"N'importe quoi" is the name of a 1987 song recorded by the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

artist

Florent Pagny Florent Pagny (born 6 November 1961) is a French singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He records his work in French, as well as in Italian, Spanish and English. His greatest hits include " N'importe quoi", " Savoir aimer" and " Ma Liberté de ...

. It was his debut single, released in March 1988. It became a big hit in France, topping the chart for two months and is Pagny's second best-selling single in terms of charts and sales, after "

Savoir aimer "Savoir aimer" is a 1997 song recorded by the French singer Florent Pagny. It was the first single from his album of the same name, on which it features as first track, and his 14th single overall. Released in October 1997, it was a smash succes ...

Background and writing

After several appearances in films, Pagny decided to record his first single, "N'importe quoi". He composed the music, while he and

Marion Vernoux Marion Vernoux (born 29 June 1966) is a French director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, Vernoux was the only daughter of a casting director and of a set decorator. After several experiences as a producti ...

wrote the lyrics. The song deals with the themes of

drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

s and

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

; in this protest song, the narrator addresses a friend, trying to make him think about the dangers of these substances. The music video was filmed under a circus tent.

Other versions

Pagny performed "N'importe quoi" during his 2003 tour, and thus features on his 2004 live album ''Été 2003 à l'Olympia'', as eighth track. The song was also included on Pagny's best of ''Les 50 Plus Belles Chansons'', released in 2008, and on the French compilation ''Les 100 Plus Belles Chansons''. IT was covered by

Les Enfoirés Les Enfoirés (, 'The Tossers' or 'The Bastards') is the name given to the singers and performers in the yearly charity concert for the Restaurants du Cœur The Restaurants du Cœur (literally ''Restaurants of the Heart'' but meaning ''Restau ...

on their album ''2011: Dans l'œil des Enfoirés''. The song was performed by

Christophe Maé Christophe Martichon (; born 16 October 1975), better known by his stage name Christophe Maé (), is a French pop singer. Career Maé learned to play the violin at age five, and later began playing the guitar and harmonica at age 16 after he wa ...

Patricia Kaas Patricia Kaas (; born 5 December 1966) is a French singer. Her music is a mix of pop, cabaret, jazz, and chanson. Since the appearance of her 1988 debut album '' Mademoiselle chante...'', Kaas has sold over 17 million records worldwide. She h ...

Amel Bent Amel Bent Bachir ( ar, آمال بنت بشير; born 21 June 1985) is a French R&B and pop singer who gained fame after reaching the semi-finals of season 2 of French TV singing competition ''Nouvelle Star''. She is best-selling artist to com ...

and

Jean-Jacques Goldman Jean-Jacques Goldman (; born 11 October 1951) is a French singer-songwriter and music record producer. He is hugely popular in the French-speaking world. Since the death of Johnny Hallyday in 2017 he has been the highest grossing living French p ...

Critical reception

A review in ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' presented "N'importe quoi" as a "passionate and dramatic rock song in a rather pompous, 'full-blown' setting".

Chart performance

In France, "N'importe quoi" it started at number 48 on the chart edition of 12 March 1988, climbed quickly and reached the top ten in its fifth week. It topped the chart for eight consecutive weeks, dislodging

Glenn Medeiros Glenn Alan Medeiros (born June 24, 1970) is an American former musician, singer, and songwriter who achieved chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is best known on the national and international music scene for his 1987 global s ...

's hit "

Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" is a song written by composers Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin. It was originally recorded by American singer and guitarist George Benson for his 1985 studio album ''20/20'', released by Warner Bros. Reco ...

", then almost did not stop to drop on the chart and totaled 16 weeks in the top ten and 26 weeks in the top 50. It achieved

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

status awarded by the

Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique The National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing (french: Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique; SNEP) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym ...

, thus becoming Pagny's second most successful single, only beaten by his 1998 huge hit "

". On the

European Hot 100 Singles 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 debuted at number 72 on 9 April 1988 and reached a peak of number two for three weeks.

Track listings

* 7" single # "N'importe quoi" — 3:50 # "Je resterai là" (Florent Pagny/Jean-Yves D'Angelo/

Manu Katché Manu Katché (born 27 October 1958) is a French drummer and songwriter of Ivorian descent. He has worked extensively as a session musician, notably with Sting and Peter Gabriel, and his solo albums as a bandleader are largely in the jazz fusion ...

Kamil Rustam Kamil Rustam is an American guitarist, composer, arranger, songwriter and producer whose musical career has made known as a prolific musician in many different styles. Rustam was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and moved at an early age to Pa ...

) — 3:30 * 12" maxi # "N'importe quoi" (maxi version) — 5:25 # "N'importe quoi" — 3:50 # "Je resterai là" — 3:30 * Digital download # "N'importe quoi" — 3:50 # "N'importe quoi" (2004 live version) — 5:16

Credits

; Production *

Arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestra ...

& produced by Jean-Yves D'Angelo, Hugues Dumas &

* Engineered by Guillaume Coulon at Musika Studios, Paris * Mixed at Studio du Palais des Congrès, Paris ; Design * Corinne Bertelot —

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

* Virginie Demachy — design

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

"N'importe quoi", lyrics + music video
{{authority control 1987 songs 1988 debut singles Florent Pagny songs SNEP Top Singles number-one singles Protest songs Philips Records singles