MAMAN A TORT – PART 2

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After I finished the part 1 yesterday, I had an a-ha moment (late at night!), the biggest phenomena of Mylene is that we identify HER with the CHARACTER she plays. Which only happens with great actors and artists. We believe so much in her creation that we can’t (at least I cannot) see her as a separate entity from the song or the video she makes. Therefore we see it all is one continuous  autobiography.

The lyrics becomes the diary, as a howl becomes a wolf and the dish is the chef in our minds…What a magic!

Another thing came to mind is how little those starving kids probably received out of the sales of Maman a tort.  I am sure, the biggest chunk went to RCA and all the networks…I hope they got enough to not to starve and not to get married out of despair and like Mylene, perhaps buy a monkey! 🙂

“With the money I earned for Maman a tort, I bought myself a little monkey, a beige capuchin with a little puff on its head. I called her “ET” and she is really sweet. Immediately as soon as I saw her, I gave in and although it cost a small fortune I couldn’t resist.” said Mylene in 1986

“I fell in love with ET a year and a half ago while walking on the docks. She was in a cage and I couldn’t stand her sad gaze. Since then, I have installed it at home, in my apartment, and we share a rare bond.” She explained to OKEY in July of 1986

Initial rehearsals of Maman a tort were held at Dahan’s home. Dahan told of these rehearsals: “There was a large room with a piano and there we repeated the staging of the song. Mylène had a hard time understanding all this, we had to teach her everything, starting with the choreography. This probably did not look very professional.”

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Recording of the French version of “Maman a tort” took place in Paris in January 1984, with Farmer stating that the sessions were a “magic” moment.

According to France Dimanche, the song saved Farmer from entering into a loveless marriage. Farmer had become disillusioned with showbusiness after struggling to get even tiny roles in commercials and had resolved to wed a childhood friend, a student of the École nationale d’administration, before she was selected to sing “Maman a tort”.

Later, the English-language version of the song was recorded in an afternoon at the Dany Darras studio in Cernay. Farmer had no difficulty in singing in English because she spoke the language very well, having lived in Canada. (but she still has a lovely accent in English as I ‘ve been told I do too 😊)

“Maman a tort” lays the foundation of Farmer’s musical universe, including many themes dealt with by Farmer in subsequent releases. Among the topics discussed are transgression, love, the world of childhood, violence and death, mortality and suffering, sexuality, and social demands. The song also deals with psychoanalysis. The rhythm is catchy, and the lyrics, “dark and symbolic”, describe the conflicts between a daughter and her mother, as the title suggests. According to an analysis published by Sophie Khairallah, the lyrics could also refer to incest. (uph! That’s heavy…)

They seem to be “innocent” and are sung “in the most ingenuous way”. Biographer Bernard Violet considers the song “a nursery rhyme with enigmatic but quite spicy lyrics which place it rather far from contemporary Sabine Paturel and her innocent song “Les Bêtises””

In my eyes, Mylene nails the “beau le résultat” 🙂

Journalist Caroline Bee deemed the song as “a small efficient UFO, with a catchy and binary melody and a disconcerting video”. Hmm.. there is something to it – I agree!

In a 1984 interview Farmer discussed the song’s lyrics, stating: “It can happen to many children who are in hospital the nurses feed these children, tuck them into bed, kiss them before they sleep and therefore take the place of their mothers. So, it is a little girl who tells her mother: I love the nurse”. She said in another interview: “But if people prefer to give this song a perverse sense, it is their problem”. Thus, she does not confirm the lesbian allusions that seem to emerge from the chorus (the French verb “aimer” can mean either “to love” or “to like”). However, the song has been listed in several books dealing with homosexuality and explains the fact that many gay people were immediately attracted to Farmer’s work.

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Or, perhaps there are a lot of us out there living our lives under-mothered for various reasons and trying to find someone safely attach to, and who might (just might) fill the void and provide us with such unconditional love and approval that we NEEDed from our mom but never gotten it. There are many insinuations that in fact the very “absence” (emotional or physical) of the mother might activate the profoundly Freudian urge to get the love from another woman (speaking of lesbianism) So Maman a tort doesn’t sound unrealistic at all. And what is wrong being attracted to the same sex anyway??? Why it even has to be defended!!….Aren’t we all HUMAN kind? Not like being attracted to the “old goat” as a love interest 😊

Boutonnat wanted the video to be filmed in cinemascope, but this was unusual at the time and the idea was withdrawn.

The video begins with a portrait of Sigmund Freud in close-up, then shows a picture of Mylene’s young mother.

The song’s lyrics are subtitled. Still images of Farmer are then shown in silhouette wearing a white and transparent nightgown. With each line of the song, an image of Farmer appears. When the chorus begins, Farmer turns blue and begins to dance in front of a backdrop featuring stars and the moon. Three children are shown looking at Farmer. After another verse, which again features still images of Farmer, shots of Farmer jumping are intercut with shots of her singing along with the track with her arms clutched to her breast. I suppose it was an attempt to create a provocative Lolita in the setting of the hospital (you figure what kind) but it turned out pretty innocently.

Boutonnat (Mister darkness, I’d say!) originally planned a more elaborate concept for the video. Farmer would have been shown in a wheelchair pushed by a nurse, who she had feelings for. As Farmer cannot understand this relationship, and faces the disapproval of her mother because of it, Farmer decides to commit suicide by throwing herself from the top of a cliff. I am glad they chose the softer version, It was my first song – I don’t think I could handle the suicide off the bet.

The story board was also presented in the media, but Farmer’s recording company RCA did not agree with to the project, especially since this video would have cost 70,000 euro to make.

Afterwards, Farmer and the three children are shown holding placards with the words “Maman a tort”. Following another verse Farmer’s severed head is pictured on a plate on a table in front of the children who are holding knives and forks. Farmer is again shown in blue and cries before being slapped in the face (geez, reminds me of her “good nun” story and the orange juice). A low angle shot of Farmer shows her readjusting the strap of her nightgown and is intercut with images of her in silhouette. The video ends with a portrait of Freud. Hint hint…

There was no video for the English version “My Mum Is Wrong”.

In an interview, Farmer deplored the censorship, saying: “has shocked many people. I find it pretty stupid. Jacques Dutronc said “Merde in France” and everyone went into raptures. As for me, I simply say that I enjoyed the controversy”. Now…we recognize our future walking controversy! Once upon a time…and that is the moment 😊

Despite the low cost of the video, it was described in the press as “beautiful” by Chanson and “one of the best music videos of the year” by Télé Star. In contrast, the French newspaper Le Provençal called the video “useless: static, unimaginative” and claimed that it was low-budget. (no objections there!)

For his part, Violet described the video as being “half-way between fotonovela and shadow play” and said that it provides “a blend of ethereal and childish sensuality, of measured provocation and of obsessive victimization”. Wow! Talking about taking it out of the context…

Boys and Girls considered it “undoubtedly one of the hits of the summer of 1984”,OK called it “a very promising first 7″”, and Chanson 84 stated that it was “great: rhythmic, spicy, original; the orchestration, based on a synth and drums, is enriched over the couplets”. Le Matin de Paris said it was “a funny perverse little song”, and Les Grands de la Variété stated: “The tone is original, the music is subtle: it’s a good surprise”.

“Maman a tort” did not appear in the French Top 50 Singles Chart because the chart had not been created at the time. The sales of the single were about 100,000 (220,000, according to French magazine Elle), which was deemed as a “decent performance” and a “first success, not a triumphant one”.”My Mum Is Wrong” was not successful and its sales are unknown. In March 2014 “Maman a Tort” entered the French Singles Chart at number 104 due to digital downloads by Farmer’s fans as a tribute to her thirty-year singing career.

Bertrand Le Page provided many opportunities for Farmer to perform the song on television. French host Michel Drucker was the first to allow Farmer to perform on his show, Champs Élysées. From that moment, the song was widely played on radio and aroused the curiosity of the public.

Throughout 1984, Farmer actively promoted “Maman a tort” and performed it in on many French television programs broadcast on TF1, Antenne 2, FR3 and TMC. From February 1985 to December 1986, when her next three singles — “On est tous des imbéciles”, “Plus grandir” and “Libertine” — were released, Farmer promoted them on many television shows, but she also sang “Maman a tort” on these occasions. See part 1

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In total, the song has been performed over twenty times on television. According to author Erwan Chuberre, Farmer’s performances on television were generally deemed as unconvincing because she had never taken dance lessons at the time, and her colored dresses were not very tasteful. Oh common – what a mean Grinch he is – give her a break: she is just a kid!)

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In spite of these performances, Farmer had difficulty achieving notoriety and, on an advice of Le Page, she extended the promotion of the song to include interviews in magazines for teenagers.

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tour 1989

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The only time the song was performed in concerts in its entirety is in Mylene’s 1989 tour and was performed as a duet. Carole Fredericks, one of Farmer’s vocalists, portrayed the nurse, and in a long monologue, she complained about one of her female patients, who was difficult to bear. Farmer, hidden beneath Frederick’s long dress, suddenly appeared, from under the skirts wearing pajamas, and performed the song by waddling like a little child.

The exchanges with Carole Fredericks on « MAMAN A TORT » remain a strong moment of the show.

The chorus girl did not hesitate to modify on some dates her little humorous introduction message to Mylène.

Thus at Bercy, we could hear her say that she is “obliged to give her a spanking” because “she doesn’t put away her dolls and especially her bambi”. More on the topic in Quentin Lambert’s anecdote HERE

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The song ends with a very argument like “rap” between Mylène and Carole Fredericks, a passage that will be used in remixes of the title Plus Grandir Live , second single from the album In concert, in 1990. Maman a wrong will be included in a medley also associating Sans Contrefacon, Libertine and Pourvu qu’elles soient doucesduring the Mylenium Tour in 1999-2000. A snippet of the song was performed on the opening night of the Timeless Tour of 2013.  Mylène will offer a “break” Maman a tort during the show, resuming with the public two or three times the first verse of the song. A much-awaited moment every evening. I bet it makes Mylene feel loved!

I also loved how she unbuckles her long red skirt during the 2013 concert on the line ‘J’ m’amuse” (very cheeky!)

The song has been covered five times. First, in the late 1990s, by French singer Lio for a 1984 hits compilation, then in 2000, by Beyond the Nightmare, but this version was not released as a single. In 2003 the song was released twice: first by Yohann and Gabrielle, two contestants of À la Recherche de la Nouvelle Star,

on the album 1ers Tubes on which it appears as 13th track, and then by MF2003; the version, released in the United Kingdom as a 7″ maxi single, included an instrumental version named “My Mum Is Dub” as a B-side, was unsuccessful and failed to chart – I could not find it anywhere to reference. In 2010 Momus recorded an English translation of this song titled ‘The Orderly’ (with 1989 En concert as a video).

These are the formats and track listings of single releases of “Maman a tort” and “My Mum Is Wrong”

Maman a tort included into the albums Cendres de lune (1986), En concert (1989) in live version, Les mots (2001) and Histoires de…(2011).

Here are the various publications I have found – enjoy! 🙂

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Her paternal grandmother Jeanne, who studied at the Marseille Conservatory, introduced her to music and, at age of 10, Mylene even won a singing competition.

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As a teenager, enrolled in a literary baccalaureate, she was not very interested in studies. At the age of 18, she decides to fly on her own and leaves the high school and her family cocoon.

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The singer, who reveals to love Billie Eilish  (of course! she is incredible! MY kids’ favorite! We have seen he live and she is incredible) a lot among current artists, says she is “honored” by the filiation between her, Dalida and Barbara in the heart of the gay public, with whom she shares a certain melancholy: “They are great artists. So atypical. These are two women who gave themselves up through their songs, but who remained impenetrable (just like Mylene!). With, of course, a palpable fragility. But I imagine them as strong as they are desperate. Melancholy is often synonymous with sadness; I think there is a part of light in this feeling ”.  Mylene To Girls, 09/17/1986

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“My first kiss? I had to give word of mouth to my teddy bear. Erotic, right? The second, with my capuchin.” 😊

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More on E.T. in Mylene’s own words:

Mylene to Bains de Minuit – La Cinq , 06/11/1987 “She’s a monkey, a Capuchin sajou. And she’s a little monkey that has a very long tail and is adorable, temperamental but that I really like. It is true that not only does she have four hands, but that is also to say she can really fiddle with all objects, reproduce anything that can write, read …” Graffiti , 12/01/1987

I fell in love with E.T., today, we are the best accomplices in the world. She scribbles. She is also hypersensitive, she perceives things and often I have the firm impression that she understands everything I say to her, in fact, she is like a baby and yet she is only a monkey. I know this can sound confusing and many people think I’m nuts! But between ET and me, it’s perfect harmony, so why would I deny it? Nulle Part Ailleurs – Canal Plus , 23/11/1987

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I have a second monkey! A tiny little one. He is three months old, magnificent. The meeting with ET took place yesterday, and it’s great. He is a monkey, therefore male. ET is a female. Here Paris , 04/13/1988

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At home I have my two great loves: my two monkeys. They are sapajous-capuchins. The mother, ET is five years old; the baby, who is more prosaically called “Leon”, is only five months old. You may not know the tenderness we share! It is fabulous. I even think it’s because of ET and Leon that I don’t like vacations. I would feel too guilty about giving them to a third person. As for taking them with me, that often poses insurmountable problems. Mais où sont les caméras ? – Skyrock, le 07/05/1988

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I had a baby monkey … A baby Capuchin (Léon, NDLR). And it is a little different from the first (ET, Editor’s note). He’s from another country, this one is from China. She was born in France, he was born in captivity but he has a little Chinese air! It means that we do not capture them in their countries that they are not traumatized as they could be if they were captured in their own country. They are a little more domesticated. La Matinale de Cauet – Skyrock , 05/31/1996

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ET is still at home. Monkeys are not allowed to travel. She was forced to stay… (during Mylène’s trip to the United States, editor’s note) The monkey is prohibited, anyway, it is not an animal that must be domesticated.

TV Magazine , 11/23/2012

ET was a capuchin monkey. She shared my life for over twenty-five years. I miss her terribly… She will remain the only one. ( I guess ET passed away around then) 🙁

Anyone knows what happened to the baby monkey Leon? To Honor E.T. Mylene issued stuffed money toy during 2013

Monkey Me, the little monkey’s soft toy.

As with the different visuals of the album and the tour, he has differently colored eyes, one blue and the other brown.

She has a woven label Mylène Farmer. Height 25 cm.

More about E.T. in this round of FAN Games – CLICK HERE and Quentin Lambert anecdote HERE

On the side note, I am a mom of 2 beautiful girls, stepmom to a young man and a pet-mom of 2 doggies (Lucy and Ricky named of course after the famous couple from the TV show I love Lucy) 😊

They are my loyal companions, and we are in love and are blessed to have them.

Did you know there are a movie and the mini-series also called Maman a tort

Trainee Day (original title: Maman a tort) is a 2016 French-Belgian comedy-drama film written and directed by Marc Fitoussi. It stars Émilie Dequenne and Jeanne Jestin.

And the 2018 drama mystery TV mini-series Maman a tort

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Mylenium Tour

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In addition to the 1989 concerts, Mylene performed Maman a tort as a part of a medley during Mylenium Tour (1999-2000)

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Timeless 2013

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reactions

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That’s all folks! 🙂 I hope it was as fun for you as it was for me! 🙂

Love you all!❤

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