Mais qui est la belette ?

"Mais qui est la belette ?"
Single by Manau
from the album Panique celtique
B-side	"Le chien du forgeron"
Released	December 1998
Format	CD single, 12" maxi
Genre	Pop rap
Length	3:55
Label	Polydor
Writer(s)	Hervé Lardic Cédric Soubiron Martial Tricoche
Producer	Martial Tricoche
Manau singles chronology
"Panique celtique" (1998) "Mais qui est la belette ?" (1998) "La Confession" (1999)

"Mais qui est la belette ?" is a 1998 song recorded by French hip hop act Manau. It was the third single from its album Panique celtique and was released in December 1998. It achieved success, becoming a number-one hit in France and Belgium (Wallonia), although its sales were not as high as the first single of the album, "La Tribu de Dana".

Song information

"Mais qui est la belette ?" ("But who is the weasel?") is an adaptation of a popular song from Brittany named "La Jument de Michao", covered in a rap Celtic version. The refrain is the same as that of the original song, namely the lyrics 'J'entends le loup, le renard et la belette' ('I hear the wolf, the fox and the weasel'), but the verses and the title are changed.^[1]

In France, the single debuted at number six on 19 December 1998 and peaked at number one four weeks later. It remained for 12 weeks in the top ten, 19 weeks in the top 50 and 23 weeks on the chart (top 100).^[2] With almost 500,000 units sold, the song is currently the 607th best-selling single of all time in France.^[3]

In Belgium (Wallonia), the song charted for 22 weeks in the top 40, ten of them in the top five. It started at number 34 on 26 December 1998, entered the top ten the week after, and topped the chart from the fifth to the eighth week. Thereafter, it did not stop to drop on the chart.^[4]

Manau performed the song live on the French TV show Sol en Cirque, aired on France 2, on 24 December 2005.

Track listings

• CD single

1. "Mais qui est la belette ?" (remix) — 3:55
2. "Le Chien du forgeron" — 4:23

• 12" maxi

1. "Mais qui est la belette ?" (remix) — 3:55
2. "Mais qui est la belette ?" (original version) — 3:58

Charts and sales

Peak positions Chart (1998/99) Peak position Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[4] 1 French SNEP Singles Chart[2] 1

End of year charts End of year chart (1999) Position Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[5] 24 French Singles Chart[6] 24

Certifications

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified	Physical sales
France[7]	Gold	15 December 1999	250,000	490,000[8]

Chart successions

Preceded by "Belle" by Daniel Lavoie, Patrick Fiori and Garou	French SNEP number-one single 16 January 1999 (1 week)	Succeeded by "Believe" by Cher
Preceded by "Believe" by Cher	Belgian (Wallonia) number-one single 23 January 1999 - 13 February 1999 (4 weeks)	Succeeded by "Tu m'oublieras" by Larusso

References

1. ^ Habib, Elia (2002) (in French). Muz hit.tubes. Alinéa Bis. p. 448. ISBN 2-9518832-0-X. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Mais qui est la belette ?", French Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved January 24, 2009)
3. ^ Best-selling singles of all time in France Infodisc.fr (Retrieved January 25, 2009)
4. ^ ^{a b} "Mais qui est la belette ?", Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved January 25, 2009)
5. ^ 1999 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved January 24, 2009)
6. ^ 1999 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved November 19, 2010)
7. ^ French certifications Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved January 24, 2009)
8. ^ Les certifications depuis 1973 Infodisc.fr (Retrieved January 25, 2009)