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Sweet Lullaby

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"Sweet Lullaby"
Single by Deep Forest
from the album Deep Forest
Released10 March 1992
Genre
Length3:55
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Eric Mouquet
  • Michel Sanchez
Producer(s)Dan Lacksman
Deep Forest singles chronology
"Sweet Lullaby"
(1992) 		"Deep Forest"
(1993)
Music video
Sweet Lullaby on YouTube

"Sweet Lullaby" is a song by French musical group Deep Forest that originally appeared on their eponymous album (1992). The song was produced by Dan Lacksman and gained popularity in 1992 and 1993 when it was released as a single by labels Dance Pool, Columbia and Epic. It became a top-30 hit in many European and Oceanian countries. In 1994, it was re-released in remixed versions. The accompanying music video was directed by Tarsem Singh and filmed in eight countries. The video depicts the voyage of a young girl who travels the world by tricycle and was nominated for several awards at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards.

Background

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The song is based around a traditional Baegu lullaby from the Solomon Islands called "Rorogwela", and uses a vocal sample of a woman called Afunakwa[4] singing, originally recorded by ethnomusicologist Hugo Zemp in 1970 and later released by UNESCO as part of their Musical Sources collection.[5] The lyrics refer to a young orphan being comforted by his older brother despite the loss of their parents.[6]

For a time, Australian television network SBS used the song as its theme. It was also used by German television broadcaster RTL as the closing theme to their coverage of UEFA Champions League football during the 1994–1995 season.

Although the inlay misattributed the samples to African Pygmies, "Sweet Lullaby" actually uses excerpts from a traditional lullaby of the Baegu and Fateleka ethnic groups of the Solomon Islands, performed by Afunakwa and recorded around 1970 by ethnomusicologist Hugo Zemp in the town of Fulinui. The recording was used without authorization from Afunakwa, Zemp, label UNESCO discs or distributor Auvidis, although Zemp had earlier reluctantly given oral permission for an unrelated recording to be used.[7] The lullaby, sung in the Baegu language and called Rorogwela, is the song of a young man who asks his younger brother to stop crying and explains that the love of his deceased parents is taking care of them.

Afunakwa's song was included on a 1973 LP titled Solomon Islands: Fateleka and Baegu Music from Malaita published by the UNESCO Music Sources Collection. Only a few verses were reused in "Sweet Lullaby". Afunakwa's rendition was also reused by Italian disc jockey Mauro Picotto in his song Komodo [Save A Soul], and the tune was covered by Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek, in his song erroneously titled "Pygmy Lullaby". Afunakwa died during the 1990s.

Chart performance

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The debut single for the group, "Sweet Lullaby" was a success for Deep Forest, reaching number three in Norway,[8] number seven on the Australian ARIA Charts,[9] number 10 on the British charts, number 78 on the US Billboard Top 100, and the top 20 in France (17), Iceland (11) and Switzerland (15).

Critical reception

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In 1994, Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote, "This is one of those great projects that has created a long top-shelf life on its own. Now that the 2-year-old 'Sweet Lullaby' has finally run its course, Epic is focusing on the act's self-titled track, running it through the remix mill with sterling results. Myriad versions are included to ensure chances for consumption at several formats, ranging from mainstream club to crossover radio."[10] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report named it "haunting and captivating", adding, "It needs more than one listen."[11] Another GR reviewer, Keith Zimmerman, constated that "with its Pygmy chant samplings, [it] churns out a soulful world beat groove that's plenty catchy enough to create a mass appeal hit."[3] Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel complimented it as a "gorgeous track", "which combines an angelic lead vocal with a sweeping chorus".[12] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton said, "The musical collage they create is startlingly reminiscent of something One Dove may produce but after much club exposure they have outdone them at a stroke and are destined for the Top 10 next week at least."[13] David Stubbs from Melody Maker named it the best track of the album, writing, "Driven by a rich, languid shuffle, it features a beautiful, lilting, ethnic chorus that's as refreshing as the burgeoning smell of wet leaves in the first rain after the drought. We're bombarded with product week in and week out up here but a record that lilts you is still rare. 'Sweet Lullaby' is one of them."[14] Pan-European magazine Music & Media viewed the song as a "mellow floater".[15]

M&M editor Dom Phillips wrote, "Pygmies, strangely enough, were the star performers on Britain's strangest dance hit this year so far. Deep Forest's 'Sweet Lullaby', constructed by two Belgians, combined the shiniest of ambient technology with samples of pygmies singing taken from an old Unesco CD. With the help of high powered remixing talent from top American producers like Masters At Work, it broke through the clubs, reaching number 8 in the charts."[1] James Hamilton from Music Week's RM Dance Update described it as an "African chanted haunting Euro hit"[16] and a "exotically atmospheric haunting ethereal drifter".[17] Ian McCann from NME wrote, "What language is this? A chant, a Soul II Soul sort of beat, those appalling South American pan pipes that they have on TV nature programmes whenever they show mountains, and presumably, the intention to get a Future Sound Of London kinda hit. But the lullaby works. I'm...gradually...falling...to...zzz."[18] James Hunter from Vibe deemed it "an eager pop confection of continental synths and excellent singing from "the rain forest pygmies of Africa"."[19] Mike Joyce from The Washington Post complimented it as "a dreamy slice of Euro-pop dance music blended together with the haunting voices of a Pygmy chorus and an unidentified female from the Solomon Islands, who implores 'Don't cry, don't cry, your parents are never coming back.'" He added, "Her pinched, plaintive voice is set off by wooden flutelike synth sounds, a programmed drum track, Pygmies chanting in the Central African Baka dialect, and additional vocals. The result is a curious, video-friendly synthesis of ancient and contemporary cultures."[2]

