Désenchantée

"Désenchantée"
Single by Mylène Farmer
from the album L'Autre...
Released 18 March 1991
(see: release history)
Format 7" single, 12" maxi, CD maxi, digital download (since 2005)
Recorded 1991
Genre Europop, freestyle
Length 5:22
Label Polydor
Writer(s) Lyrics: Mylène Farmer
Music: Laurent Boutonnat
Producer(s) Laurent Boutonnat
Certification Gold France, 1991
Mylène Farmer singles chronology
"Plus grandir (live mix)"
(1990)		 "Désenchantée"
(1991)		 "Regrets"
(1991)
Alternative cover
12" maxi
L'Autre... track listing
"Aguns dei"
(1)		 "Désenchantée"
(2)		 "L'Autre"
(3)

"Désenchantée" (pronounced: [dezɑ̃ʃɑ̃te]; English: "Disenchanted") is a 1991 song recorded by the French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. First single from her third studio album L'Autre..., it was released on 18 March 1991 and achieved great success in France, topping the charts for more than two months. It was Farmer's most successful song and is generally considered her signature song.

In 2002, the song was successfully covered by Kate Ryan, who reached number one in Belgium.

Mylène Farmer version

Background and writing

After a two-year absence from the media, Farmer launched this new single "Désenchantée" on 18 March 1991, three weeks before the release of the album L'Autre.... At the time, many demonstrations were organized by students throughout France to protest against their status and conditions for learning, and the Gulf War was raging. The pessimistic lyrics of the song strongly echoed the feelings toward worldwide events and thus certainly contributed to its success. According to the sound engineer, Thierry Rogen, "Désenchantée" was recorded four times. Boutonnat originally wanted a jerky song with techno influences, but Rogen convinced him to add drums and a more funk sound.[1] The text was inspired by the 1934 book On the Heights of Despair by the Romanian philosopher Emil Cioran.

Very quickly, the song achieved great success in France, becoming Farmer's biggest hit. As a result, the song was also released in other countries including Canada, UK, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Australia and Japan. There were many formats for this song.

Lyrics and music

"Désenchantée" has a melodious tune, and its lyrics have "unexpected hyphenate which dissect the phrases in small sections". This song also has "a very dancing rhythmic color" thanks to the chords played on the piano in the introduction, the bright and chiseled percussion or vocals (performed by Debbie Davis and Carole Fredericks) which bring out the refrain.[2] In the lyrics, the singer expresses her great lucidity on the absurdity of the world and discusses topics related to the existentialism.[3]

Music video

The music video was produced by Requiem Publishing and Heathcliff SA and directed by Laurent Boutonnat, who also wrote the script. Shot for five days (from 18 to 23 February 1991) in Budapest, Hungary, with a budget of about 240,000 euros, this video was one of the longest at the time (10:12) and used many extras: 119 children and many Hungarian actors such as Erika Francz Jánosné. There is another version shortened to four minutes. The video for the single features a riot in what appears to be a concentration camp or gulag facility[4] where adults and children are subjected to forced labor and being treated abysmally by armed guards. The riot scenes are quite realistically shot and contain much violence. The anthem-like song goes well with the visual background. According to French magazine Instant-Mag, this music video has a fairly similar structure to that of "Tristana". It has a gloomy story, an ambiguous ending, allows various interpretations, and deals with the theme of messianism. Farmer "symbolically embodies the spirit of freedom". The final scene is inspired by the 1830 painting La Liberté guidant le peuple by Eugène Delacroix.[5]

The music video is included on the videos albums L'Autre and Music Videos I.

