Redonne-moi
Encyclopedia
"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 Laurent Boutonnat. The song has poetic lyrics and a melancholy music, and is about death, memory, and hope. About three months before the release, Farmer exceptionnally accepted to perform the song in a television show, which she did not for other singles from Avant que l'ombre.... The accompanying music video, filmed by François Hanss and broadcast from 11 January 2006, shows Farmer singing in a sculpture workshop. In spite of being a top ten hit in France, "Redonne-moi" became the less-selling single from the album, with rather disappointing sales figures.
: first, "L'amour n'est rien...
" was announced; then, in September, "Peut-être toi
", "Porno graphique" and "J'attends" were also successively presented as next single. Some pessimistic fan websites said there would not be a third single, as the previous one "Q.I" had been moderately received and the album then continued to drop on the chart.
Finally, "Redonne-moi" was chosen by Farmer, who absolutely wanted this song as next single. Many of Farmer's fans were not satisfied with this choice, as "Redonne-moi" is the slowest song of the album and seemed to lack of commercial potential. A promotional CD single was sent to radios on 13 October. The single was proposed for the first time as digital download on 7 December, but the physical release, originally scheduled for 5 December, was eventually cancelled and delayed on 2 January 2006. Moreover, the song was rarely broadcast on radios, as they considered it too slow.
The single was released in a sole format, a digipack CD single without any remixes, and used for the cover of an unpublished photo produced by Ellen Von Unwerth during a photo session in 2005.
, memory, but also hope". According to an analysis by journalist Benoît Cachin, "Farmer seems to be split : on the one hand, the past symbolized by a ghost
that evokes sadness
and death, and on the other hand, the future, in which Farmer put her trust, hoping to live in a better way and rediscover the joy of the existence through love". In the refrain
, Farmer seems to speak to someone: this may be the ghost, or a person that she loves and whom she requests to help her to forget her past. Psychologist Hugues Royer said that, in this song, Farmer "is toying with the idea of emerging from a black hole. While she sinks in suffering, a friendly voice whispers to her how it could be beneficial to "find a trace of self"", as the singer seems to have forgotten her past. As in "Rêver
" and "Ainsi soit je...
", some lyrics are sung in the high notes to express sadness.
. Finally, the video was fully broadcast for the first time on 11 January 2006 on NRJ 12
, two months after the shooting. M6
refused to air the video after a disagreement with Farmer.
Very aesthetic, the music video was shoot in the Ateliers du Louvre
, Paris, and was produced by François Hanss. It features Farmer in a sculpture workshop. A statue
which represents the singer is in the middle of this workshop and leaves a tear escape. Farmer sings in front of it, while a black cat
appears and lies down next to the statue. One of the statues is a copy of a cadaver tomb
by René de Chalon which can be seen in the Saint-Étienne church in Bar-le-Duc
, and was reused in the 2009 Mylène Farmer en tournée tour. Royer believes that this video is a tribute to Paul Albert Gautier, the singer's grandfather, who devoted himself to sculpture; moreover, Farmer herself admitted having been attracted by this art. The video was the number three choice of voters viewing the TV music program Les 100 Meilleurs clips du XXIè siècle (The best videos of the twenty-first century), aired on MCM on 25 February 2007.
In France, as most of the singer's singles, "Redonne-moi" debuted at its peak position in the top ten, at number seven, selling 10,731 units, on 7 January 2006. The next weeks, it dropped rather quickly and totaled only five weeks in the top 50 and eleven weeks on the chart. The single remains Farmer's shortest chart trajectory for one of her singles in the French top 100. In April 2006, when the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
published the best-selling singles during the first quarter of 2006, "Redonne-moi" ranked at number 45. In Switzerland, the single hit number 27 in its second week, on the chart edition of 15 January, and stayed in the top 100 for a total of eight weeks. In Belgium (Wallonia), the single debuted at number 25 on 14 January and reached a peak of number six two weeks later, making it its highest position in all the countries it was released. It remained for eight weeks in the Ultratop 40
.
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For the first time since "C'est une belle journée
" in May 2002, Farmer accepted to perform a song in a television show, which was very rare. She decided to sing "Redonne-moi" on Symphonic Show on France 2
, broadcast on 12 November 2005, although Farmer recorded her performance on 5 October without audience. Already in October, French television host Daniela Lumbroso announced in the media that Mylène Farmer would be present at the show. She also explained that for this occasion, the set was smoky and decorated with 200 candle
s, and that the recording of the performance lasted about 30 minutes. Farmer wore black trousers and a black blouse with a big crucifix
as pendant. The song was performed in lip-sync and accompanied with a philharmonic orchestra named 'The Night of the Proms', composed of 140 musicians and choristers, and Yvan Cassar on piano. According to author Erwan Chuberre, this performance, though moving, was far from being unanimously appreciated.
