"C'est la vie"is asongbyAlgerianraïsingerKhaled.It was produced by Moroccan-Swedish producerRedOneand released onUniversal MusicDivision AZ becoming a summer hit for Khaled in France in 2012.
The song isbilingual,with the main verses in MoroccanDarjaArabic and the chorus inFrench.The chorus repeats the phrase (translation in parentheses and italics).
On va s'aimer (We shall love each other) On va danser (We shall dance) Oui c'est la vie (Yes, this is life) Lala, lalala...
The song is considered to be a comeback for Khaled in France after a three-year absence in the charts. Released in July 2012, the song entered the officialFrench Singles Chartat number 30 and later peaked at number 4. In addition to its success in France, it became very popular throughoutBelgiumandSlovakia,where it reached the top 10. In 2013, the single was certified platinum by theBelgian Entertainment Association.[2]The song also charted in theNetherlands,Romania,Sweden,andSwitzerlandand received radio airplay inCanada."C’est La Vie" sold over one million copies in the European market, 1.8 million copies in the Middle East and North Africa, and over 4 million copies worldwide.[3][4]The album reached number 5 onSNEP,the official French Albums Chart.[5]
In 2013, American singerMarc Anthonycovered the Khaled song as asalsatune titled "Vivir Mi Vida" ( "Live My Life" ) for his studio album3.0.[19]This version was produced bySergio Georgeand recorded atThe Hit Factory Criteriain Miami, Florida.[20]Anthony performed it live at the2013 LatinBillboardMusic Awards.[21]The music video, directed by Carlos Perez of Elastic People, was released on September 10, 2013. "Vivir Mi Vida" won aLatin Grammy Awardin 2013 forRecord of the Yearand holds the record for the second-longest run inside the top-five in theBillboardLatin Songs,with 51 weeks.[22]A "Pop" version was also produced using the instrumental of the original Khaled version and is included on the album.[23]
In 2017, Anthony's former wifeJennifer Lopezcovered the song in her "Spotify Session" as a tribute to his late mother and her former mother-in-law. As of May 2021, the music video for Anthony's version of the song has received over 1 billion views onYouTube.[24]
Israeli singerGad Elbazcreated a new version of the song calling it "Hashem Melech" (inHebrewה' מלך) as a sort of contemporary Jewish worship song based on and adapted from "C'est la vie".[47]
The Israeli version released in January 2013 as a duet between Gad Elbaz and his singer fatherBeni ElbazcontainsHebrewandFrenchlyrics, though the Hebrew lyrics are not related to Khaled's all-French original lyrics and more geared to religious content.[48]The chorus repeats the phrases (translation in parentheses and italics)
Hashem Melech (The Lord is King) Hashem Malach (The Lord was King) Hashem Yimloch (The Lord will be King) Le'olam Va'ed (Forever and ever)
Elbaz also released an all-Hebrew version of the song.[49]"Hashem Melech" was a minor hit in Israel and inOrthodox Jewishcircles worldwide.
The Hebrew lyrics in the refrain are the same as those of a famous song also titled "Hashem Melech" by the well-known Jewish singerYosef Karduner.
In September 2015, Elbaz released another limited version featuring additional vocals by the young Israeli child singer Yosef Chaim.[50][51]
In 2016, Elbaz teamed withHasidicrapperNissim(full name Nissim Baruch Black, born Damian Jamohl Black and a convert from Islam to Christianity and eventually to Judaism) to create a rap-infused version of the song now titled "Hashem Melech 2.0" to distinguish it from the original Elbaz version. The rap by Nissim is primarily English language, and is said to dominate the song, wrapping around and throughout the elements of the original "1.0" song.[52]
Still a bilingual song, "Hashem Melech" now featured Hebrew and English lyrics instead. Elbaz' original French lyrics were dropped in favor of English in the new version, but his Hebrew lyrics were retained for the new version. Nissim's rap segments were all in English. The popularity of the second version far exceeded that of the first.
Daniel Finkelman created a sophisticated, exuberant, multiracial dancevideoof the new version, set against theNew York City skylineand streetscape. The New-York themed music video features Elbaz and Nissim dancing and delivering their religious message dancing joyously through the New York city streets and on skyscraper rooftops, amidst a changing New York skyline, encouraging listeners to believe in a better tomorrow.
In 2017, the Dutch rapperAli Breleased the single "Voy a Bailar",largely an adaptation of the Khaled song but with adaptations from the Latin"Vivir Mi Vida"cover from Marc Anthony. Ali B added rap lyrics in Dutch. The release featured additional vocals byBoef,Rolf SanchezandRedOne.
The song became popular in Indonesia, a majority-Muslim country. A political campaign there in early 2017 developed a theme song called "Kobarkan Semangat Jakarta".[57]Based on "C'est la vie" and "Hashem Malach", it created controversy as no attribution was given to either work. This sent the Khaled French version and surprisingly the Elbaz Hebrew version "Hashem Melech" to trend on Indonesian Twitter.[58]
^Steve Sullivan (17 May 2017).Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings.Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 693.ISBN978-1-4422-5449-7.
^Andrew Hammond (22 May 2017).Pop Culture in North Africa and the Middle East: Entertainment and Society around the World.ABC-CLIO. p. 40.ISBN978-1-4408-3384-7.
^"ČNS IFPI "(in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201329 into search.
