TOUS CES COMBATS

The highest form of enlightenment is
to recognize energy as its existence not as its presence
Quantum Effect

Tous ces combats (All These struggles) is a song from the album Avant que l’ombre… released on 4 April 2005. And just for giggles: it is one of the least favorite songs of you from the album.

Lyrics: Mylène Farmer. Music, Produced, Programming, keyboards and arrangements, Percussions and xylophone: Laurent Boutonnat (aka Pol Ramirez del Piu)

The “melancholia” that Mylène evokes in this song could have been inspired by Victor Hugo’s poem, Mélancholia from Contemplations Livre III (1856) or by Verlaine’s Poèmes Saturniens, “Mélancholia” being the name given to the third section of this collection of poetry.

Etty Hillesum’s diary, Une vie upset, again strongly inspired Mylène.

 Its not the first time she draws an inspiration from this author: Dans les rues de Londres is strongly inspired by Etty as well as many other songs including Souviens-toi du jour 

More from the album:

So, when the author writes: “You have to become as simple and as silent as the wheat which grows or the rain which falls.”, Mylène sings: “To be as simple / As silent / As all the wheat which grows in the wind…”

The following passage from the book: “When I sit like this, huddled in on myself, I wait for something to melt and start flowing in me again.” returns directly to the end of the first verse of the song: “Life hurts us / It dries us up / I’m waiting for something to melt in me.“

Finally, the beginning of the second verse: “In the livid days / Who seem to say to me:” I would like to immerse you in a silence “” recalls this passage from the book: “I would like to immerse myself in a great silence and impose this silence on all the others.”

I think on the surface the song is about war, perpetual fights and conflicts that humanity is involved but I also think that it might be about inner struggles as well. What is a source of suffering, the source of struggles and the source of rage? On the flip side, one must wonder what a happiness, peace and love is and what is a way of finding them. What is the way out of all those struggles? Is Love the ultimate answer  – the “shield” from all the struggles? Is the silence a key to the awaken consciousness?

Of course, the struggles in this context most likely lead us into our inner and very intimate world. That’s the thing: Mylene invites us quite persistently to visit our intimate universe where we are as exposed and as vulnerable as we can bear. She leads us to face and accept our true selves without showing off or denying what’s really there. If love hurts – feel it. If something is missing – feel it…

I am not a stranger to the deep melancholic moods myself, but I rather see them now as fertile and introspective dark hours of the soul. The soul-searching is often feels deeply sad and dim but it’s no less enlightening as joyful and cheerful experiences. I applaud to Mylene for the courage to feel it all as is and not tailor the emotions to please the mainstream. If you are sad – be sad from the bottom of your heart, when you are done -move on to experience other emotions. I think the biggest damage of all is to deny yourself of a feeling that you are in need of. The more honest we are and the more “naked” we are with our feelings – the more productively we can process them and get the fullest benefit of experiencing them for the sake of evolution.

I think, sometimes that is the reason for her “nakedness” in so many photos. In fact, there is so much of nakedness that it no longer makes us feel uncomfortable or causing a bodily sensation (at least for me). It makes me almost numb to the eroticism of it (which don’t get me wrong is very much present) but makes the aesthetics of the womanly form appear to be as a wondrous masterpiece. And most importantly makes you crave for the Intimacy of the highest from of human involvement and not just a sexual act. The truest piece of divine art – LOVE – is the Crosspoint between the body and the soul. Maybe I am romanticizing those “boudoir photos” or maybe there is a deeper intent behind it all. What do you all think?

Melodically, the song is beautiful, vulnerable, very Mylene (and very Laurent). Its very pleasant to the ear and enveloping you with all those familiar undertones and waves of sweet melancholy. In short, it’s a lovely piece.

No televised performance on All these fights. All these fights have never been performed in concert.

https://soundcloud.com/mickaelalyssia/mylene-farmer-tous-ces-combats

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lyrics with translation

Être aussi simple, aussi muet
Que tout le blé qui pousse au vent d'aimer
Simplement être
La vie nous blesse, elle nous assèche
J'attends que quelque chose fonde en moi
J'attends tout "d'être"
Tous ces combats
Qui brisent insouciance, mordent l'existence
J'ai la mélancholia
Qui rend l'âme à nue, qui me constitue
Tous ces combats
Alors que la rage que tout fait naufrage
J'ai dans mon autre moi
Un désir d'aimer comme un bouclier
Aux jours livides qui semblent me dire
"Je voudrais t'immerger dans un silence
Je crains qu'ils dansent"
Beauté du doute, oser un souffle
Vivre est ce qu'il y a des plus rare au monde
Pourtant les ombres
Tous ces combats
Qui brisent insouciance, mordent l'existence
J'ai la mélancholia
Qui rend l'âme à nue, qui me constitue
Tous ces combats
Alors que la rage que tout fait naufrage
J'ai dans mon autre moi
Un désir d'aimer comme un bouclier
Tous ces combats
Qui brisent insouciance, mordent l'existence
J'ai la mélancholia
Qui rend l'âme à nue, qui me constitue
Tous ces combats
Alors que la rage que tout fait naufrage
J'ai dans mon autre moi
Un désir d'aimer comme un bouclier


To be as simple, as mute
As all the wheat that grows in the wind of love
Simply to be
Life hurts us, it dries us up
I wait for something to melt in me

I wait for everything "to be”
All these struggles
That break carefree, bite the existence
I have melancholia
That makes the soul bare, that constitutes me
All these struggles
While the rage that everything makes shipwreck
I have in my other self
A desire to love like a shield
To the livid days which seem to say to me
"I would like to immerse you in a silence
I fear that they dance".
Beauty of doubt, daring a breath
To live is the rarest thing in the world
Yet the shadows
All these struggles
That break carelessness, bite the existence
I have melancholia
That makes the soul bare, that constitutes me
All these fights
While the rage that everything makes shipwreck
I have in my other self
A desire to love like a shield
All these struggles
That break carefree, bite the existence
I have melancholia
That makes the soul bare, that constitutes me
All these struggles
While the rage that everything makes shipwreck
I have in my other self
A desire to love like a shield