The song was also performed on the 2006 Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy
concert and was thus included the on the live album Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy
. According to a description by author Julien Rigal on his website and in his book, Farmer performed it alone in the middle of the cross-shaped stage. As she was overwhelmed by emotion, the audience sang the second refrain and at the end, she thanked it for its help.
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:...
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....
. This pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
ballad was the third single from her sixth studio 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..."...
, 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 Laurent Boutonnat. The song has poetic lyrics and a melancholy music, and is about death, memory, and hope. About three months before the release, Farmer exceptionnally accepted to perform the song in a television show, which she did not for other singles from Avant que l'ombre.... The accompanying music video, filmed by François Hanss and broadcast from 11 January 2006, shows Farmer singing in a sculpture workshop. In spite of being a top ten hit in France, "Redonne-moi" became the less-selling single from the album, with rather disappointing sales figures.
Background and release
From August 2005, some rumours went round about the song which could be the third 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..."...
: first, "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...
" was announced; then, in September, "Peut-être toi
Peut-être toi
"Peut-être toi" is a 2005 song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer. It was the fifth single from her sixth studio album, Avant que l'ombre..., and was released on 21 August 2006. The music video was produced as an animated feature and the lyrics deals with a love relationship...
", "Porno graphique" and "J'attends" were also successively presented as next single. Some pessimistic fan websites said there would not be a third single, as the previous one "Q.I" had been moderately received and the album then continued to drop on the chart.
Finally, "Redonne-moi" was chosen by Farmer, who absolutely wanted this song as next single. Many of Farmer's fans were not satisfied with this choice, as "Redonne-moi" is the slowest song of the album and seemed to lack of commercial potential. A promotional CD single was sent to radios on 13 October. The single was proposed for the first time as digital download on 7 December, but the physical release, originally scheduled for 5 December, was eventually cancelled and delayed on 2 January 2006. Moreover, the song was rarely broadcast on radios, as they considered it too slow.
The single was released in a sole format, a digipack CD single without any remixes, and used for the cover of an unpublished photo produced by Ellen Von Unwerth during a photo session in 2005.
Lyrics and music
This ballad uses very poetic lyrics and a melancholy music, and deals with several recurring themes in Farmer's songs: "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....
, memory, but also hope". According to an analysis by journalist Benoît Cachin, "Farmer seems to be split : on the one hand, the past symbolized by a ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
that evokes sadness
Sadness
Sadness is emotional pain associated with, or characterized by feelings of disadvantage, loss, despair, helplessness, sorrow, and rage. When sad, people often become outspoken, less energetic, and emotional...
and death, and on the other hand, the future, in which Farmer put her trust, hoping to live in a better way and rediscover the joy of the existence through love". In the refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
, Farmer seems to speak to someone: this may be the ghost, or a person that she loves and whom she requests to help her to forget her past. Psychologist Hugues Royer said that, in this song, Farmer "is toying with the idea of emerging from a black hole. While she sinks in suffering, a friendly voice whispers to her how it could be beneficial to "find a trace of self"", as the singer seems to have forgotten her past. 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 "Ainsi soit je...
Ainsi soit je... (song)
"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...
", some lyrics are sung in the high notes to express sadness.
Music video
The music video was initially announced to be released for 7 December 2005, and the name of the produced was revealed on 18 November. But in October, first photographies of the video circulated on the Internet and quickly disappeared after Farmer's wishes. On 6 December, the musical channels received the video but were not allowed to broadcast it immediately. Indeed, a trainee which participated in the video editing, made personal use of images and was sued and forced to pay 2€ of fees. Some images of the video were shown at the end of television magazine Sept à Huit in which Farmer was interviewed and broadcast on 8 January 2006 on 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...
. Finally, the video was fully broadcast for the first time on 11 January 2006 on NRJ 12
NRJ 12
NRJ 12 is a French television network. It is available through digital terrestrial television "TNT".-External links:*...
, two months after the shooting. 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...
refused to air the video after a disagreement with Farmer.
Very aesthetic, the music video was shoot in the Ateliers du Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
, Paris, and was produced by François Hanss. It features Farmer in a sculpture workshop. A statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
which represents the singer is in the middle of this workshop and leaves a tear escape. Farmer sings in front of it, while a black cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
appears and lies down next to the statue. One of the statues is a copy of a cadaver tomb
Cadaver tomb
A cadaver tomb or transi is a church monument or tomb featuring an effigy in the macabre form of a decomposing corpse. The topos was particularly characteristic of the later Middle Ages....
by René de Chalon which can be seen in the Saint-Étienne church in Bar-le-Duc
Bar-le-Duc
Bar-le-Duc, formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the préfecture . The department is in Lorraine in north-eastern France-Geography:...
