L'autre...
L'autre... is the third studio album by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer, released on 8 April 1991 by Polydor Records.[1] Primarily produced by Laurent Boutonnat with additional production by Thierry Rogen, the album consists of ten tracks blending pop, rock, and electronic elements, recorded and mixed at Studio Méga in France.[1] Its lead single, "Désenchantée", released on 18 March 1991, became Farmer's biggest hit to date, topping the French Singles Chart for nine weeks and achieving gold certification, having sold over one million units in France.[2][3] The album debuted at number one on the French Albums Chart, where it remained for ten weeks initially and totaled twenty weeks at the top position across its run, blocking major releases like R.E.M.'s Out of Time.[4] It sold 1.42 million copies in France by the end of 2015, earning a diamond certification from the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) for exceeding one million units in 1992, and remains Farmer's best-selling studio album.[4][5] Internationally, it performed well in Belgium and Switzerland, with platinum and gold certifications respectively, contributing to estimated worldwide sales of around two million copies.[6] Other singles from the album, including "L'Autre", "Régret", and "Je t'aime mélancolie", also reached the top ten in France, further boosting its success.[1] Critically, L'autre... received mixed reviews for its introspective and melancholic tone but was praised for its atmospheric production and Farmer's poetic lyrics exploring themes of disillusionment and existentialism.[7] The album solidified Farmer's status as a major figure in French pop music, known for her enigmatic persona and elaborate music videos directed by Boutonnat, which accompanied the singles and enhanced the project's cultural impact.[1]Background and production
Development
Following the success of her 1989 Tour 89, Mylène Farmer conceived the album L'autre... during a period of personal reflection, including travels to the United States where she sought a break from her professional life in Paris.[8] This post-tour phase also involved extensive reading, notably the complete works of philosopher Emil Cioran, whose explorations of existentialism, despair, and pessimism profoundly influenced her lyrical approach.[9] Farmer expressed particular admiration for Cioran's intellectual journey from nihilism to a form of resigned wisdom, which resonated with her evolving artistic perspective.[10] A key pre-production decision was Farmer's adoption of a shorter hairstyle, marking a deliberate reinvention from her previous long-haired, more provocative image to one emphasizing introspection and vulnerability. This change symbolized a shedding of her earlier persona, aligning with the album's thematic shift toward personal exposure.[11] The album cover, photographed by Marianne Rosenstiehl, features Farmer with a crow perched on her shoulder, evoking a protective yet ominous companion that embodies the album's concept of duality and the "other" self.[12] In a contemporary interview, Farmer explained the symbolism: "Le corbeau étant un oiseau de malheur ou de mauvais augure, et moi, je l'ai choisi comme quelqu'un de protecteur. Ce pourrait être l'autre."[13] Initial discussions between Farmer and longtime collaborator Laurent Boutonnat focused on transitioning to more socially conscious and introspective themes, departing from the fantasy and provocation of prior works like Ainsi soit je... (1988).[14] This evolution, informed by Farmer's stage experiences and readings, aimed to address broader disillusionment and human complexity, as seen in the album's emphasis on openness toward the undefined.[14]Recording process
The recording of L'autre... primarily occurred at Studio Méga in Paris throughout 1990, spanning about four months of intensive sessions that contributed to the album's overall six-month production timeline. This facility, owned by sound engineer Thierry Rogen, served as the central hub for capturing the album's layered soundscapes, with all tracks developed under the close collaboration between Rogen and producer Laurent Boutonnat.[15][6] Boutonnat, who composed the music for every song and handled arrangements, keyboards, programming, flutes, and harps (under the pseudonym Pol Ramirez del Piu), directed the process to blend orchestral textures with electronic elements, aiming for a cinematic depth. Rogen contributed as co-director, drum programmer, and primary sound engineer, ensuring technical precision in integrating these components. Guest musicians were brought in to enhance the polish, including guitarist Slim Pezin for rhythmic drive, pianist Bruno Fontaine on the track "Désenchantée," and acoustic bassist Bernard Paganotti across several songs, their expertise helping to elevate the international caliber of the instrumentation. Backing vocals, often featuring up to 40 layered tracks compiled by Farmer herself and additional choristers like Carole Fredericks and Beckie Bell, were meticulously recorded to create choral "block" effects.[16][6][17] Mixing took place at the same Studio Méga under Rogen's supervision, with a deliberate focus on balancing Farmer's emotive vocals against the dense interplay of synthesizers, orchestral flourishes, and percussion. This phase involved multiple revisions to refine the sonic equilibrium, resulting in the album's polished, immersive quality before final mastering at Top Master.[18][15]Composition
