Voyage, voyage

"Voyage, voyage"
Single by Desireless
from the album François
Released	December 1986
Format	7" single 12" single
Recorded	1986
Genre	Synthpop[1]
Length	4:12
Label	CBS
Writer(s)	Dominique Albert Dubois Jean-Michel Rivat
Producer(s)	Jean-Michel Rivat
Desireless singles chronology
"Voyage, voyage" (1986) "John" (1988)
Audio sample file info · help

"Voyage, voyage" ([vwa.jaʒ vwa.jaʒ]) is a song co-written by Dominique Albert Dubois and Jean-Michel Rivat and recorded by the French singer Desireless. It was the first single from her debut album François released at the end of 1986. Despite being sung entirely in French, the song circumvented the language barrier on the music charts and became a huge international hit between 1986 and 1988, reaching the top position in more than ten countries around Europe.

Desireless version

Chart performances

Since "Voyage, voyage" is sung exclusively in French, its chart success came as a surprise as it managed the rare feat of becoming a hit in several nations usually closed to francophone songs and artists such as the UK and Ireland. In Germany, the song topped the chart and has the longest chart trajectory of 1987 in the Top 20.^[2] It also reached number one in Norway and Spain. Ironically, the song missed the top spot in France, peaking at no. 2 for four weeks, behind Elsa Lunghini with her first hit "T'en vas pas".

The song initially hit no. 53 in the UK in November 1987. After being remixed by Pete Hammond and Pete Waterman of PWL, the song was re-released in the UK in the spring of 1988 and climbed to no. 5 in June of that year. The song's success continued in Ireland where it amazingly reached no. 4 twice, the original version in November 1987 followed by the PWL remix version in June 1988.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Bettina Rheims and premiered in France in December 1986.^[3]

Track listings

7" single

1. "Voyage, voyage" (4:12)
2. "Destin fragile" (instrumental) (3:31)

12" maxi

1. "Voyage, voyage" (extended remix) (6:45)
2. "Voyage, voyage" (4:12)

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1986–87) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[4] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 19 Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[6] 20 France (SNEP)[7] 2 Germany (Official German Charts)[8] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[9] 4 Italy (FIMI)[10] 41 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11] 11 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 9 Norway (VG-lista)[13] 1 Spain (AFYVE)[14] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 11 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 4 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[17] 53 Chart (1988)^1 Peak position Ireland (IRMA)[9] 4 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[18] 5 ^1 Remix

Year-end charts Chart (1986) Peak position France (SNEP)[19] 6 Chart (1987) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[20] 7 Germany (Media Control Charts)[21] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 85 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 1 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/Sales France (SNEP)[24] Gold 689,000[25] Germany (BVMI)[26] Gold 250,000^^ Spain (PROMUSICAE)[27] 2× Platinum 100,000^^ ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Chart successions

Kate Ryan cover version

"Voyage Voyage"
Single by Kate Ryan
from the album Free
B-side	We All Belong
Released	6 July 2007
Format	CD single CD maxi
Recorded	2007
Genre	Eurodance[28]
Length	3:07
Label	ARS Entertainment Universal Music
Producer(s)	2N
Kate Ryan singles chronology
"All For You" (2007) "Voyage Voyage" (2007) "L.I.L.Y. (Like I Love You)" (2008)

The Belgian singer Kate Ryan released the song from her 2008 album Free. "Voyage Voyage" came out as a double single, featuring "We all belong" which is the anthem of the event "Eurogames 2007" that occurred in Belgium in 2007. "We All Belong" is not only an anthem but also a supportive song for gay and lesbians. However, "Voyage Voyage" was the only song to have a music video. Since it was released on 11 July, it peaked at number 2 in Belgium, number 10 in the Netherlands, number 26 in Sweden, number 20 in Greece, 13 in Germany, 4 in Spain, 12 in Poland, 27 in Austria and 10 in Finland. This is the first single of Kate Ryan being released under ARS Entertainment, after her departure from EMI Belgium.

