Q.I
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| “Q.I” | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Mylène Farmer from the album Avant que l'ombre... |
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| Released | June 4, 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format | CD single CD maxi 12" maxi Digital download |
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| Recorded | 2005, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 5:20 (single version) 3:55 (radio edit) |
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| Label | Polydor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Text : Mylène Farmer Music : Laurent Boutonnat |
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| Producer | Laurent Boutonnat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mylène Farmer singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Q.I" is a 2005 song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer. It was the second single from her sixth studio album, Avant que l'ombre..., and was released on July 4, 2005.
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[edit] Background
The song was officially played for the first time on NRJ on May 13, in a short version without musical bridge and second chorus.
A first remix was produced by Chris Cox in order to reach the general public and was first broadcast on NRJ, on June 15. It was a great success on radio, followed by another Cox's longer remix and a third even longer intended to the dancefloors. Cox had also remixed "Désenchantée" on album RemixeS released in 2003, and "Peut-être toi". Two other remixes were produced and broadcast : a techno remix with a slow ryhthm, 'CQFD R.club', by Syd, who had already remixed two Farmer's other songs respectively in 2003 and 2005 ("Libertine" and "Fuck Them All"), and an electronic and slow remix, 'rodin's extended club mix', by Liquid Twins who had taken part in a remix of "L'Amour n'est rien..."[1]
Finally, the single was released in three editions (CD single, CD maxi, 7" maxi) on June 4, two months after it first broadcasting on radio.[2] There was a printing error for the maxi vinyl : indeed, a share was engraved on both sides with songs that are not those of Farmer.[3]
The song is the fourth track on the studio album. It was sung at the time of the 2006 Farmer's tour, and is also present on the live album Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy (track 8, CD 1, 6:58).
[edit] Music and lyrics
Like "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces", this song deals with a theme related to sexuality while pretending to talk about intelligence : indeed, Farmer says that she loves her lover for his IQ ('Q.I.' in French), but this acronym becomes a pretext for many equivocal puns which are similar to those in the song "Con c'est con ces conséquences", written by Serge Gainsbourg for Jane Birkin. The refrain "evokes caresses and sexual intercourse".[4] Thus, the song's lyrics "mix sex and intellect with the way in which the women consider physical love".[5] As a result, "QI" was often seen as a "mischievously erotic" song.[6]
[edit] Music video
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The music video was shot in Budapest (Hungary) by Benoît Lestang, a make up specialist - who had worked for Giorgino in 1993 - and scenarist in several French films (La Cité des enfants perdus, Le Hussard sur le toit, Le Pacte des loups, Arsène Lupin...). He had also created the doll which features in the videoclip "Sans contrefaçon".[7]
The screenplay, very simple, was written by Mylène Farmer. This man who appears in it is Rafael Amargo (pseudonym used by Jesus Rafael Garcia Hernandez), a Spanish dancer and choreographer born in 1975.[7]
In the music video, Farmer appears on a giant screen laid out on a building in a big city under the rain. At the same time, a man in his apartment looks at the screen and touches it through the wet window pane. Then Farmer is in his apartment, wearing net stockings and needle heels, and sat on a leather armchair. She looks at the man who is reading a book near to her. With her heels, she starts to take off the man's shirt and he eventually ends up stripped to the waist. Behind a blue pane, they begin together a choreography of which only the shades are shown. Then, sat on a bed in the library, the singer clasps the man and makes love with him. She passes her hands in the man's back and buries them under his skin. The images of the choreography intersect the videoclip until the end. At the end of the song, the screen goes off.[8]
According to Caroline Bee, "in this video the whole influence of David Cronenberg on Benoît Lestang's work can be found".[9]
Many Farmer's fans were disappointed seeing the videoclip, which was broadcast for the first time on June 29.[7]
[edit] Critical reception
