Tomber la chemise

"Tomber la chemise"
Single by Zebda
from the album Essence ordinaire
B-side
  • "Quinze ans"
  • "Le pont du carrousel"
Released7 June 1999
Recorded1998
GenrePop rock, reggae
Length4:25
LabelBarclay, Universal Music
Songwriter(s)Magyd Cherfi
Zebda
Zebda singles chronology
"Tomber la chemise"
(1999)
"Y'a pas d'arrangement"
(1999)

"Tomber la chemise" (literally "Taking Off Shirt" but the meaning is "Get ready to play hard") is a 1998 song by the Toulousian collective Zebda. The song was released on 7 June 1999 as part of the first single from Zebda's third album Essence ordinaire and received a successful reception in France, where it reached number-one on the singles chart and won two awards. This summer 1999 hit song "Tomber la chemise" was part of a sudden popularity trend by rappers of immigrant origins in France at that time.