LIGHT ME UP

Light me up is a number 8 song from Mylène Farmer’s eighth studio album, Bleu Noir released December 6 2010. We got the 8 situations here. Remember my numerology spiel l for the L’Autre chapter?

Music composed by Darius Keeler. The lyrics to Light me up were written by Mylène Farmer. There are 100% in English.

“When I started working with Darius from the group Archive, he asked me why not just try to write a song in English. And then, for once, I let myself be influenced. ” (Mylène Farmer – Champagne FM – 12/12/2010)

I think overall it’s a very good try for Mylene to transfer her romantic unspoken style from her native French to English. Of course, to me everything sounds better in French 😊 English is by its nature is very different language although from the same Latin group. I find English (especially an American version of it) being very straight to the point language. There is why I prefer to write in English.

The context is pretty much within our familiar realm of not feeling complete and somewhat gloomy without someone to “light her up”. The melody is not the richest but suits comfortably within the whole electro style of Blue Noir. Overall, it’s a nicely produced track. Different side of Mylene. And I always like “different”.

Bleu Noir is different simply because it’s Mylène Farmer’s first album in which Laurent Boutonnat does not participate.

The recording of the album ended on September 10, 2010 before the final mixing began by very same Jérôme Devoise (as for the two previous studio albums) at the studio Guillaume Tell.

Moby (with whom Mylène had sung as a duet, first for the single Slipping away (Crier la vie) in 2006 then on Looking for my name in the album Point de Suture in 2008.

Moby composed the music for six songs from the album: Moi je veux, Bleu Noir, N’aie plus d’amertume, Toi l’amour, M’effondre and Inseparables.

” Musical reunion … One day, Moby sent me a CD with nearly seventeen model tracks of his songs and said to me:” Take what you want if you want it”. “I admit that I chose six. And it is someone who, also has this common generosity with RedOne, who said to me: “Do whatever you want with the songs, if you want to change even the melodies, the production” and, in the end I changed the production a little because I wanted to preserve the soul of these songs.

There is something about Moby I find to be both nostalgic and at the same time dynamic. And I wanted to preserve that.” (Mylène Farmer – Radio FG – 12/06/2012) All instruments are played by Moby on the models. Models which were then reworked with new musicians during the recording of these titles by Mylène at the Guillaume Tell studio in Paris: David Levita for the guitars, Jonathan Noyce for the basses and even the faithful Yvan Cassar.

Darius Keeler and Danny Griffiths of the group Archive composed and performed three songs from the album: Light me up, Leila and Diabolique mon ange.

The tracks are recorded by Mylène in London with several other members of the group: Smiley Barnard for drums, Steve Harris on guitars, Jonathan Noyce for bass and Steve Keys on organ.

Mylène wanted to work with the group Archive for a long time, six years before the recording of these three songs! I guess she has manifested what she wanted! She is so good at that!

RedOne composed, produced (with Jimmy Joker) two songs from the album: Oui mais… Non and Lonely Lisa.

“RedOne is the last one I met. Not long ago finally. ”(Mylène Farmer – Hit West – December 09, 2010). I finally owe this meeting to Pascal Nègre.

It was while I was recording the album Pascal told me about a conversation. I think he met him at a party and my name was mentioned and, indeed, RedOne was very generous and, I told Pascal that I would like to meet her. ” (Mylène Farmer – NRJ – December 06, 2010)

“We stayed a few hours together and, there you are, I said to myself, it would be good to try something. proposed later Oui mais… Non and then the second title (Lonely Lisa). ” (Mylène Farmer – Hit West – December 09, 2010)

All the lyrics of the album are again written by Mylène with the exception of the English version of the title Inseparables done by Moby.

This is the first time since 1986 (album Cendres de lune where some lyrics are by Laurent Boutonnat) that Mylène accepts to sing a text in Inseparables that she did not write. It must feel strange to her as she always sings her own words. Honestly, the Inseparables feels very Mylene. So nice job, Moby!

“The song called Inseparables, for once, it is the first time that I sing a song by another author. And, I found the text so pretty, so fine and, at the same time, deep that I did not hesitate. ” (Mylène Farmer – Champagne FM – December 12, 2010)

The photos of the album cover and the libretto are by Nathalie Delépine. Some of the photos for the booklet were taken in London at the Covent Garden Hotel. Others in Corsica on a beach near Pianottoli-Caldarello (where Mylène has a house). The Tower of Fiagari present on one of the photos in the booklet. Nathalie Delépine also photographed Mylène on the sets of the clips Oui mais… Non and Lonely Lisa.

The other photographers of the Bleu Noir era are: Hervé Lewis (who is related to Natalie)with a photoshoot from which the photos of the singles Oui mais … Non will be taken and Lonely Lisa John Nollet for a photoshoot and photos of the filming of the clip Lonely Lisa.

Photos from John Nollet’s 2010 photoshoot will not be used by Mylène. They would have been proposed to various magazines but ultimately not retained or discarded in favor of others. We had to wait till 2012 to discover them. An here they are!

To promote the album, Mylène gave an interview to the press (Paris Match), a television interview (20h news from France 2) and five radio interviews (NRJ, Radio FG, Hit West, Champagne FM and Radio Scoop).

The radio interviews were recorded at the Park Hyatt hotel in Paris and broadcast between December 6 and 12, 2010.

Only the Radio Scoop interview will be recorded later (at the Carlton in Cannes in January 2011 during the “NRJ Music Awards”) and broadcast on February 24, 2011. The journalist was unable to come to Paris in December due to snowfall in France.

Second interview for the press in “TV Magazine” in July 2011.

The album initially became available starting November 29 by downloads. For this first week, it sets a historical record: the most downloaded album in one week with 9,129 sales (record broken since of course).

The following week with the release of physical media, Bleu Noir sold 139,176 copies, setting a new record: best start of 2011 for an album. Maybe it’s a good timing to talk about the numerology (as in 8^th album). Number “8” energy is a financial success. There is a Chinese superstition if you keep number 8 in your wallet, money always will be attracted to it. Perhaps Blue Noir drew the commercial success from the energy of “8”?

Bleu Noir will remain number 1 on France’s top albums for three consecutive weeks.

It will sell more than 400,000 copies in France and will be certified diamond album (around 500,000 copies – shelves).

It will be certified as a platinum album in French-speaking Belgium (over 40,000 sales) and a gold album in Switzerland (over 10,000 sales).

There were many interesting alternatives to the cover created for the competition:

https://www.innamoramento.net/mylene-farmer/concours-creations

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lyrics

I'm so scared, empty
No color print of me, of me, of me
I'm nobody
I stayed out, all night
Thought it was all up with me
All up with me, too scared, not fair
You're not around
I'm so alone, I'm so alone inside
I'm so alone, winter has drowned
My heart is down
Little me, little me you see
Light me up, light me up
We can never go wrong
Light me up, light me up
I'm so cold, it's so wrong
Please come to me
Please come to me
I dare, I care
Light me up, light me up
We can never go wrong
Light me up, light me up
I'm so cold in my song
Please come to me, it's all I need
Please come to me
Eyes wide open, can't sleep
Night is burning, red, red, red, red
Silence is dead
Don't belong here, you see
Thought life would bring me mystery
Sole mystery
No trace, no face, just misery
Speak up, I know the rain
Speak up, you know the pain
Speak up, speak up
Light me up, light me up
We can never go wrong
Light me up, light me up
I'm so cold, it's so wrong
Please come to me
Please come to me
I dare, I care
Light me up, light me up
We can never go wrong
Light me up, light me up
I'm so cold in my song
Please come to me, it's all I need
Please come to me
Speak up, speak up