Promotion and performances on tours

During the shooting of the music video, Farmer also gave a lengthy interview to French television host Laurent Boyer, in Budapest. The interview was later aired on M6, on 7 April 1991.[6] Farmer also performed the song live on Studio 22, broadcast on the radio RTL on 15 May 1991.[3]

In 1991, Farmer appeared on five television shows to promote the songs: Sacrée soirée (17 April, TF1), La Une est à vous (20 April, TF1), Stars 90 (13 May, TF1; Farmer also sang "L'Autre"), Tous à la une (31 May, TF1) and Riva del Garda (Rai Uno, September). On these occasions, Farmer had short hair (as in the music video) and wore white clothes. The performances were accompanied by a choreographed collective dance.[7]

The song was performed on the 1996 tour, the Mylenium Tour, the 2006 tour à Bercy, 2009 tour and the Timeless tour.

Critical reception

"Désenchantée" was the most aired song on radio in 1991 and was also the song that brought the most money in 1991, 1992, and 2006, according to the SACEM.[8]

The single debuted on the French Single Chart at number 12 on 13 April 1991 and reached number one two weeks after. There it stayed for nine consecutive weeks. After that, the single fell, but slowly, and managed to remain for eighteen weeks in the top ten and for 25 weeks on the chart. The song has the second longest chart trajectory of all Farmer's singles in the top 50.[9] It was the best-selling single by a woman in France and was certified Gold disc by the SNEP.[10] The song was also a huge success in Belgium where it reached number one, in the Netherlands (number three), and in Canada where it was a top nine hit.

In the other countries where it was released, "Désenchantée" achieved moderate success. In Switzerland, the single peaked at number 23 on 9 February 1992.[11] In Austria, the single charted for eleven weeks, from 11 August to 20 October 1991, reaching a peak of number 16 on 29 September.[12] In Germany, the song only ranked at number 46.[13]

Cover versions

The song was covered by many artists, including :

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of single releases of "Désenchantée":[18]

  • 7" single - France, Germany
  • 12" maxi - France
  • CD single - Japan
No. Title Length
1. "Désenchantée" (single version)  
2. "Désenchantée" (chaos mix)  
  • CD maxi - France, Germany, Canada1, Australia
No. Title Length
1. "Désenchantée" (single remix)  
2. "Désenchantée" (club mix)  
3. "Désenchantée" (chaos mix)  
  • Cassette, double length - France, Canada (promo)
No. Title Length
1. "Désenchantée" (single version)  
2. "Désenchantée" (club remix)  
  • 12" maxi, double length - Promo - France
No. Title Length
1. "Désenchantée" (single version)  

  • 12" maxi - Germany, Canada2
No. Title Length
1. "Désenchantée" (club remix)  
2. "Désenchantée" (chaos mix)  
  • 12" maxi - Promo - English version - Canada
No. Title Length
1. "Désenchantée" (club remix)  
2. "Désenchantée" (chaos mix)  
3. "Désenchantée" (single version)  
  • 7" single - Promo - United Kingdom
No. Title Length
1. "Désenchantée" (edited version)  
2. "Désenchantée" (single version)  
  • 7" single - Promo - Italy
No. Title Length
1. "Senza una donna" (by Zucchero)  
2. "Désenchantée" (single version)  

1 French promo and English promo versions
2 Mainstream and promo versions

Official versions

Version Length Album Remixed by Year Comment[3]
Album version 5:22 L'Autre... — 1991 See the previous sections
Single version 4:45 — — 1991 The musical bridge is shortened.
Chaos mix (short version) 4:10 — Laurent Boutonnat, Thierry Rogen 1991 This dance version is fast and begins with the sound of thunder.
Chaos mix (extended version) 6:50 — Laurent Boutonnat, Thierry Rogen 1991 Various sounds are added to the music. Farmer's voice is very mixed at the end of this remix.
Edited version 3:55 — — 1991 The musical bridge is entirely deleted.
Remix club 8:10 Dance Remixes Laurent Boutonnat, Thierry Rogen 1991 The song begins with the sounds of children in a playground, and then with a musical introduction in which the words "génération", "désenchantée" and "tout est chaos" are sampled. The music is accelerated and the bridge is extended.
Live version (recorded in 1996) 8:15 Live à Bercy — 1996 This version is very dynamic. See 1996 tour
Live version (recorded in 2000) 7:12 Mylenium Tour — 2000 This version has techno sonorities. See Mylenium Tour
Album version 5:00 Les Mots — 2001 The musical bridge is shortened.
Thunderpuss club anthem 10:04 RemixeS Thunderpuss 2003 This dance/techno version has a musical introduction which lasts about 2:30.
Live version (recorded in 2006) 6:42 Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy — 2006 See Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy (tour)
Live version
(recorded in 2009) 		7:42 N°5 on Tour — 2009 See Mylène Farmer en tournée
Live version
(recorded in 2013) 		7:04 Timeless 2013 — 2013 See Mylène Farmer en tournée

