L'Instant X
"L'Instant X" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Mylène Farmer | ||||
from the album Anamorphosée | ||||
B-side | "Alice (Arachnostring Version)" | |||
Released | 12 December 1995 | |||
Recorded | 1995, Los Angeles | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 4:44 (album version) = 4:10 (single version) | |||
Polydor | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Lyrics: Mylène Farmer Music: Laurent Boutonnat | |||
Producer(s) | Laurent Boutonnat | |||
Mylène Farmer singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
2003 version by One-T |
"L'Instant X" (English: "The X Moment") is a 1995 song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer. It was the second single from her fourth album Anamorphosée and was released on 12 December 1995. Directed by Marcus Nispel in New York, the music video humorously depicts the apocalypse and shows Farmer bathing in foam. The song became the biggest hit from the album, reaching number six in France. In January 2004, the song was the subject of a remix produced by One-T and was released as promotional single.
Backgroung and writing
After the mixed success of her single "XXL" and the relatively poor chart performances of the Anamorphosée album, Farmer decided to release a second single, "L'Instant X", for the Christmas period. The song's title comes from an expression in the first verse. The chorus is a callback to Tino Rossi's Christmas song "Petit Papa Noël", as in the lyrics Farmer scans, in jerky syllabes[clarification needed], "Papa Noël, quand tu descendras du ciel...", which are also the lyrics of the chorus in Rossi's song.[1]
For the first time throughout Farmer's career, all the remixes available on the various formats were not produced exclusively by Laurent Boutonnat and his team: only two of them were made by Laurent Boutonnat and Bertrand Châtenet, while the other two, in a style closer to eurodance, were produced by Ramon Zenker. The 'Have an Instant X remix' was considered by French author Julien Rigal "probably one of the best remixes" outside Boutonnat's ones.[2] The second track on the CD single is a jazz-oriented remixed version of "Alice", another song from the Anamorphosée album. Unlike many of Farmer's singles, there is no instrumental version on the various formats. The image used on the cover was likely influenced by Ross Hunter's 1966 film Madame X.[3][4]
On 21 January 2004, the song was remixed by
Lyrics and music
As noted by author Erwan Chuberre, "L'Instant X" is different from Farmer's other songs because the singer uses a deeper voice than usual, and lyrics deal with things of everyday life, not romantic literary references.
Music video
As "
In this video, Farmer, wearing heavy make-up, is lying on a cloud, and frolics in the foam. Under the cloud, the city of New York, the Statue of Liberty, the Twin Towers and all the buildings are in turn covered with foam, symbolizing the apocalypse. The singer, who is outside of the disaster, seems to delight in this situation. However, the video ends by showing survivors who go off into the sunset.[12][13][14]
This video premiered on television on 17 December 1995 in the French show Déjà le retour; but in an early version in which only the singer appears.[7] It was not much appreciated by her fans, and Rigal considered the video "disappointing".[3] The foam in which Farmer rolls has been viewed as a symbol of orgasm, as it does in French literature,[15] and more frequently as a major cleanup before a new start.[16] About the video, Farmer said: "I wanted to retrace one day we can have, where everything goes wrong. It is a concentration of events as soon as we get up... and everything goes wrong again! And we expect that time and it often happens that in a day or, or in a month, at a time when all things come to concentrate a bit like a puzzle, and this is when all this time redounds upwards rather than downwards".[17][clarification needed]
Live performances
In late 1995, Farmer featured in two television shows to promote the song without singing; she was only interviewed on Studio Gabriel (14 December,
, which sparked a much bigger controversy in the USA seven years later)."L'Instant X" was first performed on stage on the 1996 tour. The hall was fully in the dark when the song began, and only Farmer, who wore a flesh-colored pants, was then in the light. She performed a very suggestive choreography with her female dancers, and moved throughout all the stage during the song.[22] The song was also performed during the 2009 Mylène Farmer en tournée tour, only in stadium venues, during the Black and White act. Farmer wore a white tutu and pinstripe trousers, the stage was fully dark with two lights on her, and the screens started showing "X's" and a countdown till she started singing.[23] Susie Davis, who previously worked with Patti Smith and Sinéad O'Connor, participated in the background vocals of this live version.[24]
Chart performances
In France, "L'Instant X" debuted at number 9 on 16 December 1995, and dropped the next three weeks. It reached again the top ten and peaked at number six on 20 January, and remained for eight weeks in the top ten and 20 weeks in the top 50. The single was the best-selling single from the Anamorphosée album, with the longest chart trajectory.[25] The song ranked 67th on the 1996 year-end chart.[26] According to Royer, the song "allowed the singer to reconnect with success and to set the groundwork for a comeback on stage".[27] In April 2018, the song was re-edited under new formats then re-entered the chart at number eight.[25]
"L'Instant X" remained for 21 weeks on the Belgian
In 2004, the remixed version by One-T was aired in Russia.
