Ainsi soit je... (song)
Encyclopedia
"Ainsi soit je..." is a 1988
song recorded by the French
artist Mylène Farmer
. The song was released as a single
twice: as the second single from her second studio album Ainsi soit je...
on 4 April 1988, and as the second single in a live version from her second live album Live à Bercy
on 20 August 1997. Both versions achieved a relative success on the charts, failing twice to reach the top ten in France.
", Boutonnat and Farmer decided to release as a new single the title track "Ainsi soit je...", just one month before the album release. It was the first ballad of the singer. The cover of the single, which was created by Farmer's friend, Elsa Trillat, is almost identical to the album's one, but without the puppet
which featured in the video "Sans contrefaçon". The single was released under the traditional formats (vinyls) but also CD maxi
and, for the first time, a CD video. The single was also released in Japan
, but about two years after the Francophone countries.
", Farmer wrote the lyrics. However, the first words of the couplets "bulle de chagrin, boule d'incertitude" were written in the 1970s by Marie, a singer unknown to the general public who died not long before. In this way, Farmer paid tribute to her. According to manager Bertrand Le Page, the song was also inspired by a song entitled "Avant que le monde explose, je veux mourir", which passed unnoticed and which contained in its chorus the words "Ainsi soit-il, ainsi soit-elle".
The song's title refers to the formula which ends Christian
prayer
s ('Amen
' i. e. 'Ainsi soit-il' or 'So be it' in English
), but here it is spelled 'Ainsi soit je...', instead of 'Ainsi sois-je', showing that the 'Je' (or 'I' in English) is personified. French journalist Benoît Cachin stated that in this song, Farmer "reveals her loneliness, her pain of living and her great lucidity", and deals with the theme of existentialism
, which was also present in "À quoi je sers...
". This suggests that "the singer's single religion is despair, sadness and great lucidity on the future". She speaks to someone to warn him against her own solitude. The same semantic field
is used as in "Regrets
": cold, winter, time. According to author Erwan Chuberre, the notes are high, giving thus a "nagging nostalgia" to the song, and the music is like a nocturne
by Frédéric Chopin
. As in "Rêver
" and "Redonne-moi
", some lyrics are sung in the high notes to express sadness.
who also wrote the screenplay. This Requiem Publishing production was shot for two days in studios of Stains
, France
, and cost only about 30,000 euros, as some of the money was being saved for the next video, "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces
". It is a tribute to Walt Disney
's animated feature
, Bambi
. The video was the singer's favourite at the time, and was her sole one in sepia tone
. It was broadcast for the first time in the television show Top 50 on Canal+
a few weeks after the single release. The scene of the drowning, shot in the same pond and with almost the same team as that for "Plus grandir
", was very difficult to film because the singer was then afraid of the water. Farmer said in an interview that the sobriety of the clip was well suited to this song.
The video is singular amongst Farmer's videos of the time, as it does not have a particular storyline: At the beginning of the video, the snow
falls on a black background. An owl
appears on a tree while the full moon
illuminates the scene. Farmer has a go on a swing, while a deer
looks at her. A drop of water falls into a puddle reflecting the moon. Then dressed in a long black coat, the singer walks in the snow. Lying on the floor next to the deer, she gets up and looks at the animal. When the refrain
begins, Farmer, nude and in profile view, falls back several times. Then she goes down again next to the deer and gets up with her face covered with mud
. She is then in the water in which she performs a gruesome dance (this dance was also performed in "Pardonne-moi
") and eventually drowns. At the end of the video, the owl flies and the snow starts again to fall.
The video could evoke the life cycle. According to journalist Caroline Bee, the "melancholy tone is accentuated by the cold colours". The "owl
could refer to a double meaning: the first is the idea of wisdom
and a guiding presence in the black ([i. e.] the melancholy
of ideas sung by the artist), but [the second is the idea of] an animal that opens eyes to the harshness of life and the temporary nature of things". Magazine Top 50 gave a positive review of the video, saying it "is both simple and technically impeccable. Lights, movie camera movements, framing, everything works towards setting up on the screen the atmosphere of sadness and melancholy expressed through song."
