Racine carrée
Studio album by
Stromae
Released16 August 2013
Recorded2013
Genre
Length45:31
LanguageFrench
Label
Producer
Stromae chronology
Cheese
(2010)		 Racine carrée
(2013)		 Multitude
(2022)
Singles from Racine carrée
  1. "Papaoutai"
    Released: 13 May 2013
  2. "Formidable"
    Released: 27 May 2013
  3. "Tous les mêmes"
    Released: 23 September 2013
  4. "Ta fête"
    Released: 3 February 2014
  5. "Ave Cesaria"
    Released: 21 July 2014
  6. "Carmen"
    Released: 30 March 2015
  7. "Quand c'est ?"
    Released: 14 September 2015
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Charts in France[2]
Metro[3]
Music Story[4]
NU.nl[5]
Télérama[6]

Racine carrée (French for 'square root', stylised as √) is the second studio album by Belgian musician Stromae. It was released digitally on 16 August 2013 and three days later physically in France and Belgium. Stromae expressed his desire to incorporate Caribbean and African musical influences along with his signature 1990s-inspired dance beats. The album, recorded in an attic, explores themes as diverse as alienation from social networks, relationship issues, discrimination, cigarettes and lung cancer, AIDS and absent father figures. Prior to its official release and afterwards, Racine carrée received critical acclaim for its thoughtful lyrics and gained comparisons to fellow Belgian recording artist Jacques Brel.

The album was a commercial success across Western Europe, including non-francophone countries. Racine carrée topped the charts in France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Italy, as well as reaching the top ten in Canada, and the top forty in Germany. In his native Belgium, it remained at the top the charts for multiple weeks and been certified twelve times platinum by the BEA. In France, the album has been certified quadruple diamond by the SNEP and become one of the highest-selling albums in recent years after amassing over one million copies sold four months after its release. Racine carrée yielded three chart-topping singles: "Papaoutai", "Formidable" and "Tous les mêmes".

Chart performance

In France, Racine carrée debuted at number one with one of the year's strongest first-week sales: 80,882 units, of which 55,597 were physical copies and 25,285 downloads. The opening week numbers were higher than the 75,000 copies his previous album, Cheese, had sold since its release.[7] The following week, the album sold 50,901 copies but was replaced at the top of the chart by the second volume of tribute album Génération Goldman, which sold 59,274 units. By the end of September and after only six weeks of release, Racine carrée had crossed the 300,000 mark and spent five non-consecutive weeks at number one.[8] In the last week of October, the album surpassed Daft Punk's Random Access Memories as the best selling album of 2013; up to that point the former had sold 475,500 copies while the latter had amassed 469,700 units.[9] In its eighteenth week on the chart, just before Christmas, Racine carrée remained at number one for a sixteenth non-consecutive week at the top with its biggest weekly sales and the second-best weekly score of 2013, 182,034 units, just behind the 195,013 copies Random Access Memories sold in its first week of availability. This allowed it to cross the million mark in just four months; the last album to sell over one million copies was Adele's 21 (2011), which took eleven months.[10]

In francophone Europe, Racine carrée also experienced massive success. In his native Belgium, Stromae's second album opened at number one in both Flanders and Wallonia. In the former, Racine carrée spent 17 non-consecutive weeks at number one; while in the latter, it remained at the top for 26 non-consecutive weeks.[11][12] In late December, the album was certified seven times platinum by the Belgian Entertainment Association, denoting shipments of over 140,000 copies in the country.[13] Additionally, Racine carrée finished the year as the best-selling album in both Flanders and Wallonia.[14][15] In Switzerland, the album also debuted at number one and held the top spot for four additional weeks.[16] In French-speaking Romandie, the album spent fourteen non-consecutive weeks at number one and remained in the top three for several weeks after its release in late August.[17] In addition, Racine carrée has been certified 5× platinum by the Swiss branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, denoting shipments of 75,000 units.[18] In Canada, the album debuted within the top ten and remained in the chart for only three weeks.[19]

