often involved surprise and unlikely duets, as ...
".
In 2009, Lio performed a mostly acoustic version of "Le Banana Split" on the French TV show ''TV5 Acoustic''.
In 2012, Lio performed "Le Banana Split" during the "RFM Party 80" Tour backed by the original instrumental track.
She also performed it live with Phantom, the Belgian punk band she was recording and touring with at the time.
Release formats
The single was released on both regular
7" vinyl single backed with the track "Teenager", and
12" maxi vinyl in an extended disco version.
It is available on CD on various Lio compilations such as ''Les Pop Songs'' and ''Je garde quelques images... pour mes vies postérieures'', as well as on the 2005 re-issue of her
debut album by
Ze Records (along with the extended disco version and the b-side "Teenager").
Charts
Cover versions
* Recorded by
Kim Kay on her 1998 album ''
La Vie en lilali''.
*In 2004, French radio and TV presenter
Sandra Lou
Sandra Lou (born 24 December 1980) is a French radio and television presenter.
Early life and career
Sandra Lou was born Sandra Benotès in Calais in the department of Pas-de-Calais. She has a younger sister and her parents are separated. P ...
released her cover version as a single.
See also
*
Les sucettes
"Les Sucettes" ("Lollipops") is a French pop song written by Serge Gainsbourg and first recorded by France Gall in 1966. One of Gall's biggest hits, it was an unusually risqué song for its time, although she has said she was unaware of the fa ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Banana Split, Le
1979 debut singles
1979 songs
Lio songs
Ariola Records singles