The video for the 1997 single release was composed of images from the 1996 tour.
, but that may tire the listener because of it is being too repetitive. However, it stated that the song is really a "hit" thanks to its music video which is composed of "sublime images" and made with "extreme delicacy". It also said that the song had found its musical influences from France Gall
, Jane Birkin
and Françoise Hardy
's musical works and considered it as a "success".
In France
, the single in its original version was listed on the SNEP
chart for fourteen weeks, from 30 April to 30 July. As there was no music video in the first weeks, television show Top 50, which presented the singles chart every Saturday, broadcast Farmer's performance on Sacrée Soirée to illustrate the song. The single debuted at number 31 and reached a peak at number twelve in its sixth week.
The live version released in 1997 did not have the same success and remained in low positions: in France, it peaked at number 27 in its second week on 30 August, and was ranked for only five weeks; in Belgium, the song entered at number 22, its highest position, on 6 September and dropped the next three weeks. The single was little aired on radios as they preferred to air the live version of more rhythmic songs, including "Désenchantée
" on NRJ
and "Que mon cœur lâche
" on Europe 2
.
, 22 April), Jacky show (TF1, 24 April), Fête comme chez vous (Antenne 2
, 5 May), La Une est à vous (TF1, 7 May), Sacrée Soirée (TF1, 18 May), Top 50 (Canal+
, 26 June), Mon Zénith à moi (Canal +, 18 June), À la folie pas du tout (TF1, 19 June), Les Dicos d'or sous le soleil du Québec (FR3, 21 August), Lahaye d'honneur (TF1, 24 August). In most of her performances, Farmer wore a large white wedding dress
. In the show Sacrée Soirée, she sang "Ainsi soit je..." surrounded by stuffed animals and she cried in the heat of emotion. In 1997, she also performed the song to promote the live version, on Les Enfants de la lune (TF1, 6 June). On this occasion, she wore a dress made of feather
s - the same as for the video "Souviens-toi du jour
" -, and performed the song in an almost acoustic live version with a music of piano. On 24 April 2010, she performed "Ainsi soit-je..." on the French television show Encore une chanson, broadcast on France 2, with Yvan Cassar on piano; however as she lipsynched a recording of the song, her performance was criticized, even by the singer's fans.
The song was performed at four of her five tours. During the Mylène Farmer en concert
(1989), Farmer wore a black patterned dress and began crying from the second refrain. On the Live à Bercy (1996), Farmer wore a clear trousers and a bra, and was accompanied by pianist Yvan Cassar. During the 2006 series of concerts, Farmer sung "Ainsi soit je..." only at the first four evenings, as she had difficulty by singing in the high notes, and the song was replaced by "L'Autre" which was finally chosen to be included on the CD and DVD of the concert
. During the Mylène Farmer en tournée (2009), Farmer wore a blue dress and was again accompanied by pianist Yvan Cassar.
, a contestant of the French
show Star Academy 3, and his version was included on the album Les Meilleurs Moments du Prime. French
singer Marie Laforêt
had planned to cover the song at her concerts at the Bouffes Parisiens in 2005, as tribute to Farmer who had performed Laforêt's song "Je voudrais tant que tu comprennes" during the 1989 tour
), but eventually cancelled this project.
1988 release
1997 release
1988 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.-January-March:* January 1 – André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra plays its first concert....
song recorded by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
artist Mylène Farmer
Mylène Farmer
Mylène Farmer, , born Marie-Hélène Jeanne Gautier, , , is a French singer, songwriter, occasional actress and author....
. The song was released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
twice: as the second single from her second studio album Ainsi soit je...
Ainsi Soit Je...