Success was not limited to francophone countries; the album also sold well in Germany and the Netherlands. In Germany, Racine carrée debuted just outside the top twenty in the main albums chart and at the top of the digital albums chart.[20][21] In the Netherlands, the album debuted at number sixteen; the following week it climbed five positions to reach number eleven, its highest chart rank up to that point. After falling below the top forty and reaching positions as low as fifty-seven for two weeks, it eventually rebounded and entered the top ten for the first time in mid-December. The album later peaked within the top three.[22] According to MegaCharts, the album finished the year as the fifty-eighth highest-selling album in the Netherlands.[23] In Austria, the album did not reach the chart but sold constantly in the lower sales regions, eventually reaching gold.

Singles

Racine carrée produced six singles:

  • "Papaoutai" was released as the lead single in mid-May 2013. The autobiographical song tells the story of a young boy who is looking for his father. Stromae revealed that his father was killed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The music video shows him adopting the style and pose of a 1940s mannequin, representing the absent father and the young version of him trying to interact with the mannequin. The single became an instant hit in France and Wallonia, where it spent multiple weeks at number one; it also reached the top ten in Switzerland and Luxembourg as well as non-francophone countries or regions such as the Czech Republic, Dutch-speaking Flanders in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
  • "Formidable" was released as the follow-up single to "Papaoutai" in June 2013. The music video, filmed in the streets of Brussels, was particularly notorious for displaying Stromae wandering at the Louise/Louiza tram and metro station during the daybreak, where the singer appears to be completely drunk. The song tells the story of a drunk man recently separated from his girlfriend. It eventually topped the charts in France and the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking regions of Belgium, reached the top five in the Netherlands, the top twenty in Switzerland and the top forty in Austria and Germany.
  • "Tous les mêmes" was officially released as the third single from the album in December 2013. The song displays the various stereotypical traits and behaviours of men and women alike. The music video for the single shows Stromae half-dressed as a woman and acting annoyed by the attitude of men and what they do; to further aid the interpretation, green lighting effects are used for male Stromae and pink ones for female Stromae. The single became Stromae's third consecutive number one from Racine carrée in France and Wallonia, while reaching the top five in Flanders and charting in the Netherlands and Switzerland.
  • "Ta fête" was released on 3 February 2014. The track served as the anthem for the Belgium national football team during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
  • "Ave Cesaria" was released on 21 July 2014. The track honours Cesária Évora, one of Stromae's favourite artists who died in 2011.
  • "Carmen" was released on 20 March 2015.[24] The track was inspired by L'amour est un oiseau rebelle, an aria from the 1875 opera Carmen by Georges Bizet,[25] hence the song's title.
  • "Quand c'est?" was released on 14 September 2015.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Ta fête"Stromae
2:55
2."Papaoutai"Stromae
  • Stromae
  • Dizzy Mandjeku
  • Aron Ottignon
3:52
3."Bâtard"Stromae
  • Stromae
  • Noumoucounda Cissoko
  • Azier
3:28
4."Ave Cesaria"
  • Stromae
  • Orelsan
  • Stromae
  • Mauricio Delgados
  • Antonio Santos
  • Schérazade
4:09
5."Tous les mêmes"Stromae
  • Stromae
  • Bart Maris
3:30
6."Formidable"Stromae
  • Stromae
  • Lionel Capouillez
3:33
7."Moules frites"Stromae
  • Stromae
  • Guillaume Huguet
2:38
8."Carmen"
  • Stromae
  • Orelsan
Stromae ("Inspired by Georges Bizet's Carmen")3:09
9."Humain à l'eau"StromaeStromae3:59
10."Quand c'est ?"StromaeStromae3:00
11."Sommeil"Stromae
  • Stromae
  • Tibass Kazematik
3:38
12."Merci"Stromae
  • Stromae
  • Azier
  • Aron Ottingnon
3:48
13."AVF" (featuring Maître Gims and Orelsan)
  • Stromae
  • Maître Gims
  • Orelsan
  • Stromae
  • Atom
3:44
Total length:45:31
iTunes bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Papaoutai" (featuring Angel Haze)
  • Stromae
  • Angel Haze
  • Stromae
  • Papa Dizzy
  • Aron Ottignon
3:51
Total length:49:22

