"Boum!" (,

onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia (or rarely echoism) is a type of word, or the process of creating a word, that phonetics, phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Common onomatopoeias in English include animal noises such as Oin ...

similar to "boom" in English) is a popular 1938 song by the French singer/songwriter

Charles Trenet Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet (; 18 May 1913 – 19 February 2001) was a renowned French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the lyrics for nearly 1,000 songs over a career that lasted more than 60 years. These songs inclu ...

which won him the

Grand Prix du Disque Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), ...

. It was one of several songs that Trenet wrote for the film ''La Route enchantée'', for which he also wrote the screenplay and played the leading role. The film was directed by Pierre Caron, and was released in November 1938. The song was initially released in 1938 by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

on a 10" single as the B-side to "Vous Êtes Jolie". Its light, irreverent lyrics express a ''

joie de vivre ( , ; " joy of living") is a French phrase often used in English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life, an exultation of spirit, and general happiness. It "can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And ' ...

'' typical in French popular music produced during the late 1930s, reflecting the political unrest and economic uncertainty of that time. It includes depictions of the sounds made by various animals and also various

. The lyric to the refrain is: "Boum!" has been recorded by other artists and in English translation. In 1994 the song was covered by Belgian singer

Maurane Claudine Luypaerts, better known as Maurane (; 12 November 1960 – 7 May 2018), was a Francophone Belgian singer and actress. Brought to light in the 1980s with her role as Marie-Jeanne in the second version of the rock opera ''Starmania'', h ...

. The song has featured in a variety of films and documentaries, including ''

The World at War ''The World at War'' is a 26-episode British documentary television series that chronicles the events of the Second World War. Produced in 1973 at a cost of around £880,000 (), it was the most expensive factual series ever made at the time. ...

'', '' Something's Gotta Give'', ''

Toto the Hero ''Toto the Hero'' () is a 1991 Belgian film (co-produced with France and Germany) by Belgian film director and screenwriter Jaco Van Dormael. It won the Caméra d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1991, and the César Award for Best Foreig ...

'', ''

Skyfall ''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy thriller film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, ...

'', and ''

A Good Year ''A Good Year'' is a 2006 romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Ridley Scott. The film stars Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard, Didier Bourdon, Abbie Cornish, Tom Hollander, Freddie Highmore and Albert Finney. The film is ba ...

''. In the BBC TV-series ''

'Allo 'Allo! ''Allo 'Allo!'' is a British sitcom television series, created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, starring Gorden Kaye, Carmen Silvera, Guy Siner and Richard Gibson. Originally broadcast on BBC1, the series focuses on the life of a Frenc ...

'', Edith Artois often sings it, saying that it is one of her favourites. It has also been used in commercial advertising.

Other recordings

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

released a version on his 1960 album, '' Under Paris Skies''.

Parody

Hergé Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé ( ; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian comic strip artist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of T ...

's ''

The Adventures of Tintin ''The Adventures of Tintin'' ( ) is a series of 24 comic albums created by Belgians, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century. By 2007, a c ...

'' comic ''

Land of Black Gold ''Land of Black Gold'' () is the fifteenth volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The story was commissioned by the conservative Belgian newspaper for its children's supplement , in which it wa ...

'', Trenet's "Boum!" is transformed into a radio

advertising jingle Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of interest to consumers. It is typically us ...

for a fictional

roadside assistance Roadside assistance, also known as breakdown coverage, is a service that assists motorists, motorcyclists, or bicyclists whose vehicles have suffered a mechanical failure that either cannot be resolved by the motorist, or has prevented them from ...

company, "Simoun" ("Autocart" in the English editions). In the animated film '' Mortadelo and Filemon: Mission Implausible'', Jimmy el Cachondo sings it with an alternative lyric in Spanish.

References

External links

Lyrics in French
{{authority control French songs Charles Trenet songs Songs written by Charles Trenet 1938 songs