Alane (song)

"Alane" is a song by Cameroonian musician Wes. It was released in May 1997 via various labels as the debut single from his first album, Welenga (1996). The song became a hit across Europe, topping the charts in Austria, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. It is produced by Michel Sanchez and sung in the Duala language of Cameroon^[2] though the Tony Moran remix includes English lyrics ("Alane flows like a fountain, running gently to your heart. Alane dances inside me, like a flame in to your arms"). Its accompanying music video was directed by Philippe Gautier featuring choreography by Mia Frye.

"Alane"
French CD single
Single by Wes
from the album Welenga
Released	13 May 1997
Genre	Dance-pop[1] world music
Length	3:40
Label	Sony Music Saint George Epic
Songwriter(s)	Wes Madiko
Producer(s)	Michel Sanchez
Wes singles chronology
"Alane" (1997) "Awa Awa" (1997)
Music video
"Alane" on YouTube
Alternative cover
Remixes

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "African chants meet state-of-the-art dance beats on this sizzling hot dance track, which has already been firmly entrenched atop the French charts for a couple of weeks."^[3] Alan Jones from Music Week declared it a "haunting" single^[4] and "likely to be the next Afro-European hit to make the grade here. Wes's expressive but slightly weak vocals are bolstered considerably by a pop/dance arrangement that fits like a glove, while some ethnic-sounding support bolsters the chorus."^[1] Chris Finan from Record Mirror Dance Update gave "Alane" a top score of five out of five, stating, "With over 2m copies already sold in France, this is certain to cause more than a stir here [in the UK]".^[5] A reviewer from Sunday Mirror gave it seven out of ten, adding, "This Euro-stomper with lots of wailing and chanting Afro-vocals is sure to be a huge hit in the nightclubs - and on the Terry Wogan show."^[6]

Chart performance

In France, the song was sponsored by TF1,^[7] Fun Radio, RTL and the Malongo Coffees. The single spent ten weeks at number-one and remained in the top 50 for 25 weeks, ten of them at the top (and a further 9 weeks in the Top 10.^[8])

The song also reached number-one in Belgium (9 weeks at number-one and a further 8 weeks in the top 10^[9]), Austria (8 weeks at number-one and a further 9 weeks in the top 10^[10]) and The Netherlands (8 weeks at number-one and a further 8 weeks in the top 10^[11]) as well as reaching the top 10 in Germany (where it spent 18 weeks in the Top 10^[12]), Hungary, Ireland, Israel and Switzerland (10 weeks in the top 10^[13]) and number 11 in the UK.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Alane" was directed by Philippe Gautier. The choreography was created by American-French singer Mia Frye, who had previously created the choreography for Los del Rio's "Macarena". Frye appears in both videos.

Track listings

12-inch single "Alane" (trouser enthusiasts orgasmic apparition mix) – 10:43 "Alane" (Trouser enthusiasts spectrophiliac dub) – 6:51 CD single "Alane" (radio mix) – 3:40 "Alane" (club remix – short version) – 3:37 12-inch maxi "Alane" (trouser enthusiasts orgasmic apparition mix) – 10:43 "Alane" (trouser enthusiasts spectrophiliac mix) – 6:51 "Alane" (Todd Terry's club remix) – 8:04 "Alane" (Tony Moran's club mix) – 4:40 "Alane" (radio mix) – 3:40

CD maxi - Todd Terry Remixes "Alane" (radio mix) – 3:40 "Alane" (club mix – full version) – 8:06 "Alane" (drop mix – full version) – 8:07 "Alane" (club remix – short version) – 3:38 "Alane" (a capella) – 3:36 CD maxi - Tony Moran Remixes "Alane" (Tony Moran Main Pass Mix) - 4:39 "Alane" (Tony Moran Instrumental Mix) - 4:40 "Alane" (Tony Moran A Capella) - 4:40 "Alane" (Philcat Fishing Widow Mix) - 6:39

