"Sans contrefaçon" | ||||||||||||||||
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Single by Mylène Farmer | ||||||||||||||||
from the album Ainsi soit je... | ||||||||||||||||
B-side | "La Ronde Triste" "Déshabillez-moi" |
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Released | 16 October 1987 | |||||||||||||||
Format |
CD maxi, 7" single, 12" maxi, digital download (since 2005) |
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Recorded | 1987, France | |||||||||||||||
Genre | Synthpop, baroque pop, darkwave | |||||||||||||||
Length | 4:07 (album version) 3:50 (single version) |
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Label | Polydor | |||||||||||||||
Writer(s) | Lyrics: Mylène Farmer Music: Laurent Boutonnat |
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Producer(s) | Laurent Boutonnat | |||||||||||||||
Mylène Farmer singles chronology | ||||||||||||||||
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"Sans contrefaçon" ("Without Forgery/Counterfeit") is a 1987 song recorded by French artist Mylène Farmer. It was released on 16 October 1987 as the first single from her second studio album, Ainsi soit je.... It was a big hit in 1987 and is one of her three best-selling singles. It became a very popular song in France over the years and has been covered by many artists. A remixed version by the DJ J.C.A. was released on 5 August 2003 as the first single from the compilation album called RemixeS.
Written by Farmer in 1987, the theme of "Sans contrefaçon" was inspired by two other songs, "Comme un garçon" by Sylvie Vartan and "3è Sexe" by the band Indochine. Photographer Elsa Trillat explained that the lyrics were written very quickly (taking somewhere between thirty minutes and two hours) by poolside, using a dictionary of synonyms.Laurent Boutonnat came that same day to the large Provençal-styled villa where both women were and immediately wrote the music which would accompany the lyrics. Farmer decided to change her dress style to match the song theme. In the French magazine Elle, she spotted a checkered and striped suit and asked Bertrand Le Page to wear it for the sleeve covers that illustrated the various single formats. These photos were shot in Paris by Elsa Trillat. Finally, the song was chosen to be the lead single from Farmer's second album, Ainsi soit je..., and its title became "Sans contrefaçon, je suis un garçon".
On Farmer's advice, Bertrand Le Page made numerous approaches to the NRJ radio station for it to broadcast the song twice as often, which contributed to its success. The song quickly became very popular in France and also became one of the singer's best known songs.
In September 2003, the song was released as a remixed version produced by J.C.A., becoming the first single from the album RemixeS. The song was a hit in nightclubs but did not sell very well as it was released as a vinyl record only.