Maman a tort
Encyclopedia
"Maman a tort" is a 1984
song recorded by French
artist Mylène Farmer
. It was the debut single from Farmer's first studio album Cendres de Lune
, and marked the beginning of her collaboration with her long-time composer
, Laurent Boutonnat
. With lyrics by Jérôme Dahan, who also helped compose the song with Boutonnat, the song was first released in March 1984. An English language version, titled "My Mum Is Wrong" and produced by F. R. David, was released in September 1984. "Maman a tort" was deemed as provocative at the time, as its ambiguous lyrics seem to deal with a lesbian
love; similarly, the video, which shows Farmer lightly dressed, was often censored on television when it was released. Generally well received by critics, the original French version of the song achieved modest success in comparison with the singer's next singles, while the English language version was a commercial failure. The song did, however, allow Farmer to launch her singing career and establish her particular artistic style.
. A girl aged 15–16 was initially chosen to perform the song, before being rejected because she was too young to sing its sexually ambiguous lyrics. Boutonnat then decided to ask one of his friends, Mylène Gautier
, to sing the track. Both composers have said that they thought Gautier seemed psychotic
and thus was the ideal person to record the track. Boutonnat said: "As soon as I saw her, with her triangular face, I realized that this would be her and nobody else. She looked crazy, it was perfect." After they decided to work with her, Gautier took the pseudonym of Farmer, as a tribute to actress Frances Farmer
.
According to Jean-Claude Déquéant, Farmer showed limited enthusiasm during the demo
recordings and declared: "The voice was surprisingly present and she laughed after each take
when listening". Dahan was satisfied, because Farmer had a clear and deep voice and could easily reach high notes. Initial rehearsals were held at Dahan's home. Dahan has said of these rehearsals: "There was a large room with a piano and there we repeated the staging of the song. Mylène had a hard time understanding all this, we had to teach her everything, starting with the choreography [...] This probably did not look very professional."
Recording of the French version of "Maman a tort" took place in Paris in January 1984, with Farmer stating that the sessions were a "magic" moment. Later, the English language version of the song was recorded in an afternoon at the Dany Darras studio in Cernay. Farmer had no difficulty in singing in English because she spoke the language very well, having lived in Canada.
Initially Boutonnat and Dahan found it difficult to find a record company who would release the track, either because labels were worried about the song being censored due to the sexual nature of its lyrics or because they did not see any commercial potential in the track. In order to get a second appointment with RCA records
the pair claimed they had remix
ed the song, even though they had not. Only after a third appointment with RCA did the label's Francis Dacla give them a contract.
According to France Dimanche
, the song saved the singer from entering into a loveless marriage. Farmer had become disillusioned with showbusiness after struggling to get even tiny roles in commercials and had resolved to wed a childhood friend, a student of the École nationale d'administration
, before she was selected to sing "Maman a tort".
and issued as 7" maxi singles.
There were two covers for "Maman a tort": the first release was produced in black and white and shows the singer looking sad and wearing a nightgown, the second release, in colour, shows her laughing. The second cover was based on an idea by Bertrand Le Page who thought that it would be better to give the public an image it wanted. The single's Canadian release did not have a cover. A different cover was used for "My Mum Is Wrong"'s vinyl, with the image used being similar to the second French release of "Maman a tort". The B-side
of the song was an instrumental version of the track, as Farmer's musical team had no budget to record another song. In 2003, a remix version was produced by DJ Joaquim Garraud for the compilation album RemixeS
but was not released.
The song is constructed like a nursery rhyme
in which a young girl, while numbering facts between 1 and 8, confesses her love for a female nurse. As written on the cover, the song is dedicated to the actress Frances Farmer
, as well as King Ludwig II of Bavaria
. Farmer explained at the time that the song was not autobiographical.
"Maman a tort" lays the foundation of Farmer's musical universe, including many themes dealt with by the singer in subsequent releases. Among the topics discussed are transgression, love, the world of childhood, violence and death, mortality and suffering, sexuality, and social demands. The song also deals with psychoanalysis
. The rhythm is catchy, and the lyrics, "dark and symbolic", describe the conflicts between a daughter and her mother, as the title suggests. According to an analysis published by Sophie Khairallah, the lyrics could also refer to incest
. They seem to be "innocent" and are sung "in the most ingenuous way". Biographer Bernard Violet considers the song "a nursery rhyme with enigmatic but quite spicy lyrics which place it rather far from Sabine Paturel
and her innocent song "Les Bêtises
"". Journalist Caroline Bee deemed the song as "a small efficient UFO
, with a catchy and binary melody and a disconcerting video".