Music video

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The music video for "Sweet Lullaby" was directed by Indian director Tarsem Singh and filmed in eight countries, like Spain, China, Russia, India, Kenya and the US, during a four and a half week shoot in late 1993.[20] The video follows the voyage of a young girl, portrayed by Tarsem's niece Shaan Sahota, who travels the world by tricycle in the quest to find sleep.[20] Tarsem told in an 1994 interview with Billboard magazine about hearing the tune and noting the voice of a Pygmy girl singing a cappella at the close of the track, "I wanted to do the video just so I could use the girl singing this one line. It's just so brilliant."[20] He worked on the video without pay and contributed his own funds to the production. "We would arrive at a location in the afternoon and spend about three hours taking polaroids in the city. At dinner, we would decide where to shoot. The next day, we would shoot, and the third day we would leave."[20]

"Sweet Lullaby" was nominated for several awards at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards. Chuck Campbell of Knoxville News Sentinel commented on the video, "Early this year, the evocative video for 'Sweet Lullaby' floated into MTV's "Buzz Bin", which helped push the song into Billboard's Top 100 singles. Consequently, the album Deep Forest, now almost two years old, has been hitting top stride."[12]

Track listings

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[39] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Phillips, Dom (9 April 1994). "Ambient Movement Seizes British Dance Market" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 15. p. 7. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b Joyce, Mike (3 April 1994). "Pop Recordings". The Washington Post. p. G11.
  3. ^ a b Zimmerman, Keith (28 January 1994). "Gavin Picks — Albums" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 46. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Turmeric, pygmies and piracy". 23 November 2004.
  5. ^ "A Sweet Lullaby For World Music". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ "Deep Forest Lyrics and Meanings". Archived from the original on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ Feld, Steven (1 January 2000). "A Sweet Lullaby for World Music". Public Culture. 12 (1): 145–171. doi:10.1215/08992363-12-1-145. ISSN 1527-8018. S2CID 143663473.
  8. ^ Steffen Hung. "norwegiancharts.com - Deep Forest - Sweet Lullaby". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  9. ^ Steffen Hung. "australian-charts.com - Deep Forest - Sweet Lullaby". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  10. ^ Flick, Larry (23 July 1994). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  11. ^ Sholin, Dave (14 January 1994). "Gavin Picks: Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 42. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  12. ^ a b Campbell, Chuck (18 March 1994). "Filthy Mouth': David Lee Roth Seems Desperate". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  13. ^ Masterton, James (30 January 1994). "Week Ending February 5th 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  14. ^ Stubbs, David (30 January 1993). "Albums". Melody Maker. p. 33. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  15. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 51/52. 19 December 1992. p. 10. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  16. ^ Hamilton, James (20 November 1993). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 7. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  17. ^ Hamilton, James (29 January 1994). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 5. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  18. ^ McCann, Ian (12 December 1992). "Singles". NME. p. 17. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  19. ^ Hunter, James (1 March 1994). "Single File". Vibe. Retrieved 2 March 2020.[permanent dead link]
  20. ^ a b c d Russell, Deborah (12 February 1994). "Music Video: Tarsem Explores Deep Forest Sounds" (PDF). Billboard. p. 35. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  21. ^ "Deep Forest – Sweet Lullaby" (in French). Le classement de singles.
  22. ^ "Deep Forest – Sweet Lullaby" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  23. ^ "Deep Forest – Sweet Lullaby". Swiss Singles Chart.
  24. ^ "Deep Forest – Sweet Lullaby". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  25. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2173." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  26. ^ "Deep Forest – Sweet Lullaby". Top 40 Singles.
  27. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 6 November 1993. p. 4. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  28. ^ a b c Billboard allmusic.com (Retrieved 14 April 2009)
  29. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 9. 26 February 1994. p. 14. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  30. ^ "Deep Forest – Sweet Lullaby (Remix '94)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  31. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (03.03.1994 – 09.03.1994)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 3 March 1994. p. 20. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  32. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sweet Lullaby". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  33. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Deep Forest" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  34. ^ "Deep Forest – Sweet Lullaby" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  35. ^ "Deep Forest – Sweet Lullaby". VG-lista.
  36. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  37. ^ "The Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. 19 February 1994. p. 18. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  38. ^ "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 5 February 1994. p. 30. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  39. ^ a b Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 77.
  40. ^ "Single top 100 over 1994" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  41. ^ "1994 – Singles" (PDF). Hit Music. 7 January 1995. p. 31. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
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