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"C'est la Vie"
Single by B*Witched
from the album B*Witched
English title	That’s Life
B-side	"We Four Girls"
Written	Tracy Ackerman Lindsay Armaou Martin Brannigan Ray Hedges Edele Lynch Keavy Lynch Sinéad O'Carroll
Published	1998
Released	25 May 1998 (1998-05-25)
Recorded	Surrey, England
Studio	Mothership
Genre	Pop Bubblegum
Length	2:52
Label	Epic Glowworm
Producer(s)	Ray Hedges
B*Witched singles chronology
"C'est la Vie" (1998) "Rollercoaster" (1998)
Music video
"C'est la Vie" on YouTube

"C'est la Vie" is a song by Irish girl group B*Witched. It was released on 25 May 1998, through Epic and Glowworm as the group's debut single from their self-titled debut studio album B*Witched.

The song was nominated for two Ivor Novello Awards, best selling UK single, and best song musically and lyrically. The song contains a number of double entendres and was once referred to as "smutty" in an interview. The music video, directed by Alison Murray, had a budget of around £60,000 and features the group dancing energetically in a field of flowers with a dog, while playfully teasing a boy.

Style, writing and composition

The song was written by Tracy Ackerman, Lindsay Armaou, Martin Brannigan, Ray Hedges, Edele Lynch, Keavy Lynch, and Sinéad O'Carroll. It contains a number of double entendres and was once referred to as smutty in an interview. On the subject, the group said "Well you see the clever thing with 'C'est la Vie' was that it went over children's heads, but the parents got the innuendos. It was perfect for everyone." The song has been described as having "absurdly effervescent bubblegum melodies".

Recording and production

The group recorded the song at Ray Hedges' Mothership Studios in Surrey, England.

Release, promotion and marketing

In 1998 preparations were made for the release of the single. In March the group rehearsed for the "C'est la Vie" music video and in April, the group filmed the music video, both in London. The music video was directed by Alsion Murray with a budget of about £60,000. It begins with the four girls lying on the ground in a field of brightly coloured meadow flowers on a sunny day. A dog appears, next to one of the girls, and the quartet then begin dancing and singing to a teenage boy in a treehouse. The boy is then magically tied to a tree and the dog chases toward him, before lipstick kiss marks appear over his face. The boy is freed from the tree, the girls sprinkle him with water from a hose and the dance an Irish reel, before lying back down in the field where they began.

When asked about the music video, Sinéad mentioned that the art department was having to stand the flowers up all day, while Keavy alluded to it taking about 24 hours of nonstop filming. In March 2023, an upscaled 4K version of the music video was uploaded to the group's official YouTube channel.

Critical reception

In December 1998 American music journalist Chuck Taylor wrote:

This European creamsicle has already tickled the top of the European pop charts, and with good reason. It's catchy as all get-out, has a chorus that lingers like poison ivy, and adds unlimited spoonfuls of zip spin after spin. In a perfect world, this dancey helping of youth-oriented pop would have no problem conquering the States with its giddy melody and squeaky-clean teenage vocals, but sadly, top 40 has again entered one of those periods during which it shins most any uptempo track that might be considered plain and simple fun. That & a shame, given the growing profile of this personable Dublin-based female quartet and its fine self-titled debut album. In any case, open-minded programmers who have had success with Britney Spears or Cleopatra should certainly give this a meaningful spin and let their audiences have a chance to catch on to the magic of this fearless track."

In 1999 the song was nominated for two Ivor Novello Awards: best selling UK single and best song musically and lyrically.

Controversy and legacy

In February 2013, during an interview, Keavy revealed that the line "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" is about more than a pair of jeans, she stated "That line was supposedly about our jeans — although obviously it wasn’t really! The video’s director wanted Sinéad to look down her jeans when she sang that. That got stopped pretty quickly by our management." In August 2013, during an interview, Lindsay revealed that the song isn't as innocent as it seems, she stated "Well you see the clever thing with 'C'est la Vie' was that it went over children's heads, but the parents got the innuendos. It was perfect for everyone.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of "C'est la Vie" and B*Witched:

"C'est la Vie"

• Lindsay Armaou – vocals
• Edele Lynch – vocals
• Keavy Kynch – vocals
• Sinéad O'Carroll – vocals
• Erwin Keiles – guitars
• Daniel Collier – fiddle
• Ray "Madman" Hedges – arranger, producer, writer
• Martin Brannigan – arranger, writer
• Elaine Constantine – photography

Remixes

• K-Klass Epic Klub Remix — remix and additional production by K-Klass for Diesel Productions, featuring Biggy Birch on Synthadelica. Engineered by Andrew Williams at The Bunker, Wrexham, Wales
• Skynet Glass Palace Vocal Mix — remix by Blade. Representation by Alchemy Management
• Dog In The River Mix — additional production and remixes by Billy & Ginger for Glowworm Productions

Charts

On 31 May 1998, the song debuted at number one on the UK singles chart, where it remained the following week. It also took the number one spot in Ireland, New Zealand, and Scotland.

On 17 April 1999, the song made it to number nine on the US charts and made it to 97 on Billboard's 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.

By September, 2017, the single had sold more than 927,000 units in the UK, with an additional 77,032 in streaming equivalent, making the total combined sales 1,004,568.

Certifications and sales figures

Release history

References

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• 1998 debut singles
• 1998 songs
• B*Witched songs
• Epic Records singles
• Song recordings produced by Ray Hedges
• Songs written by Edele Lynch
• Songs written by Martin Brannigan
• Songs written by Ray Hedges
• Songs written by Tracy Ackerman
• Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
• Number-one singles in New Zealand
• Number-one singles in Scotland
• UK singles chart number-one singles