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Revision as of 09:53, 5 February 2018
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Ainsi soit Je... (a play on ainsi soit-il, which can mean either "so be it" or "amen") is the second album by Mylène Farmer, released in April 1988.[1][2] It contains the hit singles "Sans contrefaçon", "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces" and "Sans logique". Generally well received by critics, it was very successful and remains to date the second best-selling album of the singer.
Background
After the success of the album Cendres de lune and the hits "Sans contrefaçon" and "Ainsi soit je...", Farmer had no problem releasing a second album that would be well received by the public, enabling her to consolidate her growing popularity, thus preventing her from slipping back into anonymity. The album took from five to six months to be finished.[3] It was recorded at studio Mega, Avenue Maréchal-Maunoury, in Paris (XVIe arrondissement) under the leadership of Thierry Rogen, a renowned sound engineer who had already worked in particular with Michel Sardou.[4]
The cover of the album shows Farmer turned sideways, accompanied by the puppet used in the music video for "Sans contrefaçon". The photographs of the booklet were made by Elsa Trillat.
The album was released in April 1988 and met great success, both critically and commercially.
Lyrics and music
The texts, which contain many literary references to famous authors (such as Baudelaire, Poe, etc.), were written by Mylène Farmer, except "L'Horloge" (a poem by Charles Baudelaire), "Déshabillez-moi" (originally sung in 1966 by Juliette Gréco) and "The Farmer's Conclusion" (which is an instrumental song). The album has a melancholy and sad tone, and deals with death, suicide, madness with gloomy and desperate texts. Sexual ambiguity, sodomy and provocation are also tackled.[5][6]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [7] |
The album was generally well received in the media and remains sometimes considered as "one of the most successful",[8] even the singer's "best album".[6] When the album was released, the press said: "Mylène shows an imagination and a new maturity in these charming libertine poems and her synthetic hits containing literary references" (20 Ans).[9] This "great" (Gaipied)[10] and "successful" (Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace)[11] album has "an intellectual and musical universe always so creative" (Gaipied).[12] Its songs were described as "powerful, sometimes catchy and often spellbinding compositions" (Paris Nuit),[13] whose texts are "chiseled but perfectly licentious" (France Soir).[14] The "poetic quality of the texts" and "the sense of the melody" (Le Télégramme)[15] were also mentioned. Rock and Folk said this Laurent Boutonnat's production is "impeccable", demonstrating his "undoubted talent".[16] According to Télé Poche, "the time of success has come for Mylène Farmer" with this album.[17] The journalist Caroline Bee said this album is "an ambiguous, bright, romantic and beautifully produced gem".[8]
Some criticisms were also made against Ainsi soit je... For example, according to L'Humanité, this album uses an "old-fashioned stylistic mannerism to reinvent poetry" (L'Humanité).[18] Rock Land qualified this album as a "second collection of bad thoughts with a spectacular flippantly", whose "B-side is flat".[19]
Commercial performance
In France, the album debuted at number 8 in April 1988, but it dropped to number 26 five months later. However, thanks to the successful single "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces" (number-one hit in December 1988), the album reached number one for two weeks in December 1988. The album managed to stay for eleven months in the top ten and about one year on the chart.[20] On 29 June 1988, the album was certified Gold by the SNEP for 100,000 copies sold, then Platinum for 300,000 sales, then Double Platinum on 17 February 1989 for 600,000 sales, and eventually Diamond on 14 November 1989 for a minimum of 1,000,000 copies sold.[21][22] The album was also released in Germany, where it reached number 47.[23]
Track listing
# | Title | Length | Writer(s) | Composer(s) | Comment, performances on tours and TV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "L'Horloge" | 5:03 | Charles Baudelaire | Boutonnat |
|
2 | "Sans contrefaçon" | 4:07 | Farmer | Boutonnat | It was performed during the 1989, 1996 tours, 1999, 2006 and 2009 and 2013 and 16 times on television. |
3 | "Allan" | 4:46 | Farmer | Boutonnat | It was performed during the 1989 tour and one time on television. |
4 | "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces" | 4:52 | Farmer | Boutonnat | It was performed during the 1989, 1999 and 2009 tours and 12 times on television. |
5 | "La Ronde triste" | 4:13 | Farmer | Boutonnat |
|
6 | "Ainsi soit je..." | 6:18 | Farmer | Boutonnat | It was performed during the 1989, 1996 and 2009 tours and 12 times on television. |
7 | "Sans logique" | 4:30 | Farmer | Boutonnat | It was performed during the 1989 tour and five times on television. |
8 | "Jardin de Vienne" | 5:17 | Farmer | Boutonnat |
|
9 | "Déshabillez-moi" | 3:45 | Robert Nyel | Gaby Verlor | It was performed during the 1989 and 2006 tours and two times on television. |
10 | "The Farmer's Conclusion" | 2:15 | — | Boutonnat |
|
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Belgium (BEA)[32] | Gold | 25,000* |