Ainsi Soit Je... is the second album by Mylène Farmer, released in April 1988. It contains the hit singles "Sans contrefaçon", "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces" and "Sans logique"...
on 4 April 1988, and as the second single in a live version from her second live album Live à Bercy
Live à Bercy
Live à Bercy is the second live album by Mylène Farmer, released on May 21, 1997. It was also produced as a video.-Background:After the successful concerts tour of 1996, whose shows were spread out from May 25 to December 15, a live album was recorded and produced by Thierry Suc, and sponsored by...
on 20 August 1997. Both versions achieved a relative success on the charts, failing twice to reach the top ten in France.
Background and writing
After the huge success of "Sans contrefaçonSans contrefaçon
"Sans contrefaçon" is a 1987 song recorded by French artist Mylène Farmer. It was released on 16 October 1987 as the first single from her second studio album, Ainsi soit je.... It was a big hit in 1987 and is one of her three best-selling singles. It became a very popular song in France over the...
", Boutonnat and Farmer decided to release as a new single the title track "Ainsi soit je...", just one month before the album release. It was the first ballad of the singer. The cover of the single, which was created by Farmer's friend, Elsa Trillat, is almost identical to the album's one, but without the puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
which featured in the video "Sans contrefaçon". The single was released under the traditional formats (vinyls) but also CD maxi
Maxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...
and, for the first time, a CD video. The single was also released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, but about two years after the Francophone countries.
Lyrics and music
As for all her songs since "TristanaTristana (song)
"Tristana" is a 1987 song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer. Fourth single from her first studio album Cendres de Lune, the song was released in February 1987. As for the previous single "Libertine", the music video was produced as a film, with many extras and a huge budget...
", Farmer wrote the lyrics. However, the first words of the couplets "bulle de chagrin, boule d'incertitude" were written in the 1970s by Marie, a singer unknown to the general public who died not long before. In this way, Farmer paid tribute to her. According to manager Bertrand Le Page, the song was also inspired by a song entitled "Avant que le monde explose, je veux mourir", which passed unnoticed and which contained in its chorus the words "Ainsi soit-il, ainsi soit-elle".
The song's title refers to the formula which ends Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
s ('Amen
Amen
The word amen is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts. It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns. In Islam, it is the standard ending to Dua and the...
' i. e. 'Ainsi soit-il' or 'So be it' in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
), but here it is spelled 'Ainsi soit je...', instead of 'Ainsi sois-je', showing that the 'Je' (or 'I' in English) is personified. French journalist Benoît Cachin stated that in this song, Farmer "reveals her loneliness, her pain of living and her great lucidity", and deals with the theme of existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
, which was also present in "À quoi je sers...
À quoi je sers...
"À quoi je sers..." is a 1989 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. The single was a new song when it was released in July 1989, being not available on Farmer's studio albums, but only in a live version on En Concert...
". This suggests that "the singer's single religion is despair, sadness and great lucidity on the future". She speaks to someone to warn him against her own solitude. The same semantic field
Semantic field
A semantic field is a technical term in the discipline of linguistics to describe a set of words grouped by meaning in a certain way. The term is also used in other academic disciplines, such as anthropology and computational semiotics.-Definition and usage:...
is used as in "Regrets
Regrets (song)
"Regrets" is a 1991 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer as duet with musician Jean-Louis Murat. The song was released on 29 July 1989 and was the second single from her third studio album L'Autre.... The music video was shot in a cemetery in Budapest, as the song deals with a...
": cold, winter, time. According to author Erwan Chuberre, the notes are high, giving thus a "nagging nostalgia" to the song, and the music is like a nocturne
Nocturne
A nocturne is usually a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night...
by Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
. As in "Rêver
Rêver
"Rêver" is a 1995 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. It was the fifth single from her fourth album Anamorphosée and was released on 16 November 1996...
" and "Redonne-moi
Redonne-moi
"Redonne-moi" is a 2005 song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer. This pop ballad was the third single from her sixth studio album, Avant que l'ombre..., and was released on 2 January 2006. Like all other tracks of the parent album, it was written by Farmer and the music was composed by...
", some lyrics are sung in the high notes to express sadness.