Credits and personnel

Charts, certifications and sales

Peak positions

Chart (1991) Peak
position
Austrian Singles Chart[12] 16
Belgian (Flanders) Ultratop Chart[19] 18
Belgian VRT Top 30[20] 23
Canadian Singles Chart 9
Dutch Top 40[21] 18
French SNEP Singles Chart[9] 1
German Singles Chart[13] 46
Swiss Singles Chart[11] 23

End of year charts

Chart (1991) Position
French Singles Chart 2

Sales

Country Certification Date Sales certified Physical sales
France[10] Gold 1991 500,000 800,000[22] - 1,300,000[23]

Successions

Preceded by
"Wind of Change" by Scorpions		 French SNEP number-one single
27 April 1991 - 22 June 1991 (9 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Auteuil, Neuilly, Passy (rap BCBG)" by Les Inconnus

Kate Ryan cover version

"Désenchantée"
Single by Kate Ryan
from the album Different
Released 20 June 2002
Format CD single, CD maxi
Recorded 2002
Genre Eurodance
Length 3:37
Label Universal, Antler-Subway
Writer(s) Text: Mylène Farmer
Music: Laurent Boutonnat
Producer(s) Phil Wilde, AJ Duncan (main version)
Paris Avenue (2009 remix)
Kate Ryan singles chronology
"UR (My Love)"
(2001)		 "Désenchantée"
(2002)		 "Mon cœur résiste encore"
(2002)

In 2002, Belgian singer Kate Ryan released her eurodance style version of "Désenchantée" as the third single from her debut album Different, released in the same year. This version was successful in several European countries.

In 2009, the song was remastered and remixed by Paris Avenue, with dance/electronic style. The remix was included in Ryan's greatest hits album French Connection.

Track listings

CD single
No. Title Length
1. "Désenchantée" (radio edit) 3:38
2. "Désenchantée" (extended mix) 8:27
CD maxi
No. Title Length
1. "Désenchantée" (radio edit) 3:38
2. "Désenchantée" (extended mix) 8:27
3. "Désenchantée" (club version) 8:12

Certifications

Country Certification Date Sales certified
Belgium[24] 2x Platinum 29 June 2002 100,000
France[25] Silver 14 August 2002 125,000
Germany[26] Gold 2003 100,000
Sweden[27] Gold 18 February 2003 10,000

Chart performances

In Belgium (Flanders), the single went directly into the top ten, which happens not very often in this chart, then it reached number one in the third week and stayed there for six weeks. Then it dropped very slowly and even spent ten weeks in the top three and twenty weeks in the top ten. After 27 weeks on the chart, it fell off the top 50. This chart running was the very best for Kate Ryan in this country. The single also reached number one in the Belgian dance chart.

The single was also very successful in other European countries, such as Germany, Austria and Norway, where it reached the top three of the singles chart and stayed for several weeks in the top ten. It had the best chart performances of all of Ryan's singles ever.

