Un garçon pas comme les autres

"Un garçon pas comme les autres" (lit. "A Boy Like No Other") is a song written and produced by Michel Berger and Luc Plamondon for the 1978 musical, Starmania. It was originally performed by Fabienne Thibeault and released on the Starmania album in 1978. The English-language version of the song with lyrics by Tim Rice, titled "Ziggy", was recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion and released on the Tycoon album in 1992. Dion also recorded earlier a French-language version of the song for her tenth studio album, Dion chante Plamondon (1991). She released both versions on a two-track single in France in 1993, reaching number two on the chart.

"Un garçon pas comme les autres"
Song by Fabienne Thibeault
from the album Starmania
Released1978
Length3:05
LabelWarner
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Michel Berger
  • Luc Plamondon

Celine Dion version

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"Un garçon pas comme les autres (Ziggy)"
 
1993 French commercial single
Single by Celine Dion
from the album Dion chante Plamondon
Released5 July 1993 (1993-07-05)
Recorded8 September – 6 October 1991
StudioFace B (Paris)
GenrePop
Length2:56
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Celine Dion singles chronology
"Water from the Moon"
(1993)
"Un garçon pas comme les autres (Ziggy)"
(1993)
"When I Fall in Love"
(1993)
Music video
"Ziggy" on YouTube

In 1991, Celine Dion covered the 1978 Starmania track "Un garçon pas comme les autres" for her tenth studio album, Dion chante Plamondon.[1] It was produced by Jannick Top and Serge Perathoner, and titled "Un garçon pas comme les autres (Ziggy)".[1] In 1992, she also recorded an English-language version of the song with lyrics by Tim Rice, titled simply "Ziggy", for the Tycoon album. Dion released both versions on a two-track single in France on 5 July 1993.[2] The song is telling a story of a woman's impassioned love for a gay man. Dion often performed the song during her concerts. In 2005, it was included on her greatest hits album, On ne change pas.[3]

Commercial performance

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"Ziggy" peaked at number two in France[4] and was certified Gold.[5] It spent almost a year on the chart, including seven weeks at the second position and 18 weeks in the top 10.[4] It became Dion's biggest hit in France at the time.[4] As a result, "Ziggy" also reached number 55 on the European Hot 100 Singles.[6]

Music video

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There were two similar music videos filmed for the French and English version on 27 April 1993, both directed by Lewis Furey.[7] They feature Dion sitting in the bleachers of a stadium and longing for a football player who is preoccupied with teammates.[7] At the end of the video, he is walking up to what appears to be a guy in a pullover with a hood over his head.[7] When the hood is removed as they kiss, it is revealed to be Dion.[7] The model in the video is Rodney Weber.[7] In 2005, the video was included on Dion's greatest hits DVD collection, On ne change pas.

Track listing and formats

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  • French cassette and CD single
  1. "Ziggy" – 2:56
  2. "Un garçon pas comme les autres" – 2:56

Charts

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Chart performance for "Ziggy"
Chart (1993) Peak
position
European Hot 100 Singles (Music & Media)[6] 55
France (SNEP)[4] 2

Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for "Ziggy"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[5] Gold 250,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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"Ziggy" release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
France 5 July 1993 Columbia [2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Dion chante Plamondon by Céline Dion". Apple Music. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Celine Dion – Ziggy". Discogs. 1993. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  3. ^ "On ne change pas (l'intégrale edition) by Céline Dion". Apple Music. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d "Céline Dion – Ziggy (un garçon pas comme les autres)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  5. ^ a b "French single certifications – Celine Dion – Ziggy" (in French). InfoDisc. Select CELINE DION and click OK. 
  6. ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 October 1993. p. 23. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Céline Dion: Ziggy (Music Video 1993)". IMDb. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
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