Papaoutai
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"Papaoutai" (, , French for "Dad, where are you?") is a song written and performed by Belgian singer
Stromae Paul Van Haver (; born 12 March 1985), better known by his stage name Stromae (), is a Belgian singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his music, which is a blend of hip-hop and electronic music styles. Stromae came ...
. The song was released as a digital download in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
on 13 May 2013 as the lead single from his second studio album ''
Racine carrée , stylised as ''√'') is the second studio album by Belgian musician Stromae. It was released digitally on 16 August 2013 and three days later physically in France and Belgium. Stromae expressed his desire to incorporate Caribbean and African mus ...
'' (2013). The song peaked at number one in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
and
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 ...
and became the best-selling single of 2013 in Belgium. A remix of the song featuring Angel Haze also appears on the album. The song was performed live at the 2013 NRJ Music Awards, where it featured American rapper
will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "will I am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the frontman of the musical group Black Eyed Peas, which he ...
. The song is also featured on the 2014 dancing game '' Just Dance 2015'' for PAL regions and is available as DLC for NTSC regions. The song was the most viewed French-speaking song on YouTube until 2023, when it was passed by Indila's song " Dernière danse" (English: "Last dance"). It became the second French-language video to pass 1 billion views on 27 August 2023.


Music video

The music video accompanying the release of "Papaoutai" was directed by Adam Nael and released on YouTube on 6 June 2013 at a total length of three minutes and fifty-two seconds. The video shows a young boy (played by Karl Ruben Noel) trying to interact with his father (played by Stromae), who sits motionless, his expression and body resembling that of a
mannequin A mannequin (sometimes spelled as manikin and also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off dif ...
. Father and son are dressed in identical outfits consisting of garishly patterned aqua shirts and shorts, knee socks, and orange
bowtie The bow tie or dicky bow is a type of neckwear, distinguishable from a necktie because it does not drape down the shirt placket, but is tied just underneath a winged collar. A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot, which is also ...
. The video has the ambiance and decor of the 1950s. The boy looks longingly through the window at other parents and children who likewise wear matching outfits that identify them as pairs: a mother and daughter dressed similarly to
Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by the American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most o ...
in '' The Wizard of Oz'' do a dance while walking their identical dogs; a garbageman and his son collect rubbish together while doing another dance; while still another father (played by Ceasare "Tight Eyez" Willis, one of the creators of Krumping) does an aggressive, threatening dance at his reluctant son before the boy finally begins to imitate him. Frustrated, the son does various dances in front of his own father until one of his efforts provokes the father to smile. Outside, father and son do their own dance together, but it is soon revealed that the boy is dancing alone and his father is still stiff and unresponsive. In frustration, the son joins Stromae on the sofa, assuming a rigid, lifeless position identical to his father's. The song and video refer to the absence of Stromae's father—who had little presence in Stromae's life even before being killed in the 1994
Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...
—and to Stromae's fear of being unable to be an effective father with no memory of ever having a father of his own. As of August 2023, the video has received over 1 billion views on YouTube.


Lyrics and meaning

The title of the song is an intentionally misspelled form of the phrase , which translates as "Dad, where are you?" also means "to trick someone" in old slang. The lyrics of the song are about Stromae's father, who was killed in the 1994
Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...
.


Covers and parody

American
a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
group
Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) are an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, consisting of vocalists Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Matt Sallee, and Kevin Olusola. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements wit ...
and violinist
Lindsey Stirling Lindsey Stirling (born September 21, 1986) is an American violinist, songwriter and dancer. She presents choreographed violin performances, in live and music videos found on her official YouTube channel, which she created in 2007. Stirling per ...
covered the song on Pentatonix's album ''PTX Vol. 3'', released on 23 September 2014. Erza Muqoli performed this song with self-accompaniment on piano for her audition for the ninth season (2014–2015) of the French television show '' La France a un incroyable talent''. ''Lamaoutai'' (''Llama, where are you?'') is a spoof created in November 2013 about the kidnapping of Serge the Llama from a circus in
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
. ''Emploioutai'' (''Job, where are you?'') is a parody of the song performed by Les Guignols in 2013 to mock the unfulfilled promises of French President
François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...
regarding diminution of unemployment, with the Hollande's puppet searching for jobs in absurd locations within the Élysée Palace. Letícia Carvalho covered the song on ''
The Voice Portugal ''The Voice Portugal'' (''A Voz de Portugal'' in the first season) is a Portuguese reality singing competition and local version of '' The Voice'', based on the original '' The Voice of Holland''. The series employs a panel of four coaches who c ...
'' on 11 October 2015. Alexandre Heitz performed the song on ''
The Voice of Germany ''The Voice of Germany'' is a German reality television, reality talent show created by John de Mol, based on the concept ''The Voice of Holland'' and its The Voice (franchise), international series. It began airing on ProSieben and Sat.1 on 24 ...
'' on 2 October 2018. Kenza Blanka covered the song on series 8 of ''
The Voice UK ''The Voice UK'' is a British singing reality competition television series. Created by John de Mol and Roel van Velzen, it premiered on BBC One on 24 March 2012. Based on the original Dutch singing competition '' The Voice of Holland'', and ...
'' on 9 February 2019, singing it in English and Arabic and French. Dutch singer Froukje Veenstra covered the song with a Dutch addition on 10 June 2020, for the '3FM Live Box' showcase on YouTube, rapping about the needs of those with or without a father, meanwhile giving personal thanks for her own father.


Other uses

Dutch rapper
Joost Klein Joost Klein (; born 10 November 1997), also known mononymously as Joost, is a Dutch musician, rapper, singer, and former YouTuber. Mainly a hip hop artist, his songs and performances often include influences of electronic music, such as drum a ...
namedrops Papaoutai in his song " Europapa", which was sent to represent the Netherlands in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2024 The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Tattoo (Loreen song), Tattoo" by Loreen. Organised by the European Br ...
, before being disqualified.This is Europapa by Joost Klein for Eurovision 2024
AVROTROS AVROTROS () is a Dutch radio and television broadcaster that is part of the Dutch public broadcasting system. It was founded in 2014 as the result of a merger between the Algemene Vereniging Radio Omroep (AVRO) and the TROS, Televisie Radio Omro ...
Much like Stromae himself, Klein's father also died when he was a child.


Track listing


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications

<--Post by François Delétraz a Figaro Magazine journalist-->


Release history


References


External links

* {{Authority control 2013 singles Stromae songs Songs about fathers Eurodance songs SNEP Top Singles number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) number-one singles 2013 songs Songs written by Stromae Works about the Rwandan genocide