"Dominique" is a

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

French language French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...

popular song, written and performed by Belgian singer Jeannine Deckers, better known as Sœur Sourire ("Sister Smile" in French) or

The Singing Nun Jeanne-Paule Marie "Jeannine" Deckers (17 October 1933 – 29 March 1985), better known as and often called The Singing Nun in English-speaking countries, was a Catholic Church in Belgium, Belgian Catholic singer-songwriter and former member ...

. The song is about

Saint Dominic Saint Dominic, (; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilians, Castilian Catholic priest and the founder of the Dominican Order. He is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientists, and he a ...

, a Spanish-born priest and founder of the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

, of which she was a member (as Sister Luc-Gabrielle). The English-version lyrics of the song were written by

Noël Regney Noël Regney (born Léon Schlienger; 19 August 1922 – 22 November 2002), was a French World War II veteran and songwriter who is best known for composing the Christmas standard "Do You Hear What I Hear?" with his then-wife Gloria Shayne Baker in ...

. In addition to French and English, Deckers recorded versions in Dutch, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese. It was a top selling record in 11 countries in late 1963 and early 1964.

Commercial performance

"Dominique" reached the Top 10 in 11 countries in late 1963 and early 1964, topping the chart in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It reached the Top 5 in Norway, Denmark, Ireland and South Africa, with the song making it into the lower reaches of the Top 10 in the Netherlands, West Germany, and the United Kingdom. The song reached and stayed at No. 1 on

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

radio station WABC in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

for the four weeks of 19 November through 10 December. On WLS

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, the song was No. 1 for the three weeks 15–29 November 1963. On both the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and "

Easy Listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary music, adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on ...

", "Dominique" was No. 1 for the four weeks 7–28 December

. The song won the

Grammy Award for Best Gospel or Other Religious Recording (Musical) The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the ...

in 1964. It was also a nominee for

Grammy Award for Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

, and Sœur Sourire was a nominee for Best Female Vocal Performance. It was the second foreign language song to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1963, the first being "

Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish that is prepared and served in the '' nabemono'' (Japanese hot pot) style. It consists of meat (usually thinly sliced beef) which is slowly cooked or simmered at the table, alongside vegetables and other ingredients, in ...

" by

Kyu Sakamoto , legally registered as since 1956, was a Japanese singer and actor. He was best known outside Japan for his international hit song "Ue o Muite Arukō" (known as "Sukiyaki (song), Sukiyaki" in English-speaking markets), which was sung in Japane ...

. For the next ten years or so, although there were a number of hits with most of the vocals in a language other than English (e.g.,

The Sandpipers The Sandpipers were an American easy listening trio who carved a niche in 1960s folk rock with their vocals and innovative arrangements of international ballads and pop standards. They are best remembered for their cover version of "Guantaname ...

' "

Guantanamera "" (; ) is a Cuban patriotic song, which uses a poem from the collection ''Simple Verses'', by the Cuban poet José Martí, for the lyrics. It is an expression of love for Cuba and of solidarity with the poor people of the world. The official ...

René y René René y René was a Latin pop duo from Laredo, Texas. Composed of René Ornelas (born August 26, 1936) and René Herrera (October 2, 1935 - December 20, 2005), the group scored two hit singles in the U.S. in the 1960s. 1964's " Angelito" ("Littl ...

's "Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero", etc.), no other purely foreign language song reached the ''Billboard'' Hot 100's top 40 until the Spanish language hit " Eres tú (Touch The Wind)" in 1974. "Dominique" outsold

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

during its stay on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; it was the second to last No. 1 hit before the

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when Rock music, rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of Culture of the United Kingdom, British culture became popular in the United States with sign ...

The song

"Dominique" became a worldwide hit in 1963 and was the first, and only, Belgian number-one hit single in the American ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' charts. It is remembered chiefly for its

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...

, which goes: : ''Domi-nique -nique -nique s'en allait tout simplement,'' : ''Routier, pauvre et chantant.'' : ''En tous chemins, en tous lieux, : ''Il ne parle que du Bon Dieu,'' : ''Il ne parle que du Bon Dieu.'' A literal English translation is: : ''Domi-nic -nic -nic went about simply,'' : ''a poor singing traveller.'' : ''On every road, in every place,'' : ''he talks only of the Good Lord,'' : ''he talks only of the Good Lord.'' The lyrics of the chorus of Regney's English-language translation are: : ''Domi-nique -nique -nique, o'er the land he plods along,'' : ''And sings a little song.'' : ''Never asking for reward,'' : ''He just talks about the Lord,'' : ''He just talks about the Lord.''

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Cover versions

* Sandler and Young revived the song in late 1966,Sandler & Young CD Collection
. Retrieved on 25 January 2009 a version that appeared on the ''Billboard'' easy listening chart. The performance was a medley including other religious-themed songs including "Deep River" and "

Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" is an African-American spiritual song that originated during the period of slavery but was not published until 1867. The song is well known and many cover versions of it have been recorded by artists such as ...

References

External links

"Dominique" lyrics in English and French
Allthelyrics.com

* {{authority control 1963 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in Argentina Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Canada Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in South Africa Number-one singles in Venezuela Soeur Sourire songs Songs written by Noël Regney Songs in French Philips Records singles 1963 songs Number-one singles in Mexico Cultural depictions of Saint Dominic