Alane (song)


"Alane" is a song by Cameroonian musician Wes. It was released in May 1997 via various labels as the debut single from his first album, Welenga. The song became a hit across Europe, topping the charts in Austria, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. It is produced by Michel Sanchez and sung in the Duala language of Cameroon though the Tony Moran remix includes English lyrics. Its accompanying music video was directed by Philippe Gautier featuring choreography by Mia Frye.

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "African chants meet state-of-the-art dance beats on this sizzling hot dance track, which has already been firmly entrenched atop the French charts for a couple of weeks." Alan Jones from Music Week declared it a "haunting" single and "likely to be the next Afro-European hit to make the grade here. Wes's expressive but slightly weak vocals are bolstered considerably by a pop/dance arrangement that fits like a glove, while some ethnic-sounding support bolsters the chorus." Chris Finan from Record Mirror Dance Update gave "Alane" a top score of five out of five, stating, "With over 2m copies already sold in France, this is certain to cause more than a stir here ". A reviewer from Sunday Mirror gave it seven out of ten, adding, "This Euro-stomper with lots of wailing and chanting Afro-vocals is sure to be a huge hit in the nightclubs - and on the Terry Wogan show."

Chart performance

In France, the song was sponsored by TF1, Fun Radio, RTL and the Malongo Coffees. The single spent ten weeks at number-one and remained in the top 50 for 25 weeks, ten of them at the top
The song also reached number-one in Belgium, Austria and The Netherlands as well as reaching the top 10 in Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel and Switzerland and number 11 in the UK.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Alane" was directed by Philippe Gautier. The choreography was created by American-French singer Mia Frye, who had previously created the choreography for Los del Rio's "Macarena". Frye appears in both videos.

Track listings

12-inch single
  1. "Alane" – 10:43
  2. "Alane" – 6:51CD single
  3. "Alane" – 3:40
  4. "Alane" – 3:3712-inch maxi
  5. "Alane" – 10:43
  6. "Alane" – 6:51
  7. "Alane" – 8:04
  8. "Alane" – 4:40
  9. "Alane" – 3:40CD maxi - Todd Terry Remixes
  10. "Alane" – 3:40
  11. "Alane" – 8:06
  12. "Alane" – 8:07
  13. "Alane" – 3:38
  14. "Alane" – 3:36CD maxi - Tony Moran Remixes
  15. "Alane" - 4:39
  16. "Alane" - 4:40
  17. "Alane" - 4:40
  18. "Alane" - 6:39

Credits

  • Written by Wes
  • Composed, arranged and produced by Michel Sanchez
  • Artwork by Design, Bronx
  • Photography by Laurent Edeline
  • Photography by Yan Leuvrey
  • Trouser enthusiasts orgasmic apparition mix: programmed by Torsten Gascoigne, produced by Trouser Enthusiasts
  • Trouser enthusiasts spectrophiliac mix: remixed and produced by Trouser Enthusiasts
  • Todd Terry's club remix: remixed by Todd Terry
  • Tony Moran's club mix: remixed by Tony Moran

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Austria 3
Europe Border Breakers 18
Germany 5
Netherlands 65
Netherlands 18
Switzerland 20

Robin Schulz and Wes version

German DJ and record producer Robin Schulz released a remake of the song on 19 June 2020 which is included on the album IIII. Schulz had been a fan of the original 1997 song since he was 10 years old and got in touch with Wes via Warner Music. The two musicians met in Paris and then re-recorded the track in a studio in Germany. Its music video was directed by Robert Wunsch and features appearances by Schulz and Wes, along with footage of 30 dancers in 12 countries across the world, including Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Kenya, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, Tunisia, Vietnam, and the United States.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
North Macedonia Airplay 13