"Les Mariés de Vendée" is a 1992 song recorded as a

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

by French singers

Didier Barbelivien Didier René Henri Barbelivien (born 10 March 1954 in Paris) is a French author, lyricist, songwriter and singer. Beginning in the 1970s, he wrote a number of successful songs for artists such as: Dalida, Johnny Hallyday, Michel Sardou, Daniel G ...

and Anaïs. Written and composed by Barbelivien, this

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

was released in October 1992 and became the first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from their 1992 album ''Vendée 93'', on which it is the eighth track. It was a hit in France, peaking at number two.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Les Mariés de Vendée" was directed by Éric Barbier. Initially, Barbelivien was not intended to play the role of the

bridegroom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man an ...

but as no other actor was found, his producer proposed him to do a test with his then-partner Anaïs, which he accepted. In the scenario, Barbelivien had to get on a

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

, which he managed to do by helping himself with a stool, and the scene in which he had to lift Anaïs off the ground by taking her by the waist and getting her on the horse required 22 shoots. At the end of the sequence, the horse went directly to the stable box where the ceiling was low; as a consequence, Barbelivien remained suspended from the stable railing and needed help to go down.

Charts performance

In France, "Les Mariés de Vendée" debuted at number 23 on the chart edition of 24 October 1992, then climbed and entered the top ten three weeks later, and eventually reached a peak of number two, where it stayed for consecutive seven weeks, being blocked from the number one spot by

Jordy Jordy is a masculine given name, and sometimes a diminutive of the name Jordan. Notable people and characters with the name include: People * Jordy (singer) (Jordy Lemoine, born 1988), French singer and musician * Jordy Birch (), Canadian singer ...

's hit "

Dur dur d'être bébé ! "Dur dur d'être bébé !", which was retitled "Dur dur d'être bébé! (It's Hard to Be a Baby)" for its American audience, is a 1992 song recorded by French singer Jordy Lemoine, credited as Jordy. The first single from his debut album, '' Poch ...

". It remained in the top ten for 15 weeks and in the top 50 for 23 weeks. It reached a peak of number four on the Belgian (Wallonia) chart, on 19 December 1992, and remained in the top ten for seven weeks. On the

Eurochart 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 ...

, "Les Mariés de Vendée" debuted at number 91 on 7 November 1992, rose to number 11 in its eighth week, and fell off the chart after 18 weeks of presence, seven of them in the top 20.

Track listings

* 7" single, 7" single (Anaïs & Didier Barbelivien – "Les Mariés de Vendée") (accessdate: 23 September 2021). # "Les Mariés de Vendée" — 4:05 # "Peuple de géants" — 3:28 * CD single, CD single (Anaïs & Didier Barbelivien – "Les Mariés de Vendée") (accessdate: 23 September 2021). # "Les Mariés de Vendée" — 4:05 # "Peuple de géants" — 3:28 * Cassette, Cassette (Anaïs & Didier Barbelivien – "Les Mariés de Vendée") (accessdate: 23 September 2021). # "Les Mariés de Vendée" — 4:05 # "Peuple de géants" — 3:28

Personnel

* Photography — Richard Melloul * Graphic conception — FKGB * Arrangements — Bernard Estardy

Charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maries de Vendee, les 1992 singles Didier Barbelivien songs Pop ballads Male–female vocal duets Songs written by Didier Barbelivien Anaïs (singer) songs