According to a French newspaper, "Q.I" is one of the songs that emerge from the album Avant que l'ombre..., adding however that it has a "catchy melody", but "words a little facile".[10] Platine considered that "Q.I" is a song whose text is "tasty", but also "as violent as "Fuck Them All"", while the "up-tempo music is also very effective".[11]
[edit] Chart performance
In France, the single debuted on July 2 at number 77, two days before its official release because some stores already sold it. As all the Farmer's singles since "L'Âme-stram-gram", "Q.I" entered in the top 10. Indeed, the following week, it made an enormous jump to #7, its peak position, with 20,551 sales. After that, the single kept on dropping and remained for eight weeks in the top 50 and 18 weeks on the chart.[12] According to IFOP, it was the 99th best selling single in 2005.[13]
In Switzerland, "Q.I" went to #33, its best position, on July 17, before dropping very quickly. It left the chart after it tenth week, on September 25.[14]
All merged countries, the single obtained its peak position in the Belgian (Wallonia) Ultratop Singles Chart[15] where it reached #4 on July 23, before debuting at 8 the preceding week. It stayed five weeks in the top 10 and eleven weeks in the chart. On 2005 annual chart, "Q.I" ranked number 50.[16]
In 2005, it was also the eleventh francophone song the more broadcast worldwide.[2]
[edit] Formats and track listings
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[edit] Versions
- Official versions
| Version | Length | Album | Remixed by | Year | Comment[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Album / Single version | 5:20 | Avant que l'ombre... | 2005 | See the previous sections | |
| Radio edit | 3:55 | Laurent Boutonnat | 2005 | The musical bridge and some refrains are deleted. The song ends in fade-out. | |
| Instrumental | 5:20 | Laurent Boutonnat | 2005 | All lyrics, even vocals, are deleted. | |
| Sanctuary's radio edit | 4:10 | Chris Cox | 2005 | This dance remix, devoted to the discothèques, is faster and more dynamic than the album version. There are numerous "Ton Q.I, mon cul est, ton Q.I, C.Q.F.D" throughout the song. | |
| Sanctuary's edit club mix | 8:27 | Chris Cox | 2005 | This dance and techno remix is the same as the 'sanctuary's radio edit', but it is longer. | |
| Sanctuary's club remix | 10:55 | Chris Cox | 2005 | This dance and techno remix is the same as the 'sanctuary's edit club mix', but it is longer. | |
| CQFD R.club | 5:00 | Syd | 2005 | This is an acid techno remix with many electronic sounds. | |
| Rodin's extended club mix | 4:58 | Liquid Twins | 2005 | This is an electronic version which contains the whole of lyrics from the original version. | |
| Live version (recorded in 2006) | 6:58 | 2006 | See Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy (tour) |
- Unofficial mentionable fan remixes[17]
- Axl C. mon QL mix (7:50)
- Unfinished deranged remix (5:59)
- Bunnyz instrumental mix (3:28)
- DiGital's mono pleasure streap remix extended version (8:40)
[edit] Credits and personnel
- Text : Mylène Farmer
- Music : Laurent Boutonnat
- Editions : Requiem Publishing
- Recording company : Polydor
- Photo : Dominique Issermann
- Design : Henry Neu
[edit] Charts, certifications, sales
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[edit] References
- ^ "Q.I", versions Mylene.net (Retrieved December 17, 2007)
- ^ a b "Q.I" Mylenefarmeriscalled.net (Retrieved December 17, 2007)
- ^ "Mylène Farmer, l'icône", Jukebox, n°253, p. 8 Devant-soi.com (Retrieved May 13, 2008)
- ^ a b Le Dictionnaire des Chansons de Mylène Farmer, Benoît Cachin, 2006, Tournon Ed., p. 215-218
- ^ "Q.I", lyrics and analysis Mylenefarmeriscalled.net (Retrieved December 17, 2007)
- ^ "Ouest France", April 5, 2005, "Dans le monde sensuel de Mylène Farmer", Michel Troadec Devant-soi.com (Retrieved March 20, 2008)
- ^ a b c "Q.I", videoclip Mylene.net (Retrieved December 17, 2007)
- ^ "Q.I", videoclip Jukebo.fr.com (Retrieved May 14, 2008)
- ^ Mylène Farmer - La part d'ombre, Caroline Bee, Antoine Bioy & Benjamin Thiry, 2005, Archipel Ed., p. 282,283
- ^ "Le Mylène Farmer code", Thierry Coljon, April 2005 Mfarmer.org (Retrieved February 1, 2008)
- ^ "Platine", No. 121 Devant-soi.com (Retrieved March 20, 2008)
- ^ a b "Q.I", French SNEP Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved December 17, 2007)
- ^ a b 2005 French Singles Chart Ifop.com (Retrieved December 17, 2007)
- ^ a b "Q.I", Swiss Top 100 Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved December 17, 2007)
- ^ a b "Q.I", Belgian (Wallonia) Ultratop 40 Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved January 3, 2007)
- ^ a b 2006 Belgian Singles Chart Skynet.be (Retrieved December 17, 2007)
- ^ Mentionable fan remixes Libnet.wuggleworld.com
- ^ Euro 200 Apcchart.com (Retrieved May 17, 2008)
- ^ "Q.I", French SNEP Download Singles Chart Ifop.com (Retrieved December 17, 2007)
- ^ Russian Airplay Chart Tophit.ru (Retrieved December 19, 2007)
- ^ 2005 best selling singles Fanofmusic.free.fr (Retrieved December 17, 2007)
- ^ 2005 weely selling singles Chartinfrance.net (Retrieved December 17, 2007)
