"Les Yeux de la faim" (meaning "The Eyes of Hunger") is a French-language song written by Canadian journalist
and Canadian composer Jean Robitaille. It was recorded by a one-off
supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to:
* Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields
* Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry
* Supergroup ...
of many musicians to raise funds for the Quebec-Africa Foundation, a charity to help people facing famine in Africa. It was released as a chartity single in May 1985 in Quebec. "Les Yeux de la faim" was one of a number of such supergroup singles released around this time, along with "
Do They Know It's Christmas?
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" in the United Kingdom, "
We Are the World
"We Are the World" is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album ''We Are the World''. Wit ...
" in the United States and "
Tears Are Not Enough
"Tears Are Not Enough" is a 1985 charity single recorded by a supergroup of Canadian artists, under the name Northern Lights, to raise funds for relief of the 1983–85 famine in Ethiopia. It was one of a number of such supergroup singles reco ...
" in English Canada.
Participating artists
Artists participating in the recording included:
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
,
Daniel Lavoie
Daniel Lavoie (; born Joseph-Hubert-Gérald Lavoie on March 17, 1949) is a Canadian singer–songwriter, actor, producer, poet, and radio host, known for his song " Ils s'aiment" and the role of Frollo in musical ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He rele ...
,
Martine St-Clair
Martine St. Clair (born Martine Nault, 22 July 1962) is a Canadian singer from the province of Quebec. She has released numerous albums in a career that has spanned over two decades.
St. Clair was born in Montreal. In 1981, she was chosen by re ...
,
Michel Rivard,
Jean-Pierre Ferland
Jean-Pierre Ferland, (born June 24, 1934, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian singer and songwriter.
Life and career
Ferland began work with Radio-Canada in 1956 as an accountant, but his career there was short lived. Shortly after, he began ...
,
Gilles Vigneault
Gilles Vigneault (; born 27 October 1928) is a Canadian poet, publisher, singer-songwriter, and Quebec nationalist and sovereigntist. Two of his songs are considered by many to be Quebec's unofficial anthems: "Mon pays" and "Gens du pays", an ...
, Nicole Martin, Claude Léveillée,
Donald Lautrec
Donald Lautrec (born Donald Bourgeois, July 13, 1940 in Jonquière, Quebec) is a Canadian (Quebec) singer and actor.
Career
With a friend in 1957, Lautrec created the acrobatic duo, ''Don and Lee'', which performed on trampolines throughout Cana ...
,
Claude Gauthier,
Véronique Béliveau
Véronique Béliveau (born January 24, 1955), originally Nicole Monique, is a Canadian actress and pop/rock singer who was nominated for a 1987 Juno Award for Female Vocalist of the Year. Her first full-length album was ''Prends-moi comme je su ...
,
Pierre Bertrand,
Marie-Michèle Desrosiers Marie-Michèle Desrosiers (born March 6, 1950) is a Canadian pop and rock singer from Quebec.[Yvon Deschamps
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,
Renée Claude
Renée Claude (born Renée Bélanger; July 3, 1939 – May 12, 2020) was a Canadian actress and singer Denise Ménard, Suzanne Thomas and Benoît L'Herbier"Renée Claude" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', January 20, 2010. who was known as an inter ...
,
Pierre Lalonde
Pierre Lalonde (January 20, 1941 – June 21, 2016) was a Canadian singer and television host.
The son of Jean Lalonde, a popular singer in the 1940s, Lalonde attended high school in the United States but returned to Canada in 1960, where he wo ...
,
Louise Portal
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,
Dominique Michel Dominique Michel, OC, CQ (born ''Aimée Sylvestre''; September 24, 1932 in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec) is a Quebec comedian, actress, singer and artist.
Biography
She began her career in cabarets performing songs written by Raymond Lévesque and subse ...
, Jacques Michel,
Louise Forestier
Louise Forestier (born Louise Belhumeur on August 10, 1942) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actress.
Biography
Born in Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada, Forestier was trained in acting at the National Theatre School in Montreal, but it was as a s ...