In a 1984 interview Farmer discussed the song's lyrics, stating: "It can happen to many children who are in hospital [...] the nurses feed these children, tuck them into bed, kiss them before they sleep and therefore take the place of their mothers. So it is a little girl who tells her mother: I love the nurse". She said in another interview: "But if people prefer to give this song a perverse sense, it is their problem". Thus, she does not confirm the lesbian
allusions that seem to emerge from the chorus (the French verb "aimer" can mean either "to love" or "to like"). However, the song has been listed in several books dealing with homosexuality and explains the fact that many gay people were immediately attracted to Farmer's world.
who also wrote the screenplay, and produced by RCA
, and was shot for one day and cost about 5,000 franc
s (750–760 euro
s). Boutonnat wanted that the video would be filmed in cinemascope
, but this was unusual at the time and the idea was finally withdrawn.
The video begins with a portrait of Sigmund Freud
in close-up, then shows a picture of Farmer's mother. The song's lyrics are subtitled
. Still images of Farmer are then shown in silhouette wearing a white and transparent nightgown. With each line of the song, an image of Farmer appears. When the chorus begins, Farmer turns blue and begins to dance in front of a backdrop featuring stars and the moon. Three children are shown looking at Farmer. After another verse, which again features still images of Farmer, shots of the singer jumping are intercut with shots of her singing along with the track with her arms clutched to her breast. Afterwards Farmer and the three children are shown holding placards with the words "Maman a tort". Following another verse the singer's decapitated head is pictured on a plate on a table in front of the children who are holding knives and forks. The singer is again shown in blue and cries before being slapped in the face. A low-angle shot
of Farmer shows her readjusting the strap of her nightgown and is intercut with images of her in silhouette. The video ends with a portrait of Freud.
Another more ambitious and dramatic video had originally been planned by Boutonnat. Farmer would have been shown in a wheelchair pushed by a nun nurse, who she had feeling for. As the singer cannot understand this relationship, and faces the disapproval of her mother because of it, Farmer decides to commit suicide by throwing herself from the top of a cliff. The story board was even presented in the media, but Farmer's recording compagny RCA did not agree with to the project, especially since this video would have cost 70,000 euro to make. There was no video for "My Mum Is Wrong".
said "Merde in France" and everyone went into raptures. As for me, I simply say that I enjoyed the controversy".
Despite the low cost of the video, it was described in the press as "beautiful" by Chanson and "one of the best music videos of the year" by Télé Star. In contrast, the French newspaper Le Provençal called the video "useless: static, unimaginative" and claimed that it was low-budget. For his part, Violet described the video as being "half way between fotonovela
and shadow play
" and said that it provides "a blend of ethereal and childish sensuality, of measured provocation and of obsessive victimization".
", and Chanson 84 stated that it was "great: rhythmic, spicy, original; the orchestration, based on a synth and drums, is enriched over the couplets". Le Matin de Paris said it was "a funny perverse little song", and Les Grands de la Variété stated: "The tone is original, the music is subtle: it's a good surprise".
"Maman a tort" did not appear in the French Top 50 Singles Chart
because the chart had not been created at the time. The sales of the single were about 100,000 (220,000, according to French magazine Elle
), which was deemed as a "decent performance" and a "first success, not a triumphant one". "My Mum Is Wrong" was not successful and its sales are unknown.
was the first to allow the singer to perform on his show, Champs Élysées. From that moment, the song was widely played on radio and aroused the curiosity of the public.
Throughout 1984, Farmer actively promoted "Maman a tort" and performed it in on many French television programs broadcast on TF1
, Antenne 2
, FR3
and TMC
. From February 1985 to December 1986, when her next three singles — "On est tous des imbéciles
", "Plus grandir
" and "Libertine
" — were released, Farmer promoted them on many television shows, but she also sang "Maman a tort" on these occasions. In total, the song has been performed over twenty times on television. Her performance on Salut les Mickey was censored because of the song's ambiguous lyrics. According to author Erwan Chuberre, Farmer's performances on television were generally deemed as unconvincing, because she had never taken dance lessons at the time, and her colored dresses were not very tasteful. In spite of these performances, Farmer had difficulty achieving notoriety and, on an advice of Le Page, she extended the promotion of the song to include interview
s in magazines for teenagers.
