Cendres de lune

Cendres de lune
Studio album by
Mylène Farmer
ReleasedApril 1986 (first edition)
April 1987 (second edition)
GenresSynthpop, new wave, baroque pop
Length35:28 (first edition LP, Cassette)
40:04 (second edition LP, Cassette)
53:08 (all CD editions)
LabelPolydor
ProducerLaurent Boutonnat
Mylène Farmer chronology
Cendres de lune
(1986)		 Ainsi soit je...
(1988)
Singles from Cendres de lune
  1. "Maman a tort"
    Released: March 1984
  2. "Plus grandir"
    Released: 25 September 1985
  3. "We'll Never Die (Canada only)"
    Released: February 1986
  4. "Libertine"
    Released: 1 April 1986
  5. "Tristana"
    Released: February 1987
  6. "Au bout de la nuit"
    Released: 25 June 1987

Cendres de lune is the first album by the French singer/songwriter Mylène Farmer, released on 1 April 1986. The album was preceded by the hit single "Libertine". The album was rereleased in 1987, preceded by the song "Tristana". The album, which was Farmer's only one written and composed by Laurent Boutonnat, achieved success in France. Despite this success, it is considered moderate when compared with Farmer's standards and her later high-selling albums, but it helped to launch her career.

Background

After the moderate success of the first four singles ("Maman a tort", "My Mum Is Wrong" [the English-language version of "Maman a tort"], "On est tous des imbéciles" and "Plus grandir"), Farmer decided to release her first album. At the time, she had signed a contract for two albums with the recording company Polydor, which reserved the right to break the contract at any time. Fortunately, in 1986, the success of "Libertine" brought Farmer her first big hit and allowed her to produce Cendres de lune.

The vinyl release of the album contained only nine tracks, including "Maman a tort", "Plus grandir" and its B-side "Chloé", plus six other songs. Polydor did not procure the copyright for "My Mum Is Wrong", "On est tous des imbéciles" and its B-side "L'Annonciation" from RCA, the label Farmer released those tracks on. However, in 1987, with the increasingly prominence of the Compact Disc, the album was reissued with a total of 12 titles: "Tristana", the 1987 hit written by Farmer, and two remixes ("Libertine" [remix special club], "Tristana" [remix club]) were added to the track listing. The second and further cassette releases comprise ten songs, including "Tristana", but missing the two remixes.

The album was also released in Canada and Germany. The cover, in black and white, was produced by Laurent Boutonnat and shows Farmer in profile, apparently sad, putting on a hat.

Lyrics and music

The lyrics were written by Laurent Boutonnat who claimed to have had difficulty in composing them.[1] However, "Plus grandir", "Tristana" and "Au Bout de la nuit" were written by Farmer herself (from "Tristana" onwards, she wrote all the lyrics of her songs), and "Maman a tort" by Jérôme Dahan. Generally, the lyrics deal with themes that would recur in Farmer's future albums, namely death, violence, suicide, sexuality, sadness and fear of aging.[2] Therefore, the bases of the singer's universe were laid with this first album whose darkness contrasted greatly with the optimistic songs of the time.[1]

Except for "Maman a tort" and "Libertine", the music was produced by Laurent Boutonnat who used mostly synthesizers and acoustic keyboards and was inspired by the new wave.[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStar[3]

Cendres de lune was generally well received by critics. It was considered as an "excellent" album (Gaipied),[4] a "success" (Podium),[5] "a first album rather masterly" (La Provence),[6] "in the area of the variety, one of the most beautiful things of the moment" (Les Gran).[7] "Full of little marvels" (Charente),[8] it contains "hits having an wholesome impertinence" (Télé Poche)[9] and "provides a real insight of [Farmer]'s talent"; [the singer] carries us with her crystalline voice and strange texts, out of time and out of the standards" (Le Républicain).[10] "The songs of Mylène fill the air with an atmosphere alternately naughty and sad but very engaging" (7 à Paris).[11] "Mylène's voice is exquisite and her accomplices made her sing little ordinary things" (La Dépêche).[12] "[Farmer] seduces with sensitive texts, almost surreal, tenderly erotic" (Le Télégramme).[13]

Commercial performance

In France, Cendres de lune charted for the first time in April 1989, after the success of the second album, Ainsi soit je.... It peaked at number 39.[14]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Mylène Farmer except where noted; all music is composed by Laurent Boutonnat except where noted.

