Bleu Noir (song)
Encyclopedia
"Bleu noir" is a 2010 song by French pop
musician Mylène Farmer
. It is the second single to her eighth studio album Bleu Noir
, released in December 2010. The song was written and produced by Moby
with lyrics by Farmer, and the music video produced by French film director Olivier Dahan
. It was released on 18 April 2011. In France, the song became Farmer's eleventh number-one hit on the singles chart, but quickly dropped.
, following their 2006 single "Slipping Away (Crier la vie)". On 23 January 2011, it was announced that "Bleu Noir" would be the second single of the album, and on 17 March, Universal Music announced on its website that the release was scheduled for 18 April.
Remixed versions of the song named 'Jérémy Hills remix' and 'Glam as you radio mix' were respectively sent to the radios on 10 and 31 March. Formats, track listings and covers arts were officially revealed on 24 and 25 March.
Moby, composer of the song, will also release his own version of the track in May, with other lyrics and arrangements. It is called "The Day" and will be the official lead single of his forthcoming album. This simultaneoaus release created a little controversy amongst fans of Farmer, as many of them criticized the fact that he gave the music to the songstress and then reappropriated it for his own album. In an interview published on 18 May 2011 in the Belgian newspaper Le Soir
, Moby said he was very embarrassed and deemed the release of "The Day" as a single an "error", since Farmer was disappointed, thinking "it was her song".
According to the author Alice Novak, guitars used in the song are almost similar to the riff
s on The Cure
's songs.
, the music video premiered on the temporary website for the album on 16 March 2011, then was fully broadcast on television two days later. Regarded as rather "sober" and sometimes "simplistic", with a majority of black and white colors, the video depicts Farmer walking in a countryside, a forest and a snow-covered plains, and ends with a fireworks display.
The video generally received positive reviews in the media. Têtu
deemed Farmer as being "melancholic and moving" in the video. Several media, including Gala, Pure People and 20 Minutes
considered that various elements of the video, such as the snow and the forest, are a tribute to Farmer's first music videos of her career, including "Tristana", "Regrets" and "Ainsi soit je...", and that it is "aesthetic". L'Express
analyzed the symbolism of the colours used in the video.
considered that, alongside "Toi l'amour", "Bleu Noir" is the most pop song of the album, with "light takeoffs, trippy atmosphere", is "close to the musical universal of the singer" and noted that her "voice is particularly present".
chart on 30 April 2011, fell off for one week, then re-entered at number 21 the next week after being heavily played on radio, and totaled six weeks on the chart.
In France, the single debuted at number one on the main singles chart which combines physical and digital sales on the chart edition of 24 April 2011, becoming Farmer's eleventh number-one single in France. In the first week, the single totaled 10,770 sales, including 9,743 units of the physical formats only, which was the highest weekly physical sales of 2011 for a number one in the country. The following week, the single performed the biggest drop from number one, falling to number 36, with an 81% decline in sales from the previous week. It remained on the chart for six weeks. The music video reached number 21 on the TV airplay chart of 7 April 2011.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
musician Mylène Farmer
Mylène Farmer
Mylène Farmer, , born Marie-Hélène Jeanne Gautier, , , is a French singer, songwriter, occasional actress and author....
. It is the second single to her eighth studio album Bleu Noir
Bleu Noir
-Formats:* CD - Jewel box* CD - Digisleeve Limited Edition with 24 page insert* Double Vinyl LP* Collector's edition box: CD, pen, bottle of ink, and individual sheets of pictures & lyrics.-Release history:-Peak positions:-Year-end charts:...
, released in December 2010. The song was written and produced by Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
with lyrics by Farmer, and the music video produced by French film director Olivier Dahan
Olivier Dahan
Olivier Dahan is a French film director and screenwriter. His third directed film, La Vie En Rose, was the first French cinema film ever to win two Academy Awards, including its first acting Oscar in the French language.-Biography:...
. It was released on 18 April 2011. In France, the song became Farmer's eleventh number-one hit on the singles chart, but quickly dropped.
Background and release
"Bleu noir" is Farmer's second single produced and written by MobyMoby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
, following their 2006 single "Slipping Away (Crier la vie)". On 23 January 2011, it was announced that "Bleu Noir" would be the second single of the album, and on 17 March, Universal Music announced on its website that the release was scheduled for 18 April.
Remixed versions of the song named 'Jérémy Hills remix' and 'Glam as you radio mix' were respectively sent to the radios on 10 and 31 March. Formats, track listings and covers arts were officially revealed on 24 and 25 March.
