L’HISTOIRE D’UNE FÉE, C’EST…

“L’Histoire d’une fée, c’est…” (English: “The Story of a Fairy Is…”) is a 2001 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. It was one of the singles from the soundtrack album for the film Rugrats in Paris released in February 2001. The Movie is known in France as Les Razmokets à Paris. With its lyrics written by Farmer and the song being composed and produced by her long-time songwriting collaborator Laurent Boutonnat,

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie was the second in a trilogy of films based on the children’s animated television series Rugrats, which features the adventures of a group of toddlers. After filming, the producers wanted to record a soundtrack for the movie with mainly French songs, as well as a few in English. Several singers were contacted, including TLC member Tionne Watkins, the 1990s boys’ band 2Be3, Sinéad O’Connor, Cyndi Lauper and Mylène Farmer. Not a bad list!

Persistent but unconfirmed rumors claimed that Madonna, as the founder of the Maverick company producing the soundtrack, had expressly asked Farmer to participate in the album. Farmer accepted, but preferred to produce a new song instead of licensing the rights to one of her old compositions. The recording label Maverick signed a contract for an unreleased song, with lyrics written by Farmer and music composed by her songwriting partner Laurent Boutonnat. This was the first time (and the other one was Devant soi for the Boutonnat film Jacquou le Croquant) that the singer had recorded a song especially for a movie.

An English version was canceled in favor of a French version, and eventually the song only played for about 15 seconds in the movie. It was a major disappointment to me! The first title chosen, “Attrapez-moi”, was also quickly abandoned as it was too similar to the Pokémon’s cry of “Attrapez-les tous”.

“L’Histoire d’une fée, c’est...” is a synthpop song. It tells the story of a mischievous and malicious fairy, Mélusine, here embodied by Farmer. Lyrically, the song uses words referring to magic, baffling several of Farmer’s fans as the lyrics seem to be naughty to say the least. The lyrics also contain several double puns which refer to sexual practices. The song’s title itself is ambiguous and can be deemed sexually suggestive as it contains a pun in French alluding to the meaning of a “hand job” (“Jeu de main”), anal theme or spanking in French, the title “L’Histoire d’une fée, c’est…” could be phonetically understand as meaning “L’Histoire d’une fessée…(story of spanking)” which later was evolved into an actual song titled Histoires de fesses in 2018 and also very much echoes the famous line from the Pourvu qu’elles soient douces: “Ta maman t’a trop fessé” (Your mom spanked you too much).

I don’t know if the meaning same in French but in English “fairy” also means “gay” specifically for gay guys.

In Europe the soundtrack release was postponed until 7 February 2001 because Farmer had bought the song’s royalties and finally decided to release it as a single, 14 days later. It was only released as a digipack CD single, in which the song’s lyrics are written inside, and there was no promotional format. For the second time in the singer’s career – after the song “XXL” — the single cover does not show her, but a drawing of a fairy from the film by Tom Madrid. The song began circulating online a month before the soundtrack’s release and was well received by many fans who felt that it could be a hit.

The song did not receive much radio airplay, with only Europe 2 playing it regularly. “L’Histoire d’une fée, c’est…” was also released on the soundtrack of the film in a longer version than the CD single version and was later included on Mylène Farmer’s greatest hits album Les Mots. It was also released as the third track on the European CD maxi “Les Mots”, released in the Switzerland on 4 September 2002.

The song was generally well received by critics, who particularly noted the puns. According to author Erwan Chuberre, the lyrics are “as funny as disillusioned” and Farmer uses puns that “highlight her immoderate interest in impolite pleasures”, with a music he deemed “effective”.

Author Thierry Desaules said that the song appears to be a childish fairy tale, but is actually structured in a perverse enough way to address the adult public, as the allusions to the spanking can be seen as references to sadomasochism. Journalist Benoît Cachin wrote that her puns are “of the funniest” and that the singer included in the lyrics “some very personal thoughts”, including sadness; he added that Farmer appears to be “fun, dynamic and delightfully mischievous” on this song.

Mylene just can’t help herself. Knowing very well that the song will be a part of a cartoon circulating in the anglo-speaking world she is intentionally choosing to show her naughty side. Her one-track mind manages to weave through her complex texts where she teases the public (French speaking it is!) with constant hints to the sexual subjects without however reveling it’s true intent – very much a poetic striptease, isn’t it? 🥰

On 3 March 2001, the single debuted at a peak of number nine on the French SNEP Singles Chart, providing Farmer her 22nd top ten hit. In the following weeks, the song fell steadily and remained in the top 50 for nine weeks and a total of 15 weeks on the chart. This chart performance was surprising given that the song was aired little on radio, the film met a mixed commercial success in France and there was no music video, no promotion on television, and only one format. According to Instant-Mag the beauty of the single’s cover undoubtedly helped increase sales. In Belgium, the single started at number 23 on 15 March 2001, climbed to number 11, then peaked at number 10. Thereafter, it dropped and fell off the Ultratop 50 after 13 weeks. On the 2001 Belgian singles year-end chart, “L’Histoire d’une fée, c’est…” ranked at number 89.

