"Redonne-moi" | ||||
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Single by Mylène Farmer | ||||
from the album Avant que l'ombre... | ||||
B-side | "Instrumental" | |||
Released | 2 January 2006 | |||
Format | CD single, digital download | |||
Recorded | 2005, France | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 4:24 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Songwriter(s) | Lyrics: Mylène Farmer Music: Laurent Boutonnat |
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Producer(s) | Laurent Boutonnat | |||
Mylène Farmer singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Promo CD
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Avant que l'ombre... track listing | ||||
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"Redonne-moi" (English: "Give Me Back") is a 2005 song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer. This pop ballad was the third single from her sixth studio album, Avant que l'ombre..., and was released on 2 January 2006. Like all other tracks of the parent album, it was written by Farmer and the music was composed by Laurent Boutonnat. The song has poetic lyrics and a melancholy music, and is about death, memory, and hope. About three months before the release, Farmer exceptionally accepted to perform the song in a television show, which she did not for other singles from Avant que l'ombre.... The accompanying music video, filmed by François Hanss and broadcast from 11 January 2006, shows Farmer singing in a sculpture workshop. In spite of being a top ten hit in France, "Redonne-moi" became the less-selling single from the album, with rather disappointing sales figures.
From August 2005, some rumours went round about the song which could be the third single from the album Avant que l'ombre...: first, "L'amour n'est rien..." was announced; then, in September, "Peut-être toi", "Porno graphique" and "J'attends" were also successively presented as next single. Some pessimistic fan websites said there would not be a third single, as the previous one "Q.I" had been moderately received and the album then continued to drop on the chart.
Finally, "Redonne-moi" was chosen by Farmer, who absolutely wanted this song as next single. Many of Farmer's fans were not satisfied with this choice, as "Redonne-moi" is the slowest song of the album and seemed to lack of commercial potential. A promotional CD single was sent to radios on 13 October. The single was proposed for the first time as digital download on 7 December, but the physical release, originally scheduled for 5 December, was eventually cancelled and delayed on 2 January 2006. Moreover, the song was rarely broadcast on radios, as they considered it too slow.
The single was released in a sole format, a digipack CD single without any remixes, and used for the cover of an unpublished photo produced by Ellen Von Unwerth during a photo session in 2005.
This ballad uses very poetic lyrics and a melancholy music, and deals with several recurring themes in Farmer's songs: "death, memory, but also hope". According to an analysis by journalist Benoît Cachin, "Farmer seems to be split : on the one hand, the past symbolized by a ghost that evokes sadness and death, and on the other hand, the future, in which Farmer put her trust, hoping to live in a better way and rediscover the joy of the existence through love". In the refrain, Farmer seems to speak to someone: this may be the ghost, or a person that she loves and whom she requests to help her to forget her past. Psychologist Hugues Royer said that, in this song, Farmer "is toying with the idea of emerging from a black hole. While she sinks in suffering, a friendly voice whispers to her how it could be beneficial to "find a trace of self"", as the singer seems to have forgotten her past. As in "Rêver" and "Ainsi soit je...", some lyrics are sung in the high notes to express sadness.