Sympathique

Sympathique
Studio album by
Pink Martini
ReleasedNovember 11, 1997
RecordedDecember 1996 – April 1997
StudioStiles Recording Studio (Portland, Oregon)
GenreAlternative pop, World, Latin, Jazz
Length47:40
LabelHeinz Records
Pink Martini chronology
Sympathique
(1997) 		Hang on Little Tomato
(2004)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Sympathique is the first studio album from American band Pink Martini. It was released on November 11, 1997 by Pink Martini's own record label, Heinz Records. As of 2013 it has sold over one million copies worldwide.[2]

Their first single, Sympathique, was released in 1997 and was nominated as "Song of the Year" at the "Victoires de la Musique Awards" in France. The album is certified Platinum in France and Greece, and Gold in Canada, Switzerland, and Turkey.

20th Anniversary Edition

In 2018, Sympathique: 20th Anniversary Edition was released by Heinz Records and its global licensees. Pink Martini's arrangement of Maurice Ravel's "Bolero" had been on the original release of "Sympathique" (track 9), but was removed from the album in subsequent reissues due to a legal dispute with the Ravel estate. With the work now in the public domain, the song was added back to the album for the 20th Anniversary Edition.

There are some name changes for the 20th Anniversary Edition. "Sympathique" (track 3) was renamed "Sympathique (Je ne veux pas travailler)". "Never on Sunday" was renamed "Children of the Piraeus". "Brazil" was renamed "Brasil".

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Amado Mio"Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts4:51
2."No Hay Problema"Jacques Marray6:14
3."Sympathique"China Forbes, Thomas Lauderdale2:50
4."Qué Sera Sera"Jay Livingston, Ray Evans4:12
5."La Soledad"Pepe Raphael, Lauderdale, Frédéric Chopin5:41
6."¿Dónde Estás, Yolanda?"Manuel Jiménez3:25
7."Andalucia"Ernesto Lecuona3:41
8."Song of the Black Lizard" (From the film Black Lizard)Akihiro Miwa4:12
9."Bolero"Maurice Ravel6:10
10."Never on Sunday" (From the film Never on Sunday)Manos Hadjidakis, Billy Towne4:58
11."Brazil"Ary Barroso5:24
12."Lullaby"Forbes, Lauderdale2:12
  • Some pressings of the album include "Donde Estas, Yolanda?" as performed by China Forbes instead of Pepe Raphael.
  • "Bolero" is only available on the first pressing and the 20th Anniversary Edition.
  • There are some name changes for the 20th Anniversary Edition. "Sympathique" (track 3) was renamed "Sympathique (Je ne veux pas travailler)". "Never on Sunday" was renamed "Children of the Piraeus". "Brazil" was renamed "Brasil".

Lyrics

The first and second lines of the first verse and the first line of the chorus (″Je ne veux pas travailler″) of the song Sympathique are taken from Guillaume Apollinaire's poem ″Hôtel″ from Le guetteur mélancolique. The French composer Francis Poulenc used that poem as part of the lyrics for his 1940 composition Banalités, FP 107.

Personnel

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Sympathique
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[3] Gold 50,000^
Greece (IFPI Greece)[4] Platinum 60,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[3] Gold 25,000^
Turkey (Mü-Yap)[3] Gold 5,000*
United States — 218,000[5]
Summaries
Europe (IMPALA)[6] Platinum 500,000[6]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Ankeny, Jason. Sympathique at AllMusic
  2. ^ Gorder, Alisha (1 October 2013). "How Pink Martini Became a Portland Export Worth Millions". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Pink Martini – Sympathique". pinkmartini.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Ελληνικό Chart – Top 50 Ξένων Aλμπουμ" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Breaking & Entering: Pink Martini & Blaine Larsen". Billboard. 3 November 2004. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Full list of new IMPALA Awards – 2008". Independent Music Companies Association. 9 October 2008. Archived from the original on 27 December 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2021.