Aznavour | Who Sampled Aznavour ? The Centenary Playlist!

On May 22nd, he would have turned 100! A true icon of French music, Charles Aznavour passed away at the age of 94 (22/5/1924 – 1/10/2018). With over 70 years in the industry and more than 1300 songs released, his music was known worldwide and inspired numerous artists. Besides the countless covers and adaptations his catalog has seen, he was also one of the most frequently sampled French singers, both domestically and internationally.

In 1999, American producer and rapper Dr. Dre isolated and slowed down a portion of the rhythm from the 1966 single “Parce que tu crois” to craft his hit “What’s The Difference” with his cohorts Xzibit and Eminem. This same instrumental was also used by Sean Paul and Blue Cantrell on the track “Breathe,” as well as by the duo Bitter:Sweet on “Dirty Laundry.” Rappers Big John, ZPU, La Brigade, and Fonky Family each capitalized on the brilliant “Comme il disent” to birth their own respective successes.

Among those who skillfully repurposed the musical legacy of the great Charles are Passi, Idéal J, Sniper, Guizmo, Psy4 De La Rime, Roger Molls, Anno Domini Beats, Dope D.O.D, and The Doppelgangaz. More recently, global star of Puerto Rican descent Bad Bunny chose to sample the track “Hier encore” for his song “Monaco,” featured on his latest album, “Nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana,” released on October 13th. This single currently boasts over 433 million streams on Spotify and over 102 million views on YouTube.

In celebration of his centenary, Directo Prod will pay tribute to Charles Aznavour on his 100th birthday with a recital of his greatest hits taking place at Place Des Arts in Montreal (Quebec / Canada) on May 22nd. Note that this show will also be performed at the Auditorium Joseph Kosma at the Conservatoire de Nice on April 22nd and at the Grand Rex in Paris on May 25th, 2024. You’ll hear Jules Grison (Formidable! Aznavour, And Now) accompanied by a large symphony orchestra, with arrangements by Nobuyuki Nakajima (Gainsbourg Symphonique, Piaf Symphonique) composed in the grand tradition of French chanson.

In the meantime, with our “Who sampled Aznavour?” playlist, we invite you to (re)discover a selection of his songs sampled by artists from around the world. After each original track, you’ll find one or more songs made using it.

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Who Sampled Aznavour ?

Discover a selection of Charles Aznavour songs that were sampled by artists worldwide.

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