Chart (2002/03) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[28] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[29] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[30] 14
Denmark (Tracklisten)[31] 12
France (SNEP)[32] 12
Germany (Official German Charts)[33] 2
Hungary (Mahasz)[34] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[35] 2
Norway (VG-lista)[36] 3
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[37] 7
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[38] 4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[39] 11
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) 92
End of year chart (2002) Position
Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart[40] 2
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[41] 48
Dutch Top 40[42] 3
French Airplay Chart[43] 100
French TV Music Videos Chart[43] 41
French Singles Chart[44] 74
End of year chart (2003) Position
Austrian Singles Chart[45] 32
Swedish Singles Chart[46] 50

Preceded by
"Whenever, Wherever" by Shakira		 Belgian (Flanders) number-one single
20 April 2002 - 25 May 2002 (6 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Dance With Me" by 112

References

  1. ↑ Instant-Mag, No. 14, 2003, p. 9
  2. ↑ Habib, Elia. Muz hit. tubes (in French). Aliéna Bis. p. 207. ISBN 2-9518832-0-X.
  3. 1 2 3 Cachin, Benoît (2006). Le Dictionnaire des Chansons de Mylène Farmer (in French). Tournon. pp. 85–91. ISBN 2-35144-000-5.
  4. ↑ Instant-Mag, No. 20, 2005, p. 9
  5. ↑ Instant-Mag, No. 15, 2003, p. 12-16
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ ""Désenchantée", television performances" (in French). Sans-logique. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  8. ↑ Chuberre, Erwan (2007). L'Intégrale Mylène Farmer (in French). City. pp. 101–02. ISBN 978-2-35288-108-7.
  9. 1 2 ""Désenchantée", French Singles Chart" (in French). Lescharts. Retrieved 5 January 2008.
  10. 1 2 "Singles certifications in France, database" (in French). Infodisc. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  11. 1 2 ""Désenchantée", Swiss Singles Chart" (in German). Hitparade. Retrieved 5 January 2008.
  12. 1 2 ""Désenchantée", Austrian Singles Chart" (in German). Austriancharts. Retrieved 5 January 2008.
  13. 1 2 "German Singles Chart, database" (in German). Charts-surfer. Archived from the original on 29 October 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2008.
  14. ↑ ""Désenchantée", by Lio" (in French). Sans-logique. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  15. ↑ ""Désenchantée", by Liloo" (in French). Sans logique. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  16. ↑ ""Désenchantée", by Pascal Obispo and Zazie" (in French). Lescharts. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  17. ↑ ""Désenchantée", by Christer Björkman" (in French). Sans-logique. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  18. ↑ "Mylène Farmer - "Désenchantée" - Supports" (in French). Mylene.net. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  19. ↑ "Mylène Farmer — "Désenchantée", Belgian (Flanders) Ultratop Chart" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  20. ↑ "Radio 2 Top 30 - Songs details". VRT Top 30 (in German). Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  21. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40, week 30, 1991" (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 April 2009.
  22. ↑ Royer, 2008, p. 354.
  23. ↑ Quid 1993
  24. ↑ "Belgian certifications" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  25. ↑ "French certifications" (in French). Disqueenfrance. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  26. ↑ "Kate Ryan" (in German).)
  27. ↑ "Swedish certifications" (PDF) (in Swedish). Ifpi. Retrieved 17 May 2009.)
  28. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Kate Ryan – Désenchantée" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  29. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kate Ryan – Désenchantée" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  30. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kate Ryan – Désenchantée" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  31. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Kate Ryan – Désenchantée". Tracklisten.
  32. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Kate Ryan – Désenchantée" (in French). Les classement single.
  33. ↑ "Musicline.de – Kate Ryan Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  34. ↑ "Hungarian Airplay Chart" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
  35. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Kate Ryan search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  36. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Kate Ryan – Désenchantée". VG-lista.
  37. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Kate Ryan – Désenchantée" Canciones Top 50.
  38. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Kate Ryan – Désenchantée". Singles Top 100.
  39. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Kate Ryan – Désenchantée". Swiss Singles Chart.
  40. ↑ "2002 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  41. ↑ "2002 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  42. ↑ "Single top 100 over 2002" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  43. 1 2 "2002 French Airplay and TV Music Video Charts" (in French). Yacast. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  44. ↑ "2002 French Singles Chart" (in French). Disqueenfrance. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  45. ↑ "2003 Austrian Singles Chart" (in German). Austriancharts. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  46. ↑ "2003 Swedish Singles Chart".

External links

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