Stromae’s ‘Papaoutai’ Hits One Billion Views On YouTube
The song was originally released as the lead single from Stromae’s widely-acclaimed second studio album, ‘Racine carrée’ in 2013.
Stromae’s popular hit “Papaoutai” has reached the 1 billion views milestone on YouTube.
First released in 2013, the song’s Adam Nael-directed video inolves a young boy who abandons a clay mannequin version of Stromae — who, at first, does not physically participate in any actions, from catching a ball to washing a car — to go outside and play with his neighbors in a close-knit, picturesque neighborhood. A set of twins and an older and younger brother dance in the center of the sandy cul-de-sac, much to the amazement of the little boy, who eventually gets frustrated with clay Stromae’s lack of activity, despite feeling saddened by the singer’s inability to move. By the end of the video, Stromae finds movement again, and the pair join each other in dance.
“Papaoutai” serves as a play on the phrase “Papa où t’es” — which translates to “Papa, Where Are You?” — and marks the acclaimed Belgian artist’s first Billion Views Club entry. The track was notably the most-viewed French-language song until this year, when it was usurped by Indila’s song “Dernière danse”; “Papaoutai” is now the second French-language video to pass 1 billion views on the video platform.
“Papaoutai” was released as the lead single from Stromae’s second studio album, Racine carrée, in 2013. The set peaked at No. 19 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums, spending a total of five weeks on the chart. Prior to its official release and afterwards, Racine carrée received critical acclaim for its thoughtful lyrics and gained comparisons to fellow Belgian recording artist Jacques Brel. The album also yielded two further chart-topping singles in “Formidable” and “Tous les mêmes.”
“Papaoutai”also hit the top 40 of Billboard‘s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs — the track peaked at No. 25 and spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart. The single also became an instant hit in France and Wallonia, where it spent multiple weeks at number one; it also reached the top ten in Switzerland and Luxembourg as well as non-francophone countries or regions such as the Czech Republic, Dutch-speaking Flanders in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
Listen to the best of Stromae on Apple Music and Spotify.