The song was included in the set list of Farmer's 1989 tour
and was performed as a duet. Carole Fredericks
, one of Farmer's vocalists, portrayed the nurse, and in a long monologue, she complained about one of her female patients, who was difficult to bear. Farmer, hidden beneath Frederick's long dress, suddenly appeared, wearing pyjamas, and performed the song by waddling like a little child. The song was also performed during the Mylenium Tour
but included in a medley composed of her 1980s greatest hits. "My Mum Is Wrong" does not appear on any of Farmer's albums and has not been performed on stage.
for a 1984 hits compilation, then in 2000, by Beyond the Nightmare, but this version was not released as a single. In 2003 the song was released twice: first by Yohann and Gabrielle, two contestants of À la Recherche de la Nouvelle Star
, on the album 1ers Tubes on which it appears as 13th track, and then by MF2003; his version, released in the United Kingdom as a 7" maxi
single, included an instrumental version named "My Mum Is Dub" as a B-side, was unsuccessful and failed to chart.
"Maman a tort"
"My Mum Is Wrong"
1984 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1984.-Janury-March:*January 21 – "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart, despite being banned by the BBC; it spends a total of forty-two weeks in the Top 40.*January 27 – Michael Jackson's...
song recorded by 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....
. It was the debut single from Farmer's first studio album Cendres de Lune
Cendres de Lune
Cendres de Lune is the debut album by the French singer/songwriter Mylène Farmer, released on April 1, 1986. The album was precedeed by the hit single "Libertine", and the album was rereleased in 1987 preceded by the song "Tristana"...
, and marked the beginning of her collaboration with her long-time composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, 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 :...
. With lyrics by Jérôme Dahan, who also helped compose the song with Boutonnat, the song was first released in March 1984. An English language version, titled "My Mum Is Wrong" and produced by F. R. David, was released in September 1984. "Maman a tort" was deemed as provocative at the time, as its ambiguous lyrics seem to deal with a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
love; similarly, the video, which shows Farmer lightly dressed, was often censored on television when it was released. Generally well received by critics, the original French version of the song achieved modest success in comparison with the singer's next singles, while the English language version was a commercial failure. The song did, however, allow Farmer to launch her singing career and establish her particular artistic style.
Background and writing
In December 1983, Jerôme Dahan and Laurent Boutonnat, two friends, composed a song called "Maman a tort", about lesbian love between a girl committed to a mental hospital and her nurse. To find a performer, they held a castingCasting
In metalworking, casting involves pouring liquid metal into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowing it to cool and solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process...
. A girl aged 15–16 was initially chosen to perform the song, before being rejected because she was too young to sing its sexually ambiguous lyrics. Boutonnat then decided to ask one of his friends, Mylène Gautier
Mylène Farmer
Mylène Farmer, , born Marie-Hélène Jeanne Gautier, , , is a French singer, songwriter, occasional actress and author....
, to sing the track. Both composers have said that they thought Gautier seemed psychotic
Psychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
and thus was the ideal person to record the track. Boutonnat said: "As soon as I saw her, with her triangular face, I realized that this would be her and nobody else. She looked crazy, it was perfect." After they decided to work with her, Gautier took the pseudonym of Farmer, as a tribute to actress Frances Farmer
Frances Farmer
Frances Elena Farmer was an American actress of stage and screen. She is perhaps better known for sensationalized and fictional accounts of her life, and especially her involuntary commitment to a mental hospital...
.
According to Jean-Claude Déquéant, Farmer showed limited enthusiasm during the demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
recordings and declared: "The voice was surprisingly present and she laughed after each take
Take
A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production.-Film:In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup"...
when listening". Dahan was satisfied, because Farmer had a clear and deep voice and could easily reach high notes. Initial rehearsals were held at Dahan's home. Dahan has said of these rehearsals: "There was a large room with a piano and there we repeated the staging of the song. Mylène had a hard time understanding all this, we had to teach her everything, starting with the choreography [...] This probably did not look very professional."
Recording of the French version of "Maman a tort" took place in Paris in January 1984, with Farmer stating that the sessions were a "magic" moment. Later, the English language version of the song was recorded in an afternoon at the Dany Darras studio in Cernay. Farmer had no difficulty in singing in English because she spoke the language very well, having lived in Canada.