, and was reused in the 2009 Mylène Farmer en tournée tour. Royer believes that this video is a tribute to Paul Albert Gautier, the singer's grandfather, who devoted himself to sculpture; moreover, Farmer herself admitted having been attracted by this art. The video was the number three choice of voters viewing the TV music program Les 100 Meilleurs clips du XXIè siècle (The best videos of the twenty-first century), aired on MCM on 25 February 2007.
Critical reception
According to journalist Déborah Laurent of La Dernière Minute, "we can sometimes think that, [in this song], the voice of [Farmer] will become inaudible as she plays with the limits of its fragility". Author Caroline Bee said the song "is not very rhythmic and is hardly memorizable".In France, as most of the singer's singles, "Redonne-moi" debuted at its peak position in the top ten, at number seven, selling 10,731 units, on 7 January 2006. The next weeks, it dropped rather quickly and totaled only five weeks in the top 50 and eleven weeks on the chart. The single remains Farmer's shortest chart trajectory for one of her singles in the French top 100. In April 2006, when the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
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...
published the best-selling singles during the first quarter of 2006, "Redonne-moi" ranked at number 45. In Switzerland, the single hit number 27 in its second week, on the chart edition of 15 January, and stayed in the top 100 for a total of eight weeks. In Belgium (Wallonia), the single debuted at number 25 on 14 January and reached a peak of number six two weeks later, making it its highest position in all the countries it was released. It remained for eight weeks in the Ultratop 40
Ultratop 40
Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization...
.
Promotion and live performances
C'est une belle journée
"C'est une belle journée" is a 2001 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. It was the second single from her best of Les Mots and was released on 16 April 2002. The song deals with suicide on a dance music and was illustrated by a cartoon video produced by Farmer's boyfriend...
" in May 2002, Farmer accepted to perform a song in a television show, which was very rare. She decided to sing "Redonne-moi" on Symphonic Show on France 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...
, broadcast on 12 November 2005, although Farmer recorded her performance on 5 October without audience. Already in October, French television host Daniela Lumbroso announced in the media that Mylène Farmer would be present at the show. She also explained that for this occasion, the set was smoky and decorated with 200 candle
Candle
A candle is a solid block or cylinder of wax with an embedded wick, which is lit to provide light, and sometimes heat.Today, most candles are made from paraffin. Candles can also be made from beeswax, soy, other plant waxes, and tallow...
s, and that the recording of the performance lasted about 30 minutes. Farmer wore black trousers and a black blouse with a big crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
as pendant. The song was performed in lip-sync and accompanied with a philharmonic orchestra named 'The Night of the Proms', composed of 140 musicians and choristers, and Yvan Cassar on piano. According to author Erwan Chuberre, this performance, though moving, was far from being unanimously appreciated.
The song was also performed on the 2006 Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy
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:...
concert and was thus included the on the 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...
. According to a description by author Julien Rigal on his website and in his book, Farmer performed it alone in the middle of the cross-shaped stage. As she was overwhelmed by emotion, the audience sang the second refrain and at the end, she thanked it for its help.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of single releases of "Redonne-moi":- CD single - Digipack - Limited edition (30,000)
- Digital download
- CD single - Promo / CD single - Promo - Luxury envelope - Limited edition (300)
- DVD - Promo
Official versions
| Version | Length | Album | Year | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Album/Single version | 4:22 | 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 |
| Music video | 4:22 | Music Videos IV Music Videos IV Music Video IV is a DVD recorded by the French singer Mylène Farmer, containing all the singer's videoclips from 2001 to 2006. It was released in October 2006 in France.... |
2005 | The video uses the album version |
| Radio edit | 4:02 | — | 2005 | This version is very similar to the album's one, but the introduction is shorter and a refrain is deleted before the musical bridge. |
| Instrumental | 4:24 | — | 2005 | All lyrics are deleted. |
| Live version (recorded in 2006) |
5:44 | 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 performance is moving. |
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
- Requiem Publishing – editions
- Polydor – recording company
- Ellen Von Unwerth – photo
- Henry Neu – design
Charts and sales
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 6 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 29 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 7 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 27 |
| Country | Certification | Physical sales |
|---|---|---|
| France | — | 35,000 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| France, Belgium, Switzerland | 18 October 2005 | Promo CD single |
| December 2005 | DVD | |
| 2 January 2006 | CD single | |