BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986
“C’est la Vie” is a song by American singer-songwriter Robbie Nevil from his self-titled debut album in 1986. The song was first recorded by gospel singer Beau Williams for his 1985 album Bodacious!.
Written by Nevil with Duncan Pain and Mark Holding, Nevil recorded the song for his eponymous debut album, and it was released as the first single. Nevil’s single spent two weeks at #2 on the U.S. singles chart in January 1987 and remained in the top 40 for 16 weeks, becoming his highest-charting U.S. hit. (It was kept from #1 by two songs, “Shake You Down” by Gregory Abbott and “At This Moment” by Billy Vera and the Beaters). Additionally, the song went to #1 on the American dance chart for one week in February 1987. Internationally, the song reached #3 on the United Kingdom charts. The song went to #1 almost exactly 20 years after Frank Sinatra’s song “That’s Life” (which is the English translation of the song title) did the same.
Nevil performed the song on the May 30, 1987 broadcast of Soul Train.
SIDE A:
C’est La Vie (Extended Version) 7:06
Edited By – The Latin Rascals
Remix – Arthur Baker
C’est La Vie (Single Version) 3:25
SIDE B:
C’est La Vie (Dub Mix) 7:15
Edited By – The Latin Rascals
Remix – Arthur Baker
Time Waits For No One 5:22
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | C’est La Vie | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #2 |
| 1986 | C’est La Vie | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #1 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Manhattan Records – V-56036
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Producer – Alex Sadkin, Phil Thornalley
NOTES:
From the debut album “ROBBIE NEVIL”
Find the 12″ on DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
I had forgotten about this song – great memory! This was my favorite song senior year of high school. Thanks for sharing!
agree Paul, its an album you keep coming back to, thanks for posting the 12.
LUV THIS SONG. BTW, was this his only hit anywhere in the world?
I love playing catch up to all the great goodies you’ve posted Paul while I was gone. Man, this was indeed a special post to me because, as you know all too well, I am one huge fan of Arthur Baker and the Latin Rascals. Now, I’ve had the 12-inch version on a CD I purchased years ago, but never had the opportunity to hear the dub version. Well, thank God, once again, because you DO make my musical dreams a reality!! That dub is tremendous. I love when the Rascals go off with a slower beat because there are… Read more »
Another nice gem!
Fantastic rip.
Thanks a lot.
A fun week. Thanks DJPaulT!
Another favourite “Dub Mix” of mine. I have this 12″ already but your digital rips are very much appreciated.
Thanks Paul:)
Many thanks loved this since release. Any chance of ‘Wot’s it to ya’ and ‘Dominoes’? Have a great weekend!
Got them both Neil 🙂
many thanks for this track … one of my best ever .. specially the dub version … one of the best dub version for all time
You’re welcome Ahmed 🙂
“one of the best dub version for all time” Them are fightin’ words! You’re dealing with a remix and dub connoisseur here. 🙂 Hopefully people will follow this thread but let’s go…I’ll stick to only 80’s music for a bit. While I do like the Cest La Vie dub, I don’t put it in the top 50 of my favorite dubs (and dubs of very popular songs). Here are some dubs you will definitely want to check out: Janet Jackson – What Have You Done For Me Lately (Dub Version) Nolan Thomas – Yo’ Little Brother (Dub Mix) Expose –… Read more »
It’s a great song from a great album. It’s a shame he couldn’t capture the moment with the two albums that followed his debut CD.
It is one of the great albums 80s I still listen to it often 🙂
Thanks DJPaul,
I’ve always loved this song
and the remix edited by The Latin Rascals.
The dub version (as Daniel said above) in your audio-quality is the top!
Hope you got also “Dominoes”.
Have a nice weekend.
and “Wot’s It To Ya”
Yeees, I forgot it,
especially the remix edited by Gail King!
Thank you! 🙂
Thank you Paul for another great gift. I love this song so much. I remember dancing to it in the clubs. It was also a smash hit here in France. And we get the Dub Mix for the first time in best possible audio “Paul-T-Sound”. C’est la vie, yes this is life, and life is best here on Burning The Ground. Have a great weekend.
Have a great weekend Daniel 🙂
Another fantastic rip! I’ve always loved this 12″ thanks to the Latin Rascals’ work…it’s too bad the stereo imaging is not so great when they do their slices on these mixes. I noticed this way back during the initial release. For example, 0:16-0:24…but you really need to have headphones on to hear the quality drop. But hey, that’s funky editing in the mid 80’s for ya! 🙂 I still, to this day, cannot forget how the Ultimix 1986 Medley used the Dub of this mix (0:29 to about 0:37) at 1:29 (in the Medley) and how they kept that funky… Read more »
You’re welcome Fred thanks for your comment I agree. Love that Ultimix Medley. Have a great weekend 🙂