Africa (Rose Laurens song)

"Africa" is a 1982 song recorded by French singer Rose Laurens. It was one of the singles from her first album Déraisonnable and was released in France at the end of 1982. A version with English lyrics, titled "Africa (Voodoo Master)", was released worldwide in March 1983. The version available on the 7" is shorter than on the album, as the musical bridge is shortened and there are fewer refrains. It immediately became a smash hit in many countries, reaching the top of the charts. In 1994, a CD maxi of remixes was released, but failed to chart.

"Africa"
Single by Rose Laurens
from the album Déraisonnable
B-side	"Broken Heart"
Released	October 1982 (french) March 1983 (english)
Recorded	1982
Genre	Pop
Length	5:00 (album version) 3:28 (single version)
Label	WEA
Composer(s)	Jean-Pierre Goussaud
Lyricist(s)	Jean-Michel Bériat (french) Elaine Stive (english)
Producer(s)	Jean-Pierre Goussaud
Rose Laurens singles chronology
"Pas facile" (1981) "Africa" (1982) "Africa (Voodoo Master)" (1983)

Chart performance

"Africa" was a commercial success, reaching number one in Austria, and remained for 16 weeks in the top twenty.^[1] In Norway, it charted for 15 weeks in the top ten, including a peak at number two for two weeks.^[2] It also appeared for ten weeks in the top 15 in Switzerland, with a peak at number two.^[3] In West Germany, "Africa" charted for 23 weeks and peaked at number three in its fourth week.^[4] In France, there was no official singles chart then, but it reached Platinum status with a million copies sold.^[5]

Cover versions

In 1983, German singer Ingrid Peters cover the song in German-language under the title "Afrika", which peaked at number 41 on the German Singles Chart. In 1993, the song was covered in English by Swiss duet Powerzone in an Euro house version; it reached number 18 on the Swiss Singles Chart and charted weeks.^[6]

Track listings

• 7" single

1. "Africa (Voodoo Master)" — 3:28
2. "Broken Heart" — 3:43

• CD maxi - 1994 remixes

1. "Africa" (remix '94) (Berlin single radio edit) — 3:21
2. "Africa" (remix '94) (Paris single radio edit) — 3:50
3. "Africa" (remix '94) (Berlin club mix) — 4:55

• 2022 Remixes

1. "Africa" (Superfunk Remix) - 2:58
2. "Africa" (Luke Mornay Remix) - 3:35
3. "Africa" (7th Heaven Remix) - 3:24
4. "Africa" (Superfunk Extended Remix) - 5:03
5. "Africa" (Luke Mornay Extended Remix) - 7:18
6. "Africa" (7th Heaven Extended Remix) - 5:24
7. "Africa" - 3:36

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Africa" Chart (1983) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[1] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[7] 6 Norway (VG-lista)[2] 2 Quebec (ADISQ)[8] 3 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[3] 2 West Germany (Media Control)[4] 3

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Africa" Chart (1983) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9] 7 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 18

Certifications

Certifications for "Africa (Voodoo Master)"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[5]	Platinum	1,000,000*
Germany (BVMI)[11]	Gold	500,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.