Born to Be Alive (song)

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"Born to Be Alive"
French 12-inch vinyl single
Single by Patrick Hernandez
from the album Born to Be Alive
B-side"I Give You Rendez-Vous" (UK)
"Born to Be Alive (Instrumental)" (various European countries)
"It Comes So Easy" (Japan)
"Too Many People" (elsewhere)
ReleasedNovember 1978
GenreDisco[1]
Length3:05 (European Single Version)
3:23 (Single version)
5:55 (Album Version)
7:42 (Extended Version)
LabelAquarius (most European countries)
Gem (UK)
Philips (Japan)
Columbia/CBS (elsewhere)
Songwriter(s)Patrick Hernandez
Producer(s)Jean Vanloo

"Born to Be Alive" is a song written by French singer Patrick Hernandez. It became a worldwide hit and reached number one on the US Billboard National Disco Action chart in early 1979. The song achieved gold status in the United States.

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Certifications and sales[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[40] Platinum 100,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[41] Gold 200,000[41]
Canada (Music Canada)[42] Platinum 150,000^
France — 1,400,000[43]
Germany (BVMI)[45] Gold 950,000[44]
Italy — 300,000[46]
Netherlands — 100,000[47]
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Silver 250,000^
United States (RIAA)[49] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions and uses[edit]

Disco Kings covered the song in 2005. Their version reached number seven in Finland, number 43 in France, number 66 in Austria and number 78 in Germany.[50] A music video set to the song using footage from Adolf Hitler's many rallies and speeches became a viral hit on the Internet.[51]

Elisapie featured an Inuktitut translation of the song, "Inuuniaravit," on her 2023 album Inuktitut.[52]

An up and coming jamband quartet named "Off World Vehicle" covered the song during a show in Atlanta Georgia at Aisle 5 on May 26th 2023. Their rendition lasted over 10 minutes and included all parts of the original extended single release of the track from 1979OWVband.[53]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Adams, Bret. "Patrick Hernandez – Born to Be Alive". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  2. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 138. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  3. ^ "Patrick Hernandez – Born to Be Alive" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  4. ^ "Patrick Hernandez – Born to Be Alive" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  5. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 4395." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 4403." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  7. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4410a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Billboard – Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 43. 27 October 1979. p. 80. ISSN 0006-2510.
  9. ^ "Billboard – Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 38. 22 September 1979. p. 62. ISSN 0006-2510.
  10. ^ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70's" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  11. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Born to Be Alive". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  12. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 8 October 2023. Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Born to Be Alive" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
  13. ^ "Billboard – Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 39. 29 September 1979. p. 63. ISSN 0006-2510.
  14. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Patrick Hernandez - Born to Be Alive" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  15. ^ "Patrick Hernandez – Born to Be Alive" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  16. ^ "Patrick Hernandez – Born to Be Alive". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  17. ^ "Patrick Hernandez – Born to Be Alive". VG-lista. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  18. ^ "Billboard – Hits Of The World". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 40. 6 October 1979. p. 68. ISSN 0006-2510.
  19. ^ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (H)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  20. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  21. ^ "Patrick Hernandez – Born to Be Alive". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  22. ^ "Patrick Hernandez – Born to Be Alive". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  24. ^ a b "Born to Be Alive – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  25. ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending October 6, 1979". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011.
  26. ^ "Record World Singles" (PDF). Record World. 29 September 1979. p. 149. ISSN 0034-1622. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  27. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Patrick Hernandez – Born to Be Alive" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  28. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Patrick Hernandez - Born to Be Alive Re-Mix '88" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  29. ^ "Patrick Hernandez – Born to Be Alive (Re-Mix '88)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  30. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1979". Kent Music Report. 31 December 1979. Retrieved 9 December 2019 – via Imgur.
  31. ^ "Jahreshitparade 1979" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  32. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1979" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  33. ^ "1979 Top 200 Singles". RPM. Vol. 32, no. 13. 22 December 1979. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  34. ^ "TOP – 1979" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  35. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1979" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  36. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1979" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  37. ^ "Top 100 Hits for 1979". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  38. ^ "Top Audience Response Singles/LPs". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 51. 22 December 1979. p. 42. ISSN 0006-2510.
  39. ^ "Jahrescharts – 1979" (in German). Offiziellecharts.de. GfK Entertainment Charts. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015.
  40. ^ "Hernandez Platinum for Australian Sales" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. XLI, no. 32. 22 December 1979. p. 26 – via World Radio History.
  41. ^ a b Waack, William (4 August 1979). "Agenda". Jornal do Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). p. 4 – via National Library of Brazil.
  42. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Patrick Hernandez – Born to Be Alive". Music Canada. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  43. ^ Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP). Fabrice Ferment (ed.). "TOP – 1979". 40 ans de tubes : 1960–2000 : les meilleures ventes de 45 tours & CD singles (in French). OCLC 469523661. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2023 – via Top-France.fr.
  44. ^ "West Germany - The Year in Review - Bellaphon". Billboard. 8 December 1979. p. G-16. Retrieved 11 March 2023 – via Google Books.
  45. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Patrick Hernandez; 'Born to Be Alive')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  46. ^ Barbiero, Ivano (13 July 1979). "Sette giorni in discoteca". La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  47. ^ "MIDEM: Important Fair - Dutch" (PDF). Billboard. 24 January 1981. p. 91. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  48. ^ "British single certifications – Patrick Hernandez – Born to Be Alive". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  49. ^ "American single certifications – Patrick Hernandez – Born to Be Alive". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  50. ^ "Disco Kings – Born to Be Alive". Lescharts.com (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  51. ^ Rosenfeld, Gavriel D (2005). Hi Hitler!: How the Nazi Past is Being Normalized in Contemporary Culture. Cambridge University Press. p. 314. ISBN 9781316195291.
  52. ^ "Inuktitut, by Elisapie". Bandcamp. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  53. ^ "OWVband, by Elisapie". owvband. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
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