7 Seconds (song)

"7 Seconds"
Single by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry
from the album The Guide (Wommat) (Youssou N'Dour) and Man (Neneh Cherry)
B-side	"Mame Bamba"
Released	7 June 1994
Format	12" vinyl, CD single, CD maxi
Recorded	Power Station, Stockholm, Power Play Studios, New York[1]
Genre	World, trip hop, afrobeat
Length	5:07
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Neneh Cherry, Youssou N'Dour, Cameron McVey, Jonathan Sharp
Producer(s)	Christian Falk,[2] Booga Bear, Jonny Dollar
Certification	Gold: Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland
Youssou N'Dour chronology "Shaking the Tree" (1989) "7 Seconds" (1994) "So Many Men" (2002) Neneh Cherry chronology "Buddy X" (1993) "7 Seconds" (1994) "Love Can Build a Bridge" (1995)

"7 Seconds" is a song composed by Youssou N'Dour, Neneh Cherry, Cameron McVey and Jonathan Sharp, released in 1994 as a single performed by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry. It reached the top three in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Sweden, Portugal, Germany, The Netherlands, Australia, Russia and Poland, and climbed to the top position in France, Switzerland, Finland and Italy; "7 Seconds" stayed at No. 1 for 16 consecutive weeks on the French Singles Chart,^[3] which was the record for the most weeks at the top at the time. The single also remained at the top position on the Italian Singles Chart for nine consecutive weeks in the autumn of that year.^[4] All instruments on the track were produced and arranged by the Swedish music producer Christian Falk, who also played bass on the track.^[2]

The song also appeared on N'Dour's album The Guide (Wommat), released shortly after the single. In 1996, it was included on Neneh Cherry's album Man. The song was featured in the 1998 movie Northern Skirts and 2005 Uwe Boll-directed movie Alone in the Dark. "7 Seconds" was also performed at Live 8 by Dido and Youssou N'Dour in 2005, at Hyde Park in London, UK.^[5] "7 Seconds", the title referring to the first moments of a child's life, as Cherry put it, "not knowing about the problems and violence in our world".

Lyrics and music

The song is trilingual: N'Dour sings in Wolof, a West African language, and French (plus singing chorus in English), and Cherry sings in English.^[6]

The song

"7 Seconds" tells about first seven seconds in the life of a newborn, arguably unaware of problems in the world.

— Neneh Cherry, "Neneh Cherry Online – Biography". Retrieved 12 July 2009.

Music video

The black and white music video was directed by Stéphane Sednaoui.^[7] It features people of different ethnicities walking by while the two are singing. When they sing the chorus, different kinds of people's faces appear.

Formats and track listings

• CD maxi

1. "7 Seconds" – 4:10
2. "Mame Bamba" by Youssou N'Dour – 4:57
3. "7 Seconds" (R & B to the hip hop drop mix) – 6:24
4. "7 Seconds" (Dub Mix) – 6:07

• CD maxi (7 June 1994)

1. "7 Seconds" – 4:10
2. "Life (Adouna)" by Youssou N'Dour – 4:57
3. "7 Seconds" (R & B to the hip hop drop mix) – 6:24
4. "7 Seconds" – 6:07

• CD maxi (7 June 1994)

1. "7 Seconds" (radio edit) – 4:06
2. "Life (Adouna)" by Youssou N'Dour – 4:02
3. "7 Seconds" (R & B to the hip hop drop mix) – 6:23
4. "7 Seconds" (dub mix) – 6:07

• UK CD single (660508-2)

1. "7 Seconds" (radio edit)
2. "7 Seconds" (LP version)
3. "7 Seconds" (new old mix)
4. "7 Seconds" (dub mix)
5. "7 Seconds" (hip hop mix)

Charts and sales

Peak positions Chart (1994) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[8] 3 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9] 3 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] 3 Canada (RPM)[11] 15 Denmark (IFPI) 10 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[12] 2 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] 1 France (SNEP)[3] 1 Germany (Media Control Charts) 3 Ireland (IRMA)[14] 3 Italy (FIMI)[15] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] 2 New Zealand (RIANZ)[17] 7 Norway (VG-lista)[18] 4 Spain (AFYVE)[19] 8 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[20] 3 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 1 United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)[22] 3 US Billboard Hot 100[23] 98

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Position Austrian Singles Chart[24] 10 Dutch Top 40[25] 8 French Singles Chart[26] 1 Swiss Singles Chart[27] 2 Certifications Country Certification Date Sales certified Austria (IFPI)[28] Gold 21 December 1994 15,000 France (SNEP)[29] Gold 28 October 1994 250,000 Germany (IFPI)[30] Gold 1994 250,000 Switzerland[31] Gold 2004 25,000

Chart successions

References

1. "Images for Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds". Retrieved 12 July 2009.
2. Christian Falk. "Christian Falk", Sommar & Vinter i P1, 26 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
3. "lescharts.com – Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds" (in French). Retrieved 12 July 2009.
4. "I singoli più venduti del 1994" (in Italian). Retrieved 9 January 2014.
5. "Dido at Live 8". Retrieved 29 June 2010.
6. "Neneh Cherry Online – Bio". Retrieved 12 July 2009.
7. "mvdbase.com – Youssou N'Dour – "7 seconds [version 1]"". Retrieved 12 July 2009.
8. "australian-charts.com – Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds". Retrieved 12 July 2009.
9. "Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds – austriancharts.at" (in German). Retrieved 12 July 2009.
10. "Ultratop.be – Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
11. "RPM Magazine – Top 100 Canadian Singles, October 17, 1994". Retrieved 12 July 2009.
12. "Billboard".
13. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
14. "irishcharts.ie search results". Retrieved 12 July 2009.
15. "Hit Parade Italia – Settimana del 03/09/94" (in Italian). Retrieved 12 July 2009.
16. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 28, 1994" (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 July 2009.
17. "charts.org.nz – Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds". Retrieved 12 July 2009.
18. "norwegiancharts.com – Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds". Retrieved 12 July 2009.
19. "Billboard".
20. "swedishcharts.com – Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds". Retrieved 12 July 2009.
21. "Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds – hitparade.ch" (in German). Retrieved 12 July 2009.
22. "Chart Stats – Youssou N'Dour Featuring Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds". Retrieved 12 July 2009.
23. "allmusic ((( Youssou N'Dour > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Retrieved 12 July 2009.
24. "Statistik 1994 – austriancharts.at" (in German). Retrieved 12 July 2009.
25. "Nederlandse Top 40: Single top 100 over 1994" (PDF) (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 July 2009.
26. "Disque en France – Classement Singles – année 1994" (in French). Retrieved 12 July 2009.
27. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1994 – hitparade.ch" (in German). Retrieved 12 July 2009.
28. "Gold & Platin Datenbank online search results" (in German). IFPI Austria – Verband der Österreichischen Musikwirtschaft. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
29. "Certifications Singles Or – année 1994" (in French). Disque en France. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
30. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('7 Seconds')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
31. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community – Awards 1994" (in German). Retrieved 12 July 2009.