"Ella, elle l'a" (French for "Ella, She Has It") is a single released by French singer France Gall. It was released as a single from her album Babacar, on 24 August 1987, and became a hit across Europe, the Americas (especially in Quebec and the Southern Cone) and Asia (especially in Japan). It was covered live by French singer Alizée at a TV show in 2002 and by Belgian singer Kate Ryan in a dance version in 2008.

Background

Written by Michel Berger, the song is a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, but also a protest against racism and an anthem to personal empowerment. Musically, "it swings between sheared rhythms of the bass and flashed brass". The song is also available on the CD maxi for "Évidemment", released in March 1988. In addition, a live version from her concert album Le Tour de France was released in November of that year.

Critical reception

"Ella, elle l'a" won two Victoires de la Musique in 1987 and in 1988. A 1987 review in Pan-European magazine Music & Media elected "Ella, elle l'a" single of the week and stated: "This moody and balanced, slowly roking track, written by Michel Berger, deserves to be her next success outside France".

Chart performance

"Ella, elle l'a" enjoyed great success in 1987 and 1988, reaching number-one in Austria and Germany in the latter year; in addition, it reached the top ten in Denmark, Sweden, Spain and Argentina. In France, it was certified as silver disc by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique, reached number two and charted for a total of 19 weeks, nine of them in the top ten.

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Kate Ryan version

Kate Ryan's version of "Ella, elle l'a" is the third single of her album Free. It was released on 6 May 2008 in Belgium and on 9 May 2008 in the rest of Europe as a CD single. It had already topped number one on the Spanish Download Chart, and number seven on the Belgian Singles Chart. It also reached the top ten in Germany. It had entered the Swedish Singles Chart at number twelve, peaking at number two. In the Netherlands, "Ella, elle l'a" also peaked at number two. English version "Ella, elle l'a" was sung live by Ryan during her 2008 UK tour and it was released on 25 May 2009 as first single from the UK version of Free.

Track listing

German CD single Belgian CD single European 12" single

Official versions

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other cover versions