OPTIMISTIQUE-MOI – PART 2

The video is amazing! Directed by super talented Michael Haussman who also directed several videoclips for Madonna, Richard Marx and Paula Abdul.

The screenplay was written by Mylene herself (wow – the entire song is done by her!), and, like the majority of the singer’s videos, it is a Requiem Publishing and Stuffed Monkey production. It was shot in Prague (as some others including the recent Rolling Stone) over three days with a budget of about 150,000 euros, making it the second most expensive single’s video from the album Innamoramento after “L’Âme-stram-gram“.

Funny to say, the Road Safety Department wanted to censor the end of the video because the position of the singer – standing in the back of a truck – was considered as a bad example that young people could reproduce. (seriously? And an incest is not a concern at all?)

Farmer trained herself for many hours with acrobats, as she needed to be in balance on a ball in the video. The video was broadcast for the first time on M6 on 21 February 2000 and won the award for Best Video at the M6 Awards in November 2000.

Mylène Farmer films her beloved monkey ET in the music video “Optimistique-moi”.

Its not the first time she brings up the traveling circus in her videos. Remember Sans Conterfacon? It gives you that vibe of creepiness with a touch of fascination – it is always complex, never simple. Don’t you just adore her for that!?

Did you also notice the background theme of the song strongly reminds the sounds of the traveling circus melody just in the distorted kind of way? Its drifts away from the main melody and yet enhances it – brilliant!

There are possible references to Hector Malot’s novel, Sans Famille.

I find the video being so packed with symbolism, I don’t even know where to start. The balancing act is obvious start…as she is walking high above the crowd, it is a lot of pressure to stay balanced and not to make even one wrong step. They’re watching and seem to anticipate her misstep. Is she referring to the critics, press and perhaps some “fans”? Rolling on the ball is perhaps a metaphor for keeping on rolling forward (or backwards as needed) just stay on balanced and “on the roll”? It is a serious metaphor indeed.

Having a silent connection with a magician who in the end sets her free right in the presence of the circus – perhaps an escape from the showbiz “clowns” as well as the public…or perhaps it is a self – liberation and all of the characters are the inner voices. You decide!

As usually, she lets you draw your own conclusions. Although the clip has a clear story and not as vague as some other music videos she has done, there is a lot for everyone: from nudity to the wild animals being mistreated. It is indeed puzzling why the magician has aged once he set her free…

But as far as the animals in the clip, thankfully, it is different now once it became illegal to keep them in the circus. Such animal cruelty has no excuse, and I am sure there was Mylene’s intent to expose it. We know by now how much she cares about animals and would expresses her love for them any chance she gets. Did you see how much darling ET was terrified being there?  You can tell how she curled her long tail around Mylene’s neck as if saying “Mummy, I am scared! Save me!)

The video doesn’t seem to directly relate to the lyrics as it does in Comme J’ai mal. I don’t really know why she decided to do that, and I wish I’d know. Please comment if you have thoughts about it.

Although predicted to be one of the biggest hits of the album, “Optimistique-moi” had a similar chart run as that of the three previous singles from Innamoramento, i.e. a debut in the top ten, then a quick drop on the chart.

The radios broadcasted Optimistique-moi essentially in its “single version” although some, including Europe2, will prefer the “opti-mystic radio mix” (American Version) present on the second single-title promo CD sent to the radio stations. Although benefiting from good rotations, this single will not equal the excellent scores in the France radio airplay rankings of the previous single, Souviens-toi du jour and sold around 130,000 in physical sells. Well…its hard to outscore such an incredible song and considering the risky topic

In Switzerland and Belgium, the chart performances of “Optimistique-moi” were also disappointing. On Swiss Singles Chart, it peaked at number 58 for two consecutive weeks on 19 and 26 March, then dropped and fell off the chart after eight weeks. On the Belgian Ultratop 40 Singles Chart, the single appeared for eight weeks. It entered at number 35 on 4 March 2000, reached number 15 three weeks later, then dropped, and was the second most successful single of the album, after “L’Âme-stram-gram”.

In 2000, Farmer performed the song on four television shows,

making the song the most promoted one from Innamoramento. She received the award for the album: NRJ Music Awards (22 January, TF1), and then M6 Award for the best French album of the year

The song was only performed during the Mylenium Tour the September 21, 1999 to March 8, 2000, as a seventh song of the show, and was thus included in the track listing of the live album and DVD Mylenium Tour.

A costume with a metallic faux-butt by Dominique Borg (nice touch!) A choreography created by Mylène Farmer. The title was arranged for the stage by Yvan Cassar

There are many remixes. Check them out here:

https://www.mylene.net/mylene/d_s_optimistique-moi_versions.php

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lyrics with translation

Je me fous de tes détresses comme de tout et comme du reste
C'est ça le temps qui passe
Je me fous de tes angoisses elles m'ont nourrie mais me lassent
C'est ça, c'est le temps qui passe
Je fais fi de tes 'je t'aime', ils sont des cris qui m'enchaînent
C'est ça l'amour
C'est quoi l'amour?
Tu ne vis pas, c'est morbide en somme, je suis pathétique
C'est ça l'amour
Papa n'était pas comme ça, quand...
Il disait tout bas
Petit bouton de rose
Aux pétales humides
Un baiser je dépose
Optimistique-moi, papa
Optimistique-moi, quand j'ai froid
Je me dis, tout bat
Quand rien ne s'interpose
Qu'aussitôt, tes câlins
Cessent toute ecchymose
Optimistique-moi, papa
Optimistique-moi, reviens-moi
Tu te fous de mes ténèbres comme de tout, et comme du reste
C'est ça, le temps qui passe
Fais fi des signes du ciel seuls les faits, sont ton bréviaire
C'est ça le temps qui passe
Tu dis: 'assez des histoires ton passe est préhistoire'
C'est ça l'amour
C'est quoi l'amour?
Crucifie-moi Ponce Pilate, noie-toi dans l'eau écarlate
L'amour est loin
Papa était plus malin, quand...
Il disait tout bas
Petit bouton de rose
Aux pétales humides
Un baiser je dépose
Optimistique-moi, papa
Optimistique-moi, quand j'ai froid
Je me dis, tout bat
Quand rien ne s'interpose
Qu'aussitôt, tes câlins
Cessent toute ecchymose
Optimistique-moi, papa
Optimistique-moi, reviens-moi
Il disait tout bas
Petit bouton de rose
Aux pétales humides
Un baiser je dépose
Optimistique-moi, papa
Optimistique-moi, quand j'ai froid
Je me dis, tout bat
Quand rien ne s'interpose
Qu'aussitôt, tes câlins
Cessent toute ecchymose
Optimistique-moi, papa
Optimistique-moi, reviens-moi
Il disait tout bas
Petit bouton de rose
Aux pétales humides
Un baiser je dépose
Optimistique-moi, papa
Optimistique-moi, quand j'ai froid
Je me dis, tout bat
Quand rien ne s'interpose
Qu'aussitôt, tes câlins
Cessent toute ecchymose
Optimistique-moi, papa
Optimistique-moi, reviens-moi