France (SNEP)[33] | Diamond | 1,500,000[34][35][36] |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[37] | Gold | 25,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 1,800,000[38] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Personnel
- Mylène Farmer – lead vocals
- Laurent Boutonnat – keyboards, synthesizer, producer
- Thierry Rogen – sound, mixing, programming
- Slim Pezin – guitar
- Bernard Paganotti – bass
- Pol Ramirez del Più (a pseudonym for Farmer and Boutonnat) – pan flute, shakuhachi
- Les Moines Fous du Tibet (a pseudonym for Farmer and Boutonnat) – background vocals
- Frédéric Rousseau – programming
- Bertrand Le Page / Polygram Music – editions (tracks 1-8, 10), Intersong Paris editions (track 9)
- André Perriat (Top Master) – mastering, engraving
- Elsa Trillat – photo
- Jean-Paul Théodule – model
- Benoît Lestang – puppet
- Bertrand Le Page – management
- Recorded and mixed at Studio Mega
Release history
Date | Label | Region | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
1988 | Polydor | France | CD | 835654-2 |
Picture CD | ||||
12" | 835564-1 | |||
Cassette | 835465-4 | |||
Collector edition | ? | |||
Allemagne | CD | 835564-1 | ||
12" | 835564-2 | |||
Canada | 12" | 835564-1 | ||
Promo 12" | ||||
Cassette | 835564-4 | |||
Italy | Cassette | 835564-4 | ||
Japan | CD | POCP1001 | ||
Promo CD | ||||
Korea | 12" | RG2039 | ||
Netherlands | Cassette | 835564-4 | ||
Spain | 12" | 835564-1 | ||
1994 | Polygram | France | CD | 8355642 |
1998 | Polygram France | 835564 | ||
2005 | Polydor | Digital | — | |
2006 | Universal | CD - Digipack | 9828262 |
Formats
|
1 Contains the CD maxi for "Sans contrefaçon", the CD single for "Ainsi soit je...", the biography of Farmer translated into the language of the country, a documentary on video cassette and a lighter. |
References
- ^ "Ainsi soit je...". Le Progrès (in French). 18 April 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Ainsi soit je...". Madame Figaro (in French). 3 June 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ Pulsion (in French). May 1988.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - ^ Violet, 2004, p. 93.
- ^ Chuberre, 2007, p. 26.
- ^ a b Cachin, 2006, pp. 28-29.
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ a b Bee, 2006, p. 362.
- ^ "Ainsi soit je...". 20 Ans (in French). June 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Skeuds de Noël". Gaipied (in French). 12 December 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Ainsi soit je...". Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace (in French). 14 May 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Ainsi soit-elle". Gaipied (in French). 17 May 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Ainsi soit je...". Paris Nuit (in French). April 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ G., R. (19 November 1988). "Mylène Farmer: "Vivre avec trois amants"". France Soir (in French). Retrieved 27 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Ainsi soit je...". Le Télégramme (in French). 20 April 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^
* "Ainsi soit je... (1)". Rock and Folk (in French). 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
* "Ainsi soit je... (2)". Rock and Folk (in French). 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2008.{{cite journal}}
:|archive-date=
requires|archive-url=
(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Cherchez 'la' Farmer". Télé Poche (in French). 30 April 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Ainsi soit je...". L'Humanité (in French). 2 June 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Ainsi soit je...". Rock Land (in French). May 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Albums chart trajectories in France, database" (in French). Infodisc. Archived from the original on 20 August 2008. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Albums certifications in France, database". Infodisc. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Du diamant pour Mylène Farmer". Var Matin (in French). 3 March 1989. Retrieved 30 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
germany
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cachin, 2006, p. 120.
- ^ Cachin, 2006, p. 234.
- ^ Cachin, 2006, p. 135.
- ^ Cachin, 2006, p. 105.
- ^ "Hits of the World (21 January 1989)" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ "Les "Charts Runs" de chaque Album Classé" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Mylène Farmer – Ainsi soit je.." (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
- ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1988 par InfoDisc" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "50 Mid Price" (in French). Ultratop & Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ "Les Certifications depuis 1973" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ Jonathan Hamard (3 January 2016). "Mylène Farmer : quel est son album le mieux vendu ?" (in French). Webedia. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ "France best selling albums ever: Ainsi Soit-Je… by Mylène Farmer (1988)". ChartMasters. 12 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- ^ "Les Meilleures Ventes de CD / Albums "Tout Temps"" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Farmer')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
- ^ "Les spectacles: Mylène Farmer, les dessous du mythe". Le Parisien (in French). 11 September 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2018.