Avant que l'ombre... (song)
Encyclopedia
"Avant que l'ombre..." is a song recorded by the French
artist Mylène Farmer
in a studio version in 2005
and in a live version at the time of her 2006 concerts at Bercy
(Paris
). It was the first single
from her fourth live album, Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy
, and was released on 26 November 2006. It achieved a moderate success in terms of sales, although it reached the top ten in France.
" as the first single from the live album, but "Avant que l'ombre... (live)" was finally chosen. On 20 October, Jeune Reims was the first French radio to broadcast the song. Among the promotional media sent to radio stations, the MP3
contained an unreleased remix of the song "L'amour n'est rien...
", the fourth single from the album Avant que l'ombre...
.
while affirming that the life has nevertheless allowed her to know love. This slow song ends with a long musical bridge
"that looks like a final judgement". The music is sweet and the vocals symbolize screams of pain. According to author Erwan Chuberre, when the album was aired for the first time on 28 March 2005, "Avant que l'ombre..." was regarded as the best song of the album.
Directed by François Hanss, the music video was shot at one of her concerts in January 2006, and lasts over seven minutes as it contains all the ending musical bridge played while Farmer left the stage. The commercial ads were broadcast on radio station NRJ to announce the release of the video on M6
on 14 November 2006. However, NRJ 12
was finally the first channel to broadcast it earlier in the morning. As the video was rather long, the television channels quickly proposed a shorter version of the video. According to Jukebox magazine, the video enjoyed a cutting edge production, but some shots arrangements are somewhat clever, as they alternately show the singer with and without a microphone in hand.
, "Avant que l'ombre..." debuted at a peak of number ten on 2 December, selling 7,575 units that week, becoming thus Farmer's 32nd top ten hit in France. As the most of her previous singles, it dropped quickly and stayed for a total of eight weeks in the top 50 and 21 weeks in the top 100. Amongst her other live singles, only "La Poupée qui fait non
", performed as duet with Khaled
, and "Dessine-moi un mouton
", achieved a better debut.
The single was not successful on the Swiss Singles Chart, where it ranked for two weeks with a peak at number 54 on 10 December. In Belgium (Wallonia), the single started at number 25, its highest placement, on 16 December,then dropped the next weeks, remaining on the chart for five weeks.
at Paris-Bercy in 2006. Farmer was then dressed in a kind of red kimono
made by Franck Sorbier, embroidered with gold and stones. Near the end of the song, Farmer moved toward the staircase flanked by red torch
es, to leave the stage which was then separated from the audience by a curtain of water. When climbing, Farmer removed her coat and found herself in flesh-colored underwears, then turned to the audience to make a gesture of goodbye.
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....
in a studio version in 2005
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
and in a live version at the time of her 2006 concerts at Bercy
Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
Opened in 1984, Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, often abbreviated as POPB or Bercy, is an indoor sports arena on boulevard de Bercy located in the 12th arrondissement of Paris...
(Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
). It was the first 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...
from her fourth live album, Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy
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...
, and was released on 26 November 2006. It achieved a moderate success in terms of sales, although it reached the top ten in France.
Background and release
Many Internet sites announced "Déshabillez-moiDéshabillez-moi
"Déshabillez-moi" is a 1967 song first recorded by French singer Juliette Gréco, by Patti Layne in 1987, then by Mylène Farmer in a studio version in 1988 and in a live version during her 2006 concerts at Bercy . This live version was the second single from Farmer's fourth live album, Avant que...
" as the first single from the live album, but "Avant que l'ombre... (live)" was finally chosen. On 20 October, Jeune Reims was the first French radio to broadcast the song. Among the promotional media sent to radio stations, the MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
contained an unreleased remix of the song "L'amour n'est rien...
L'Amour n'est rien...
"L'amour n'est rien..." is a 2005 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. The song was released as the fourth single from Farmer's sixth studio album Avant que l'ombre... on 27 March 2006...
", the fourth single from the album Avant que l'ombre...
Avant que l'ombre...
Avant que l'ombre... is the sixth studio album by Mylène Farmer, released on April 4, 2005. Mainly composed of acoustic ballads, this album produced five singles which were all top ten hits in France, including "Fuck Them All" and "L'amour n'est rien..."...
.
Lyrics, music and video
"Avant que l'ombre..." is the most mystical song of the album of the same name, but also one in which the text is easier to understand. Speaking to Jesus Christ, the singer evokes her fear of deathDeath
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
while affirming that the life has nevertheless allowed her to know love. This slow song ends with a long 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...
