Gourmandises

Gourmandises
Studio album by Alizée
Released	21 November 2000 (France) 13 March 2001 (Worldwide)
Recorded	June–September 2000 Studio Guillaume Tell, Suresnes
Genre	Pop, French pop
Length	44:23
Label	Universal, Polydor
Producer	Laurent Boutonnat, Mylène Farmer
Alizée chronology
Gourmandises (2000) Mes Courants Électriques (2003)
Singles from Gourmandises
"Moi... Lolita" Released: 4 July 2000 "L'Alizé" Released: December 2000 "Parler tout bas" Released: April 2001 "Gourmandises" Released: August 2001

Gourmandises (English: Delicacies) is the debut studio album by French recording artist Alizée, released worldwide on March 13, 2001 by Polydor Records. It was certified double platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) on December 2001, denoting shipments in plus of a 1 000 000 copies in Europe^[1]

Four singles were released from the album, including global top-five hits "Moi... Lolita"', "L'Alizé"' and Gourmandises. In order to support Gourmandises and her following album, Alizée embarked on the En Concert Tour in 2003 within her next successful studio album Mes courants electriques. Critics and scholars have noted the album's influence on popular music, especially how it helped bring electronic music into pop culture.^[2]

Upon release, the album received acclaim and was lauded by critics as a masterpiece in the contemporary French Pop repertory. Reviewers commended the singer's musical direction by her mentors; the singe's vocals were also praised.

The singer and the album where honored by the highest accolade given by SACEM, the Prix Vincent Scotto in 2002. The NRJ Music Awards, M6 and many others media and music intitutions price and nominate the singer, including her nomination to the Victoires de la Musique in the "Revelation Singer of the Year" category. It is also Alizée won in early 2002 the World Music Award for Best French exporter (more than 4 million records worldwide in an album).^[3]

Background & Composition

The singer showed a lot of talent and very beautiful voice the Alizée's group start in record her debut album at the half of 2000, musically, the album is a World music, Pop, Chanson Française and Dance music record, yet, it incorporates strong elements of electronic music and sweet-mellows sounds of pop within its composition. Additionally, it incorporates several genres and subgenres, including techno, trip hop, drum and bass, ambient, rock and classical music. Vocally, the album saw Alizée sing using greater breadth and a fuller tone.^[4]

Developement

After Alizée's participation in the Graines de Star show where her meet Mylène Farmer and Laurent Boutonnat was invited to record a single with them a their group. In July of the same year was released the worldwide successful single Moi... Lolita, the singer start been a sensation to came in a phenomenon in France the nation was in the speciation of see her idol, to December of the same year was released her second single L'Alizé coming same successful in the single is described the origin of her name and her what means to her wind, for the official ralease date of the album "Moi... Lolita" and "L'Alizé"^[5] reached in the number one in France and other worldwide top lists doing the Gourmandises release total World success, in the only country that Alizée phenomenon not come in a hit was in USA, the experts says that this was the moment of the Britney Spears, P!nk and Christina Aguilera phenomenon in America, for the Gourmandises release date the singer it was named like the Europop Queen by the NRJ Radio.^[2][6] After three months was released the thirth single in that moment Parler tout bas a ballad song showing the high vocal range of the singer and reaching the number one on French romantic radio stations. Gourmandises was released in May onf 2001 being the last one of the album, had a good sale level and diffusion by the worldwide radio.

For the end of the year the singer was priced by the M6, the NRJ Radio, it was a and it was nominated for the Victoires de la Musique, also she was awarded and nomenee for many prices and recognitions. To the next year Alizée remained a phenomenon receiving the World Music Award by the IFPI for her high level of sales. In 2003 Alizée was preparing her next album release and for then finally her receive a very special award by SACEM the most prestigious recognition given for the institution the Prix Vincent Sotto.^[6]

Singles

"Moi... Lolita" was the first extract from the album was released as her debut single in 4 July 2000. It was popular in France, Spain, Belgium, Georgia, Austria, the Netherlands, Lebanon, Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Greece, Italy, Germany, Poland, Denmark, United Kingdom and many more countries.^[7] "L'Alizé" was released as the second single of the album. Released in December 2000, it featured the song "L'alizé" as well as an instrumental version of it. Later two limited editions followed, which featured four remixes. The song became a hit particularly in France where it reached number-one for two weeks. "Parler tout bas" was the third single by Alizée released in April 2001. It featured an instrumental rendition of the song in addition to Alizée's solo rendering. Gourmandises is a song by Alizée, released in 2001. Like Alizée's previous singles, this too features a single version and an instrumental rendering.

Promotional singles

Trivia

• "JBG" stands for James Bond Girl,^[8] a reference to the popular film series. The song's opening is reminiscent of the James Bond Theme.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	Positive[9]
The Daily Princetonian	Positive[10]
Popjustice	[11]
SACEM/SNEP	Very Positive
Jenesaispop (Spain)	Acclaim[12]

Gourmandises from its release received positive reviews from contemporary critic.

Agree with the criticism was a very good album arguing who Alizée it was develops her talent and make the Mylène Farmer and Laurent Boutonnat's protected a musical machine with a sweet but strong voice incorporating strong elements of electronic music and sweet-mellows sounds of pop music. And reserving to the critics and her public waiting for more than the singer.

In 2013 the press start to make articles about the album again for the buzz that the French diva was making on the release of her fifth album 5 and with the critical acclaim for that record, referring to Gourmandises as a pop masterpiece of the contemporary music, calling it a "classic" of the 2000s decade and of the new millennium, arguing that this articles are for put the album where have to be, in the music history.