Credits

• Written by Wes
• Composed, arranged and produced by Michel Sanchez
• Artwork by Design, Bronx (Paris)
• Photography (photo remix) by Laurent Edeline
• Photography (photo) by Yan Leuvrey
• Trouser enthusiasts orgasmic apparition mix: programmed by Torsten Gascoigne, produced by Trouser Enthusiasts
• Trouser enthusiasts spectrophiliac mix: remixed and produced by Trouser Enthusiasts
• Todd Terry's club remix: remixed by Todd Terry
• Tony Moran's club mix: remixed by Tony Moran

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1997–1998) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[15] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[16] 1 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[17] 5 France (SNEP)[18] 1 Germany (GfK)[19] 2 Hungary (Mahasz)[20] 8 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[21] 14 Israel (Israeli Singles Chart)[22] 7 Ireland (IRMA)[23] 9 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[24] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[25] 1 Norway (VG-lista)[26] 20 Scotland (OCC)[27] 15 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 19 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 4 UK Singles (OCC)[30] 11 UK Dance (OCC)[31] 27

Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[32] 3 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[33] 3 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[34] 21 France (SNEP)[35] 3 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[36] 4 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[37] 3 Chart (1998) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[38] 3 Germany (Media Control)[39] 5 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[40] 65 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[41] 18 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 20 Decade-end charts Chart (1990–1999) Position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[43] 6

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[44]	Platinum	50,000*
Belgium (BRMA)[45]	3× Platinum	150,000*
France (SNEP)[46]	Diamond	1,400,000[47]
Germany (BVMI)[48]	3× Gold	750,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[49]	2× Platinum	150,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[50]	Gold	25,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Robin Schulz and Wes version

"Alane"
Single by Robin Schulz and Wes
from the album IIII
Released	19 June 2020
Length	2:55
Label	Warner Music Central Europe
Songwriter(s)	Wes Madiko
Producer(s)	Michel Sanchez Robin Schulz
Robin Schulz singles chronology
"Oxygen" (2020) "Alane" (2020) "All We Got" (2020)

German DJ and record producer Robin Schulz released a remake of the song on 19 June 2020 which is included on the album IIII (2021). Schulz had been a fan of the original 1997 song since he was 10 years old and got in touch with Wes via Warner Music. The two musicians met in Paris and then re-recorded the track in a studio in Germany.^[51] Its music video was directed by Robert Wunsch and features appearances by Schulz and Wes, along with footage of 30 dancers in 12 countries across the world, including Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Kenya, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, Tunisia, Vietnam, and the United States.^[52][53][54]

Track listings

Digital download^[55]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Alane"	2:55

Digital download – Don Diablo remix^[56]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Alane" (Don Diablo remix)	3:20

Digital download – Yves V remix^[57]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Alane" (Yves V remix)	2:26

Charts

Weekly charts 2020 weekly chart performance for "Alane" Chart (2020) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[58] 3 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[59] 14 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[60] 5 CIS Airplay (TopHit)[61] 172 Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[62] 84 France (SNEP)[63] 15 Germany (GfK)[64] 6 Germany Airplay (BVMI)[65] 1 Hungary (Dance Top 40)[66] 39 Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[67] 15 Hungary (Single Top 40)[68] 12 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[69] 4 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[70] 11 Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[71] 10 Slovenia (SloTop50)[72] 6 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[73] 7 Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[74] 71 2025 weekly chart performance for "Alane" Chart (2025) Peak position North Macedonia Airplay (Radiomonitor)[75] 13

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Alane" Chart (2020) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[76] 23 Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[77] 66 Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)[78] 54 Germany (Official German Charts)[79] 29 Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[80] 94 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[81] 42 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[82] 70 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[83] 39

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Alane"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[84]	Platinum	30,000‡
Belgium (BRMA)[85]	Gold	20,000‡
France (SNEP)[86]	Gold	100,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[87]	Gold	200,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[88]	Gold	25,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.