Musical style
L'autre... exemplifies Mylène Farmer's signature synth-pop sound, deeply rooted in electronic production and new wave aesthetics, as classified in its original release documentation. The album's style emphasizes layered synthesizers and atmospheric keyboards, primarily produced by Laurent Boutonnat with additional production by Thierry Rogen, who handled arrangements, programming, and keyboard performance across the tracks.[1] This approach creates a moody, introspective sonic landscape, blending chanson elements with pulsating electronic rhythms that were hallmarks of early 1990s French pop.[18] Compared to her preceding album Ainsi soit je... (1988), which featured synthpop with some pop-rock influences, L'autre... represents a stylistic evolution toward more polished electronic textures and orchestral flourishes, evident in sweeping string-like synth pads and choral vocal arrangements that add dramatic depth.[18] Tracks like "Agnus Dei" open with Gregorian chant-inspired vocals over ambient keys, transitioning into fuller orchestral swells, showcasing Boutonnat's orchestration via synthesizers. This shift underscores a maturation in production, prioritizing emotional resonance through sonic breadth rather than raw instrumentation.[18][7] The album comprises 10 tracks totaling 54 minutes and 55 seconds, featuring a diverse range of tempos that alternate between contemplative ballads and mid-tempo grooves to maintain atmospheric tension. Slower passages in songs like "Je t'aime mélancolie" utilize sparse piano and reverb-heavy keys for ballad-like introspection, while mid-tempo cuts such as "Pas de doute" incorporate groovy basslines and steady electronic pulses around 110-120 BPM, emphasizing the keyboard-driven core. This variation in pacing enhances the album's thematic cohesion, with keyboards serving as the primary instrument for evoking melancholy and grandeur.[19][18] A standout example is the lead single "Désenchantée," which builds gradually from a haunting piano introduction into a powerful crescendo of electronic beats and orchestral synth layers at 126 BPM, delivering an anthemic, stadium-ready quality that propelled the track to massive commercial success. The song's structure—starting with minimalistic keys and vocals before erupting into dense percussion and harmonies—exemplifies the album's innovative use of dynamic builds to heighten emotional impact. Similarly, the duet "Regrets (Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait?)" with Jean-Louis Murat integrates subtle world music influences through exotic melodic scales reminiscent of Middle Eastern modes, contrasting the predominant synth framework with acoustic guitar and percussive elements for a more organic texture. These elements collectively define L'autre... as a pivotal work in Farmer's discography, bridging personal artistry with broad pop accessibility.[20][18]Lyrical themes
The lyrics of L'autre... delve into profound existential disillusionment, often intertwined with motifs of death, religious skepticism, and societal collapse, marking a departure from the more escapist narratives of Mylène Farmer's earlier work. In the lead single "Désenchantée," Farmer critiques the post-communist era's shattered ideals following the fall of the Berlin Wall, portraying a world of chaos and lost faith through evocative lines such as "Tous les cris, les SOS" that symbolize desperate pleas amid crumbling structures. This track embodies a subtle social revolt against the 1990s French socio-political climate of economic stagnation and rising unemployment, reflecting a generation's search for meaning in an era of depoliticization, as analyzed in sociological examinations of Farmer's oeuvre.[21] The album's thematic evolution signals greater lyrical openness, embracing personal and collective anguish over prior abstraction, while retaining Farmer's signature exploration of mortality and spiritual doubt. Songs like "Agnus Dei" invoke religious imagery to question divine solace in the face of inevitable death, aligning with Farmer's stated preoccupations: "L'amour et la mort sont mes thèmes de prédilection, c'est la peur du lendemain, une certaine mélancolie, une tristesse." This shift toward revolt is contextualized by the era's disillusionment, where lyrics confront societal voids rather than evade them, fostering a sense of introspective rebellion.[22] In contrast, the duet "Regrets," featuring Jean-Louis Murat, shifts focus to intimate themes of personal loss and reconciliation, depicting souls merging in eternal landscapes to transcend regret and affirm enduring love despite separation. Meanwhile, "Je t'aime mélancolie" personifies melancholy as a cherished companion, romanticizing emotional depth and solitude as pathways to infinity, with verses that blend vulnerability and serenity: "Je t'aime mélancolie / Sentiment qui me conduit à l'infini." These tracks highlight the album's emotional range, balancing despair with tentative hope.[23][24] Farmer's lyrics, penned in collaboration with composer Laurent Boutonnat—who provided instrumental foundations for her textual visions—employ poetic, abstract imagery inspired by French literary traditions, evoking existential philosophers and poets to layer personal introspection with broader philosophical resonance. This partnership yielded French-language verses rich in metaphor, such as spatial solitude and faith's fragility in the title track "L'autre," underscoring duality and self-confrontation without overt narrative resolution.[25]Release and promotion
