L'Instant X

Single infobox |
Name = L'Instant X


Artist = Mylène Farmer
from Album = Anamorphosée
Released = December 12, 1995
(single version)
January 21, 2004
(One-T version)
Format = CD single
CD maxi
12" single
Digital download (since 2005)
Recorded = 1995, Los Angeles
Genre = Pop
Length = 4:10
Label = Polydor
Writer = Text : Mylène Farmer
Music : Laurent Boutonnat
Producer = Laurent Boutonnat
Certification =
Chronology = Mylène Farmer singles
Last single = "XXL"
(1995)
This single = "L'Instant X"
(1995)
Next single = "California"
(1996)Extra album cover
Upper caption = Alternate covers
Background = khaki


Lower caption = CD maxiExtra album cover
Background = khaki


Lower caption = One-T VersionExtra tracklisting
Album = Anamorphosée
Type = album
prev_track = "Mylène s'en fout"
prev_no = 3
this_track = "L'Instant X"
track_no = 4
next_track = "Eaunanisme"
next_no = 5Extra tracklisting
Album = Live à Bercy
Type = live
prev_track = "Libertine"
prev_no = 8
this_track = "L'Instant X"
track_no = 9
next_track = "Alice"
next_no = 10Extra tracklisting
Album = Music Videos II
Type = Video
prev_track = "XXL"
prev_no = 2
this_track = "L'Instant X"
track_no = 3
next_track = "California"
next_no = 4Extra tracklisting
Album = Music Videos II & III
Type = Video
prev_track = "XXL"
prev_no = 2
this_track = "L'Instant X"
track_no = 3
next_track = "California"
next_no = 4Extra tracklisting
Album = Les Mots
Type = compilation
prev_track = "XXL"
prev_no = 3
this_track = "L'Instant X"
track_no = 4
next_track = "Comme j'ai mal"
next_no = 5Extra tracklisting
Album = RemixeS
Type = compilation
prev_track = "Sans contrefaçon"
prev_no = 1
this_track = "L'Instant X"
track_no = 2
next_track = "L'Âme-stram-gram"
next_no = 3

"L'Instant X" is a 1995 song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer. Second single from her fourth album "Anamorphosée", it was released on December 12 1995. Although the music video was not very appreciatedFact|date=August 2008, it became the biggest hit from the album, reaching number 6 in France.

Backgroung and writing

The name of the song comes from an expression of the first verse ; as for the chorus, it covers in its own way Tino Rossi's Christmas song "Petit Papa Noël". Indeed, in it, Farmer scans, in jerky syllabes, "Papa Noël, quand tu descendras du ciel... [Elia Habib, "Muz hit. tubes", p. 340 (ISBN 2-9518832-0-X)] "

For the first time in Farmer's career, all the remixes on the media (CD single, CD maxi, vinyl) were not produced only by Boutonnat's team : indeed, while two of them were made by Laurent Boutonnat and Bertrand Châtenet, the two others, with techno and dance sounds, were produced by Ramon Zenker. The second track on the CD single is a remixed version of "Alice", a song from "Anamorphosée", with jazz sonorities.

"L'Instant X" was performed during the 1996 Tour. The song was remixed by One-T for the compilation "RemixeS" ; this version was even released as 7" maxi on January 21, 2004. It was thus the third single from "RemixeS" - after "Sans contrefaçon" and "Je t'aime mélancolie" - and was the more broadcast on radio.

Lyrics and music

In the song, Farmer evokes with humour and irony the year 2000 in which many people get lost in conjecture. She says that this year will bring much joy. She also refers to a song by the rock group U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (in the phrase "Bloody lundi"), addressed in the refrain to the Father Christmas comparing him to the Messiah, uses a quote from André Malraux ("le XXIè siècle sera spirituel ou ne sera pas"), cites the women's magazine "Elle", the River Styx in the Greek mythology, and the antidepressant Prozac (but in verlan)."Le Dictionnaire des Chansons de Mylène Farmer", Benoît Cachin, 2006, Tournon Ed., p. 130-134]

Music video

Like "XXL", the video was made by Marcus Nispel, who also wrote the screenplay. This Requiem Publishing production was shot in Los Angeles and New York for three days (one for Farmer, the two others for the extras) and cost about 80,000 euros. In addition to the version broadcast on television, there was another video of "Instant X" that was in fact the first editing containing only Farmer's unpublished shots. Some video's photos were touched up by an American rock group that used them as cover of its album. The small towel worn by Farmer in the video has been made by the French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. ["L'Instant X", videoclip [http://www.mylenefarmeriscalled.net/instantclip.html Mylenefarmeriscalled.net] (Retrieved January 9, 2008)]

In this video, Farmer plays in the foam while she's lying on a cloud. The city of New York, which is under this cloud, is in turn covered with foam. ["L'Instant X", videoclip [http://www.sans-logique.com/mylene-farmer/clips/clip.php?clip=linstant-x Sans-logique.com] (Retrieved January 9, 2008)]

This video shows the end of the world, but was not much appreciated by the Farmer's fans. About the video, the singer said : "I wanted to retrace one day we can have, where everything goes wrong. It is a concentration of events as soon as we get up... and everything goes wrong again ! And we expect that time and it often happens that in a day or, or in a month, at a time when all things come to concentrate a bit like a puzzle, and this is when all this time redounds upwards rather than downwards". [Interview of Mylène Farmer, on Paris Première, by Paul Amar, 1996 [http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/farmer+amar+paris+premi%C3%A8re/video/x1ewm7_20h-paris-premiere-23_music Dailymotion.com] (Retrieved January 15, 2008)]

It was first broadcast on television on December 17, 1995, in the French show "Déjà le retour", but in a different version in which only the singer appears.

