The Singing Nun

The Singing Nun is the debut studio album by Belgian musician and nun The Singing Nun, released by Philips Records in 1963. A surprise hit, the album topped the Billboard 200 and other charts internationally for several weeks and sold millions of copies, particularly on the strength of the single "Dominique". The album was initially intended to be a give-away, recorded for local children who enjoyed music from the local nunnery, but Philips decided to try giving it a widespread release, resulting in a huge commercial and critical success, garnering sales certifications and award nominations. Reception A brief review for retailers in Billboard recommended this album for French-language speakers and folk music fans. Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Lindsay Planer writing that "the enormously infectious charm of the tunes" overcomes the novelty act status of The Singing Nun and her "musical gifts are undeniable and phonetically so well written and conveyed that the language barrier becomes reduced to the point of irrelevance". In a review for a 2014 reissue, John Clarke of The Independent highlighted several tracks and wrote that "perhaps like a box of chocolates there’s a bit too much to take at one sitting". At the 1964 Grammys, this album was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Religious Performance, "Dominique" was nominated for Record of the Year, and the artist was nominated for Best Female Vocalist. Track listing All songs written by Soeur Sourire "Dominique" – 2:58 "" – 4:29 "" – 1:51 "" – 2:28 "" – 1:55 "" – 2:41 "" – 2:00 "" – 1:28 "" – 3:50 "" – 2:53 "" – 2:59 "" – 3:16