Charts

Certifications

Sales certifications for Racine carrée
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[62] Gold 7,500*
Belgium (BEA)[63] 12× Platinum 240,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[64] Platinum 80,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[65] Platinum 20,000^
France (SNEP)[66] 4× Diamond 2,500,000[67]
Germany (BVMI)[68] Gold 100,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[69] Platinum 60,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[70] Platinum 100,000[71]
Poland (ZPAV)[72] Gold 10,000‡
Russia (NFPF)[73] 2× Platinum 20,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[74] 5× Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom — 30,000[75]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[76] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country Date Format Label
Australia[77] 16 August 2013 Digital download Mosaert
Austria[78]
Belgium[79]
Denmark[80]
France[81]
Italy[82]
Latin America[83]
Japan[84]
New Zealand[85]
Norway[86]
Singapore[87]
Spain[88]
Sweden[89]
Switzerland[90]
United Kingdom[91]
Canada[92] 19 August 2013
Mexico[93]
United States[94]

References

  1. ↑ Prunes, Mariano. "Racine Carrée – Stromae". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  2. ↑ Julien Goncalves (20 August 2013). "Stromae résoud sans problème l'équation du deuxième album avec "Racine carrée"". Charts in France (in French). Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  3. ↑ John Lewis (28 February 2014). "Racine Carrée by Stromae: Belgian waffle is non-existent". Metro. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  4. ↑ Loïc Picaud. "Racine Carrée - Stromae". Music Story (in French). Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  5. ↑ Pierre Oitmann (11 September 2013). "Stromae - Racine Carrée". NU.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  6. ↑ Valérie Lehoux (19 August 2013). "Racine Carréet - Stromae". Télérama (in French). Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  7. ↑ "Stromae décroche son premier numéro 1 au Top Albums avec "Racine Carrée"". Charts In France. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "Stromae: son nouvel album "Racine carrée" franchit le seuil des 300,000 ventes". Charts In France. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  9. ↑ "Ventes 2013: Stromae passe devant Daft Punk avec "Racine carrée"". Charts In France. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  10. ↑ "Stromae franchit le cap du million de ventes avec son album "Racine carrée"". Charts In France. 24 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  11. ↑ "Flemish Albums Chart". Ultratop. 28 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  12. ↑ "Walloon Albums Chart". Ultratop. 28 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  13. ↑ "Goud en Platina". Ultratop. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  14. ↑ "Jaaroverzicht". Ultratop. 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  15. ↑ "Rapport Annuels 2013". Ultratop. 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  16. ↑ "Schweizer Hitparade". Hitparade. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  17. ↑ "Charts Romandie". Hitparade. 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  18. ↑ "Edelmetall". Hitparade. 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  19. ↑ "Stromae: Chart History". Billboard. 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  20. ↑ "Stromae tanzt durch die Download-Charts". Media Control. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  21. ↑ "German Albums Chart". Official Charts. 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  22. ↑ "Dutch Charts". MegaCharts. 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  23. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten". MegaCharts. 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  24. ↑ "Stromae: un clip en animation pour "Carmen", avec Lady Gaga et Kim Kardashian". chartsinfrance.net. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  25. ↑ Beyer, Julia (2 April 2015). "Carmen: la recette Stromae décryptée". Le Figaro (in French). ISSN 0182-5852. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  26. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Stromae – Racine Carree" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  27. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Stromae – Racine Carree" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  28. ↑ "Stromae Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  29. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Stromae – Racine Carree". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  30. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Stromae – Racine Carree" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  31. ↑ "2013년 50주차 Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  32. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Stromae – Racine Carree". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  33. ↑ "Stromae Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  34. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Stromae – Racine Carree" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  35. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Stromae – Racine carrée". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  36. ↑ "Stromae Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  37. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Stromae – Racine Carree". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-01-09.
  38. ↑ "Ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS".
  39. ↑ "Ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS".
  40. ↑ "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl".
  41. ↑ "Quels sont les meilleurs vendeurs d'albums de l'année 2013?". Charts In France. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  42. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2018 - hitparade.ch". Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2014-12-02.
  43. ↑ "Ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS".
  44. ↑ "Ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS".
