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Zora sourit

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"Zora sourit"
Single by Celine Dion
from the album S'il suffisait d'aimer
B-side"Sur le même bateau"
Released7 September 1998 (1998-09-07)
StudioMéga (Paris)
GenrePop
Length3:52
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Celine Dion singles chronology
"Immortality"
(1998) 		"Zora sourit"
(1998) 		"I'm Your Angel"
(1998)
Music video
"Zora sourit" on YouTube

"Zora sourit" (meaning "Zora smiles") is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion from her sixteenth studio album, S'il suffisait d'aimer (1998). It was written by Jean-Jacques Goldman and J. Kapler, and produced by Goldman and Erick Benzi. The song was released as the album's lead single on 7 September 1998. "Zora sourit" topped the chart in Quebec for five weeks. Elsewhere, it peaked at numbers seven in Poland, 12 in Belgium Wallonia, 20 in France and 25 in Switzerland. It was also certified Gold in France and Belgium. The song's lyrics and music video denounce racism and advocate tolerance.

Background and release

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After D'eux became the best-selling French-language album of all time, Dion reunited with Jean-Jacques Goldman to record another album together.[1] S'il suffisait d'aimer was recorded between September 1997 and July 1998, and produced by Goldman and Erick Benzi.[2] "Zora sourit", written by Goldman and his brother J. Kapler, was chosen as the lead single and premiered on the radio on 3 August 1998.[3] Commercially, "Zora sourit" was released on 7 September 1998 in Belgium and Switzerland, and 14 September 1998 in France and the Netherlands.[4] It was planned to be released in the UK as part of a double A-side single with "To Love You More" on 21 September 1998, but this release did not materialise.[5][6] In 2005, it was included on Dion's greatest hits album, On ne change pas.

The song is dedicated to Algerian women. According to Dion, for her Zora represents not only Algeria, but all women from countries where they do not have the chance to be free and happy. The lyrics put in light the example of a woman who fights for herself and others, resists insults and keeps her dignity in spite of difficulties.[7]

Commercial performance

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In Quebec, "Zora sourit" entered the chart on 15 August 1998, topped it for five weeks and spent 33 weeks there in total.[8] It also reached number seven in Poland.[9] Commercially, the single was released one week after the album S'il suffisait d'aimer in Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands, and two weeks after the album in France. It reached numbers 12 in Belgium Wallonia,[10] 20 in France,[11] 25 in Switzerland,[12] 48 in Belgium Flanders[13] and 67 in the Netherlands.[14] It was certified Gold in France[15] and Belgium.[16] On the airplay charts in these countries, it peaked at numbers 1 in Belgium Wallonia,[17] 2 in France,[18] 13 in the Netherlands[19] and 20 in Belgium Flanders.[17]

Music video

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"Zora sourit" music video was directed by Yannick Saillet[20] and released on 1 September 1998.[3] The scenes with Dion were filmed on 30 July 1998 in Miami, Florida, while others were shot in Aubervilliers, Seine-Saint-Denis. The video is dedicated to Algerian women. It shows the titular character Zora walking down the street with a package, meeting with different reactions of people passing by. At the end, Zora sends her package to Algeria.[21] The music video denounces racism and advocates tolerance.[7] In 2005, it was included on Dion's greatest hits DVD collection, On ne change pas.

Track listing and formats

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  • French CD single
  1. "Zora sourit" – 3:52
  2. "Sur le même bateau" – 4:25
  • French 12-inch and CD maxi single
  1. "Zora sourit" – 3:52
  2. "Sur le même bateau" – 4:25
  3. "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" – 4:14

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for "Zora sourit"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[16] Gold 25,000*
France (SNEP)[15] Gold 250,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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"Zora sourit" release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
  • Belgium
  • Switzerland
 7 September 1998 CD Columbia [4]
France 14 September 1998
[3]
Netherlands CD

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Histoire de culte: comment l'album D'eux de Céline Dion est devenu le disque francophone le plus vendu de tous les temps". Elle (in French). 30 March 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  2. ^ "S'il suffisait d'aimer by Céline Dion". Apple Music. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Celine Dion - Zora sourit (1998, CD)". Discogs. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b "New Releases This Week". Sony Music Belgium. Archived from the original on 1 August 2001. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Céline Dion - To Love You More (Tony Moran Remixes) (1998, Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Music Week. 12 September 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b "S'il suffisait d'aimer". celinedion.com. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Compilation des succès par ordre alphabétique d'interprètes" (PDF) (in French). Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Major Market Airplay: Poland" (PDF). Music & Media. 3 October 1998. p. 27. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Céline Dion – Zora sourit" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Céline Dion – Zora sourit" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Céline Dion – Zora sourit". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Céline Dion – Zora sourit" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  14. ^ a b "Céline Dion – Zora sourit" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  15. ^ a b "French single certifications – Celine Dion – Zora sourit" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  17. ^ a b Sam Jaspers (2006). Ultratop 1995-2005. Book & Media Publishing. ISBN 90-5720-232-8.
  18. ^ "Major Market Airplay" (PDF). Music & Media. 7 November 1998. p. 31. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Major Market Airplay" (PDF). Music & Media. 24 October 1998. p. 31. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  20. ^ "Celine Dion - Zora sourit (1998)". imvdb.com. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Céline Dion - Zora sourit (Clip officiel)". YouTube. 25 October 2009. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  22. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 10 October 1998. p. 16. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  23. ^ "European Radio Top 50" (PDF). Music & Media. 24 October 1998. p. 26. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  24. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Celine Dion". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 63. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  25. ^ "Celine Dion - Zora sourit - Top 40" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  26. ^ "Palmarès reconstitués de la chanson au Québec" (in French). Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  27. ^ "Rapports annuels 1998" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
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