Initially Boutonnat and Dahan found it difficult to find a record company who would release the track, either because labels were worried about the song being censored due to the sexual nature of its lyrics or because they did not see any commercial potential in the track. In order to get a second appointment with RCA records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
the pair claimed they had remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed the song, even though they had not. Only after a third appointment with RCA did the label's Francis Dacla give them a contract.
According to France Dimanche
France Dimanche
France Dimanche is a French weekly celebrity newsmagazine published by Hachette with a circulation of about 450,000.-Sources:*...
, the song saved the singer from entering into a loveless marriage. Farmer had become disillusioned with showbusiness after struggling to get even tiny roles in commercials and had resolved to wed a childhood friend, a student of the École nationale d'administration
École nationale d'administration
The École Nationale d'Administration , one of the most prestigious of French graduate schools , was created in 1945 by Charles de Gaulle to democratise access to the senior civil service. It is now entrusted with the selection and initial training of senior French officials...
, before she was selected to sing "Maman a tort".
Release
The single was first released in France in March 1984, but was not commercially successful. Several months later, it gained more success under the management of Bertrand Le Page, a famous artistic director. The song was heavily played on French radio. In view of the song's success, Frédérick Leibovitz suggested that Farmer record an English language version of the single named "My Mum Is Wrong", in an effort to win over a wider audience. This version was produced by F. R. David who also translated the lyrics, being motivated by affection for Le Page. The song was released in September in France and Canada. The English version was released in Germany, Italy and Scandinavia and was scheduled to be released in England and the United States. Extended versions of "Maman a tort" and "My Mum Is Wrong" were produced 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 :...
and issued as 7" maxi singles.
There were two covers for "Maman a tort": the first release was produced in black and white and shows the singer looking sad and wearing a nightgown, the second release, in colour, shows her laughing. The second cover was based on an idea by Bertrand Le Page who thought that it would be better to give the public an image it wanted. The single's Canadian release did not have a cover. A different cover was used for "My Mum Is Wrong"'s vinyl, with the image used being similar to the second French release of "Maman a tort". The B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the song was an instrumental version of the track, as Farmer's musical team had no budget to record another song. In 2003, a remix version was produced by DJ Joaquim Garraud for the compilation album RemixeS
RemixeS
RemixeS is a compilation of French singer Mylène Farmer's singles by various famous DJ's, including JXL, Felix Da Housecat and Paul Oakenfold.-Brackground, writing and release:...
but was not released.
Lyrics and music
 Un, maman a tortDeux, c'est beau l'amour Trois, l'infirmière pleure Quatre, je l'aime  |
| — Beginning of the chorus |
The song is constructed like a nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
in which a young girl, while numbering facts between 1 and 8, confesses her love for a female nurse. As written on the cover, the song is dedicated to the actress Frances Farmer
Frances Farmer
Frances Elena Farmer was an American actress of stage and screen. She is perhaps better known for sensationalized and fictional accounts of her life, and especially her involuntary commitment to a mental hospital...
, as well as King Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II was King of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death. He is sometimes called the Swan King and der Märchenkönig, the Fairy tale King...
. Farmer explained at the time that the song was not autobiographical.
"Maman a tort" lays the foundation of Farmer's musical universe, including many themes dealt with by the singer in subsequent releases. Among the topics discussed are transgression, love, the world of childhood, violence and death, mortality and suffering, sexuality, and social demands. The song also deals with psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
. The rhythm is catchy, and the lyrics, "dark and symbolic", describe the conflicts between a daughter and her mother, as the title suggests. According to an analysis published by Sophie Khairallah, the lyrics could also refer to incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
. They seem to be "innocent" and are sung "in the most ingenuous way". Biographer Bernard Violet considers the song "a nursery rhyme with enigmatic but quite spicy lyrics which place it rather far from Sabine Paturel
Sabine Paturel
Sabine Paturel is a French singer and actress.-Biography:Paturel was born in Toulon, and has three sisters.In 1986, her first single "Les Bêtises" stayed for 30 weeks in the French singles chart from March to October 1986, peaking at #2 for several weeks and achieving Gold status...
and her innocent song "Les Bêtises
Les Bêtises
"Les Bêtises" is a 1985 song recorded by French artist Sabine Paturel. Released in March 1986 as her debut single from her album Cœur Bébé, released two years later, on which it is the sixth track. The song was a smash hit in France, even if it failed to top the chart...
