Sylvie (song)

"Sylvie" is a 1998 song written and performed by British pop group Saint Etienne and released as the first single from their fourth album, Good Humor (1998). Produced by Swedish record producer, composer and musician Tore Johansson, it peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number 62 on the Eurochart Hot 100. The song also reached number seven in Scotland and number two on the UK Indie Singles Chart. The accompanying music video was directed by Björn Lindgren[1] and filmed in Havana, Cuba.[2]

"Sylvie"
Single by Saint Etienne
from the album Good Humor
B-side
  • "Afraid To Go Home"
  • "Zipcode"
  • "Hill Street Connection"
ReleasedJanuary 1998
RecordedTambourine Studios, Malmö, Sweden
Genre
Length4:44
LabelCreation Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Tore Johansson
Saint Etienne singles chronology
"He's on the Phone"
(1995)		 "Sylvie"
(1998)		 "The Bad Photographer"
(1998)
Music video
"Sylvie" on YouTube

Critical reception

Swedish newspaper Arbetet Nyheterna stated that the "slightly disco stroked" song is "the most adorable pop song" since "Lovefool" with the Cardigans. They added that it is "masterful in both the melody and the arrangement."[3] Marc Weingarten from Entertainment Weekly called it a "frothy pop-dance" treat.[4] Mike Boehm from Los Angeles Times deemed it "a typically light confection that owes a lot to ABBA's "Dancing Queen", although it puts a twist and a spin on the Swedes' swooning luster." He noted that Cracknell "goes on to flesh out the role of an older sister who fears losing her boyfriend to little sister's charms."[5] Jim Wirth from NME stated that it, together with "He's on the Phone" are "a stellar amalgamation of handbag house and Bacharachian pop aesthetics."[6] Joshua Klein from Pitchfork wrote that on the song, "the band even tips its hat to ABBA."[7] Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone commented, "Even when Sarah sings about boy trouble – in "Sylvie," her little sister tries to steal her beau – she sounds cooler than ice cream and warmer than the sun."[8]

Track listing
CD maxi, Europe, CRESCD 279 (1998)
No.TitleLength
1."Sylvie"4:44
2."Afraid To Go Home"3:28
3."Zipcode"3:02
4."Hill Street Connection"3:53
CD maxi, Europe, CRESCD 279X (1998)
No.TitleLength
1."Sylvie" (Trouser Enthusiasts' Tintinnabulation Edit)4:11
2."Sylvie" (Trouser Enthusiasts' Tintinnabulation Mix)8:04
3."Sylvie" (Stretch 'N' Vern Mix)9:12
4."Sylvie" (Faze Action Friday Night Boiler Mix)10:06

Charts
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) 143
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9] 62
Scotland (OCC)[10] 7
UK Singles (OCC)[11] 12
UK Indie (OCC)[12] 2

References
  1. "Saint Etienne: Sylvie". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
  2. "Saint Etienne Smash the System (2002 Video) > Filming Locations". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  3. Arbetet Nyheterna. 1998-05-10.
  4. Weingarten, Marc (1998-09-11). "Good Humor". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  5. Boehm, Mike (1999-06-01). "Pure Pop and Proud of It". p. F2 R. Los Angeles Times.
  6. Wirth, Jim. "ST ETIENNE – London Kentish Town Forum". NME. Archived from the original on 2000-08-17. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  7. Klein, Joshua (2010-11-10). "Saint Etienne – Good Humor". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  8. Sheffield, Rob (1998-09-04). "Saint Etienne – Good Humor". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  9. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 1998-02-14. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  10. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 (01 February 1998-07 February 1998)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100 (01 February 1998 - 07 February 1998)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  12. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50 (01 February 1998-07 February 1998)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
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