Music video
This 5:23 video was directed by Laurent BoutonnatLaurent Boutonnat
Laurent Pierre Marie Boutonnat is a French composer and film and music video director, best known as the songwriting partner of Mylène Farmer and the director of moody, provocative and literature-inspired music videos.- Career :...
who also wrote the screenplay. This Requiem Publishing production was shot for two days in studios of Stains
Stains
Stains is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Heraldry:-Transport:Stains is served by Pierrefitte – Stains station on Paris RER line D...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and cost only about 30,000 euros, as some of the money was being saved for the next video, "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces
Pourvu qu'elles soient douces
"Pourvu qu'elles soient douces" is a 1988 synthpop song by the French artist Mylène Farmer. Third single from her second studio album Ainsi soit je..., it was released on 12 September 1988. Very provocative, the song deals with sodomy and enjoys a very long music video which contains sexual and...
". It is a tribute to Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's animated feature
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, Bambi
Bambi
Bambi is a 1942 American animated film directed by David Hand , produced by Walt Disney and based on the book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten...
. The video was the singer's favourite at the time, and was her sole one in sepia tone
Photographic print toning
In photography, toning is a method of changing the color of black-and-white photographs. In analog photography, toning is a chemical process carried out on silver-based photographic prints. This darkroom process can not be done with a color photograph and although the black-and-white photograph is...
. It was broadcast for the first time in the television show Top 50 on Canal+
Canal+
Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
a few weeks after the single release. The scene of the drowning, shot in the same pond and with almost the same team as that for "Plus grandir
Plus grandir
"Plus grandir" is a 1985 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer and is the first song written by the singer. It was released twice: first, on 25 September 1985 in a studio version as second single from Farmer's debut album Cendres de Lune, then on 12 May 1990 in a live mix version...
", was very difficult to film because the singer was then afraid of the water. Farmer said in an interview that the sobriety of the clip was well suited to this song.
The video is singular amongst Farmer's videos of the time, as it does not have a particular storyline: At the beginning of the video, the snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
falls on a black background. An owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
appears on a tree while the full moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
illuminates the scene. Farmer has a go on a swing, while a deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
looks at her. A drop of water falls into a puddle reflecting the moon. Then dressed in a long black coat, the singer walks in the snow. Lying on the floor next to the deer, she gets up and looks at the animal. When the refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
begins, Farmer, nude and in profile view, falls back several times. Then she goes down again next to the deer and gets up with her face covered with mud
Mud
Mud is a mixture of water and some combination of soil, silt, and clay. Ancient mud deposits harden over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone . When geological deposits of mud are formed in estuaries the resultant layers are termed bay muds...
. She is then in the water in which she performs a gruesome dance (this dance was also performed in "Pardonne-moi
Pardonne-moi
"Pardonne-moi" is a 2001 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer, with lyrics written by herself and music composed by Laurent Boutonnat. It was the third and last single from Les Mots, and was released on 21 October 2002...
") and eventually drowns. At the end of the video, the owl flies and the snow starts again to fall.
The video could evoke the life cycle. According to journalist Caroline Bee, the "melancholy tone is accentuated by the cold colours". The "owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
could refer to a double meaning: the first is the idea of wisdom
Wisdom
Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of one's emotional reactions so that universal principles, reason and...
and a guiding presence in the black ([i. e.] the melancholy
Melancholia
Melancholia , also lugubriousness, from the Latin lugere, to mourn; moroseness, from the Latin morosus, self-willed, fastidious habit; wistfulness, from old English wist: intent, or saturnine, , in contemporary usage, is a mood disorder of non-specific depression,...
of ideas sung by the artist), but [the second is the idea of] an animal that opens eyes to the harshness of life and the temporary nature of things". Magazine Top 50 gave a positive review of the video, saying it "is both simple and technically impeccable. Lights, movie camera movements, framing, everything works towards setting up on the screen the atmosphere of sadness and melancholy expressed through song."
The video for the 1997 single release was composed of images from the 1996 tour.