"that looks like a final judgement". The music is sweet and the vocals symbolize screams of pain. According to author Erwan Chuberre, when the album was aired for the first time on 28 March 2005, "Avant que l'ombre..." was regarded as the best song of the album.
Directed by François Hanss, the music video was shot at one of her concerts in January 2006, and lasts over seven minutes as it contains all the ending musical bridge played while Farmer left the stage. The commercial ads were broadcast on radio station NRJ to announce the release of the video on M6
Métropole 6
M6, also known as Metropole television, is the most profitable private national French TV channel and the third most watched television network in the French-speaking world...
on 14 November 2006. However, NRJ 12
NRJ 12
NRJ 12 is a French television network. It is available through digital terrestrial television "TNT".-External links:*...
was finally the first channel to broadcast it earlier in the morning. As the video was rather long, the television channels quickly proposed a shorter version of the video. According to Jukebox magazine, the video enjoyed a cutting edge production, but some shots arrangements are somewhat clever, as they alternately show the singer with and without a microphone in hand.
Chart performances
On the French Singles Chart established by the Syndicat National de l'Édition PhonographiqueSyndicat 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...
, "Avant que l'ombre..." debuted at a peak of number ten on 2 December, selling 7,575 units that week, becoming thus Farmer's 32nd top ten hit in France. As the most of her previous singles, it dropped quickly and stayed for a total of eight weeks in the top 50 and 21 weeks in the top 100. Amongst her other live singles, only "La Poupée qui fait non
La Poupée qui fait non
"La Poupée qui fait non" is a 1966 song written by Franck Gérald and originally recorded by the French singer/songwriter Michel Polnareff...
", performed as duet with Khaled
Khaled (musician)
Khaled Hadj Ibrahim , better known as Khaled, is a raï singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in Sidi El Houari in Oran Province of Algeria...
, and "Dessine-moi un mouton
Dessine-moi un mouton
"Dessine-moi un mouton" is a 1999 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer, first in a studio version, then in a live version during her 1999 concert Mylenium Tour. The song was the only single from her third live album Mylenium Tour and was released on 5 December 2000...
", achieved a better debut.
The single was not successful on the Swiss Singles Chart, where it ranked for two weeks with a peak at number 54 on 10 December. In Belgium (Wallonia), the single started at number 25, its highest placement, on 16 December,then dropped the next weeks, remaining on the chart for five weeks.
Promotion and live performances
The song was never performed on television. Regardings concert tours, the song was performed as last song of the Avant que l'ombre... tourAvant 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:...
at Paris-Bercy in 2006. Farmer was then dressed in a kind of red kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
made by Franck Sorbier, embroidered with gold and stones. Near the end of the song, Farmer moved toward the staircase flanked by red torch
Torch
A torch is a fire source, usually a rod-shaped piece of wood with a rag soaked in pitch and/or some other flammable material wrapped around one end. Torches were often supported in sconces by brackets high up on walls, to throw light over corridors in stone structures such as castles or crypts...
es, to leave the stage which was then separated from the audience by a curtain of water. When climbing, Farmer removed her coat and found herself in flesh-colored underwears, then turned to the audience to make a gesture of goodbye.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of single releases of "Avant que l'ombre...":- CD single
- Digital download
- MP3 - Promo
- CD single - Promo
Personnel
These are the credits and the personnel as they appear on the back of the single:- Mylène Farmer — lyrics
- Laurent Boutonnat — music
- Requiem Publishing — editions
- Polydor — recording company
- Claude Gassian — photo
- Henry Neu — design
- Made in the E.U.
Official versions
| Version | Length | Album | Remixed by | Year | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Album version | 5:55 | Avant que l'ombre... Avant que l'ombre... Avant que l'ombre... is the sixth studio album by Mylène Farmer, released on April 4, 2005. Mainly composed of acoustic ballads, this album produced five singles which were all top ten hits in France, including "Fuck Them All" and "L'amour n'est rien..."... |
— | 2005 | See the previous sections |
| Live album version (recorded in 2006) |
7:26 | Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy 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... |
— | 2006 | This version is similar to the album one (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 single version | 3:56 | — | — | 2006 | The final musical bridge is deleted. |
| Radio edit | 3:53 | — | 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 :... |
2006 | The final musical bridge is deleted. |
| Live version (recorded in 2009) |
4:10 | 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 | This instrumental version is used as an interlude. |
Charts and sales
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 25 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 38 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 10 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 54 |
| Country | Certification | Physical sales |
|---|---|---|
| France | — | 30,000 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| France, Belgium, Switzerland | 20 October 2006 | Promo CD single |
| 27 November 2006 | CD single | |