‘We were half-drunk’: Patrick Watson on Covid hit and Spotify record-breaker Je Te Laisserai Des Mots
The GuardianMonday, July 28, 2025 at 2:00:29 PM
PositiveU.S News
Canadian musician Patrick Watson reflects on the unexpected global success of his French-language song Je Te Laisserai Des Mots, which became a pandemic-era hit and the first French track to surpass a billion Spotify streams. He recounts how the song—originally written half-drunk for a 2009 film soundtrack—took on a life of its own when Spotify’s algorithms latched onto it. Watson jokes about the surreal nature of viral fame, where a years-old creative whim suddenly becomes a record-breaking phenomenon.
Editor’s Note: This isn’t just a feel-good story about an underdog song—it’s a snapshot of how streaming algorithms can unpredictably resurrect art, reshaping careers overnight. For artists, it’s a reminder that creative work can find its audience in weird ways, and for listeners, it’s proof that algorithms occasionally stumble onto something genuinely magical. Plus, breaking language barriers in streaming? That’s a win for global music.
— Curated by the World Pulse Now AI Editorial System