According to "Instant-Mag", the foam in which Farmer rolls could be a symbol of the orgasm, as it is in French literature. ["Instant-Mag", No. 7, 2001, p. 6]

TV performances

At the end of 1995, Farmer featured in two TV shows in order to promote the song, but without singing it ; she was only interviewed in "Studio Gabriel" (December 14, France 2) in which she announced her next tour, and in "Déjà le retour" (December 17, France 2). She also performed "L'instant X" on two other programs : "Le Bêtisier du samedi soir", (January 13, 1996, France 2), and "Top aux Carpentier" (March 9, 1996, TF1). ["L'Instant X" [http://www.mylene.net/mylene/d_s_instantx.php Mylene.net] (Retrieved January 9, 2008)] At these occasion, Farmer kissed on the mouth her two female dancers during the musical bridge."L'Instant X", L'histoire de la chanson : le tube de Noël 1995 [http://www.mylenefarmeriscalled.net/instantglob.html Mylenefarmeriscalled.net] (Retrieved January 9, 2008)] "L'Intégrale Mylene Farmer", Erwan Chuberre, 2007, City Ed., p. 166 (ISBN 978-2-35288-108-7)]

Chart performances

In France, the single debuted at number 9 in the Top 50 on December 16, 1995, and fell the three following weeks. However, it reached again the Top 10 on January 20 peaking at 6, and remained in the Top 10 for a total of 8 weeks. It left the chart on April 27, 1996, after 20 weeks of attendance. "L'Instant X" was the best-selling single, with the longest running, from "Anamorphosée"."L'Instant X", French SNEP Singles Chart [http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Myl%E8ne+Farmer&titel=L%27instant+X&cat=s Lescharts.com] (December 5, 2007)] The song was ranked #67 on the End of the Year Chart.1996 French Singles Chart [http://www.disqueenfrance.com/classements/singles/classement_annuel.asp?date=11 Disqueenfrance.com] (Retrieved April 14, 2008)]

The single remained on the Belgian Ultratop 40 Singles Chart for 21 weeks (January 1 - May 18, and June 6). Its reached its peak position, number 12, on February 17 and March 30. "L'Instant X" was the second longest running single of Farmer in Belgium, behind "Slipping Away (Crier la vie)" (24 weeks)."L'Instant X", Belgian (Wallonia) Ultratop 40 Singles Chart [http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?key=62684&cat=s Ultratop.be] (Retrieved January 3, 2008)] It was the 49th best-selling single of 1996 in Belgium.1996 Belgian Singles Chart [http://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=1996 Ultratop.be] (Retrieved January 21, 2008)]

In 2004, the remixed version by One-T was aired in Russia."L'Instant X", by One-T, Russian Airplay Chart [http://www.tophit.ru/search.shtml?q=farmer&meth=1 Tophit.ru] ((Retrieved January 3, 2008)]

Cover versions

The song was covered by Michał Kwiatkowski and Sofia Essaïdi, on October 30, 2003, in the show Star Academy France, but this version was not released as a single.

Formats and track listings

; Original version;; CD single
# "L'Instant X" (single version) — 4:10
# "Alice" (arachnostring version) — 5:20

;; CD maxi
# "L'Instant X" (single version) — 4:10
# "L'Instant X" (santa's hard re-x-mix) — 6:00
# "L'Instant X" (have an Instant X mix) — 5:26
# "L'Instant X" (Ramon Zenker club dub re-mix) — 7:05
# "L'Instant X" (Ramon Zenker groove trop re-mix) — 5:39

;; 12" maxiA-side :
# "L'Instant X" (santa's hard re-x-mix) — 6:00
# "L'Instant X" (have a Instant X mix) — 7:05B-side :
# "L'Instant X" (Ramon Zenker club dub re-mix) — 5:39
# "L'Instant X" (Ramon Zenker groove trop re-mix) — 5:26;; CD single - Promo
# "L'Instant X" (single version) — 4:25

;; Video - Promo
# "L'Instant X" (video)

;; Digital download
# "L'Instant X" (album version) — 4:45
# "L'Instant X" (the X key) — 3:39
# "L'Instant X" (live version) — 9:40

; One-T version

;; 7" single
# "L'Instant X" (the X key)

;; 7" maxi
# "L'Instant X" (the X key)

;; 7" single - Promo
# "L'Instant X" (the X key)

Versions

; Official versions

References