Legacy

Her debut album Gourmandises raise the singer to top worldwide fame, in three months the album sold 700,000 copies in France and plus of 1,000,000 only in Europe.^[1] In early 2001, she won the NRJ Music Awards for Francophone Revelation after she won an M6 Award in late 2000. It is also named in a similar category to the Victoires de la Musique, Alizée won in early 2002 the World Music Award for Best French exporter (more than 4 million records worldwide in an album).^[3]

Though the debut single, "Moi... Lolita" released in July 4 of 2000. "Moi... Lolita", generated lot of buzz internationally, and the album was launched internationally to great applause and critical acclaim, and a great total international success. This single is listed as the 31st best selling single in the history of France. Also with in the Lolita success was released the "L'Alizé", this single claim in the number one of the French charts for many weeks. Thanks to the overtly Lolita marketing of the single, and consequently, this album, it became a huge hit, and Alizée became a national obsession in France.

This both singles are listed on top of the French Top 100 singles of the 2000s and List of best-selling singles in France history respectively.^[14][15] In the same year Le Figaro newspaper announced as Alizée's music was the top earning rentable French music of the year thanks in part for Farmer and Boutonnat's collaboration, which earned 10.4 million €.^[16][17]

In the same year Le Figaro newspaper announced as Alizée's music was the top earning rentable French music of the year thanks in part for Farmer and Boutonnat's collaboration, which earned 10.4 million €.^[16][17] It was also certified platinum in Europe, double gold in Belgium and platinum in Switzerland.

Track list

All lyrics written by Mylène Farmer with the help of Alizée talking about herself, what her likes, doubts and desires, all music composed by Laurent Boutonnat.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Moi... Lolita"	4:27
2.	"Lui ou toi"	4:18
3.	"L'Alizé"	4:18
4.	"J.B.G"	4:00
5.	"Mon maquis"	5:44
6.	"Parler tout bas"	4:42
7.	"Veni vedi vici"	4:22
8.	"Abracadabra"	4:08
9.	"Gourmandises"	4:15
10.	"À quoi rêve une jeune fille"	4:09

Personnel

Credits adapted from Gourmandises liner notes.

Alizée: Vocals, backing vocals (all songs) Laurent Boutonnat: keyboards, programming Bernard Paganotti: bass guitar Slim Pezin: guitar Matthieu Rabaté: drums Ann Calvert: chorus (J.B.G and Veni, vedi, vinci) Emeline Chetaud: assistant to Laurent Boutonnat Engineered by Jérôme Devoise & Didier Lozahic

Assistant engineers: Stéphane Briand & Denis Caribaux Mixed by Didier Lozahic ("Lui ou toi" to "À quoi rêve une jeune fille") Mixed by Bertrand Châtenet ("Moi... Lolita") Mastered by Bruno Gruel & André Perriat at Top Master, Paris Executive producer: Paul Van Parys for Requiem Publishing L.B.: photography Henry Neu for Com'N.B: cover design

Charts and Sales

The album was considered a total commercial success. In France with only a week of sales the album debuted on tenth place on the French Top 100 Albums Chart. Reach the number 1 of the charts in the ninth week being on the top all that weeks in a month of the release the album it was certified platinum with plus of 300 000. In Europe was happening something similar, with the Moi... Lolita success Alizée made a buzz in all Europe, the album start under the European chart lists reaching in the most part of them on the top 25. In France the singer was still being a phenomenon about three months the album sold more of 700 000, until the France success Alizée was still on the promotion of the album around the world. After being on the French charts all the year on the top positions made a second appear on the first five positions in that moment the singer, double gold in Belgium, platinum in Europe and certified and reached on top positions in many countries, for the 2002 the album was still on the top charts and for that moment the album was certified double platinum in France.

Weekly charts

Chart (2000–02) Peak position Austrian Albums Chart[18] 40 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[18] 7 Chinese Albums Chart[19] 18 Dutch Albums Chart[18] 36 Finnish Albums Chart[18] 26 French Albums Chart[18][20] 1 German Albums Chart[21] 29 Hungarian Albums Chart[1] 23 Italian Albums Chart[22] 27 Japanese Albums Chart[23] 40 Polish Albums Chart[24] 13 Russian Albums Chart[19] 9 South Korean Albums Chart[19] 4 Spanish Albums Chart[19] 22 Swiss Albums Chart[18] 27

Certifications Region Certification Belgium 2×Gold[25] France 2x Platinum[20] Switzerland Platinum[26] Europe Platinum[1]

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format
France	28 November 2000	Polydor	CD
United Kingdom			CD
France	3 December 2000		CD
			CD/DVD
			Vinyl
Switzerland			CD
Belgium
Europe	16 January 2001
Germany	12 February 2001		CD
Asia	10 April 2001		CD
Canada	25 June 2001	Universal Republic	CD/DVD

See also

• List of best-selling albums in France

References

External links

• Alizée Discogs discography

v t e Alizée Discography Awards & Nominations Studio albums Gourmandises Mes Courants Électriques Psychédélices Une enfant du siècle 5 Compilation albums Tout Alizée Live albums Alizée En Concert Singles "Moi... Lolita" "L'Alizé" "Parler tout bas" "Gourmandises" "J'en ai marre !" "J'ai pas vingt ans" "À contre-courant" "Mademoiselle Juliette" "Fifty-Sixty" "La Isla Bonita" "Les collines (Never Leave You)" "Limelight" "À cause de l'automne" "Je veux bien" Featured singles "Des Ricochets" "Clara veut la Lune" "Dear Darlin'" Tours En Concert Tour Psychédélices Tour Television Danse avec les stars Related soundtracks A Good Year Record companies Polydor Records Requiem Publishing Universal Music Group Sony BMG Wisteria Song Jive Epic Institutibles RCA Records Sony Music Entertainment Book