"Yaka dansé", also titled "Yaka dansé (l'aborigène)" on the disc of the various formats as there is an "aborigène mix", is a 1987

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

song recorded by French band Raft. Written and composed by band's singer Christian Fougeron, it was released in August 1987 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 Raft's 1989 second album ''Madagascar'', on which it appears as the tenth track in a remixed version. Praised by critics, it was particularly appreciated for its deep lyrics under an innocent appearance, dealing with

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

and decolonization, and its catchy rhythm. It was a successful hit in France, peaking at number two, and can be considered as Raft'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, lyrics and music

Raft member Christian Fougeron explained in an interview: "The inspiration for the song's music came to us when we were in a bus to take our plane: an

ambulance An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...

overtook us and its siren clicked in my mind". Musically, "Yaka dansé" is a

song with

percussions A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Excl ...

by Jean Schultheis and the

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

by a musician from French band

Niagara Niagara may refer to: Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada *Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River *Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border *Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ov ...

; the words play with the sounds and become singing

onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...

s. Lyrically, it deals with serious topics: politics, racism, religion (it mentions God and

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

), genocides, war, "celebrate the richness of difference" and is a hymn to

toleration Toleration is the allowing, permitting, or acceptance of an action, idea, object, or person which one dislikes or disagrees with. Political scientist Andrew R. Murphy explains that "We can improve our understanding by defining "toleration" as a ...

. It evokes events linked to the decolonization of

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in 1987, a relevant topic at the time as there was a referendum on the independence of the island in September of that year (with a 98% reject), which led to violences between Kanak indigenous and French

settler A settler is a person who has human migration, migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a ...

s. As for the title, Fougeron said it was chosen "to counterbalance the text dealing with serious subjects and at the same time to bring lightness: we sing, we dance, we love each other". It was the band's first song written in French. Retrospectively, in 2016, Fourgeron said about "Yaka dansé": "I was far from thinking that this song would have that course and that 30 years later, the themes addressed would still be relevant... more than ever even".

Critical reception

"Yaka dansé" was well-received by critics. According to Elia Habib, an expert of the French charts, "this warm text illuminates the autumnal gray weather". A review in the Pan-European magazine ''

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 ...

'' praised the song, electing "single of the week" on 3 October 1987, and stated: "This duo delivers the next European hit: a cheerful pop

tune with an enchanting chorus. With its commercial appeal, a record that deserves to be released all ever Europe!" This anticolonialist song is listed by Bertrand Dicale as a song that builts History and his analysis is an available pedagogic tool for school teachers.

Cover versions

In 2004, "Yaka dansé" was covered by Soma Riba, a member of Collectif Métissé, who released it as a single; this version peaked at number 27 in France and number 40 in Belgium (Flanders).

Chart performance

In France, "Yaka dansé" debuted at number 45 on the chart edition of 5 September 1987, then climbed every week and eventually peaked at number two for non consecutive four weeks, being blocked from the number one spot by

Los Lobos Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") are an American rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional music such as cumbia, ...

's hit " La Bamba"; it remained for 13 weeks in the top ten and 23 weeks in the top 50, and earned a Gold disc 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 ...

. It peaked at number 23 in Belgium (Flanders) where it charted for four weeks. It entered the European Top 100 at number 84 on 3 October 1987, reached a peak of number 23 ten weeks later where it stayed for two weeks, and fell off the chart after 19 weeks of presence. Regularly played on radio, it reached number 31 on the European Airplay Top 50 on 7 November 1987, and charted for a total of eight weeks.

Track listings

* 7" single - France, Germany, Spain, 7" single France (Raft – "Yaka dansé") (accessdate: 7 October 2021)., 7" single Germany (Raft – "Yaka dansé") (accessdate: 7 October 2021)., 7" single Spain (Raft – "Yaka dansé") (accessdate: 7 October 2021). # "Yaka dansé" — 3:47 # "Leisure" — 2:45 (lyrics and music by Pierre Schott) * 12" maxi - France, Spain, 12" maxi France (Raft – "Yaka dansé") (accessdate: 7 October 2021)., 12" maxi Spain (Raft – "Yaka dansé") (accessdate: 7 October 2021). # "Yaka dansé" (aborigène mix) — 5:28 # "Yaka dansé" (original version) — 3:47 # "Leisure" — 2:45 (lyrics and music by Pierre Schott) * 12" maxi - Germany, 12" maxi Germany (Raft – "Yaka dansé") (accessdate: 7 October 2021). # "Yaka dansé" (aborigène mix) — 5:28 # "Leisure" — 2:48 (lyrics and music by Pierre Schott) # "Yaka dansé" (original mix) — 3:58

Personnel

* Arranged by Victor Dam * Backing Vocals — Christine Lidon, Véronique De Launay * Engineer — Olivier Do Espirito Santo * Engineer and mixing — Jean-Pierre Janiaud * Photography — Gilles Cappé

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yaka Danse 1987 songs 1987 singles Polydor Records singles ZYX Music singles Raft (band) songs Songs against racism and xenophobia Songs about Native Americans