Critical reception
According to Compact, "Ainsi soit je..." is a sweet balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, but that may tire the listener because of it is being too repetitive. However, it stated that the song is really a "hit" thanks to its music video which is composed of "sublime images" and made with "extreme delicacy". It also said that the song had found its musical influences from France Gall
France Gall
France Gall is a popular French yé-yé singer.Gall was married to, and had a successful singing career in partnership with, French singer-songwriter Michel Berger....
, Jane Birkin
Jane Birkin
Jane Mallory Birkin, OBE is an English-born actress and singer who lives in France. In recent years she has written her own album, directed a film and become an outspoken proponent of democracy in Burma.- Early life :...
and Françoise Hardy
Françoise Hardy
Françoise Madeleine Hardy is a French singer, actress and astrologer. Hardy is an iconic figure in fashion, music and style. She is married to the singer and movie actor Jacques Dutronc.-Biography:...
's musical works and considered it as a "success".
In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the single in its original version was listed on the SNEP
Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...
chart for fourteen weeks, from 30 April to 30 July. As there was no music video in the first weeks, television show Top 50, which presented the singles chart every Saturday, broadcast Farmer's performance on Sacrée Soirée to illustrate the song. The single debuted at number 31 and reached a peak at number twelve in its sixth week.
The live version released in 1997 did not have the same success and remained in low positions: in France, it peaked at number 27 in its second week on 30 August, and was ranked for only five weeks; in Belgium, the song entered at number 22, its highest position, on 6 September and dropped the next three weeks. The single was little aired on radios as they preferred to air the live version of more rhythmic songs, including "Désenchantée
Désenchantée
"Désenchantée" is a 1991 song recorded by the French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. First single from her third studio album L'Autre..., it was released on 18 March 1991 and achieved a great success in France, topping the chart for more than two months...
" on NRJ
NRJ Radio
NRJ French multimedia group based in Paris. Since its foundation in 1981 as a French pop music radio station it has grown and evolved to become the NRJ Group...
and "Que mon cœur lâche
Que mon cœur lâche
"Que mon cœur lâche" is a 1992 song recorded by the French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. The single was released on 23 November 1992 to promote Farmer's compilation album Dance Remixes. Farmer also recorded an English language version of the track, entitled "My Soul Is Slashed" which was...
" on Europe 2
Virgin Radio (France)
Virgin Radio is a French network of FM radio stations dedicated to Rock and Pop music, operating on 250 different frequencies across France. Its musical programming is closely related to the American Hot Adult Contemporary format...
.
Live performances
In 1988, Farmer performed the song in ten televisions shows: Les Uns les autres (TF1TF1
TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
, 22 April), Jacky show (TF1, 24 April), Fête comme chez vous (Antenne 2
France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
, 5 May), La Une est à vous (TF1, 7 May), Sacrée Soirée (TF1, 18 May), Top 50 (Canal+
Canal+
Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
, 26 June), Mon Zénith à moi (Canal +, 18 June), À la folie pas du tout (TF1, 19 June), Les Dicos d'or sous le soleil du Québec (FR3, 21 August), Lahaye d'honneur (TF1, 24 August). In most of her performances, Farmer wore a large white wedding dress
Wedding dress
A wedding dress or wedding gown is the clothing worn by a bride during a wedding ceremony. Color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants.- Western culture :...
. In the show Sacrée Soirée, she sang "Ainsi soit je..." surrounded by stuffed animals and she cried in the heat of emotion. In 1997, she also performed the song to promote the live version, on Les Enfants de la lune (TF1, 6 June). On this occasion, she wore a dress made of feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s - the same as for the video "Souviens-toi du jour
Souviens-toi du jour
"Souviens-toi du jour" is a 1999 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. It was the third single from her fifth studio album Innamoramento and was released on 2 September 1999. Inspired by Primo Levi's book If This Is a Man, the song deals with the theme of the Holocaust...
" -, and performed the song in an almost acoustic live version with a music of piano. On 24 April 2010, she performed "Ainsi soit-je..." on the French television show Encore une chanson, broadcast on France 2, with Yvan Cassar on piano; however as she lipsynched a recording of the song, her performance was criticized, even by the singer's fans.
