Jessy Matador number 1 of the French Top 100

by Dominique Dufaut 70 views

This is the biggest piece of news for this year's French entry. Allez Ola Olé, Jessy Matador's song, tops the French Top 100 this week. The physical CD single entered the sale list at number 11 the week before. So it seems that the record company's goal – to have a summer hit – is about to come true.

This is actually the first time a French entry tops the official charts. Of course, the record market changed a lot since a few years and comparisons are not easy to do. Last time a French entry entered the Top 10, it was in 2001, with Natasha St-Pier. Je n'ai que mon âme reached number 2. Same 2nd place 11 years before with Joëlle Ursull's White and black blues, who managed to remain into the Top 10 nearly all summer long.

Since then, most French entries entered the Top 100 but never managed to place that good… due to bad results and lack of airplay after the contest (as well as before…).In the 90's, France's contenders didn't do that well neither, except Joëlle Ursull. Amina, in spite of her 2nd place at the contest, placed around the 30th position. Patrick Fiori's Mama Corsica remained only two weeks and peaked at number 40.In the 80's, none of the French entries reached the national Top 50.

And what about before?It has to be said that the official sales list only existed since 1984 in France. All charts published before were not at all connected with real sales, but with airplay and radio station's choices. Regarding Marie Myriam's Grand Prix, for instance, no objective placing can be given. Still, we know for sure that the single sold more than 1.4 millions copies only in France, which would have placed the song on top spot of any official list for a long period at the time.Before 1992, gold status was reached at more than 500,000 copies of a CD single (or 7") in France. It regularly decreased. Since 2009, 150,000 is the number of copies to be purchased.