"". Journalist Caroline Bee deemed the song as "a small efficient UFO
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
, with a catchy and binary melody and a disconcerting video".
In a 1984 interview Farmer discussed the song's lyrics, stating: "It can happen to many children who are in hospital [...] the nurses feed these children, tuck them into bed, kiss them before they sleep and therefore take the place of their mothers. So it is a little girl who tells her mother: I love the nurse". She said in another interview: "But if people prefer to give this song a perverse sense, it is their problem". Thus, she does not confirm the lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
allusions that seem to emerge from the chorus (the French verb "aimer" can mean either "to love" or "to like"). However, the song has been listed in several books dealing with homosexuality and explains the fact that many gay people were immediately attracted to Farmer's world.
Production and plot
The music 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, and produced by RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, and was shot for one day and cost about 5,000 franc
Franc
The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably the Swiss franc, still a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions and the former currency of France, the French franc until the Euro was adopted in 1999...
s (750–760 euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s). Boutonnat wanted that the video would be filmed in cinemascope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
, but this was unusual at the time and the idea was finally withdrawn.
The video begins with a portrait of Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
in close-up, then shows a picture of Farmer's mother. The song's lyrics are subtitled
Subtitle (captioning)
Subtitles are textual versions of the dialog in films and television programs, usually displayed at the bottom of the screen. They can either be a form of written translation of a dialog in a foreign language, or a written rendering of the dialog in the same language, with or without added...
. Still images of Farmer are then shown in silhouette wearing a white and transparent nightgown. With each line of the song, an image of Farmer appears. When the chorus begins, Farmer turns blue and begins to dance in front of a backdrop featuring stars and the moon. Three children are shown looking at Farmer. After another verse, which again features still images of Farmer, shots of the singer jumping are intercut with shots of her singing along with the track with her arms clutched to her breast. Afterwards Farmer and the three children are shown holding placards with the words "Maman a tort". Following another verse the singer's decapitated head is pictured on a plate on a table in front of the children who are holding knives and forks. The singer is again shown in blue and cries before being slapped in the face. A low-angle shot
Low-angle shot
In cinematography, a low-angle shot, is a shot from a camera positioned low on the vertical axis, anywhere below the eyeline, looking up.-Famous examples:...
of Farmer shows her readjusting the strap of her nightgown and is intercut with images of her in silhouette. The video ends with a portrait of Freud.
Another more ambitious and dramatic video had originally been planned by Boutonnat. Farmer would have been shown in a wheelchair pushed by a nun nurse, who she had feeling for. As the singer cannot understand this relationship, and faces the disapproval of her mother because of it, Farmer decides to commit suicide by throwing herself from the top of a cliff. The story board was even presented in the media, but Farmer's recording compagny RCA did not agree with to the project, especially since this video would have cost 70,000 euro to make. There was no video for "My Mum Is Wrong".
Reviews
The video caused "a veritable stir in the music world" because "Boutonnat cast [Farmer] as a kind of provocative Lolita figure". As she wears a transparent nightgown in the music video, some French television channels censored it. It was first aired on the French television programme Clip Clap in a shortened version. In an interview, Farmer deplored the censorship, saying: "[it] has shocked many people. I find it pretty stupid. Jacques DutroncJacques Dutronc
Jacques Dutronc is a French singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, and actor. He has been married to singer Françoise Hardy since 30 March 1981 and the two have a son . He also has been a longtime songwriting collaborator with Jacques Lanzmann...
said "Merde in France" and everyone went into raptures. As for me, I simply say that I enjoyed the controversy".
Despite the low cost of the video, it was described in the press as "beautiful" by Chanson and "one of the best music videos of the year" by Télé Star. In contrast, the French newspaper Le Provençal called the video "useless: static, unimaginative" and claimed that it was low-budget. For his part, Violet described the video as being "half way between fotonovela
Fotonovela
A fotonovela also known as novela or novelita, is a small pamphlet akin to comic-book format, with photographs instead of illustrations, combined with small dialogue bubbles...
and shadow play
Shadow play
Shadow play or shadow puppetry Shadow puppets have a long history in China, India, Turkey and Java, and as a popular form of entertainment for both children and adults in many countries around the world. A shadow puppet is a cut-out figure held between a source of light and a translucent screen...