The song was performed at four of her five tours. During the Mylène Farmer en concert
Mylène Farmer en concert
Mylène Farmer en concert is Mylène Farmer's 1989 concert tour in support of her second studio album, Ainsi soit je.... It was the first tour of the singer.- Introduction :...
(1989), Farmer wore a black patterned dress and began crying from the second refrain. On the Live à Bercy (1996), Farmer wore a clear trousers and a bra, and was accompanied by pianist Yvan Cassar. During the 2006 series of concerts, Farmer sung "Ainsi soit je..." only at the first four evenings, as she had difficulty by singing in the high notes, and the song was replaced by "L'Autre" which was finally chosen to be included on the CD and DVD of the concert
Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy
Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy is the fourth live album by Mylène Farmer, released on December 4, 2006.- Background :Six years after her Mylenium Tour, Mylène Farmer came back on stage with a tour in 2006 which included 13 shows at Bercy, in Paris. This very successful series of concerts started on...
. During the Mylène Farmer en tournée (2009), Farmer wore a blue dress and was again accompanied by pianist Yvan Cassar.
Cover versions
In 2003, the song was covered by Michal KwiatkowskiMichal (singer)
Michał Kwiatkowski is a Polish singer. In France, he is better known as Michal.Kwiatkowski was born and raised in Gorzów Wielkopolski. In 2001, Michał won a Polish karaoke show Szansa na sukces . After this success, he left Poland and started his studies in France...
, a contestant of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
show Star Academy 3, and his version was included on the album Les Meilleurs Moments du Prime. French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
singer Marie Laforêt
Marie Laforêt
Marie Laforêt is a French singer and actress, .In 1978 she moved to Geneva, Switzerland and took out Swiss nationality.-The sources of her birth name:...
had planned to cover the song at her concerts at the Bouffes Parisiens in 2005, as tribute to Farmer who had performed Laforêt's song "Je voudrais tant que tu comprennes" during the 1989 tour
Mylène Farmer en concert
Mylène Farmer en concert is Mylène Farmer's 1989 concert tour in support of her second studio album, Ainsi soit je.... It was the first tour of the singer.- Introduction :...
), but eventually cancelled this project.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of single releases of "Ainsi soit je..." and "Ainsi soit je... (live)":Studio version
- 7" single - Franc
- 7" maxi - Franc
- CD maxi - Franc
- CD maxi - Video - Franc
- 7" single - Promo - Franc
- CD maxi - Long box - Japa
- Digital downloa
Live version
- CD single - Franc
- CD single - Promo - Digipack - Franc
- VHS - Promo - Franc
Credits and personnel
These are the credits and the personnel as they appear on the back of the single:- Mylène Farmer – lyrics
- Laurent Boutonnat – music, production
1988 release
- Thierry Rogen – mixing
- Bertrand Le Page / Polygram Music – editions)
- Elsa Trillat – photo
- Jean-Paul Théodule – design cover
1997 release
- Polygram Music / BMG Music Publishing France – editions
- Claude Gassian – photo
- Com'N.B – design cover
Release history
| Date | Label | Region | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 April 1988 | Polydor | France, Belgium, Switzerland | 7" single | 887 448-7 |
| 7" maxi | 887 448-1 | |||
| CD maxi | 887 448-2 | |||
| CD video | 080 360-2 | |||
| June 1990 | Japon | CD maxi | PODP-1010 | |
| 20 August 1997 | France, Belgium, Switzerland | CD single | 571 436-2 | |
| CD single - Promo | 3620 | |||
Official versions
| Version | Length | Album | Remixed by | Year | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single version | 4:30 | — | — | 1988 | See the previous sections |
| Album version | 6:18 | Ainsi soit je... Ainsi Soit Je... Ainsi Soit Je... is the second album by Mylène Farmer, released in April 1988. It contains the hit singles "Sans contrefaçon", "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces" and "Sans logique"... |
Laurent Boutonnat Laurent Boutonnat Laurent Pierre Marie Boutonnat is a French composer and film and music video director, best known as the songwriting partner of Mylène Farmer and the director of moody, provocative and literature-inspired music videos.- Career :... |