  45. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2014". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  46. ↑ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2014". SNEP (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  47. ↑ "FIMI - CLASSIFICHE ANNUALI 2014 "TOP OF THE MUSIC" FIMI-GfK: UN ANNO DI MUSICA ITALIANA". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (in Italian). Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  48. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2014". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  49. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2015". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  50. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2015". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  51. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2019". Ultratop. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  52. ↑ "Rapports Annuels 2019". Ultratop. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  53. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2020". Ultratop. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  54. ↑ "Rapports Annuels 2020". Ultratop. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  55. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2021". Ultratop. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  56. ↑ "Rapports annuels 2021". Ultratop. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  57. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2022". Ultratop (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  58. ↑ "Rapports annuels 2022". Ultratop (in French). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  59. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2022". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  60. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2023" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  61. ↑ "Rapports annuels 2023" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  62. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Stromae – Racine Carree" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  63. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2015". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  64. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Stromae – Racine Caree". Music Canada. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  65. ↑ "Danish album certifications – Stromae – Racine Carrée". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  66. ↑ "French album certifications – Stromae – Racine Carree" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  67. ↑ Théau Berthelot (26 July 2022). "Stromae: un duo événement avec Camila Cabello sur "Mon amour"". Charts in France (in French). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  68. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Stromae; 'Racine Carree')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  69. ↑ "Italian album certifications – Stromae – Racine Carree" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 26 October 2020. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Racine Carree" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  70. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Stromae – Racine Carree" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 26 October 2020. Enter Racine Carree in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  71. ↑ Théau Berthelot (20 January 2022). "Stromae annonce de nouveaux concerts à Nantes et Amsterdam pour sa tournée". Charts in France (in French). Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  72. ↑ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2021 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  73. ↑ Stromae (2 July 2014). "Stromae – Спасибо всем!!!! – Merci à tous!!!". Facebook (in French). Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  74. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Racine')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  75. ↑ "Stromae: 30.000 ventes pour son album "Racine carrée" au Royaume-Uni". Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  76. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2014". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
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  78. ↑ "Racine carrée by Stromae". iTunes (in German). Austria. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  79. ↑ "Racine carrée by Stromae". iTunes. Belgium. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  80. ↑ "Racine carrée by Stromae". iTunes. Denmark. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  81. ↑ "Racine carrée par Stromae". iTunes (in French). France. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  82. ↑ "Racine carrée by Stromae". iTunes (in Italian). Italy. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  83. ↑ "Racine carrée by Stromae". iTunes. Latin America. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  84. ↑ "Racine carrée by Stromae". iTunes (in Japanese). Japan. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  85. ↑ "Racine carrée by Stromae". iTunes. New Zealand. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  86. ↑ "Racine carrée by Stromae". iTunes. Norway. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  87. ↑ "Racine carrée by Stromae". iTunes. Singapore. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  88. ↑ "Racine carrée de Stromae". iTunes (in Spanish). Spain. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  89. ↑ "Racine carrée av Stromae". iTunes (in Swedish). Sweden. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  90. ↑ "Racine carrée by Stromae". iTunes (in German). Switzerland. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  91. ↑ "Racine carrée by Stromae". iTunes. United Kingdom. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  92. ↑ "Racine carrée by Stromae". iTunes. Canada. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  93. ↑ "Racine carrée de Stromae". iTunes (in Spanish). Mexico. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  94. ↑ "Racine carrée by Stromae". iTunes. United States. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
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