" and said that it provides "a blend of ethereal and childish sensuality, of measured provocation and of obsessive victimization".
Critical reception
The song was generally very well-received by the press at the time. Boys and Girls considered it "undoubtedly one of the hits of the summer of 1984", OK called it "a very promising first 7"Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
", and Chanson 84 stated that it was "great: rhythmic, spicy, original; the orchestration, based on a synth and drums, is enriched over the couplets". Le Matin de Paris said it was "a funny perverse little song", and Les Grands de la Variété stated: "The tone is original, the music is subtle: it's a good surprise".
"Maman a tort" did not appear in the French Top 50 Singles Chart
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...
because the chart had not been created at the time. The sales of the single were about 100,000 (220,000, according to French magazine Elle
Elle (magazine)
Elle is a worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she".-History:Elle was founded in...
), which was deemed as a "decent performance" and a "first success, not a triumphant one". "My Mum Is Wrong" was not successful and its sales are unknown.
Promotion and live performances
Bertrand Le Page provided many opportunities for Farmer to perform the song on television. French host Michel DruckerMichel Drucker
Michel Drucker, CQ is a popular French journalist and TV host.Michel Drucker was born in Vire, Calvados, in Normandy. Jacques Drucker, a doctor, is Michel's younger brother, and Jean Drucker, a TV top executive, is Michel's older brother. He started a journalistic career in 1965 at the ORTF as...
was the first to allow the singer to perform on his show, Champs Élysées. From that moment, the song was widely played on radio and aroused the curiosity of the public.
Throughout 1984, Farmer actively promoted "Maman a tort" and performed it in on many French television programs broadcast on TF1
TF1
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...
, 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...
, FR3
France 3
France 3 is the second largest French public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5, and France Ô....
and TMC
Télé Monte Carlo
Télé Monte Carlo or TMC Monte Carlo, traditionally known as TMC is a Monégasque general entertainment television channel.-History:The oldest private channel in Europe, TMC dates back to 1954, inaugurated by Rainier III, Prince of Monaco...
. From February 1985 to December 1986, when her next three singles — "On est tous des imbéciles
On est tous des imbéciles
"On est tous des imbéciles" is a 1984 song recorded by French artist Mylène Farmer. It was released in February 1985 as her second single after "Maman a tort" and its English-translated version "My Mum Is Wrong". Although the song was provocative and rather critical of the show business, it was...
", "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...
" and "Libertine
Libertine (song)
"Libertine" is a 1986 song recorded by French artist Mylène Farmer. It was the third single from her first studio album Cendres de Lune and was released on 1 April 1986. It was particularly known for its huge music video, produced as a film and which contains explicit sexual and violent scenes. It...
" — were released, Farmer promoted them on many television shows, but she also sang "Maman a tort" on these occasions. In total, the song has been performed over twenty times on television. Her performance on Salut les Mickey was censored because of the song's ambiguous lyrics. According to author Erwan Chuberre, Farmer's performances on television were generally deemed as unconvincing, because she had never taken dance lessons at the time, and her colored dresses were not very tasteful. In spite of these performances, Farmer had difficulty achieving notoriety and, on an advice of Le Page, she extended the promotion of the song to include interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
s in magazines for teenagers.
The song was included in the set list of Farmer's 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 :...
and was performed as a duet. Carole Fredericks
Carole Fredericks
Carole Denise Fredericks was an American singer most famous for her recordings in France. Carole emerged from the shadow of her brother, the legendary blues musicologist Taj Mahal, to achieve fame and popularity in Europe and the French-speaking world...
, one of Farmer's vocalists, portrayed the nurse, and in a long monologue, she complained about one of her female patients, who was difficult to bear. Farmer, hidden beneath Frederick's long dress, suddenly appeared, wearing pyjamas, and performed the song by waddling like a little child. The song was also performed during the Mylenium Tour
Mylenium Tour (tour)
Mylenium Tour is Mylène Farmer's 1999-2000 concert tour in support of her fifth studio album, Innamoramento.-Critical reception and commercial success:...
but included in a medley composed of her 1980s greatest hits. "My Mum Is Wrong" does not appear on any of Farmer's albums and has not been performed on stage.
