SOIS MOI – BE ME

“Sois moi – Be Me” is a 2011 song by a singer songwriter Mylène Farmer, with music by Laurent Boutonnat. It was published on her second best-of 2001.2011, issued on 5 December 2011. Alongside “Du temps“, “Sois moi – Be Me” was one of the two then unreleased songs from the album.

The song poorly charted in France, peaking at number 57, and generally received negative reviews from both critics and Farmer’s fans.

It’s hard to say if the song was done in a rush or just meant to create some “good bones” for the future remixes. It is definitely not a deep ballad nor even the easy-listening techno entertaining songs like Sextonik. It is however still something I am covering as a part of this beloved project of mine. When it comes from the adored and respected MF – LB duo and I am happy to talk about it. I believe this is more of a bonus in the 2001.2011 collection and what’s so bad about it? I’ll take a phone book if she sings and Laurent produces it 😊 I will dance to it with much needed joy!

On 30 November 2011, six days before the compilation album’s release, the song leaked on one of the singer’s fan site.

“Sois moi – Be Me” is an up-tempo electropop song, with two verses dealing with the themes of madness, sexuality and melancholy, and a chorus only composed of the words ‘Be me oh-oh!’. Before the second verse, Farmer can be heard moaning in a sexual manner.”

Many reviews were unfavorable and noted the similarity of “Sois moi – Be Me” with Britney Spears’ 2008 song “Gimme More”.

I am, personally, not finding too many similarities with the Britney’s song but generally it is just a basic techno-pop track (which are many nowadays)

Is far as the name, the analogy comes to mind is with a recently released documentary about Whitney Houston “Can I be me?” It was a brilliant film giving a beautiful insight into her life.

Even more beautiful I’ve found a book written by Robyn Crawford “A song for you”

I personally find the text much more meaningful as Mylene wants to reveal. It is that case (again) when you will “get it” if you want to and if you really are capable to tune into her.

If not – dance away, is it have no meaning to you whatsoever…I love love love her for everything she says it even more for what she doesn’t. It is out there! Its been said: “silence speaks louder than words” and I do hear that! Do you?

According to evous.fr site, “this pop-dance-oriented song seems to annoy many fans. Their comments published on YouTube suggest a certain disappointment”. A poll on the Mylene.net site, in order to know the opinion of Farmer’s fans about the song, indicated that 22.8% of the voters answered: “hate it”, which was the highest percentage out of the five answers.

News de Stars said: “From the first notes, we are surprised by the tone of this new resolutely electro, very rhythmic and very fast track. “Really, we seem to have heard [the chorus] somewhere… And indeed, the “be me” played repeatedly by Mylène Farmer give the feeling to hear… “Gimme More” by Britney Spears!”  French magazine Têtu considered the song very different from “Du temps” and that it “immediately recalls Britney Spears’ sexual hit “Gimme More””.

To journalist Benoît Cachin, the music of the song is ” swinging” and the lyrics are “poor”. Although he considers that there is nothing special in this song, he believes that it is “first designed for dance floors, where lyrics do not matter”. And I agree with that assessment.

On his blog, French author and journalist Hugues Royer, who wrote a book on Farmer in 2008, stated: “I think this is the first time I do not really adhere to a song of Mylène (…). I did not detect either the usual fluidity of Boutonnat’s melodies or that singular thing in the lyrics that makes Mylène a special artist”. However, he thought that the song could be effective on radio.

Much more critical, the writing committee of Pop Heart said to be “hilarious” after listening to the song, adding: “Our champion of the day has managed the feat to propose a track that Ysa Ferrer herself would not dare record. Everything looks like a parody: cheap music, lyrics that are not renewed”. The song was deemed an “auditory attack”. When Farmer’s next studio album Monkey Me was released in December 2012, Julien Dejardin of ptitblog.net considered the song “Love Dance” as being worse than “Sois moi – Be Me”. They are clearly killing Mylene with kindness 😊

Although it has not been released as a single, “Sois moi – Be Me” charted in France due to downloads on the week of the album’s release. It debuted at a peak of number 57 on the chart edition of 10 December 2011.

Let’s talk a little about the album “Sois moi – Be Me” come from.

It was the second compilation, after Les Mots in 2001, and was released on 5 December 2011. It contains all the singles from her last three studio albums and two new songs. One of them was the lead single from 2001.2011, “Du temps“, released digitally on 7 November.

On 3 November 2011, an article in the French newspaper France Soir confirmed rumors about an upcoming best of by Farmer, said it would be released on 5 December and showed the cover. The next day, Polydor officially announced the best of, saying: “After the Bleu noir album, certified diamond, Mylène Farmer presents 2001.2011, a selection of her greatest hits during that period. This album follows her first best of Les Mots, sold over 1.5 million. It will also contain two new tracks including new single”. On 10 November, the track listing was revealed on the Internet: composed of 17 tracks, it includes all of Farmer’s previous singles from her last three studio albums, one live single and two new songs.

Unlike Farmer’s previous albums, the cover does not display a photo, but an abstract painting representing half of the singer’s face, semi hidden behind a lock of red hair, drawing (which Mylene did herself) which Thierry de Cabarrus of Suite101 site considers as being “enigmatic, even melancholy”.

In France, the album debuted at number three, selling 40,455 units. In Switzerland, it began at number 36, and it reached the 8 position in the French-speaking part of Switzerland (Romandie). In Belgium (Wallonia), the album entered at number ten on the chart edition of 17 December 2011.

Here are the tracks from the 2001.2011 album:

1.            “Du temps”
2.            “Avant que l’ombre”         
3.            “Fuck Them All”
4.            “L’amour n’est rien…”   
5.            “Peut-être toi”    
6.            “Q.I”           
7.            “Redonne-moi”  
8.            “Crier La Vie (Slipping Away)” (duet with Moby)
9.            “Dégénération” (Radio edit)   
10.          “Appelle mon numéro”    
11.          “C’est dans l’air”       
12.          “Sextonik”      
13.          “Si j’avais au moins…”            
14.          “Oui mais… non”    
15.          “Bleu noir”           
16.          “Lonely Lisa”     
17.          “Sois moi – Be Me”    

my poetry inspired by the song

RECEIVE ALL THE NEWS FROM MYLENEFARMER.COM VIA EMAIL

lyrics with translation

Be me, be me, be me
Be me, be me, oh-oh!

Dis-moi mon autre, dis-moi schizophrénie
Deviens mon cœur, deviens mélancolie
Et dans la solitude de mes nuits
Deviens-moi, deviens-toi, sois-moi, be me…
 
Be me, be me, be me
Be me, be me, oh-oh!

Je sens monter en moi tes doigts qui glissent
Férocité de nos deux corps qui jouissent
J’entends tes mots, ta voix à l’infini
Deviens-moi, deviens-toi, sois-moi, be me…
Be me, be me, be me
Be me, be me, oh-oh
 
Be me, be me, be me
Be me, be me, oh-oh!

Be me, be me, be me
Be me, be me, oh-oh!

Tell me my other, tell me schizophrenia
Become my heart, become melancholy
And in the solitude of my nights
Become me, become yourself, it's me, be me...
 
Be me, be me, be me
Be me, be me, oh-oh!

I feel your fingers slipping in me
Ferocity of our bodies that shall enjoy
I hear your words, your voice at infinity
Become me, become yourself, it's me, be me...
 
Be me, be me, be me
Be me, be me, oh-oh !
 
Be me, be me, be me
Be me, be me, oh-oh !