Paris - France has a case of summer blues
over its World Cup soccer defeat but captain Zinedine Zidane's
head-butt on Italy defender Marco Materazzi in Sunday's final is
already the subject of a song that aims to be a holiday hit.
Coup de Boule, the French translation for head-butt, was
written after France's defeat by the three associates of Plage
Records, www.laplagerecords.com , a small label specialising in advertising music.
Zidane, widely regarded as one of the finest footballers of
his generation, was sent off for head-butting Materazzi. Italy won the final after a penalty shoot-out.
The label's founders, brothers Emmanuel and Sebastien
Lipszyc, and composer Franck Lascombes penned the Caribbean
zouk-influenced song and its chorus "Zidane, il a tape"
("Zidane, the hit man"), as a cure to their post-defeat
disappointment.
But what started as a therapy and a prank to cheer up their
friends could turn into a lucrative business.
Initially e-mailed to some 50 contacts, the song has been
posted on the web, with French radio SkyRock putting it on its
play-list and record labels and ringtone sellers fighting for
its rights.
Big labels could fork out as much as €100 000 for the rights, some industry sources estimate.
"It just went incredibly fast and by Tuesday it was sheer
madnesss," Sebastien said.
"We are talking with four big labels and we could sign a
deal tomorrow ... Yes, it could become lucrative but if we can
make everybody dance to it this summer, it will give us a good
laugh," he added.
A poll published this week showed 61% of French
people have forgiven Zidane for the outburst which earned him a
red card. Zidane's sponsors have pledged to stick with him.