Release formats
L'autre... was initially released on April 8, 1991, by Polydor in France across multiple physical formats, including compact disc (CD) in a standard jewel case with a black tray, vinyl LP, and audio cassette. The CD edition featured catalog number 849 217-2 and included a 16-page booklet containing track information.[16] The album's packaging adopted a minimalist black-and-white aesthetic, with the cover photograph depicting Mylène Farmer in a white gown against a white background, a black crow perched on her shoulder symbolizing themes of protection and omen, which aligned with the record's somber, introspective tone.[6] A limited collector's edition box set was also issued in 1991, numbered and presented in a sturdy black presentation box, containing the full CD album (catalog number 849 295-2), a bonus CD single for "Désenchantée," three color posters, and a 16-page color booklet with lyrics and photographs.[26] This deluxe packaging emphasized exclusivity and visual artistry, enhancing the album's artistic presentation without additional remixes on a separate 3-inch disc. The album saw later physical reissues, including a 2005 CD edition, and became available digitally for download and streaming in the 2000s through platforms like Spotify, reflecting the era's shift toward non-physical distribution though initial promotion focused solely on analog and early digital optical formats.[27][19]Singles and music videos
The lead single from L'autre..., "Désenchantée", was released on 18 March 1991 and topped the French Singles Chart (SNEP) for nine consecutive weeks.[28] The accompanying music video, directed by Laurent Boutonnat, is presented in black and white and depicts a gulag-inspired rebellion, with Farmer portraying a leader guiding oppressed workers toward uprising and freedom.[29][30] The follow-up single, "Régrets", released on 29 July 1991 as a duet with Jean-Louis Murat, peaked at number three on the French Singles Chart and spent 16 weeks in the top 50.[31] The music video portrays Farmer in a surreal dreamscape alongside Murat, set in a Budapest cemetery to evoke themes of separation and eternal regret through death.[32][33] "Je t'aime mélancolie", the third single from the album released on 19 November 1991, reached number three on the French Singles Chart and charted for 17 weeks.[34] Its music video incorporates gothic imagery alongside equestrian themes, emphasizing melancholic and introspective visuals.[35][36] The fourth single, "Beyond My Control" (English version of "L'Autre"), was released on 13 May 1992 and peaked at number eight on the French Singles Chart.[37] The music video, directed by Laurent Boutonnat, features Farmer in a dramatic, symbolic narrative involving a masked ball and themes of desire and control.[38] Promotion for these singles emphasized heavy radio airplay across French stations, contributing to their commercial momentum.[39] They were also featured in the 1991 collector's edition of the album, which included photo stills from the music videos to enhance fan engagement.[40]Critical reception
Initial reviews
Upon its release in April 1991, L'autre... received mixed initial reviews from the French press, reflecting a divide between appreciation for its production and emotional depth and skepticism regarding its innovation within Mylène Farmer's pop persona. France Soir praised the album's production quality, describing it as "techno pop very well produced."[7] Midi Libre noted that the musicians are excellent, the songs are good, and the album will bring fair satisfactions to many people, though the general atmosphere seems much less crooked than usual.[7] The reception was tempered by Farmer's established image as a commercial pop artist. Overall, contemporaneous critiques emphasized the album's strong commercial appeal.[7]Retrospective views
