Les Champs-Élysées


"Les Champs-Élysées" is a 1969 song by Joe Dassin. The title refers to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, a famous avenue in Paris, France.

Composition

The song was originally written in English under the title "Waterloo Road" and released by the British rock band Jason Crest. Then French lyricist Pierre Delanoë adapted the lyrics into French.

Reception

The song "Les Champs-Élysées" was released by Joe Dassin as a single in 1969, with "Le Chemin de papa" on the other side. The single reached no. 4 in Wallonia.
The song "Les Champs-Élysées" also entered charts in multiple European countries.

Track listing

7" single
  1. "Le Chemin de papa"
  2. "Les Champs-Élysées"

    Charts

; "Les Champs-Élysées"
Chart Peak
position

; "Le Chemin de papa" / "Les Champs-Élysées"
Chart Peak
position

Adaptations

In the same year the song was covered by Slovene singer Majda Sepe under the title Šuštarski most.
In 1971, Und Sein Tanzorchester released an instrumentals-only cover of "Les Champs-Élysées".
The song was covered by the American punk band NOFX in 1997.
The melody of Les Champs-Élysées was later used for the television commercial of CJ CheilJedang's dessert brand Petitzel Eclair in 2016, with lyrics sung by I.O.I.
The song was also adapted by the Dutch comedian duo Johnny Kraaikamp & Rijk de Gooyer in 1969 under the title Waterlooplein which translates into Waterloo Square which is a town square in Amsterdam.
The refrain of the song, accompanied by a yellow bouncing ball over the lyrics, was played during breaks in NBCSN's coverage of the 2018 Tour de France.
The entire song plays under the closing credits of Wes Anderson's film The Darjeeling Limited.
In 2015, Japanese idol group Ciao Bella Cinquetti released an adaption titled Omotesando, about Tokyo's high-end avenue of the same name.
In 2018, the song was remade to honor Chelsea Football Club and France National Football Team star N'Golo Kante. This adaptation achieved great popularity in France during the French team's title run in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and also among Kante's teammates.
In 2020, YouTube band Pomplamoose covered the song.