Gourmandises: Mylène Farmer and the Truth of the Song

[Lucas]

I don't believe there was some contract.

If she wanted to leave Mylene, I think it would be weird to have already a contract for new album. It was just half year after her tour, the dvd was still not released, and there was planned a promo for the dvd (Amelie M'a Dit), but it ended only with clip from concert and promo cd.

If the possible contract was made in the second half of 2004, there was already one thing sure - Annily. She was born on April 2005, so +- in August 2004 Alizée knew she is waiting a baby. Why she would make a contract, when she is waiting a baby, and she knows she will be not able to work on new album? And then the risk of possible penalties. Hard to imagine Mylene or Universal to make something against Alizée, but nobody knows.

I think simply there was planned promo for the dvd, maybe some singing of the Amelie Ma Dit, but cause Alizée's pregnancy everything was stopped, and later both sides decided for end. Alizée had time for her baby, and later when she decided to come back to music, she started to solve the thing with her stage name. If there would be really some problem between her and Mylene, I dont think Mylene would give her stage name just for 1€. And then, we cant forget that the first copy of Psychedelices was sent to Mylene.

Alizée talked about Mylene always in the best way, plus the last interview with Pascal Negro (boss of Universal Music) where he stated "If at any point there is no trust between the record company and the artist, it is better to stop it. At that time, it gets complicated and it is useless" or "Alizee was 16, then she turned 18 ... and at some point, there may have been an adolescent crisis, perhaps a desire to exist ... It is perhaps a bit too stuffy to be in the shadow of Mylène Farmer. There may be lots of things. It does not shock me!"

I think he was right... Alizée was in the shadow, she and her songs were product of Mylene, and I think that was the main problem.

[Ray4AJ]

Just updated my earlier post...

>>>http://alizeeamerica.com/forums/show...8&postcount=14

[Shepherd]

Originally Posted by Lucas

I don't believe there was some contract.


I think he was right... Alizée was in the shadow, she and her songs were product of Mylene, and I think that was the main problem.

I can't believe Alizée would put her career at hazard simply because she was in the shadow of Mylene. I question whether Alizee even felt she was in Mylene's shadow. Nothing in her character suggests an ego so grand that she could not tolerate Mylene getting credit for the role she played in Alizee's success. On the other hand if Alizée felt she was being cheated financially and/or if she came to a point where she simply could not stand being around Mylene for personal reasons, it's not difficult for me to see her wanting to end the relationship at any cost. The reason that Alizée has given for the breakup (that she wanted to try the music of other artists) might have played a role, but doesn't ring true to me as THE reason for their divorce. I think there is much more to it.

What distresses me most right now is that Alizee--for whatever reason--has all but disappeared from public view. It also mystifies me as to why I care so much. I've been a fan of many pop stars, but never so involved with them as Alizee. Artists come and go, and I rarely notice their absence.

[Scruffydog777]

Well I think there absolutely had to be a contract. It's just good business sense. Mylene started working with Alizée when she was 15. What if they were 1/2 way through the first album and Alizée said I'm tired of this and want to go back to my home and my friends or if with that first album, she became an overnight success which she did, she could have easily gone to some other record company offering her more money. Or what if half way through that first album, MF said this isn't working, go back to Corsica and hopefully your dropping out of school wont damage your chances for a good education.

Both parties need protection. I'm sure there was a contract and I'm no expert on contracts, but I think RMJ was probably right in that it was for 3 albums. That seems to give each party an adequate amount of protection.

With the pictures and the captions Ray posted, as opposed to Moi Lolita which MF apparently got the approval of her parents to sing it and knew well what the story was about, with the other songs, it looks like the meaning of each song wasn't explained very well to her and she only started to understand the other meanings of the other songs, the more and more she sang them, but I'm sure she still didn't understand the fuller "alleged" meanings of these songs.

As far as disappearing from public view. I think after her separation from Jeremy, her fans were an important part of her life. There was a big void there and her fans helped to fill it. Now that void has hopefully been permanently refilled and as a direct result, there's not as much communication with us. It's only natural. She has a full life now, hopefully she wont forget about her fans the way she did back in 2004.

[Ray4AJ]

In the same interview I was 'quoting' last night, she also talks about the song Moi... Lolita and the book Lolita. I didn't pay much attention to it last night since it wasn't the part I was looking for but I went back it tonight to see what she said. Something about what she said had me wondering how well she was seeing the big picture at the time. Rather than post screen caps, I cut and pasted the subtitles from the part in question.

