Santiano


"Santiano" is a 1961 song, inspired by the sea shanty "Santianna", which uses the same tune. The song tells of a ship from Saint Malo bound to San Francisco, which is described as a place of great wealth. The French-language version was popularized first in the 1960s by Hugues Aufray.

Original version

In the early 1960s, the song was recorded in French by artist Hugues Aufray. It is by far the most well-known shanty in France and was released in 1961. The song's French lyrics were composed by the French writer Jacques Plante. The song was included on Aufray's 2007 compilation Les 50 plus belles chansons.

Star Academy France

In 2005, the song was covered by Star Academy 5 on the album Les Meilleurs Moments on which it features as the first track. Released on November 11, 2005 as the second single from the album, it achieved great success in France, where it topped the chart, as well as in Belgium. As of July 2014, it is the 87th best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 325,000 units sold.

Track listings

; CD single
  1. "Santiano" — 2:39
  2. "Santiano" — 2:39
; Digital download
  1. "Santiano" — 2:39

    Certifications and sales

Charts

End of year chart Position
Belgian Singles Chart30
French Singles Chart15
End of year chart Position
French Singles Chart94

Other versions

1958: The Kingston Trio as "Santy Anno". 1961: The Highwaymen.
"Santiano" was also covered by Laurent Voulzy in 2006. It features as 17th track on his studio album La Septième Vague. The "Oktoberklub", a folk-band from the GDR covered the song with new lyrics under the title "Da sind wir aber immer noch" - a fight-song. Another cover of the song using the same tune and nautical theme, but entirely new lyrics in German, was released under the title "Santiano" by the German band Santiano.