7 Seconds (song)


"7 Seconds" is a song composed by Youssou N'Dour, Neneh Cherry, Cameron McVey and Jonathan Sharp. It was released in 1994 as a single performed by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry and achieved much success, reaching the number-one position in numerous countries; in France it stayed at number one for 16 weeks, a record at the time. "7 Seconds" also won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song of 1994.

Recording

All instruments on the single were produced and arranged by Swedish music producer Christian Falk, who also played bass on the track. It was included on Neneh Cherry's album Man. The song is trilingual as N'Dour sings in 3 languages: French, English and the West African language Wolof. Cherry sings only in English. The song also appeared on N'Dour's album The Guide , released shortly after the single.
The title and refrain of the song refers to the first moments of a child's life; as Cherry put it, "not knowing about the problems and violence in our world".

Critical reception

Aftonbladet described the song as a "floating airy and heavenly beautiful synth ballad". Cashbox wrote that the "compelling duet nicely swirls N’Dour’s husky vocals and Cherry's sweet, angelic voice into a nifty, down-tempo stroll that has broad radio potential." They added that it is "powered by a rolling bass line and layers of passive synthesizer strains". Wendi Cermak from The Network Forty described the song as "haunting". Erik Eriksson from Rogalands Avis called it a "exotic ballad", adding it as "the perfect nightclub-romantic song". Ronny Trælvik from Troms Folkeblad noted it as a "irresistible gem".

Chart performance

"7 Seconds" peaked within the top ten of the charts in several countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. It climbed to the top position in Finland, France, Iceland, Italy and Switzerland. It stayed at number one for 16 consecutive weeks on the French Singles Chart, which was the record for the most weeks at the top position at the time.

Music video

The black and white music video was directed by Stéphane Sednaoui. It features people of different ethnicities walking by while the two are singing. When they sing the chorus, different kinds of people's faces appear.

Formats and track listings

CD maxi
  1. "7 Seconds" – 4:10
  2. "Mame Bamba" by Youssou N'Dour – 4:57
  3. "7 Seconds" – 6:24
  4. "7 Seconds" – 6:07
CD maxi
  1. "7 Seconds" – 4:10
  2. "Life " by Youssou N'Dour – 4:57
  3. "7 Seconds" – 6:24
  4. "7 Seconds" – 6:07
CD maxi
  1. "7 Seconds" – 4:06
  2. "Life " by Youssou N'Dour – 4:02
  3. "7 Seconds" – 6:23
  4. "7 Seconds" – 6:07
UK CD single
  1. "7 Seconds"
  2. "7 Seconds"
  3. "7 Seconds"
  4. "7 Seconds"
  5. "7 Seconds"
US CD single
  1. "7 Seconds" – 5:07
  2. "7 Seconds" – 5:44
  3. "7 Seconds" – 6:24
  4. "7 Seconds" – 6:08
  5. "Mame Bamba" by Youssou N'Dour – 5:00

    Charts and sales

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales