Stolen Car is a duet with Sting (who’s original name is Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) – from Mylène Farmer’s tenth studio album, Interstellaires released on 6 November 2015. It is the first single extracted.
The music for Stolen Car was composed by Sting. This song appeared on his album Sacred Love released in 2003 and it had even become a single in 2004, single which had not been very successful at the time.
“The magic ingredient was missing: Mylène! ” (Sting – “Le Matin” – 11/15/2015)
It was Thierry Suc who introduced Mylène to Sting (at a request from Mylène) during a dinner in New York. It was around the time of Sting’s musical The Last Ship (it performed on Broadway from October 26, 2014 to January 24, 2015).
Mylène and Sting decided to record Stolen Car together after Mylène attended Sting’s concert with Paul Simon in early April 2015 in Paris. It was Mylène who then proposed this idea of a duet to the British singer, but it was on the other hand Sting who suggested Stolen Car. Indeed, during the recording of the title in 2003, he already thought that it was made to be sung with a woman. They entered the studio a few days later and reinvented the song.
This new duet version was produced by The Avener. It was Mylène who had the idea to contact the DJ.
“Sting agreed to have a DJ called The Avener play the song in his own way even though he kept a lot of the original version.” (Mylène Farmer – BelRTL – 11/14/2015)
“What he brought to the song, I think is very good, very sexy.” (Mylène Farmer – RFM – 11/15/2015)
“In this whole list of songs that she had in the drawers for years, that she was working on for an upcoming album, there was this collaboration with Sting that was really in the demo state, really a little instrumental with the vocals. by Sting. And I found the dialogue between the two artists fabulous and voila, I produced the single.” (he Avener – France 2 – 05/21/2016)
While recording the track, Mylène asked Sting if it was possible for him to sing in a higher key (the original song was in a difficult low key for Mylène) which he gladly accepted.
“With this new tone, his voice has completely different nuances. The song is more interesting than when he sings it in the key we know him. ” (Mylène Farmer – “Die Welt” – 11/15/2015)
“I find the new version sounds better than my old version from 2003. Mylène has pushed me to higher heights. My voice has a different clarity. ” (Sting – “Die Welt” – 11/15/2015)
The lyrics for Stolen Car were written by Sting and Mylène Farmer. The original text, in English, was written by Sting for his album Sacred Love in 2003.
“In this story there are four characters: the two lovers, the wife and the car thief. So it’s a very interesting story. ”(Sting – RFM – 11/15/2015)
Mylène writes the French part of the text for the duo.
” It’s more of an adaptation because the text of Sting was there, and it is he who tells the story. Indeed I asked him if I could write for the French public the part in French, precisely in the French language. , and he very generously accepted. ” (Mylène Farmer – Option Musique – 22/01/2016)
” My translation was very close to what he had written initially, and then I added a few things that were really French and in my style. In fact, it’s really like a conversation between the two of them and that’s what was interesting for me too. ” (Mylène Farmer -” Rolling Stone “- 09/22/2015)
“I was waiting for the right person who could really do the translation, a nice translation into French. This title is today a very beautiful song in both languages. It is an interesting story between a man, a woman and his mistress. And Mylène really made a great contribution to it. It’s a funny love story. I waited a long time to find the right person. ” (Sting – BelRTL – 11/14/2015)
It is on August 06, 2015 that we hear for the first time about a duet between Mylène and Sting.
While we can read in the weekly “Paris Match” that the release of Mylène’s tenth studio album is scheduled for December 2015, the Pure Charts website announces that Mylène would have collaborated with Sting on this album and that they would have recorded a duet together.
Polydor put online on August 18, 2015 an official website: mylenefarmer-constellations2015.com which reveals an unpublished photo, showing Mylène in Sting’s arms. A mysterious countdown leads to the date of August 28 at midnight.
Polydor sent a press release to the media on August 19, 2015 announcing the radio release of the single duo Mylène / Sting on August 28. The single will be available the same day on legal download platforms.
No song title is announced, and this subject will be the subject of much speculation the following days on the net. Articles often use the name of the site “Constellations” as the title of this single. Wrong but that, we will not know until later.
That same day, the photographer Bruno Aveillan posted the photo of the single on his twitter account and revealed that he was the author. Rumors announce that he would be the director of the clip which should be shot over two days in early September.
A very limited number of photos were taken. A very spontaneous photo shoot without make-up artist or hairdresser, Mylène having even made up herself in a few seconds before Bruno Aveillan immortalizes this meeting.
From August 24, 2015 , RFM is offering teasers D-4, D-3 … on its antenna to announce the release of the single. It should be noted that these teasers then attribute to this single the title “Constellations”.
like a love song …” On 27 August 2015 , the eve of the premiere of the duo, Apple Music puts online in the morning a visual revealing the title of the single: Stolen Car. This visual is quickly deleted but it’s too late. It did not escape the very vigilant fans who then deduce that the song is a cover of a title by Sting appearing on his album Sacred Love released in 2003.
In parallel, a new info appears on the official sites: the single is produced by The Avener.
A third official site (offering the same content as the first two): mylenefarmer-voielactee2015.com is put online. A few hours later, there will be a fourth: http://www.mylenefarmer-stolencar.com. The radios communicate around the first broadcast of the duo on their antenna. RFM announces it for 6 a.m., ChérieFM for 7 a.m., RTL in its morning and France Bleu for 5 a.m.
First broadcast of Stolen Car on RFM First broadcast of Stolen Car on France Bleu First broadcast of Stlen car on Chérie FM
It is on Friday August 28, 2015 at 00:00 precisely that the official sites unveil an extract of 01’30 from Stolen Car.
You have to wait a little less than an hour to discover the title in its entirety first on the Deezer streaming site and then on iTunes.
It is then offered on all streaming or music download sites. Stolen Car ranks number 1 on iTunes France shortly before 8 am, less than seven hours after it was posted on the download platform. The title will remain number 1 for three consecutive days.
On September 04, 2015 Stolen Car became the fourteenth number 1 single in France for Mylène with 7,972 downloads between August 28 and September 03. A record. It is also number 1 in French-speaking Belgium for its first week.
It is also the day of the single’s release in the United States on the Cherrytree Records label. The track is available for download from the US iTunes store.
On September 8, 2015, pre-orders begin for the first two physical media, a CD single and a Maxi vinyl whose release is announced for October 09.
Release on October 09, 2015 of the CD single and the Maxi 45 Tours which both offer the single version and the instrumental version of the song. The first two remixes of the track were unveiled on October 26, 2015 : Mico C broadcasts his remix of the song at midnight on his show “Party Fun” on Fun Radio. A few hours later, the leparisien.fr site uploaded Dave Audé’s remix. On October 28, 2015 , the site yagg.com offers a third remix of Ralphi Rosario.
Mylène Farmer et Sting – Stolen Car – CD Single Mylène Farmer and Sting – Stolen Car – Maxi 45 Tours
Announcement on November 03, 2015 on the fnac.com site of the release of three new media for Stolen Car : a Maxi CD for December 04 and two maxi vinyls originally planned for January 2016.
Two EPs of six remixes each by Stolen Car are available on November 13, 2015 for legal download and streaming.
On December 4, 2015, release of the MCD on which there are five remixes by Dave Audé, Ralphi Rosario, My Digital Enemy, Mico C BRKLYN. On January 29, 2016, two new Maxis 45 Tours were released: Remixes and Remixes 2. Le Snep announced on March 09, 2016 that Stolen Car was the bestselling 45 rpm vinyl in 2015 in France.
met with great success. Two non-consecutive weeks number 1 in the top singles in France with around 75,000 sales (45,000 physical media and downloads and around 30,000 copies in streaming equivalent).
If Stolen Car becomes the fourteenth number 1 single in France for Mylène, it is on the other hand the first number 1 for Sting in this ranking and in France.
Mylène and Sting celebrated this number 1 together with gin and tonic!
A title that allowed Mylène to find the way back to radio stations, Stolen Car reaching 36th place in Yacast radio airplay and remaining four months among the sixty titles most broadcast by radio stations in France.
The clip greatly contributed to the success of the title: it was ranked two weeks No.4 on airplay TV France and, one year after its release, it exceeded eight million views on You Tube, becoming Mylène’s clip on more watched on the internet.
Stolen Car ranks on February 05, 2016 number 1 of the Billboard Dance Club Songs in the United States (ranking of the most played titles in clubs). First number 1 for Mylène in this country.
Shooting of the clip Stolen Car in Paris under the direction of Bruno Aveillan on September 01 and 02, 2015.
The shooting takes place in front of the Royal Monceau and in a hotel suite on the first day. Very quickly, the first photos taken by fans were posted online.
The second day, Mylène leaves the Royal Monceau around 4 p.m. to continue filming with Sting on the banks of the Seine.
On the night of September 02 to 03, 2015 , a big surprise for the fans.
The site stormshadow.tv is uploading five videos of the filming of the clip on the quays of the Seine made the day before in the early evening.
Several press agencies will also offer many photos of the shoot taken at the same location.
Are these photos or videos “stolen” by paparazzi? Or is this a well-organized buzz around the event shooting of this clip?
The videos and photos will remain online and will be widely used on the net, in particular by news sites. If a buzz was desired, it is successful!
The gala.fr site announced on September 15, 2015 the broadcast of the clip for early October. This same site also reveals the name of the album: Interstellaires.
gala.fr on September 15, 2015
We discover on September 16, 2015 in the magazine “Gala” the first official photos of the shooting of the clip of Claude Gassian. That same day, at the end of the afternoon, posting on the various open official sites – including the new mylenefarmer-interstellaires.com – of a teaser of the clip. On October 12, 2015 first broadcast on the internet of the clip Stolen Car
The clip was put on TV on October 13, 2015 (first broadcast on NRJ Hits at 2:56 p.m. to be precise) and the first images of the making-of of the clip , Behind the scenes, were broadcast on Polydor’s twitter account. Many articles on the clip are posted all over the world, especially in the United States.
Polydor uploaded on October 22, 2015 on YouTube a long version of “Behind the scenes making the clip”
https://www.mylene.net/modules/index.php?r=4&z=4372
It’s been a long time since a single from Mylène had been the subject of such a promotion.
On September 17, 2015, Mylène is in New York with Sting. She poses with him in front of the lens of photographer Amy Sussman. Publication on September 22, 2015 of an interview with Mylène and Sting on the website of the American magazine Rolling Stone (interview in English + translation into French.
On October 13, 2015, foreign media received an EPK (electronic press kit) for the promotion of the duo with extracts from the clip Stolen Car and an interview with Mylène and Sting recorded in New York in mid-September.
NRJ, TF1 and Polydor confirm on October 19, 2015 Mylène’s presence at the “NRJ Music Awards” for November 7 with Sting. On November 07, 2015, Mylène and Sting performed Stolen Car during the ” NRJ Music Awards 2015 ” on TF1. At the end of the evening, Mylène presents an Honorary Award to Sting. The 08, 09 and 10 November 2015 , Mylène surrounded by Sting and Martin Kierszenbaum receives in a suite at the Royal Monceau in Paris journalists from several countries for interviews to ensure the promotion of the album Interstellar .
Sting and Mylène Farmer sing Stolen Car at the NRJ Music Awards 2015
On December 4, 2015, Mylène and Sting are the guests of the show “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon ” on NBC in the United States. They perform Stolen Car live. The image of Mylène giving a frying pan to Jimmy Fallon creates buzz on the net.
full episode: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1233163630034097
Paris La Défense Arena 2019
Stolen Car was sung during the nine concerts at Paris La Défense Arena from June 7 to 22, 2019. It was a virtual duet with Sting except for the concert on June 18, when the singer joined Mylène on stage.
remixes
In the end, fourteen different versions of the remixes are offered on different physical media as well as for download or streaming: https://soundcloud.com/search?q=stolen%20car%20mylene%20farmer%20remixes
reaction
Sting and Mylène Farmer – interview with Rolling Stone
Mylène Farmer doesn’t grant many interviews, but for Sting, she’ll make an exception. The French pop star, who has sold 11 million albums worldwide and regularly sells out stadiums throughout the French-speaking world, recently debuted a version of Sting’s 2004 song “Stolen Car,” in which she and the ex-Police man duet in French and English. Last month, the track debuted in France at Number One on iTunes, and stayed there for four days. It’s now available in the U.S., to be followed with a video next month.
Sting, it turns out, is perfectly equipped to steal a fancy car and run off with a Frenchwoman, as he does in the video — he’s fluent in French. The two sat down with Rolling Stone ahead of the November 6th release of Interstellaires — Farmer’s 11th studio album, which will feature “Stolen Car” and is available for preorder October 3rd — to talk about pilfering cars in two languages.
How did you two meet and end up collaborating?
Farmer: A few years ago, I went to London to see one of his shows that was happening in a church [Songs from the Labyrinth at St. Luke’s Church]. I thought that was very impressive, very beautiful and poetic. Then [last year], I flew to New York because I really wanted to see his play, The Last Ship, and I found it very moving and dark. The songs were very beautiful, the acting amazing — I fell in love with it. And then I asked him if he would like to do something with me. And he said, “Yes, why not.”
Sting: I was very happy that Mylène came to my show, obviously, and we met, and she said, “Do you have any songs that would be appropriate that we could sing together?” And immediately I thought of “Stolen Car.” I’d written it almost 12 years ago. It was always designed to have a female singing in the chorus: “Take me dancing tonight.” Because the girl doesn’t get enough attention. She’s the mistress of a successful businessman and there’s a poignancy about the story. I was waiting for the right woman to sing the song, and Mylène was the perfect candidate.
What was different about singing it this time?
Sting: Well, you always pick up something from another singer when you’re harmonizing together, and you’re phrasing together, so you have to listen very carefully. It’s very much a relationship; it’s like a dance … [And] we had to change the key, to match, so I’m singing higher than I would do normally.
Farmer: Plus it’s in French and English. I asked Sting if he would agree on French lyrics and he said okay. My translation is very close to what he first wrote, and then I added a few little things that were really French and my style. Then it’s really like a conversation between the two of them; that was interesting for me too.
Sting: It’s very sexy in French too.
What is it like to collaborate creatively, versus working alone?
Sting: Well, it’s a question of one plus one needing to make three, not two. And I think in this case, we produced something far better than I did on my own, or could do on my own. There’s a dimension to it now which is wonderful.
Farmer: When I’m songwriting, I need to be on my own. Hidden in the corner of a room and then I write. I’m very desperate — it’s better.
Tell me about the video.
Sting: We thought about making a video immediately. So the way [the song] was recorded had in mind how it would be filmed. It was always meant to be a visual piece as well.
Farmer: It’s a French director, Bruno Aveillan, who’s a very talented man and a friend of mine. He’s done a lot of commercials for Cartier, Guerlain, etc. He does things very beautifully, almost like paintings. I showed Sting his work because I thought it would fit the story, because this song is already like a small movie. And he agreed. We took — was it two days?
Sting: Two 12-hour days, and we finished at four in the morning.
Farmer: He worked a lot more than I did, because he was playing two parts.
Sting: In the video, I play the car thief, and I also play the company director, so I get all the fun.
Mylène, I saw from the paparazzi photos that you were walking with a crutch during filming.
Farmer: Yes, I broke my leg five months ago in two parts, and it’s almost okay now. But I had to wear high heels [in the video] and had to be very careful. [Sting] was very nice to me and very careful because I couldn’t walk. He had to hold me very tight.
Sting: No problem! [Both laugh]
Do you find any differences in the way French vs. American vs. other audiences respond to your work?
Sting: One of the great pleasures of playing in Europe is how different culturally each country is — Germany, Spain, Italy, France. The French listen very carefully to what you’re singing about. I think they have a very high understanding of music; I think music is taught well in schools, so they understand harmony. I think it’s part of the French soul. So I enjoy playing there. They’re not quite as enthusiastic as the Italians, who just go crazy.
Farmer: Russians are quite amazing, because they’re very fond of French language. They have the depth for his music I think. I would have a hard time answering [about my own experience], because I’m very used to a French audience. Americans, I don’t know. I still have to see.
Can each of you remember the first time you heard each other’s music?
Farmer: I knew of him for a long time as an artist, and I’m very fond of his music. If I had to pick one which is very difficult I would take probably Fragile — I would love to just steal the song and pretend it’s mine. And … [Sting] you don’t have to answer because I don’t think he knows all of my work…
Sting: Yeah I’m a friend of her manager, and he produced a play I did in Paris a few years ago called Welcome to the Voice, and I became aware of Mylène then. It’s important to recognize how big a star she is in the French-speaking world — she fills all these giant stadiums again and again and again, so she’s massive, and rightly so, and a lovely person. Which is more important, actually.
Farmer: Merci. I agree; thank you!
Rolling Stone September 2015
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lyrics with translation
Late at night in summer heat
Expensive car and empty street
There's a wire in my jacket
For this is my trade
It only takes a moment
Don't be afraid
I can hotwire an ignition
Like some kind of star
I'm just a poor boy
In a rich man's car
Et le moteur s'allume enfin
Nos vies s'enlacent
And we drive into the night
Oh le cuir doux s'en mêle
Affole ton imagination
Je te vois déjà
Dans une autre situation
Tu es "company director"
Une vie de famille
J'ai ce feeling qu il y a
Bien plus de choses à dire
There's some kind of complication
Il lui dit... he's alone
Spends the night with his lover
Il y a des traces... of her Cologne
Tous les mots de sa maitresse
À l'oreille et sans détour
Comme une chanson d'amour
Please take me dancing tonight
I've been all on my own
Les promesses d'un jour d'un soir
Je les entends comme un psaume
I'm just a prisoner of love
Prisonnière de mes failles
Take me dancing
Please take me dancing tonight
Imagine ta femme
Sa vie glisse entre ses doigts
Il y a une règle
Être chasseur ou bien la proie
Il lui dira : je rentre tard
Ses affaires, partir à Rome
Oh there's more than a suspicion
In this lingering Cologne
Et les enfants feront la tête
And she runs a traffic light
And she drives into the night
Please take me dancing tonight
I've been all on my own
Les promesses d'un jour d'un soir
Je les entends comme un psaume
I'm just a prisoner of love
Prisonnière de mes failles
Take me dancing
Please take me dancing tonight
Late at night in summer heat
Expensive car and empty street
There's a wire in my jacket
For this is my trade
It only takes a moment
Don't be afraid
I can hotwire an ignition
Like some kind of star
I'm just a poor boy
In a rich man's car
And the engine finally lights up
Our lives are entwined
And we drive into the night
Oh the soft leather gets in the way
Make your imagination run wild
I see you already
In another situation
You're a company director
A family life
I have this feeling that there's
Much more to say
There's some kind of complication
He tells her... he's alone
Spends the night with his lover
There are traces... of her Cologne
All the words of his lover
In the ear and without detour
Like a love song
Please take me dancing tonight
I've been all on my own
The promises of a day of an evening
I hear them like a psalm
I'm just a prisoner of love
Prisoner of my flaws
Take me dancing
Please take me dancing tonight
Imagine your wife
Her life slips through her fingers
There's one rule
Be the hunter or the prey
He'll tell her: I'll be back late
His business, going to Rome
Oh there's more than a suspicion
In this lingering Cologne
And the children will pout
And she runs a traffic light
And she drives into the night
Please take me dancing tonight
I've been all on my own
The promises of a day of an evening
I hear them like a psalm
I'm just a prisoner of love
Prisoner of my flaws
Take me dancing
Please take me dancing tonight