A little more about Rugrats in Paris The Movie. It is a 2000 animated comedy film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series Rugrats and the second film in the series. This film marks the first appearance of Kimi Watanabe and her mother, Kira. The film also marks the appearance of the first significant villains in the Rugrats franchise, the child-hating Coco LaBouche and her accomplice, Jean-Claude. The events of the film take place before the series’ seventh season.

The film was released in the United States on November 17, 2000, almost two years after the release of The Rugrats Movie in 1998. Rugrats in Paris: The Movie was the best-reviewed film in the series from critics and fans alike and grossed over $103 million worldwide against a production budget of $30 million. Pretty decent return 😊

Mylène is appears in the premier of Rugrats in Paris November 05, 2000 in Chinese Theater, Hollywood Boulevard in LA  accompanied in some photos by a friend named Jeff (not Jeff Dahlgren). We don’t know much about the fellow so let him stay a mystery man in our Mylene story of life.

Mylène’s first contact with animation which interests her a lot and which she will explore further a few years later in 2002 creating C’est une belle journée and Peut-être toi in 2006

Mélusine is a fairy of popular tales from the Middle Ages appearing in various legends of European folklore, she is a fairy of springs and rivers but also a building fairy. Mélusine is a woman with a serpent’s tail.

Mylene uses her as a reference:
“It’s a style, it’s easy When you’re Mélusine Oh quickly hurry up”

Remixes

https://soundcloud.com/search?q=L%27Histoire%20d%27une%20f%C3%A9e%2C%20c%27est…%20mylene%20farmer

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lyrics with translation

Trois p'tits tours et silence, c'est ça qui m'affecte
Quand on m'aime je danse, quand on veut j'apparais...
Trois p'tits tours et silence, j'suis pas en latex
Quand on oublie le sens de ma vie disparaît
Faire un veu ou bien deux et puis fermer les yeux
(Je suis là)
Pour celui et pour ceux qui n'ont pas froid aux yeux
(Qui croient en moi)
Faire un souhait pour de vrai et puis croire au mystère
(Tout est là)
C'est un style, c'est facile quand on est Mélusine
Oh, Vite dépêche-toi
Avant que tout s'éveille
Attrapez-moi
Mais pas le bout des ailes
Une fée c'est fragile parfois
Avant que minuit ne vienne
Attrapez-moi
Jeu de main, je de M
Emoi
Trois p'tits tours et silence, c'est ça qui me choque
Quand ma peine est immense, je change l'or en toc
Trois p'tits tours de passe-passe, moi j'en ai des stocks...
Si ma baguette casse
Que le grand Crick me croque
Faire un veu ou bien deux et puis fermer les yeux
(Je suis là)
Pour celui et pour ceux qui n'ont pas froid aux yeux
(Qui croient en moi)
Faire un souhait pour de vrai et puis croire au mystère
(Tout est là)
C'est un style, c'est facile quand on est Mélusine
Oh, Vite dépêche-toi
Monday... Tuesday... Wednesday...
Thursday... Friday... Saturday... Sunday...
Avant que tout s'éveille
Attrapez-moi
Et voir mes étincelles
Une fée c'est magique en soi
Avant que minuit ne vienne
Attrapez-moi
Jeu de main, je de M
Emoi


Three little turns and silence, that's what affects me
When people love me I dance, when they want I appear ...
Three little turns and silence, I'm not in latex
When we forget the meaning of my life disappears
Make a wish or two and then close your eyes
(I'm here)
For the one and for those who are not afraid of anything
(Who believe in me)
Make a wish for real and then believe in the mystery
(Everything is here)
It's a style, it's easy when you're Mélusine
Oh, hurry up
Before it all wakes up
Catch me
But not the tips of the wings
A fairy is fragile sometimes
Before midnight comes
Catch me
Hand play, I of M
Emotion
Three little turns and silence, that's what shocks me
When my pain is immense, I change the gold into fake
Three little sleight of hand, I have stocks ...
If my wand breaks
May the big Crick bite me
Make a wish or two and then close your eyes
(I'm here)
For the one and for those who are not afraid of anything
(Who believe in me)
Make a wish for real and then believe in the mystery
(Everything is here)
It's a style, it's easy when you're Mélusine
Oh, hurry up
Monday ... Tuesday ... Wednesday ...
Thursday ... Friday ... Saturday ... Sunday ...
Before it all wakes up
Catch me
And see my sparks
A fairy is magic in itself
Before midnight comes
Catch me
Hand play, I of M
Emotion