L'autre... is the third studio album by Mylène Farmer, released on 8 April 1991. It contains the singer's biggest hit, "Désenchantée", which was number-one in France for nine weeks, and other three top ten hits. The album was generally well received by the critics and was a great success in terms of chart and sales (#1 for twenty weeks), becoming the best-selling album throughout the singer's career and the twenty second best-selling album of all time in France.
Background
After her first concert tour in 1989, Mylène Farmer released the new song "À quoi je sers..." which was a synthesis of her musical work and marked the end of an age. While the album En concert was charted, she took advantage of the following months to travel in various countries including India, and to discover new literary works, such as those of Emil Cioran in which she drew inspiration. She also became interested in painting and visited many art galleries and museums that were also sources of inspiration for her.[1] Then she decided to compose a third studio album which was recorded at the studios Mega. This one showed an evolution of the singer : indeed, the texts marked a change of mindset and testified to a transformation in her life including a greater openness to the other (hence the album's title). From that moment, the singer decided to more express herself and went to the meeting of her fellow man.[2][3][4] Writing for five months, this album was the result of all what has happened to Farmer "at personal and artistic levels".[5]
For this new album, Farmer changed her hairstyle because she wanted a different look without changing : she opted for a very short hair cut, made by Jean-Marc Maniatis. The album cover, much more luminous than that of Ainsi soit je..., shows Farmer lying on a white background with a crow on her shoulder (this cover was undoubtedly inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Raven).[6] The singer explained that the crow on the cover was not for her a sign of doom, but had rather a role of a protective ally.[5] The album was eventually released in April 1991, one month after the marketing of the single "Désenchantée" which was #1 on the French Singles Charts. It was released in Europe, in francophone countries and Japan.[7]
The album had the particularity to contain the first duet of Farmer, "Regrets", recorded with Jean-Louis Murat (in 1987, Farmer had already sung "Frantz" in a show with Guy Béart, but this duet hadn't appeared on an album).[8]Laurent Boutonnat decided to record the songs of the album in English-language, but they were ultimately not used. He also wanted to release as singles all the songs from the album, but that didn't happen because of a lack of money.
Lyrics and music
Farmer explained the album's content in an interview: "What changed is that I don't want no more to feel pity for myself and to settle old scores. (...) I am much more shameless in this album than in the previous one. (...) Speak about what I feel in my heart and in my soul, it is a way of revealing myself."[9] However, this album re-uses the old themes dear to the singer: indeed, death, religion, social revolt, despair, sexuality and madness are tackled in the various songs.[6]
On the whole, L'autre... received generally positive reviews from media and critics. France Soir said this album is "a technopop very well produced".[11]Midi Libre stated : "This album will bring fair satisfactions to many people. The general atmosphere seems much less crooked than usual". The musicians are "excellent" and the songs are "good".[12]Télé Loisirs saw in this album "a more assertive maturity, a less shaken personality".[13]L'autre... was even elected best album of 1991 by the readers of Smash hits.[14]
This album earned Farmer a reward at the World Music Awards as the best-selling French album.
Commercial performance
In France, the album went straight to number one on the French Album Chart on 8 April 1991 and stayed there for twenty consecutive weeks. As a result, at the time, Farmer topped both the Album and Singles Charts (with "Désenchantée"). The next sixteen weeks, the album dropped to #26, but reached again #3, three weeks later, thanks to the release of "Je t'aime mélancolie". The album appeared for a total of 55 weeks on the chart (Top 40), 32 of them in the top five. The album was certified Diamond disc by the SNEP for a minimum of one million copies sold.[15] To date, L'autre... is the best-selling album of Farmer.
In other countries, the album's sales were more conservative. In Switzerland, the album appeared for nine weeks on the chart, from 26 May to 8 September 1991, peaking at #27 on 25 August.[16] In Sweden, it was #45 on 31 July 1991[17] and was ranked #55 in Germany.[18]
The title refers to the prayer called "Agnus Dei" in Catholicism. It is chanted in Latin in the refrains by the actor Christopher Thompson. The text, which seems irreverent, uses the vocabulary specific to the Catholic sacrifice. At the end, Farmer said she is excommunicated and prefers go away from the world.
* Sacrée Soirée (17 April 1991, TF1) * La Une est à vous (20 April 1991, TF1) * Stars 90 (13 May 1991, TF1) * Tous à la une (31 May 1991, TF1) * Riva del Garda (September, Rai Uno)
* Sacrée Soirée (Décember 11, 1991, TF1) * Tous à la Une (27 December 1991, TF1) * Stars 90 (13 January 1992, TF1) * Ein Kessel Buntes (March 1992, Germany)
At first sight, the song seems to tell the story of a couple in which the woman accuses the man to shirk his responsibilities and to not get involved in the love relationship. However, the text allows a second meaning and seems to refer to premature ejaculation.
8
"Il n'y a pas d'ailleurs"
5:50
Mylenium Tour
No
In the words, Farmer addresses somebody, her double, which is disappointed by the life and thinks about suicide. She advises him to learn to like living and to abandon her sadness. The music is very melancholic and ends by a military step.
In the lyrics, the singer wonders whether her public would remember her if she stopped her career. In the refrain, she evokes her fears and her doubts. The music is melancholy and uses a sample of some chords played on the piano at the beginning of "Désenchantée".
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Formats
12"
CD
Cassette
Collector edition - Format : 12" - Limited and numbered edition (5,000)1
CD - Japan
CD - Taïwan
CD - Digipack (since 2005)
1 Contains the CD album L'autre..., the CD maxi for "Désenchantée", a watch illustrated by "Désenchantée", three photos and an excerpt from the music video for "Désenchantée".
References
^Mylène Farmer, biographie, Bernard Violet, J'ai lu ed., 2004, p. 131 (ISBN2-290-34916-X)
^Télé 7 Jours, 1991, "Mylène Farmer : "J'ai voulu changer de tête et changer de vie"" Martine Bourrillon Devant-soi.com[permanent dead link] (Retrieved 29 March 2008)
^L'Intégrale Mylene Farmer, Erwan Chuberre, 2007, City Ed., p. 45-47 (ISBN978-2-35288-108-7)
^Le Dictionnaire des Chansons de Mylène Farmer, Benoît Cachin, 2006, Tournon Ed., p. 106
^France Soir, 13 April 1991, "Mylène Farmer: "Je suis encore plus impudique"", Monique Prévot Devant-soi.com[permanent dead link] (Retrieved 29 March 2008)
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