ZZ tops the charts as French find humour in defeat

“WE LOST the World Cup, but we had a good laugh anyway”... a song that helped the French to rediscover their sense of humour after their agonising defeat has gone to the top of the charts.

Coupe de Boule (or Headbutt) was reportedly written in about 30 minutes the day after the final where French star Zinedine Zidane was sent off for headbutting Italian Marco Materazzi and France went on to lose on penalties.

It was emailed to a record company and quickly became an overnight sensation.

Its upbeat, African-style rhythms and lighthearted lyrics quickly became a favourite among internet users and after two weeks had attracted upwards of 80,000 downloads.

The hit was written as a “joke... to entertain our friends,” said Sebastien Lipszyc of La Plage Records in Paris.

He told Le Figaro newspaper that in the wake of massive radio coverage, Warner had offered an advance of €45,000, plus a percentage of royalties.

The song is to be distributed in 20 countries, including Japan and the Philippines, with Italian and Spanish versions planned.

The song includes an infectious chorus which goes (roughly) “Zidane tapped him, Zidane whacked him” plus jibes at the referee who initially missed the incident; Jacques Chirac, for jumping on the Les Bleus bandwagon; goalkeeper Fabian Barthez, and David Trezeguet, who missed a penalty in the shoot-out.