"Ride the Lightning" is a song written by
John Kongos
John Theodore Kongos (born 6 August 1945) is a South African-born singer and songwriter of Greek ancestry, best known for his 1971 Top 10 hit single "He's Gonna Step on You Again", on which Happy Mondays based their hit "Step On". His other big ...
and Peter Leroy and originally released by John Kongos in 1975.
Track listing
7" single Cube Records BUG 58 (1975, UK)
: A. "Ride the Lightning" (4:04)
: B. "I Won't Ask You Where You've Been" (4:30)
Sylvie Vartan version (in French)
The song was reworked into French (as "Qu'est-ce qui fait pleurer les blondes?", which means "What makes blondes cry?") by lyricist
Pierre Delanoë
Pierre Delanoë (16 December 1918 – 27 December 2006), born Pierre Charles Marcel Napoléon Leroyer in Paris, France, was a French lyricist who wrote thousands of songs for dozens of singers, including Dalida, Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour, Pet ...
and recorded by French singer
Sylvie Vartan
Sylvie Vartan (; born Sylvie Georges Vartanian; hy, Սիլվի Ժորժ Վարդանյան. on 15 August 1944) is an Armenian-Bulgarian-French singer and actress. She is known as one of the most productive and tough-sounding yé-yé artists. ...
. The recording was produced by
Jacques Revaux
Jacques Abel Jules Revaud (; born 11 July 1940), known as Jacques Revaux (), is a French songwriter, most famous for his 1968 writing collaboration with singer Claude François on the song "Comme d'habitude", whose text was reworked by Canadian si ...
.
Her version was released as a single and on Sylvie Vartan's 1976 album ''Qu'est-ce qui fait pleurer les blondes?''
The song spent two consecutive weeks at no. 1 on the singles sales chart in France (from February 19 to March 3, 1976).
Track listing
7" single (1976)
:A. "Qu'est-ce qui fait pleurer les blondes?" (3:09)
:B. "La Lettre" (3:17)
Charts
See also
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References
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1975 songs
1975 singles
1976 singles
Number-one singles in France
John Kongos songs
Sylvie Vartan songs
RCA Victor singles