Track listings

CD single

1. "Voyage Voyage"
2. "Voyage Voyage" (Extended Version)
3. "We All Belong"
4. "We All Belong" (Extended Version)

Charts

Chart (2007–08)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[29]	26
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[30]	2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[31]	28
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[32]	3
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[33]	10
Germany (Official German Charts)[34]	13
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[35]	10
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[36]	11
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[37]	6
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[38]	26

Other covers

• It was also covered by the Mexican band Magneto in 1991 with a Spanish version entitled "Vuela Vuela". Mikel Herzog was credited with the translation. This version peaked at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.^[39]
• J-pop duo Wink also covered it on 1993 by the name "Eien no Lady Doll ~Voyage Voyage~".
• The song was also covered by the band Gregorian, featuring Sarah Brightman.
• Bananarama also covered the song and it has been performed live during 2008. It appears as a B-side on their single "Love Comes" which is included on their 2009 album, Viva.
• A Vietnamese version was released in 2010, and performed by Thủy Tiên.
• The Spanish band Los Gandules released a version of the song, Bayas Bayas (Berries Berries), on their album Sillonbol Stars. It features different lyrics in which a small bear switches to eating berries after a bad experience with the bees in a hive.
• Austrian artist Soap&Skin covered the song on her 2012 album Narrow.

References

1. German, Yuri. "Desireless – Artist Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
2. Habib, Elia (2002). Muz hit. tubes. Alinéa Bis. p. 93. ISBN 2-9518832-0-X.
3. "Desireless – "Voyage voyage"". Mvdbase.com. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
4. "Austriancharts.at – Desireless – Voyage voyage" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
5. "Ultratop.be – Desireless – Voyage voyage" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
6. "Radio 2 Top 30 : 21 maart 1987" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
7. "Lescharts.com – Desireless – Voyage voyage" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
8. "Offiziellecharts.de – Desireless – Voyage voyage". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
9. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Voyage voyage". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
10. "Desireless" (in French). Laurentpons.com. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
11. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Desireless - Voyage Voyage search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Desireless – Voyage voyage" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
13. "Norwegiancharts.com – Desireless – Voyage voyage". VG-lista. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
14. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
15. "Swedishcharts.com – Desireless – Voyage voyage". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
16. "Swisscharts.com – Desireless – Voyage voyage". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
17. "Desireless: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
18. "Archive Chart: 1988-06-11" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
19. "TOP – 1986" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
20. "Jahreshitparade 1987" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
21. (German) Jahrescharts – 1987 at the Wayback Machine (archived 16 December 2014). Officialcharts.de. GfK Entertainment.
22. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1985" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
23. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1987" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
24. "French single certifications – Desireless – Voyage voyage" (in French). InfoDisc. Select DESIRELESS and click OK
25. "Les Singles en Or" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
26. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Desireless; 'Voyage voyage')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
27. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
28. González, J.; Santos, A. (1 June 2009). "La cantante belga Kate Ryan ofrecerá el concierto estrella de San Agustín". El Comercio (in Spanish). Avilés. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
29. "Austriancharts.at – Kate Ryan – Voyage voyage" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
30. "Ultratop.be – Kate Ryan – Voyage voyage" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
31. "Ultratop.be – Kate Ryan – Voyage voyage" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
32. "Radio 2 Top 30 : 15 september 2007" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
33. "Kate Ryan: Voyage voyage" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
34. "Offiziellecharts.de – Kate Ryan – Voyage voyage". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
35. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Kate Ryan - Voyage Voyage search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
36. "Dutchcharts.nl – Kate Ryan – Voyage voyage" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
37. "Spanishcharts.com – Kate Ryan – Voyage voyage" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
38. "Swedishcharts.com – Kate Ryan – Voyage voyage". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
39. "Vuela, Vuela (Voyage, Voyage) - Magneto". Billboard. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2014.