"Je danse le Mia" is a 1994 popular song recorded by the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

band

IAM IAM or Iam may refer to: Arts and media * IAM (band), a French hip hop group from Marseille that formed in 1989 * I Am (American band), often styled I AM, an American rock band * ''Intellectual Asset Management'', an intellectual-property magazine ...

. It was released as the first single from their second album, ''Ombre est Lumière'', in February 1994. The song became a major hit in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, reaching #1, and is often considered the

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

of the band.

Music, lyrics and music video

"Je danse le Mia" (a play on the name of the band, IAM) was written and composed by IAM: rappers

Akhenaton Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Akhenaton or Echnaton ( ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning 'Effective for the Aten'), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Before the ...

Shurik'n Geoffroy Mussard (; born 11 March 1966), known by his stage name Shurik'n, is a French rapper from Marseille. He is one of the members of the hip hop group IAM, as well as a major solo artist. With his brother Faf Larage (Raphaël Mussard), he a ...

, DJ

Kheops Khufu or Cheops (died 2566 BC) was an ancient Egyptian monarch who was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, in the first half of the Old Kingdom period (26th century BC). Khufu succeeded his father Sneferu as king. He is generally accep ...

, and DJ/beat maker

Imhotep Imhotep (; "(the one who) comes in peace"; ) was an Egyptian chancellor to the King Djoser, possible architect of Djoser's step pyramid, and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis. Very little is known of Imhotep as a historical figur ...

. It used a sample from

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the ...

's song, " Give Me the Night" (which was also used in 2005 by

Jean Dujardin Jean Edmond Dujardin (; born 19 June 1972) is a French actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Paris before guest starring in comedic television programmes and films. He first came to prominence with the cult TV series ...

with his song " Le Casse de Brice"). This song, which has a "joyful, nostalgic and funky melody", is not representative of the musical universe of the group, which is traditionally characterized by "pessimistic texts" and "most slightly acid musics". Nevertheless, the real theme of the song is not dancing and

nightclubs A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and ...

, but the collapse of time represented by nostalgia for the 'Eighties and dance The music video, produced by

Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one o ...

, shows the lead singer in various situations, most notably dancing in a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

. Throughout the video, after an image is shown, the camera then makes several successive

zooms Zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry, commonly referred to by the abbreviation ZooMS, is a scientific method that identifies animal species by means of characteristic peptide sequences in the protein collagen Collagen () is the main structural ...

ins or zoom outs. Many other band members and extras also appear in the video.

Chart performances

, "Je danse le Mia" spent 32 weeks on the chart in 1994. It debuted at #44, but climbed quickly on the chart, reaching number-one only three weeks later. It stayed at the top for eight non-consecutive weeks, alternating with

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

's "

Streets of Philadelphia "Streets of Philadelphia" is a song written and performed by American rock musician Bruce Springsteen for the 1993 film ''Philadelphia'', starring Tom Hanks, an early mainstream film dealing with HIV/AIDS. Released as a single by Columbia Rec ...

". The single managed to remain in the top ten for 22 weeks."Je danse le Mia", in French Singles Char
Lescharts.com
(Retrieved April 30, 2008) Certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

disc by the

SNEP SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

,French certification
Disqueenfrance.com
(Retrieved April 30, 2008) it featured at #2 on the End of the Year Chart,1994 French Singles Char
Disqueenfrance.com
(Retrieved January 30, 2009) behind " 7 Seconds", by

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, ; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' described him as, "perhaps the m ...

and

Neneh Cherry Neneh Mariann Karlsson (; born 10 March 1964), better known as Neneh Cherry, is a Swedish singer, songwriter, rapper, occasional disc jockey, and broadcaster. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a numb ...

. It re-charted for one week in 2001, then for two weeks in 2004, but stayed at the bottom of the top 100. The song was covered by

Les Enfoirés Les Enfoirés (, "The Tossers" or "The Bastards") is the name given to the singers and performers in the yearly charity concert for the Restaurants du Cœur. Founded at the initiative of Coluche in 1986, a year after the Restaurants du Cœur, ...

on their album ''2011: Dans l'œil des Enfoirés'', and included in the medley "À la porte du Night Club". The song has been performed by

Grégoire Grégoire is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname / Family name * Alexandre Grégoire (1922–2001), Haitian painter * Antonina Grégoire (1914-1952), Belgian commercial engineer, feminist and communist, ...

Thomas Dutronc Thomas Dutronc (; born 16 June 1973) is a French singer and jazz manouche guitarist. He was born in Paris, the son of singer, songwriter and guitarist Françoise Hardy, and singer, songwriter, guitarist, and film actor Jacques Dutronc. Career ...

Track listings

; CD single # "Je danse le Mia" (le terrible funk remix radio edit) # "Je danse le Mia" (original version) ; CD maxi # "Je danse le Mia" — 4:34 # "Ombre est Lumière" — 5:28 # "Je fais 1 avec ma musique" — 5:17 # "L'Ultra Mia" — 4:12 ; Cassette # "Je danse le Mia" (le terrible funk remix radio edit) # "Je danse le Mia" (original version) ; 12" maxi # "Je danse le Mia" (le terrible funk remix radio edit) # "Je danse le Mia" (instrumental) # "Ombre est Lumière" # "Je fais 1 avec ma musique"

Certifications

Charts

References

External links

"Je danse le Mia", lyrics

{{authority control 1994 singles IAM (band) songs SNEP Top Singles number-one singles 1994 songs