, Sylvain Lelièvre,
Marjo Marjo may refer to:
* Marjo (singer), Canadian singer-songwriter, given name Marjolène
* Marjo (name), Finnish and Dutch given name
See also
* Marijo
Marijo is a South Slavic masculine given name, cognate to Mario
is a character (arts), ...
, Jean-Guy Moreau, Belgazou, Martine Chevrier,
Michel Louvain
Michel Louvain, (July 12, 1937April 14, 2021) was a Canadian singer most popular in the 1960s and 1970s. , François Cousineau, Diane Juster,
Jacques Boulanger
Jacques Boulanger (26 April 1927 – 4 August 1956) was a French athlete. He competed in the men's triple jump at the 1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), offic ...
,
Michel Lemieux
Michel Lemieux (born February 13, 1959, in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a Canadian multimedia artist from Quebec, whose career has incorporated work in theatrical design, installation art, film, video, dance and music."'Technology is a tool' to ar ...
,
Peter Pringle
Peter Pringle (born September 7, 1945) is a Canadian musician and television personality,[ ...]
, Sylvie Tremblay,
Nanette Workman
Nanette Joan Workman (born 20 November 1945, Brooklyn, New York, United States) is a singer-songwriter, actress and author, who has been based in Quebec, Canada, during much of her career. She holds dual citizenship of both the United States and ...
, Robert Leroux,
Patsy Gallant
Patricia Gallant (born August 15, 1948, in Campbellton, New Brunswick) is a Canadian pop singer and musical theatre actress. Of Acadian ancestry, she has recorded and performed in both English and French.
Early life
Patsy Gallant was one of ...
,
René Simard
René Claude Simard, , (born February 28, 1961) is a pop singer from Quebec. He is the older brother of Nathalie Simard.
Early life
Simard was born in Chicoutimi, Quebec.
Career
In 1974, René Simard was awarded the Grand Prix by Frank Sinatra a ...
,
Nathalie Simard
Nathalie Simard (born 7 July 1969) is a pop singer from Quebec, Canada, and the younger sister of performer René Simard.
Simard was born in Île d'Orléans, near Quebec City, and was discovered by producer Guy Cloutier. Her first role was in a ...
,
Normand Brathwaite
Normand Brathwaite (born August 27, 1958) is a Quebec comedian, movie and television actor, radio and television host and musician. He is known for hosting television variety shows for over 10 years, including ''Piment Fort'' as well as the Montr ...
and the band Toulouse.
Commercial performance
"Les Yeux de la faim" entered the chart in Quebec on 25 May 1985.
The song topped it for seven weeks between June and August 1985, and stayed on the chart for nineteen weeks.
"Les Yeux de la faim" was certified gold in Canada on 28 August 1985.
Awards
In 1986,
PROCAN
This is a list of deities from the Greyhawk campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game.
A
Al'Akbar
Al'Akbar is the Baklunish demigod of dignity, duty, faithfulness, and guardianship. His symbol is a cup and ei ...
presented special awards to the song's writers,
and Jean Robitaille, and to the Quebec-Africa Foundation to honour their charitable commitment. Courtemanche and Robitaille were also nominated for the
Félix Award
The Félix Award (french: Trophée Félix or Prix Félix) is an award, given by the ''Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois'' (ADISQ) on an annual basis to artists working in the music and humor industry in the Canadian p ...
for Author/Composer of the Year but lost to
Corey Hart.
Track listings and formats
*Canadian 7" single
#"Les Yeux de la faim" – 4:25
#"Les Yeux de la faim" (Instrumental Version) – 4:25
*Canadian 12" maxi-single
#"Les Yeux de la faim" (Extended) – 5:38
#"Les Yeux de la faim" (Extended Instrumental Version) – 5:38
Charts
Certifications and sales
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeux de la faim, Les
1985 singles
1985 songs
Celine Dion songs
All-star recordings
Charity singles
French-language songs
Gilles Vigneault songs