"Du temps" is a 2011 dance-pop

Dance-pop

Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...

 song by French singer Mylène Farmer

Mylène Farmer

Mylène Farmer, , born Marie-Hélène Jeanne Gautier, , , is a French singer, songwriter, occasional actress and author....

. It was written by Farmer with a music composed by Laurent Boutonnat

Laurent Boutonnat

Laurent Pierre Marie Boutonnat is a French composer and film and music video director, best known as the songwriting partner of Mylène Farmer and the director of moody, provocative and literature-inspired music videos.- Career :...

. The song is the first single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 from her second best of 2001.2011

2001.2011

2001.2011 is an upcoming album by French singer Mylène Farmer. It was her second compilation, after Les Mots in 2001, and will be released in 5 December 2011. It contains all the singles from her last three studio albums and two new songs...

and was released first digitally on 7 November 2011. The song was generally well received by critics, but divided Farmer's fans.

Background and release

The promotional art cover was shown on the Internet on 2 November, and a 30-second excerpt was available to listen on the digital platforms, including amazon.fr. On 6 November, the full song was available on the Charts in France site, but was removed after a request by Universal Music. The music video for the song was scheduled to be released in the mid-November.

As written on the back of the cover, the painting on the front was made by Farmer.

Critical reception

The song received mostly positive reviews, but also some strong criticism, and became immediately successful on the digital plateforms of download. Suite101 site noted that "the song fully satisfy [Farmer's] fans and irritates the others", and that "in two days, it is in the top three sales on !Tunes".

Musiqueradio.com said "Du temps" "is rather like the productions of Farmer's latest album", describing it as "an effective dance-pop song" which resembles "Lonely Lisa

Lonely Lisa

"Lonely Lisa" is a 2010 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. It is currently the third single from her 2010 eighth album Bleu Noir and was released digitally on 16 May 2011, then it will be released physically on 5 July. As "Oui mais... non", the lead single from the album, The...

", and concludes that "the so special alchemy between the composer [Boutonnat] and Mylène Farmer still works perfectly". According to Charts in France site, the song is "electro"-oriented and "more in the continuity of the album Point de suture

Point de Suture

Point de Suture is the seventh studio album by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer, and her 14th album overall. Preceded by the lead single "Dégénération", it was released digitally on 20 August 2008, then on CD five days later...

(2008) than that of the album Bleu noir, more stripped down and highlighting the artist's voice. There are similar arrangements as in "Dégénération

Dégénération

"Dégénération" is a 2008 electro / techno song by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. It was the first single from her seventh studio album Point de Suture, and was released first digitally and on radio in June 2008, then in a CD in August 2008. The song marked an important musical change in...

," "Réveiller le monde" and "Sextonik

Sextonik

"Sextonik" is a 2008 song recorded by French singer Mylène Farmer. It is the fifth single from her seventh studio album Point de suture and was released on 31 August 2009...

"." Sylvain Zimmermann of Têtu

Têtu

Têtu is a gay magazine published in France. It is subtitled in French le magazine des gays et lesbiennes .-History:...

stated "Du temps" is "a catchy electro pop song, with a typically farmerian chorus" and "a mix between the flights of "Innamoramento

Innamoramento (song)

"Innamoramento" is a 1999 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. It was the fifth single from her fifth studio album, Innamoramento, and was released on 18 July 2000. This pop ballad was written by Farmer with the music composed by Laurent Boutonnat...

" and a sound club which recalls "Dégénération" or "Sextonik". French newspaper France Soir

France Soir

France Soir is a French daily newspaper that prospered during the 1950s and 1960s, but it has declined since then under various owners. It was re-launched as a populist tabloid in 2006.-History:...

presented the song as the successful successor of the efficiency "Oui... mais non" and "Lonely Lisa", adding that the the song "marks with promise the come back of the duet [Farmer-Boutonnat]". Later, summarizing the reviews left on the Internet, the newspaper concluded that the song "divides the singer's fans", some of them being "disappointed", but noted that in all cases, "the song deserves to create a buzz

Marketing buzz

Marketing buzz or simply buzz — a term used in word-of-mouth marketing — is the interaction of consumers and users of a product or service which serves to amplify the original marketing message. a vague but positive association, excitement, or anticipation about a product or service...

".

Much more critical, Gilles Médioni said on the blog of 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:...

that the song has "botched lyrics" and is "really bad", adding that in terms of both music and lyrics, "it's nothing".

Chart performances

"Du temps" entered the French Singles Chart at number eight on the chart edition of 13 November 2011, which was the highest debut then, with 6,089 downloads. The following week, it was only number 78, making the biggest drop of all time on the chart.

In Switzerland, the single started at a peak of number 73. In Belgium (Wallonia), it entered the Ultratop 40

Ultratop 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...

at number nine on the chart edition of 19 November 2011.

Formats and track listings

The formats and track listings of single releases of "Du temps":

• Digital download

• CD single - Promo

Charts

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart	9
French SNEP Singles Chart	8
Swiss Singles Chart	73

Release history

Region	Date	Format
Belgium, France, Switzerland	7 November 2011	Digital download