Moby, composer of the song, will also release his own version of the track in May, with other lyrics and arrangements. It is called "The Day" and will be the official lead single of his forthcoming album. This simultaneoaus release created a little controversy amongst fans of Farmer, as many of them criticized the fact that he gave the music to the songstress and then reappropriated it for his own album. In an interview published on 18 May 2011 in the Belgian newspaper Le Soir
Le Soir
Le Soir is a Berliner Format Belgian newspaper. Le Soir was founded in 1887 by Emile Rossel. It is the most popular Francophone newspaper in Belgium, and considered a newspaper of record.-Editorial stance:...
, Moby said he was very embarrassed and deemed the release of "The Day" as a single an "error", since Farmer was disappointed, thinking "it was her song".
According to the author Alice Novak, guitars used in the song are almost similar to the riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
s on The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
's songs.
Music video
Directed by producer Olivier DahanOlivier Dahan
Olivier Dahan is a French film director and screenwriter. His third directed film, La Vie En Rose, was the first French cinema film ever to win two Academy Awards, including its first acting Oscar in the French language.-Biography:...
, the music video premiered on the temporary website for the album on 16 March 2011, then was fully broadcast on television two days later. Regarded as rather "sober" and sometimes "simplistic", with a majority of black and white colors, the video depicts Farmer walking in a countryside, a forest and a snow-covered plains, and ends with a fireworks display.
The video generally received positive reviews in the media. Têtu
Têtu
Têtu is a gay magazine published in France. It is subtitled in French le magazine des gays et lesbiennes .-History:...
deemed Farmer as being "melancholic and moving" in the video. Several media, including Gala, Pure People and 20 Minutes
20 minutes (Switzerland)
20 minutes is the French language edition of 20 Minuten, a Swiss newspaper launched on 8 March 2006 by Tamedia for the Romandie. The newspaper competes with Le Matin Bleu, Edipresse's free edition of Le Matin. As of 2008, it had a circulation of 221,560....
considered that various elements of the video, such as the snow and the forest, are a tribute to Farmer's first music videos of her career, including "Tristana", "Regrets" and "Ainsi soit je...", and that it is "aesthetic". L'Express
L'Express (France)
L'Express is a French weekly news magazine. When founded in 1953 during the First Indochina War, it was modelled on the US magazine TIME.-History:...
analyzed the symbolism of the colours used in the video.
Critical reception
"Bleu Noir" received reviews from the album release. According to Gala, the song "will reconcile the fans of the first time and followers of British pop". Sylvain Siclier of Le MondeLe Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
considered that, alongside "Toi l'amour", "Bleu Noir" is the most pop song of the album, with "light takeoffs, trippy atmosphere", is "close to the musical universal of the singer" and noted that her "voice is particularly present".
Chart performance
The song entered the Walloon Ultratip Chart at number 35 and reached number one two weeks later. It started at number 16 on the Ultratop 40Ultratop 40
Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization...
chart on 30 April 2011, fell off for one week, then re-entered at number 21 the next week after being heavily played on radio, and totaled six weeks on the chart.
In France, the single debuted at number one on the main singles chart which combines physical and digital sales on the chart edition of 24 April 2011, becoming Farmer's eleventh number-one single in France. In the first week, the single totaled 10,770 sales, including 9,743 units of the physical formats only, which was the highest weekly physical sales of 2011 for a number one in the country. The following week, the single performed the biggest drop from number one, falling to number 36, with an 81% decline in sales from the previous week. It remained on the chart for six weeks. The music video reached number 21 on the TV airplay chart of 7 April 2011.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of single releases of "Bleu Noir":- CD single
- CD maxi
- 12" maxi
- CD single - Promo
- CD single 1 - Promo remix
- CD single 2 - Promo remix
Personnel and credits
These are the credits and the personnel as they appear on the back of the single:- Mylène Farmer – lyrics
- Moby – music
- Stuffed Monkey / Little Idiot Music – editions
- Polydor / Universal Music France – recording company
- Made in the E.U.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian (Wallonia) Airplay Chart | 12 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Ultratop Chart | 16 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 1 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium, France, Switzerland | 28 January 2011 | Promo CD single |
| 20 March 2011 | Promo CD remixes 1 | |
| 31 March 2011 | Promo CD remixes 2 | |
| 18 April 2011 | CD single, CD maxi, 12" maxi |
See also
- List of number-one hits of 2011 (France)
- List of artists who reached number one on the French Singles Chart