Originally Posted by Alizée - 2003-06-04 - TV Feature - Une Heure Avec Alizée - Fun TV - Part 1 (by John Doe).sub

The book 'Lolita.'

The song "Moi... Lolita" was inspired by this novel, and when I met Mylène and Laurent and when they let me hear the song, they told me that the song was inspired by the book and that if I wanted to, it would be good for me to read it. And so I read it. I really liked it though it was a bit difficult at times, but good nonetheless since it made me a bit more aware of what I saying in my song.

Do you feel like the term "Lolita" belongs to you?

Not necessarily "belongs," but I think I started something because before, the term "Lolita" was known as one spoke of it, but that was all. And I think that now, if there were young girls like one sees nowadays and the song "Moi... Lolita" wasn’t out there, they wouldn't be called a "Lolita," because a "Lolita" is not a sixteen-year-old singer.

A "Lolita," when one looks it up in the dictionary, is a young girl who teases and enchants older men, while today one uses the term "Lolita" to describe a young female singer who is fifteen and who sings. So I think people aren’t quite sure anymore what the term "Lolita" signifies.

[Rev]

Originally Posted by Scruffydog777

Hey Rev,
I "think" you made a small typo. In your first statement you said "she stated that she did now know.......". I think you meant "did not know". Is that the case??

You are correct. Thanks for spotting the error Scruffy.

Originally Posted by Scruffydog777

Going back to Alizée 101. Mylene sold the right back to her of using her own name for a ceremonial $1. I can't remember in what year that was. Was that also the time that what ever contract she was under expired?

Close to the same time. She probably mentioned it several months after the supposed time when the contract expired. She said that Mylene had protected her stage name. Fans had debated about how much Mylene had charged, but Alizée eventually cleared the air and said she sold it to her for one euro.

This would not have been a ceremonial amount. In doing business, Mylene received value in the exchange, thus making it a valid contract.

[Shepherd]

Originally Posted by Rev

You are correct. Thanks for spotting the error Scruffy.




Close to the same time. She probably mentioned it several months after the supposed time when the contract expired. She said that Mylene had protected her stage name. Fans had debated about how much Mylene had charged, but Alizée eventually cleared the air and said she sold it to her for one euro.

This would not have been a ceremonial amount. It doing business, Mylene received value in the exchange, thus making it a valid contract.

That Mylene sold Alizee's stage name back to her for one euro doesn't sound hostile. She could have demanded a huge sum.

[Scruffydog777]

Seeing how we are discussing the MF/Alizée partnership for lack of a better word, for those who are relatively new to Alizée 101, there was a rumor after Psych came out that there was a line on one of the songs that was sort of a snub directed at MF. I have no idea there's any truth to it or what song they are talking about. I never really cared to look into it. But as close as these 2 were for over 3 years, I don't know if they've ever gotten together even in a social manner since. If they have, it's been few and far between.

EDIT:

For those who haven't heard of this rumor before, this is from Alizee forum where apparently Orion did a translation of a magazine article and this is part of what it said.
"......We will first be able to state that Alizee has really integrated the marketing concepts that her ex-spiritual mother inculcated in her, because the secret about the new album was almost completely sealed for three years, with just what was needed to calm down the breeze to create a buzz at the end of the ride: rumours of there being difficulties for the Alizee-Chatelain couple to sign on to a record company, conjecture about

a false rivalry between Mylene and Alizee and about a hypothetical song insulting Farmer Idealiser, some lines being available on the Internet but quickly banned under penalty of arrest, an official denial on the little one........"

Now I'd like to point out it says 'false' rivalry and and a 'hypothetical' song insulting Farmer which means in their eyes they were just rumors, but I'm just trying to prove my point that those rumors were out there.

http://www.alizee-forum.com/content....7-12&langid=16

[C-4]

I would at least like Alizée to speak about these things from her days with Mylene, possibly after Mylene passes on, so as not to bring up things causing either side more possible trouble that they don't need or want.

With all the speculation and mystery surrounding the earlier days of Alizée's success, I think it would make interesting reading, at least for those of us who lived through these times.

[Edsel Di Meo]

Heyo, every Alizée's song in the first two albums has an sexual connotation?