1988 | The song was shorter than the single version, with more musical bridge Bridge (music) In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section... s and refrain Refrain A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song... s. |
| Maxi remix | 7:10 | Dance Remixes Dance Remixes Dance Remixes is the first remix album by Mylène Farmer, released on November 23, 1992.- Background, writing and release :This album was made to make the fans wait until the following album, postponed because of the Giorgino 's shooting.... |
Thierry Rogen | 1988 | This version is so slow and melancholy as the original one, with more music and refrains. There are also more percussion Percussion instrument A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... that punctuated the title throughout the song. Farmer sings "soit je" several times at the beginning of this remix. |
| Classic bonus beat | 6:22 | — | Thierry Rogen | 1988 | This version brings to the fore the Farmer's voice at the expense of strings, especially the cello Cello The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is... . |
| Lamentations | 4:45 | — | Thierry Rogen | 1988 | This version is an instrumental remix; all the words are removed, but Farmer performs vocals during the refrains. At the beginning of the song, we can hear a crying wolf Gray Wolf The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family... . |
| Music video | 5:23 | Les Clips Vol. II Les Clips Vol. II Les Clips Vol. II is a VHS recorded by the French singer Mylène Farmer, containing all the singer's videoclips from 1988 to 1989. It was released in December 1988 in France.... , Music Videos I Music Videos I Music Videos I is a VHS / DVD recorded by the French singer Mylène Farmer, containing all the singer's videoclips from 1985 to 1992. It was released in April 1997 in France.... |
— | 1988 | |
| Live version (recorded in 1989) |
7:42 | En Concert | — | 1989 | This very moving version has a long musical introduction composed of strings String instrument A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones... and guitar Guitar The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... s which lasts about two minutes. Farmer cries from the second chorus. See Mylène Farmer en concert Mylène Farmer en concert Mylène Farmer en concert is Mylène Farmer's 1989 concert tour in support of her second studio album, Ainsi soit je.... It was the first tour of the singer.- Introduction :... |
| Live version (recorded in 1996) |
5:00 | Live à Bercy Live à Bercy Live à Bercy is the second live album by Mylène Farmer, released on May 21, 1997. It was also produced as a video.-Background:After the successful concerts tour of 1996, whose shows were spread out from May 25 to December 15, a live album was recorded and produced by Thierry Suc, and sponsored by... |
— | 1996 | See 1996 Bercy |
| Live music video | 5:04 | Music Videos II & III Music Videos II & III Music Video II & III is a DVD recorded by the French singer Mylène Farmer, containing all the singer's videoclips from 1992 to 2000. It was released in March 2001 in France.... |
— | 1996 | |
| Album version | 4:45 | Les Mots | Laurent Boutonnat | 2001 | This is a remasterised version. |
| Live version (recorded in 2006) |
5:00 | — | — | 2006 | See Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy (tour) Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy (tour) Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy is the Mylène Farmer's 2006 concert tour in support of her sixth studio album, Avant que l'ombre.... It was the fourth tour of the singer.More than 169,000 tickets were sold one about one year before the concert.-Set list:... |
| Live version (recorded in 2009) |
4:18 | N°5 on Tour N°5 on Tour Nº5 on Tour is a double live album by French singer Mylène Farmer which documents her 2009 tour Mylène Farmer en tournée. It is her fifth live album and her 15th album overall. It was released on 7 December 2009, and it includes the standard set list that she sang during the indoor shows in France... |
— | 2009 | In this version, the last chorus has been omitted. (see Mylène Farmer en tournée) |
Charts and sales
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... Singles Chart |
12 |
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 22 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 27 |
| Country | Certification | Physical sales |
|---|---|---|
| France | — | 150,000 (album version) |
| 70,000 (live version) |