"Les derniers seront les premiers"
Promotional single by Celine Dion
from the album Live à Paris
ReleasedOctober 1996 (1996-10)
RecordedOctober–November 1995
VenueZénith Paris
GenrePop
Length3:48
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Jean-Jacques Goldman
Audio video
"Les derniers seront les premiers" on YouTube

"Les derniers seront les premiers" (meaning "the last will be first") is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion from her thirteenth studio album, D'eux (1995). It was written by Jean-Jacques Goldman and produced by Goldman and Erick Benzi. The live version of the song from Live à Paris was released as a promotional single in October 1996. It entered the airplay charts in Francophone countries, reaching numbers three in Quebec, 19 in France and 47 in Belgium Wallonia.

Background and release

Dion recorded D'eux in November and December 1994 in the Méga Studio in Paris, France.[1] Most songs were written by Jean-Jacques Goldman, while the production was handled by Goldman and Erick Benzi.[2] The live version of "Les derniers seront les premiers" from Live à Paris was released as a promotional single in October 1996.[3][4] In 2005, the song was included on Dion's greatest hits album, On ne change pas.[5]

Accolades

At the 1997 Félix Awards in Quebec, "Les derniers seront les premiers" was nominated for Most Popular Song of the Year and Video of the Year.[6]

Commercial performance

"Les derniers seront les premiers" entered the airplay charts in Francophone countries in November 1996. In Quebec, the song debuted on 16 November 1996 and peaked at number three.[7] It stayed 35 weeks on the chart in total.[8] In France, "Les derniers seront les premiers" peaked at number 19 in December 1996, in its fourth week on the chart.[9] In Belgium Wallonia, it reached number 47 on 29 November 1996.[10]

Music video

The official live music video was filmed at the Zénith Paris in France, during the D'eux Tour in October and November 1995.[11] It was directed by Gérard Pullicino and released in October 1996 to promote the Live à Paris CD and DVD of the same name.[12] Jean-Jacques Goldman joined Dion on stage at the end of the song. The video was nominated for Video of the Year at the 1997 Félix Awards in Quebec.[6] In 2005, it was included on Dion's greatest hits DVD collection, On ne change pas, and in 2009 on the 15th anniversary edition of D'eux.[13]

Charts

Chart performance for "Les derniers seront les premiers"
Chart (1996) Peak
position
Belgium Airplay (Ultratop Flanders)[10] 141
Belgium Airplay (Ultratop Wallonia)[10] 47
France Airplay (SNEP)[9] 19
Quebec Airplay (ADISQ)[14] 3

References

  1. ^ "Histoire de culte: comment l'album D'eux de Céline Dion est devenu le disque francophone le plus vendu de tous les temps". Elle (in French). 30 March 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  2. ^ "D'eux by Céline Dion". Apple Music. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  3. ^ "M & M Airplay Station Reports" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 November 1996. p. 22. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Celine Dion – Les derniers seront les premiers". Discogs. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  5. ^ "On ne change pas by Céline Dion". Apple Music. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Gala de l'ADISQ - 1997". ADISQ. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Compilation des succès par ordre alphabétique d'interprètes" (PDF) (in French). Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Palmarès reconstitués de la chanson au Québec" (in French). Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Major Market Airplay: France" (PDF). Music & Media. 14 December 1996. p. 23. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  10. ^ a b c Sam Jaspers (2006). Ultratop 1995-2005. Book & Media Publishing. ISBN 90-5720-232-8.
  11. ^ "Live à Paris by Céline Dion". Apple Music. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Céline Dion & Jean-Jacques Goldman: Les derniers seront les premiers". imvdb.com. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  13. ^ "D'Eux Édition 15ème anniversaire". celinedion.com. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Québec Info Musique: Céline Dion". Québec Info Musique. Retrieved 28 September 2014.

External links

Celine Dion songs
Authority control databases
Categories