Quand c'est ?
| "Quand c'est ?" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Stromae | |
| from the album Racine carrée | |
| Language | French |
| Published | 14 September 2015 |
| Length | 3:00 |
| Label | |
| Music video | |
| "Quand c'est ?" on YouTube | |
"Quand c'est ?" is a song written and performed by Belgian singer Stromae. The song is the seventh and final single from his album Racine carrée.[2] The song was first released as part of its parent album on 16 August 2013, then released as a separate single on 14 September 2015.
The song's title is a play on the similar pronunciations of "quand c'est" and "cancer" in French. The song's lyrics tell of Stromae's personal relationship with cancer, and the cruelness of the disease.[3][4] This single was performed as part of The Voice – La plus belle voix in 2016 by MB14.[5]
Music video
[edit]The music video of the song depicts a silhouette of the artist on a theatrical stage. The video is all black-and-white, inspired by the 2010 video game Limbo. The figure moves around, attempting to avoid a creeping black mass that represents cancer. Eventually, the silhouette falls, and the camera moves upwards revealing a tangled labyrinth of people strangled in the previously mentioned black mass.[3][6][7][8]
Reception
[edit]"Quand c'est ?" peaked at 39th in the Ultratop 50 Singles of Flanders and charted in France.[1] The song and accompanying video have received several awards, including Best VFX in the 2016 Berlin Music Video Awards, Best Video in the D6Bels Music Video Awards, Best Video in the Red Bull Elektropedia Awards, and Best Video in the Music Industry Awards.[9][10] The video for "Quand c'est ?" gained 3.5 million views in the first 36 hours.[11] The New Yorker called the song's melody "haunting."[12] In a review for Mandatory, Ernest Hardy praised the video as "hypnotic" and called the song proof of Stromae's status as "global pop's reigning male visionary."[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "STROMAE - QUAND C'EST? (CHANSON)". lescharts.com. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ "Stromae : "Quand c'est", son clip émouvant et effrayant sur le cancer". France 3 Hauts-de-France (in French). 15 September 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ a b Killakam. "Stromae Shares The Video For 'Quand C'est?' | OkayAfrica". OkayAfrica. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ "VIDÉO - Quand c'est : Stromae danse avec le cancer". TF1 INFO (in French). 14 September 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ Guardiola, Ari (10 April 2016). "The Voice 5 : Slimane impressionnant, MB14 et Mood changent de team !". Purepeople. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ Affricot, Johanne (27 September 2015). "Quand c'est | Stromae sings and dances with cancer". GRIOT. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ Garcia, Patricia (14 September 2015). "Exclusive! Watch Stromae's Hauntingly Beautiful New Music Video". Vogue. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ Team Mouv' (15 September 2015). "Stromae : le clip fantastique et poignant de "Quand c'est ?" [vidéo]". Mouv' (in French). Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ "2016 Winners". Berlin Music Video Awards. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ "Quand c'est". Mosaert — Creative House. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Stromae, bouleversant dans le clip "Quand c'est ?" : Déjà un carton..." PurePeople. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ Ali, Rozina (20 October 2015). "Stromae in New York". The New Yorker.
- ^ Hardy, Ernest (23 September 2015). "New Video | Stromae: "Quand C'est?" Cements His Status as Global Pop's Reigning Male Visionary". Mandatory.
- ^ "Stromae affronte le cancer dans son clip Quand c'est ?". Le Figaro (in French). 14 September 2015.
- ^ "VIDEO - Découvrez "Quand c'est ?", le clip de Stromae sur le cancer - ici". ici, le média de la vie locale (in French). 15 September 2015.