Cover versions
The song was covered by
B-side: "Alice"
The B-side of the CD single is a remixed version of another track of the album, "Alice" (this version appears as third track on the promotional CD maxi of "Comme j'ai mal" released in Germany, and under the name of 'new mix' as bonus on the Japan release of the album).
The song seems inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses. "Alice" is the personification of a spider to which Farmer speaks directly in the chorus. According to journalist Benoît Cachin, this arachnid is in the song "the friend of a depressive artist", and Farmer explained in an interview that it represents "the self-destruction that prevents the artist to create". The song includes neologisms and the meaning is often difficult to understand. In the verses, Farmer is whispering.[30]
The song has never been performed on television, but it was sung during the 1996 series of concerts at Bercy. Farmer was then seated on a giant metal spider that came down from heaven and slowly landed on the stage.[31]
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of single releases of "L'Instant X":[32]
- CD single[33]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "L'Instant X" (single version) | 4:10 |
2. | "Alice" (arachnostring version) | 5:20 |
- CD maxi[34]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "L'Instant X" (single version) | 4:10 |
2. | "L'Instant X" (santa's hard re-x-mix) | 6:00 |
3. | "L'Instant X" (Ramon Zenker club dub re-mix) | 5:26 |
4. | "L'Instant X" (have an Instant X mix) | 7:05 |
5. | "L'Instant X" (Ramon Zenker groove trop re-mix) | 5:39 |
- 12" maxi[35]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "L'Instant X" (santa's hard re-x-mix) | 6:00 |
2. | "L'Instant X" (have an Instant X mix) | 7:05 |
3. | "L'Instant X" (Ramon Zenker groove trop re-mix) | 5:26 |
4. | "L'Instant X" (Ramon Zenker club dub re-mix) | 5:39 |
- CD single - Promo[36]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "L'Instant X" (single version) | 4:25 |
- VHS - Promo[37]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "L'Instant X" (video) | 4:12 |
- 7" single / 7" maxi / 7" single - Promo
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "L'Instant X" (the X key - by One-T) |
Official versions
Version[38][39] | Length | Album | Remixed by | Year | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
"L'Instant X"[7] | |||||
Album version | 4:45 | Anamorphosée | — | 1995 | See the previous sections |
Single version | 4:10 | — | Laurent Boutonnat | 1995 | This version is shorter than the album one, with a fade-out end. |
Santa's hard re-x-mix | 6:00 | — | Laurent Boutonnat | 1995 | Laughs can be heard at the beginning of the song, the bell sounds were deleted, and only chorus and the first verse are retained in this version. |
Ramon Zenker groove trop re-mix | 5:26 | — | Ramon Zenker | 1995 | This is an electronic version which contains all the lyrics. |
Ramon Zenker club dub re-mix | 5:39 | — | Ramon Zenker | 1995 | This is a dance version which contains only "C'est l'instant X" and "Papa" as lyrics. |
Have an Instant X mix | 7:05 | — | Laurent Boutonnat | 1995 | This is the more dance remix of the song which contains many laughs and bell sounds. |
Music video | 5:18 | Music Videos II, Music Videos II & III | — | 1995 | |
Live version (recorded in 1996) |
9:36 (CD, video) 4:54 (cassette) |
Live à Bercy | — | 1996 | See 1996 Tour |
Album version | 4:45 | Les Mots
|
Laurent Boutonnat | 2001 | The last guitar riff is deleted. |
The X key mix | 3:43 | RemixeS
|
One-T | 2003 | This version adds different noises, including the sound of a revolver when Farmer is singing "Humeur killer". |
"Alice"[31] | |||||
Album version | 5:20 | Anamorphosée | — | 1995 | See the previous section |
Arachnostring version / New mix | 5:20 | — | Laurent Boutonnat | 1996 | Some scratchings are added and Farmer's voice ends in fade in. |
Live version (recorded in 1996) |
5:25 | Live à Bercy | — | 1996 | This version is almost identical to the album/arachnostring one. |
Credits and personnel
These are the credits and the personnel as they appear on the back of the single:[32][40]
- Mylène Farmer – lyrics
- Laurent Boutonnat – music
- Requiem Publishing – editions
- Polydor– recording company
- Herb Ritts – photo
- Com'N.B – design
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Release history
Region | Date | Format |
---|---|---|
France, Belgium, Switzerland | November 1995 | Promo CD single[36] |
12 December 1995 | CD single,[48] CD maxi,[49] 12" maxi[50] | |
21 January 2004 | 7" single |
References
- Bee, Caroline; Bioy, Antoine; Thiry, Benjamin (January 2006). Mylène Farmer, la part d'ombre (in French). L'Archipel. ISBN 2-84187-790-6.
