- Included among the Record Descriptions of Favorite Albums (Part 1).
- Soeur Sourire was the #1 album in the country for 10 weeks until toppled from the pinnacle of the Billboard charts by Meet the Beatles! in early 1964.
The Greatest Music
Ever Recorded!
The Singing Nun – Soeur Sourire (1963): “Dominique” by “the Singing Nun” was perhaps the most surprising hit song of the 1960’s. The Singing Nun’s real name was Jeanne-Paule Marie Deckers; she was a member of a Belgian religious order called Missionary Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of Fichermont. Her name at the convent was Sister Luc Gabriel, and she is best known by her stage name Soeur Sourire (French for “Sister Smile”). At the convent, Sister Luc Gabriel often performed songs that she had written; they were so well-received by the other sisters that her religious superiors encouraged her to record an album. The album Soeur Sourire was recorded in 1962, and “Dominique” – a song about St. Dominic who founded the Dominicans – became an international hit the following year; the album sold two million copies. Sister Luc Gabriel rarely performed in concert, although a taped appearance was featured on The Ed Sullivan Show. Also, a fictionalized film about her called The Singing Nun came out in 1966, starring Debbie Reynolds.
Soeur Sourire is sung entirely in French, and the songs are beautifully performed. There is an English version of “Dominique”, but it is not included on the album. Both “Dominique” and Soeur Sourire were major hits in America and helped soothe the country in the wake of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963. “Dominique” was No. 1 for four weeks on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel or Other Religious Recording (Musical) in 1964; “Dominique” was also a nominee for Record of the Year, and Soeur Sourire was a nominee for Best Female Vocal Performance. “Dominique” was the second foreign-language song to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, the first being “Sukiyaki” by Kyu Sakamoto. Soeur Sourire was the #1 album in the country for 10 weeks until finally being toppled from the pinnacle of the Billboard album charts by Meet the Beatles! in February 1964.