Cendres de lune
No.TitleLyricsMusicLive performancesLength
1."Libertine"Laurent BoutonnatJean-Claude DequéantTour 1989
Tour 1996
Mylenium Tour
Tour 2009
Nevermore 2023/2024		3:49
2."Au bout de la nuit"   4:21
3."Vieux bouc"Boutonnat  5:38
4."Tristana" (2nd edition only)  Tour 1989
Nevermore 2023/2024		4:35
5."Chloé"Boutonnat  2:35
6."Maman a tort"Jérôme Dahan
  • Boutonnat
  • Jérôme Dahan
Tour 1989
Timeless 2013		4:04
7."We'll Never Die"Boutonnat  4:15
8."Greta"Boutonnat  4:48
9."Plus grandir"  Tour 19894:04
10."Libertine" (special club remix, 2nd edition only)BoutonnatDequéant 5:53
11."Tristana" (club remix, 2nd edition only)   7:10
12."Cendres de lune"   1:47

Personnel

Charts

Releases

DateLabelCountryFormatCatalog
April 1986 Polydor France CD 831732-2
LP 829127-1
Cassette 831732-4
Polydor Canada LP TFX8720
Cassette
Polydor Germany LP 829127-2
April 1987 Polydor France CD 831732-2
LP 831732-1
Cassette 831732-4
1995 Polygram France CD 831732-2
1998 Polygram France France CD 831732-2
2005 Polydor France Digital —
2006 Universal France CD - Digipack 982826-3
2013 Universal France LP - Picture Disc (limited edition 2000 copy) 374725-7

Formats

  • 12" (first version)1
  • 12" (second version)
  • CD (first edition)1
  • CD (second edition)
  • Cassette (first edition)1
  • Cassette (second edition)
  • CD - Digipack (released in 2005)
  • Picture Disc (released in 2013)

1 9 songs, without "Tristana" and the two remixes

References

  1. 1 2 3 L'Intégrale Mylene Farmer, Erwan Chuberre, 2007, City Ed., p. 71-72 (ISBN 978-2-35288-108-7)
  2. ↑ Le Dictionnaire des Chansons de Mylène Farmer, Benoît Cachin, 2006, Tournon Ed., p. 67-68
  3. ↑ AllMusic review
  4. ↑ Gaipied, 1 August 1986 Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 25 March 2008)
  5. ↑ Podium, 1986, "Mylène Farmer - Bonjour l'humour noir", Robert De Laroche Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 25 March 2008)
  6. ↑ La Provence, 1 August 1986 Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 25 March 2008)
  7. ↑ Les Gran, 1987, "Mylène Farmer, un je-ne-sais-quoi en plus" Devant-soi.com Archived 22 February 2025 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 25 March 2008)
  8. ↑ Charente, 14 October 1986, "Embrasons-nous", Jean-Louis Mathieu Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 25 March 2008)
  9. ↑ Télé Poche, 2 June 1986 Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 25 March 2008)
  10. ↑ Le Républicain, 14 September 1986, "Une chanteuse "libertine"", Christine Hiquet Devant-soi.com Archived 28 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 25 March 2008)
  11. ↑ 7 à Paris, 23 April 1986, "Passionnément" Devant-soi.com Archived 19 February 2025 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 25 March 2008)
  12. ↑ La Dépêche, 29 June 1986, "Libertine, la petite Mylène qui monte..." Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 25 March 2008)
  13. ↑ Le Télégramme, 16 April 1986 Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 25 March 2008)
  14. 1 2 3 "Les "Charts Runs" de chaque Album Classé" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  15. ↑ "Les Albums (CD) de 1989 par InfoDisc" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
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