- Cachin, Benoît (2006). Le Dictionnaire des Chansons de Mylène Farmer (in French). Tournon. ISBN 2-35144-000-5.
- Chuberre, Erwan (2007). L'Intégrale Mylène Farmer (in French). City. ISBN 978-2-35288-108-7.
- Chuberre, Erwan (2008). Mylène Farmer, phénoménale (in French). City. ISBN 978-2-35288-176-6.
- Chuberre, Erwan (18 June 2009). Mylène Farmer : Des mots sur nos désirs (in French). Alphée. ISBN 978-2-7538-0477-7.
- Rigal, Julien (September 2010). Mylène Farmer, la culture de l'inaccessibilité (in French). Premium. ISBN 978-2-35636-096-0.
- Royer, Hugues (2008). Mylène, biographie (in French). Spain: Flammarion. ISBN 978-2-35287-139-2.
- Violet, Bernard (2004). Mylène Farmer, biographie (in French). J'ai lu. ISBN 2-290-34916-X.
Notes
- ISBN 2-9518832-0-X.
- ^ a b Rigal, 2010, p. 88.
- ^ a b c Rigal, 2010, p. 89.
- ^ "Mylène Farmer - "L'Instant X" - Histoire du single" (in French). Mylene.net. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ^ Chuberre, 2008, pp. 180-81.
- ^ Bee, 2006, p. 40.
- ^ a b c d Cachin, 2006, pp. 130-34.
- ^ Royer, 2008, p. 257.
- ^ Royer, 2008, p. 279.
- ^ a b "Mylène Farmer - "L'Instant X" - Clip" (in French). Mylene.net. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ^ Royer, 2008, p. 159.
- ^ Violet, 2004, p. 176.
- ^ Rigal, Julien. "Clip "L'Instant X"" (in French). Sans-logique. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
- ^ Bee, 2006, p. 196.
- ^ Bee, Caroline; Brunet, Océane; Thiry, Benjamin; Parpette, Jennifer (2001). ""Fuck You" Acte 1". Instant-Mag (in French). 7. Pantin: Tear Prod: 6.
- ^ Chuberre, 2009, pp. 133-35.
- ^ Interview of Mylène Farmer, on Paris Première, by Paul Amar (in French). Dailymotion. 1996. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
- ^ Rigal, 2010, p. 90.
- ^ "Mylène Farmer - "L'Instant X" - TV" (in French). Mylene.net. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- ^ Chuberre, 2007, p. 166.
- ^ Royer, 2008, p. 291.
- ^ Rigal, 2010, p. 95.
- ^ Rigal, Julien. "Live à Bercy (1996) - Description du live" (in French). Sans-logique. Archived from the original on 31 October 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
- ^ Chuberre, 2008, p. 188.
- ^ a b c "Mylène Farmer — "L'Instant X", French Singles Chart" (in French). Lescharts. Retrieved 5 December 2007.
- Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the originalon 10 July 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
- ^ Royer, 2008, p. 144.
- ^ "Mylène Farmer — "L'Instant X", Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 3 January 2008.
- ^ "Rapports annuels 1996 — Singles" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 21 January 2008.
- ^ Cachin, 2006, p. 31.
- ^ a b Cachin, 2006, p. 32.
- ^ a b "Mylène Farmer - "L'Instant X" - Supports" (in French). Mylene.net. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- Polydor. 1995. 577 834-2.)
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: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - Polydor. 1995.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - ^ "Mylène Farmer - "L'Instant X" - Versions" (in French). Mylene.net. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- ^ "Mylène Farmer - "Alice" (versions, remixes)" (in French). Mylene.net. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ^ "Mylène Farmer - "L'Instant X" - Crédits" (in French). Mylene.net. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
- ^ "Mylène Farmer – L'Instant X" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "The Eurochart Hot 100 Singles (10 February 1996)". Music & Media. Archived from the original on 11 March 2005. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - Les classement single. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ Mylène Farmer — L'Instant X. TopHit. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "Top Radio Hits Russia Weekly Chart: Apr 22, 2004". TopHit. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Rapports annuels 1996" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the originalon 14 February 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ ""L'Instant X" [CD Single]" (in French). Amazon.fr. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ ""L'Instant X" [Single Maxi]" (in French). Amazon.fr. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ ""L'Instant X" [EP]" (in French). Amazon.fr. Retrieved 5 June 2011.