Cover versions
The song has been covered four times. First, in the late 1990s, by French singer LioLio
Lio is a singer and actress who was a pop icon in France and Belgium during the 1980s.- Biography :...
for a 1984 hits compilation, then in 2000, by Beyond the Nightmare, but this version was not released as a single. In 2003 the song was released twice: first by Yohann and Gabrielle, two contestants of À la Recherche de la Nouvelle Star
A La Recherche De La Nouvelle Star
À la Recherche de la Nouvelle Star is a reality television show based on the popular British show Pop Idol. The show is a contest to determine the best young singer in La Francophonie. It was hosted by Benjamin Castaldi...
, on the album 1ers Tubes on which it appears as 13th track, and then by MF2003; his version, released in the United Kingdom as a 7" maxi
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
single, included an instrumental version named "My Mum Is Dub" as a B-side, was unsuccessful and failed to chart.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of single releases of "Maman a tort" and "My Mum Is Wrong":"Maman a tort"
- 7" single – First and second releases
- 7" maxi
- Digital download (since 2005)
"My Mum Is Wrong"
- 7" single
- 7" maxi – Promo
Official versions
| Version | Length | Album | Remixed by | Year | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Maman a tort" | |||||
| Single version | 3:35 | — | — | 1984 | See the previous sections |
| Long version | 6:12 | Les Mots | Jérôme Dahan | 1984 | There are more refrains and it ends with a long instrumental. |
| Instrumental version | 3:30 | — | Jérôme Dahan | 1984 | This instrumental version is shorter than the album version as it omits the second chorus. |
| Music video | 3:50 | Les Clips Les Clips Les Clips is a VHS recorded by the French singer Mylène Farmer, containing all the singer's videoclips from 1984 to 1987. It was released in November 1987 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.... (as bonus) |
— | 1984 | The version used for the video is the single version. |
| Album version | 4:04 | Cendres de Lune Cendres de Lune Cendres de Lune is the debut album by the French singer/songwriter Mylène Farmer, released on April 1, 1986. The album was precedeed by the hit single "Libertine", and the album was rereleased in 1987 preceded by the song "Tristana"... |
— | 1986 | This remastered version is based on the long version, but is shorter. |
| Live version (recorded in 1989) |
6:20 | En Concert | — | 1989 | This is a live hip-hop Hip hop Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing... version recorded as a duet with French vocalist Carole Fredericks Carole Fredericks Carole Denise Fredericks was an American singer most famous for her recordings in France. Carole emerged from the shadow of her brother, the legendary blues musicologist Taj Mahal, to achieve fame and popularity in Europe and the French-speaking world... who started the song with a long monologue, saying that "she gave spankings to Farmer because the latter didn't speak much at all". |
| Live version (recorded in 2000) |
0:38 | Mylenium Tour Mylenium Tour Mylènium Tour is the third live album by Mylène Farmer, released on December 5, 2000.-Background:After having ending her third successful tour whose last shows were held in Russia on March 7, 2000, Farmer rested, and then decided to release an album and a DVD retracing her concert... |
— | 2000 | The song was performed in a medley Medley (music) In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks... "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... " / "Maman a tort" / "Libertine Libertine (song) "Libertine" is a 1986 song recorded by French artist Mylène Farmer. It was the third single from her first studio album Cendres de Lune and was released on 1 April 1986. It was particularly known for its huge music video, produced as a film and which contains explicit sexual and violent scenes. It... " / "Sans contrefaçon Sans 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... ". Farmer repeated the first verse twice. |
| "My Mum Is Wrong" | |||||
| Single version | 3:50 | — | — | 1984 | See the previous sections |
| Long version | 6:45 | — | Jérôme Dahan | 1984 | This version contains additional lyrics and refrains. Farmer sometimes sings a cappella A cappella A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato... . |
Personnel and credits
These are the credits and the personnel as they appear on the back of the single:- Jérôme Dahan – lyrics, music
- Laurent Boutonnat – lyrics, music
- Jean-Claude Déquéant – recording, at "Le matin calme" studio
- Philippe Omnès – mixing, at Davout studio
- Bertrand Le Page – editions
- RCARCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
– recording company - John Frost – photo
Release history
| Date | Label | Region | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 1984 | RCA | France | 7" single (first cover) | 61298 |
| September 1984 | 7" single (second cover) | |||
| 7" maxi | 61299 | |||
| 7" single (English version) | 61531 | |||
| 1985 | Original | Canada | 7" single | 6502 |