To France
"To France" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1984. It is from the album Discovery and features Maggie Reilly on vocals.
"To France" | ||||
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Single by Mike Oldfield | ||||
from the album Discovery | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 16 June 1984 | |||
Recorded | "In the Swiss Alps at 2,000 metres within sight of Lake Geneva on sunny days"[1] | |||
Genre | Europop, rock | |||
Length | 4:33 | |||
Label | Virgin | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mike Oldfield | |||
Producer(s) | Mike Oldfield Simon Phillips | |||
Mike Oldfield singles chronology | ||||
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The musical theme used in "To France" was also used on the first track on side two of the Discovery album, "Talk About Your Life". It references Mary, Queen of Scots, in its chorus. The B-sides for the single are the non-album tracks "In the Pool" and "Bones".[2] The B-sides later re-appeared on the re-issue of the "Moonlight Shadow" single in 1993.
The music video that appears on the Elements – The Best of Mike Oldfield video for "To France" is a mock-live performance of the song. Oldfield plays a Fender Stratocaster in the video.
Track listing
- 7" Single
- "To France" (4.33)
- "In the Pool" (3.40)
- 12" Single
- "To France" (extended version) (5:32)
- "In the Pool" (3:40)
- "Bones" (3:19)
Charts
The song reached the top 10 in a number of countries in 1984 and topped the French charts for one week in October 1984.
Chart (1984) | Peak position |
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Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[3] | 9 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] | 2 |
France (SNEP)[5] | 23 |
Italy (FIMI)[6] | 12 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7] | 3 |
Spanish Singles Chart | 3 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[8] | 7 |
UK Singles (OCC)[9] | 48 |
West Germany (Official German Charts)[10] | 6 |
Year-End Chart
Chart (1984) | Peak position |
---|---|
Spanish Singles Chart | 17 |
Belgian VRT Top 30 | 33 |
Dutch Singles Chart | 37 |
German Media Control Charts | 37 |
Italian Singles Chart | 56 |
Maggie Reilly version
"To France" | ||||
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Single by Maggie Reilly | ||||
from the album Elena | ||||
Released | 1 March 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1996 | |||
Genre | Folk pop | |||
Length | 5:09 | |||
Label | EMI | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mike Oldfield | |||
Producer(s) | Nick Patrick | |||
Maggie Reilly singles chronology | ||||
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In 1996, Maggie Reilly re-recorded "To France" on her solo album Elena, and in 2009 she recorded another version of the song for her album Looking Back Moving Forward. Compared to the original, this version is significantly Pop-heavy. Maggie Reilly released their version under her initials M. R.
Track listing
- Maxi-CD
- "To France" (JPO & Beam Video Mix) 3:46
- "To France" (Intro) 1:08
- "To France" (JPO & Beam Spanish Dream Mix) 5:50
- "To France" (JPO & Beam Club Mix) 8:03
- ""To France" (Espirito Remix) 6:40
- "Mike Oldfield & Maggie Reilly - "To France" (Radio Edit) 3:34
- Part II - CD-Maxi
- "To France" (DJ Beam's Radio Mix) 3:54
- "To France" (De Donatis Remix) 6:16
- "To France" (DJ Beam's Club Mix) 6:29
Charts
Chart (1997) | Peak position |
---|---|
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] | 17 |
Germany (Official German Charts)[12] | 19 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[13] | 30 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] | 53 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] | 22 |
Kim Wilde version
"To France" | ||||
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Single by Kim Wilde | ||||
from the album Snapshots | ||||
Released | 2 December 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2011 | |||
Genre | Pop rock | |||
Length | 3:59 | |||
Label | Columbia SevenOne | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mike Oldfield | |||
Producer(s) | Andrew Murray Ricky Wilde | |||
Kim Wilde singles chronology | ||||
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"To France" is the second single to be released from Kim Wilde's twelfth studio album Snapshots. It was released digitally on 2 December 2011. Included on the single is a Christmas remix of the song as well as an exclusive remix of "It's Alright" by German Euro-dance band Groove Coverage.
Track listing
- "To France" (Christmas edit) – 3:56
- "To France" – 3:59
- "It's Alright" (Groove Coverage remix edit) – 2:55
- "It's Alright" (Groove Coverage remix) – 4:26
Other cover versions
- In 1996, Blind Guardian released a Power metal cover of "To France" on their album The Forgotten Tales.
- In 1998, Yamboo used parts from the song in their song "Come With Me".
- In 1997, Marina Kapuro recorded a Russian version, called "Маленький остров" ("little island").[16]
- In 2002, Novaspace released a cover of "To France" as a single.
- In 2002, Hungarian pop group Crystal released a Hungarian language version called "Itt megtalálsz"
- In 2004, Under:Cover released a trance cover version.
- In 2006, The Highstreet Allstars released a jumpstyle cover version.
- In 2008, Alien Market released a house cover version.
- In 2008, Liz Kay released a techno cover version called "To France 2008".
- In 2009, E-Mine vs. Disco Punks released a commercial dance remix bundle digitally.
- In 2010, Brisby & Jingles released an electro house cover version as a digital single.
- In 2011, Leaves' Eyes released a cover of "To France" on their album Meredead.
- In 2011, French singer Nolwenn Leroy covered the song on the re-issue of her album Bretonne.
- In 2015, The German Band Santiano released a cover version called "Lieder der Freiheit" (Songs of freedom).
References
- "Mike Oldfield Discography - Discovery". Tubular.net. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
- "Singles". Amadian. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- "Austriancharts.at – Mike Oldfield & Maggie Reilly – To France" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- "Ultratop.be – Mike Oldfield & Maggie Reilly – To France" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- "Lescharts.com – Mike Oldfield & Maggie Reilly – To France" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: O". www.hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – Mike Oldfield" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- "Swisscharts.com – Mike Oldfield & Maggie Reilly – To France". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- "Mike Oldfield & Maggie Reilly: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Mike Oldfield & Maggie Reilly – To France". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- "Austriancharts.at – M. R. – To France" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – M.R. – To France". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – Maggie Reilly" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – M. R. – To France" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- "Swisscharts.com – M. R. – To France". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- Marina Kapuro - "Маленький остров" on YouTube