found out about "ella elle l'a" as a song through a cover by alizée when she performed a song in a televised tribute show to france gall. while i initially liked this version i must say that i think it's terrible nowadays as she wasn't meant to sing a song like this and neither did kate ryan. in the case of the latter i think it was just finding another french song that was a hit so they could follow the formula.
none the less, i quickly found out that about the original song and took a liking to it but it was when i heard the twelve inch remix that everything fell into place. this culminated during the phase when i also was listening to a whole load of italo and disco. i wouldn't say that this version wasn't that per say but it did draw influence from that and shift the focus with it's emphasised groove.
the persons responsible for the twelve inch reworking is dave ford and pete waterman (as in stock, aitken, waterman) and they did a remarkable but subdued work on this. the original was already recorded to a light drum machine groove but here it's a sturdy tr-909 or oberheim dmx four on the floor. the bassline was given more focus and there was some additional synth overdubs but it wasn't a whole lot of additional production. just reshaping and restructuring so the dj could have something to work with.
even though this version was meant for the dj's i think it one ups the original production by michel berger as the groove is better. the song itself is a tribute to ella fitzgerald and was meant to have a funk influence and some swinging beats but i can't hear that, only typical eighties sounds. if you're going down that route then take it the whole way atleast.
listen here (youtube)
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