"Le Chat" is a 1992 song recorded by

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act

Pow woW A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Powwows today allow Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their cultures. Powwows may be private or pu ...

. Written by the band's four members (Ahmed Mouici, Pascal Periz, Bertrand Pierre and Alain Chennevière), this

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

song was the first

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from its debut album ''Regagner les plaines'', and was released in May 1992 with two different single covers for the formats: the first is a photo of the band on a red and black background, and the second is a drawing which shows a cat's tail. "Le Chat" had a great success in France where it was a number-one hit for seven weeks, becoming a popular song throughout the years, and was awarded 'Song of the year' in the 1993 Victoires de la Musique.

Cricial reception

Elia Habib, an expert of French charts, said that the song has "irresistible rhythms, notes,

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sounds and vocals remarkably built on shrewdly exquisite contrasts and nuances"; he also stated: "The text, lively and original, is a sort of declaration of love vacillating between moving mewings and seductive

purr A purr is a tonal fluttering sound made by some species of felids and two species of genets. It varies in loudness and tone among species and in the same animal. Felids are a family of mammals that belong to the order Carnivora and are infor ...

s, before finishing in a hunter scratch".

Cover versions

In France, the song was covered in 2004 by Star Academy 4 on the album ''Les Meilleurs Moments''; this cover features as seventh track on the album and is also available in instrumental version.''Les Meilleurs Moments'', track listing and chart
Lescharts.com
(Retrieved November 13, 2008)

Chart performance

In France, "Le Chat" debuted at number 42 on the chart edition of 30 May 1992, then climbed quickly and finally entered the top ten in fifth week. It topped the chart two weeks later and stayed there for two months. Then it dropped slowly, totalling 18 weeks in the top ten and 28 weeks on the chart (top 50). "Le Chat" remained the only number-one single recorded a cappella. It was also the second biggest hit of 1992 in France, behind

François Feldman François Feldman (; born 23 May 1958) is a French singer. He had a great success in the 1980s and the 1990s in France. Biography The young François Feldman spent his adolescence listening to soul music, including songs by Marvin Gaye, Stevi ...

's " Joy". In Belgium (Wallonia), it peaked at number five on 31 October 1992. On the

European Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and '' Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, it stated at number 39 on 11 July 1992 and peaked at number 13 five weeks later, and fell off the chart after 21 weeks of presence.

Track listings

* CD single # "Le Chat" — 2:54 # "Run on (God's Gonna Cut You Down)" — 2:23 * 7" single # "Le Chat" — 2:54 # "Run on (God's Gonna Cut You Down)" — 2:23

Charts and sales

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chat SNEP Top Singles number-one singles Pow woW songs 1992 songs 1992 debut singles