Voyage, voyage

"Voyage, voyage" is a song by French singer Desireless, released as the first single from her debut studio album, François (1989). It was written by Jean-Michel Rivat and Dominique Dubois, and produced by the former. Sung entirely in French, the song transcended the language barrier on the music charts and became a huge international success between 1986 and 1988, reaching the top position in more than ten countries across Europe.

Critical reception
A review in Pan-European magazine Music & Media described "Voyage, Voyage" as a song having a "high-pitched, dramatic vocals over a contagious electro-beat, in an Alphaville-type of setting. Very strong chart appeal outside France, especially in an English translation".

Chart performance
Since "Voyage, voyage" is sung exclusively in French, its chart success came as a surprise as it managed the rare feat of becoming a success in several nations usually closed to Francophone songs and artists, such as the United Kingdom and Ireland. In West Germany, the song topped the chart, and has the longest chart trajectory of 1987 in the top 20. It also reached number one in Austria, Norway, and Spain. The song missed the top spot in France, peaking at number two for four weeks, behind Elsa Lunghini's "T'en va pas".

The song initially reached number 53 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1987. After being remixed by Pete Hammond and Pete Waterman of PWL, the song was re-released in the United Kingdom in the spring of 1988, and climbed to number five in June of that year. The song's success continued in Ireland, where it reached number four twice, the original version in November 1987, followed by the PWL remix in June 1988.

Music video
The music video for "Voyage, voyage" was directed by Bettina Rheims, and premiered in France in December 1986. It depicts Desireless entering a manor where a number of people are listlessly lingering around, and enticing them with her song and a slideshow to see the world and make more out of their lives.

Track listings

 * 7-inch single
 * A. "Voyage, voyage" – 4:12
 * B. "Destin fragile" (instrumental) – 3:31


 * 12-inch single
 * A. "Voyage, voyage" (extended remix) – 6:45
 * B. "Voyage, voyage" – 4:12


 * 1988 UK 12-inch single and CD single (Britmix)
 * 1) "Voyage voyage" (Britmix) – 7:06
 * 2) "Voyage voyage" (Euro Remix Remix) – 6:12
 * 3) "Destin fragile" (instrumental) – 3:31

Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 7-inch single of "Voyage, voyage".

Recording

 * Recorded at Studio D'Aguesseau, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
 * Mixed at Studio Marcadet, Paris

Personnel

 * Desireless – vocals
 * Dominique Dubois – sampler
 * Jean-Michel Rivat – synthesiser, programming, production
 * Antoine Cambourakis – recording
 * Gilbert Courtois – recording
 * Dominique Blanc-Francard – mixing
 * Daniel Glikmans – backing vocals
 * Claudie Fritsch-Mentrop – backing vocals

Wink version
"Voyage, voyage" was covered in Japanese by the idol duo Wink as. Released on 24 February 1993 by Polystar Records, it was their 17th single, with Japanese lyrics written by Neko Oikawa.

The single peaked at No. 19 on Oricon's singles chart and sold over 69,000 copies.

Kate Ryan version
Belgian singer Kate Ryan covered the song for her fourth studio album Free (2008). Slightly retitled "Voyage Voyage", her version as the album's lead single in 2007, featuring "We All Belong" on its B-side, which is the anthem of the event EuroGames 2007 that took place in Antwerp, Belgium, in 2007.

It was Ryan's first single released under ARS Entertainment, following her departure from EMI Belgium. Commercially, "Voyage Voyage" reached number two in Belgium, as well as the top 10 in Finland, the Netherlands and Spain.

Track listing

 * CD single
 * 1) "Voyage Voyage"
 * 2) "Voyage Voyage" (extended version)
 * 3) "We All Belong"
 * 4) "We All Belong" (extended version)

Other covers
"Voyage, voyage" was also covered by the Mexican band Magneto in 1991, with a version in Spanish titled "Vuela Vuela" (English: Fly, fly). Mikel Herzog was credited with the translation. This version peaked at number three on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart. The gothic metal band Sirenia released their cover of "Voyage, voyage" on 10 February 2021 as a single and music video to their album Riddles, Ruins & Revelations which also is included as a bonus track on the album.