In the 2010s and beyond, retrospective assessments of L'autre... have solidified its status as a cornerstone of Mylène Farmer's discography, often highlighting its artistic depth while acknowledging production elements that feel dated by modern standards. Reviews on platforms like SensCritique, where the album holds an average rating of 7.1 out of 10 based on over 800 user critiques, praise the album's thematic coherence and emotional resonance, with one 2018 analysis describing it as "without doubt, the best album of Mylène Farmer's entire career" for its complex arrangements that vividly convey a pervasive sense of malaise.[41] Similarly, a 2025 review on the same site notes its surprising quality, calling it "one of the best albums by Mylène Farmer" due to its consistent songwriting and charm, despite fewer breakout singles beyond "Désenchantée" compared to later works like Anamorphosée.[42] Critics and fans frequently recognize L'autre... as a pivotal release in 1990s French music, blending accessible pop structures with introspective social commentary on disillusionment and existential themes. A 2022 retrospective on DeBaser identifies it as one of three landmark albums in Farmer's collaboration with Laurent Boutonnat, emphasizing its role in evolving her sound toward more elaborate, mature expressions.[43] This view aligns with broader analyses positioning the album as Farmer's breakthrough to artistic maturity, marking a shift from earlier, more theatrical works to nuanced explorations of melancholy, though some observers critique its heavy reliance on Boutonnat's signature atmospheric production, which can verge on monotony.[44] The album's enduring appeal is evident in its frequent inclusion in curated lists of essential French pop recordings from the decade. On Album of the Year, L'autre... ranks as the top French pop album of the 1990s, underscoring its influence through hits like "Désenchantée," widely regarded as a cultural anthem for its poignant critique of post-Cold War disillusionment.[45] Fan consensus on sites like Rate Your Music, with an average score of 3.6 out of 5 from over 800 ratings, echoes this, lauding the tracks' moody elegance while noting that synth-heavy elements now evoke a distinctly 1990s nostalgia, sometimes at the expense of contemporary replay value.[46]Commercial performance
Chart positions
L'autre... achieved substantial chart success in French-speaking markets following its release. In France, the album debuted at number 1 on the SNEP French Albums Chart, where it held the top spot for 20 non-consecutive weeks. It maintained a presence on the chart for a total of 55 weeks, culminating in the year-end number 1 position and demonstrating particularly robust performance over the holiday season.[47] Internationally, the album peaked at number 1 on the Ultratop Albums Chart in Belgium (Wallonia) for 3 weeks. In Switzerland, it reached a high of number 28 on the Swiss Albums Chart, appearing on the listing for several weeks in mid-1991. The record saw no notable entry on the UK Albums Chart or the US Billboard 200. The lead single "Désenchantée" contributed significantly to the album's momentum, topping the SNEP French Singles Chart for 9 weeks.[47]| Region | Chart | Peak Position | Weeks at Peak | Total Weeks on Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | SNEP Albums Chart | 1 | 20 (non-consecutive) | 55 |
| Belgium (Wallonia) | Ultratop Albums Chart | 1 | 3 | - |
| Switzerland | Swiss Albums Chart | 28 | - | 9 |
| Year-end (France) | SNEP Albums Chart 1991 | 1 | - | - |
Sales certifications
In France, L'autre... was certified Diamond by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) in 1992 after reaching 1 million units sold, a milestone that underscored its immediate commercial breakthrough; estimated sales reached 1.42 million copies by the end of 2015, reflecting sustained catalog sales.[4] The album achieved an estimated 2 million copies sold worldwide, establishing it as Mylène Farmer's best-selling studio release to date.[6] It also earned Platinum certification in Belgium for 50,000 units and Gold in Switzerland for 25,000 units, with no significant awards issued in non-French-speaking territories, highlighting its strong appeal within Francophone markets.[6]| Country | Certification | Units Sold | Certifier | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | Platinum | 50,000 | Ultratop | 1991 |
| France | Diamond | 1,000,000 | SNEP | 1992 |
| Switzerland | Gold | 25,000 | IFPI Switzerland | 1991 |
Album credits
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Agnus Dei" | 5:47 | Lyrics by Mylène Farmer; music by Laurent Boutonnat.[18] |
| 2 | "Désenchantée" | 5:22 | Lyrics by Mylène Farmer; music by Laurent Boutonnat. Performed live during the 1996 Mylenium Tour, the 2009 N°5 on Tour, and on television in Sacrée Soirée on TF1 (April 17, 1991).[18][48] |
| 3 | "L'Autre" | 5:26 | Lyrics by Mylène Farmer; music by Laurent Boutonnat.[18] |
| 4 | "Je t'aime mélancolie" | 5:29 | Lyrics by Mylène Farmer; music by Laurent Boutonnat. Performed live during the 1993 Tour.[18] |
| 5 | "Psychiatrie" | 6:12 | Lyrics by Mylène Farmer; music by Laurent Boutonnat.[18] |
| 6 | "Regrets (Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait?)" (duet with Jean-Louis Murat) | 5:17 | Lyrics by Mylène Farmer; music by Laurent Boutonnat.[18] |
| 7 | "Pas de doute" | 5:09 | Lyrics by Mylène Farmer; music by Laurent Boutonnat.[18] |
| 8 | "Il n'y a pas d'ailleurs" | 5:50 | Lyrics by Mylène Farmer; music by Laurent Boutonnat.[18] |
| 9 | "Beyond My Control" | 5:22 | Lyrics by Mylène Farmer; music by Laurent Boutonnat.[18] |
| 10 | "Nous souviendrons-nous" | 5:05 | Lyrics by Mylène Farmer; music by Laurent Boutonnat.[18] |