"Si j'avais au moins..." ("If I Had At Least..." in English) is a pop rock ballad recorded by French singer Mylène Farmer. It was the third single from the album Point de Suture and was released on 16 February 2009. As Farmer's previous two singles, it went straight to number-one on the French Singles Chart.
Background and release
Firstly there were rumors that the third single off Point de Suture was going to be "C'est dans l'air". Polydor then confirmed "Si j'avais au moins..." as the third single though and a promotional format was sent to the radio stations on 15 December 2008. Many fans were disappointed by this choice. According to a poll made on the website Mylene.net, only 1.7% of the voters wanted this song as third single from the album.[1] On 15 January 2009, it was announced that the maxi vynil, published in limited edition, and the CD single would be released on 10 February, then delayed to 16 February.
The cover of the CD promo is entirely red, showing in close-up the head of the doll which appears on the Point de suture album. The visual of the CD single was revealed on the Internet on 27 January 2009. The photo was made by Simon Hawk.
Music video
The music video for "Si j'avais au moins..." used many
special effects which show Farmer's
supernatural powers to heal and release the animals.
The clip, directed by Bruno Aveillan, was shot just after that of "Dégénération" in summer 2008. The music video was available on the Internet on 7 January 2009, and was officially aired on TV on 17 January 2009, on M6. Both music videos create together the short film "The Farmer Project".[2]
It is the continuation of "Dégénération" and deals with Farmer slowly walking through a laboratory for animal experiments. The singer, being a magic character, takes a wounded little cat out of its cage and heals it with her magic hands. Afterwards she's standing with closed eyes in the middle of the room and all cages and glasboxes explode. The animals are free and Farmer takes them outside into a wood. In her arms she holds a monkey. Standing in the forest she closes her eyes again and sends rays of light from her hands. The last scene shows the globe being covered by that light.[3] [4]
Critical reception
The song was well received by the general public.[5] Some media considered it as a "ballad with a strong lachrymal connotation"[6] or a "magnific ballad", which is one of the best songs of the album.[7]
The song peaked at number 60 in its second week, on 27 December 2008, on the French Airplay Chart. The music video peaked at number five on the Airplay TV Chart in its third week. Selling 12,375 units,[8] the song went straight to number-one on the singles chart, becoming the singer's seventh number one single in France, which is to date the new record.[9] The week later, the song was ranked at number five, and its sales dropped to 3,072 ;[10] thereafter, it continued to drop and totaled 27 weeks in the top 50 and 37 weeks in the top 100. In Belgium (Wallonia), the single entered the Ultratop 40 at number 25 on 28 February 2009, then dropped to number 38. It was also charted for a sole week in Switzerland, at number 72, on 1 March 2009.
Promotion and live performances
Farmer performed the song during the NRJ Music Awards, broadcast on 17 January 2009, on TF1. She was dressed in white and was accompanied by with many musicians.[11] She lipsynched a recording of the song she made the day before.[12]
The song was performed during the 2009 tour's part in halls as last song of the show. For the concerts in stades, it was cancelled.
Formats and track listings
- CD single
| 1. |
"Si j'avais au moins..." (single version) |
5:31 |
| 2. |
"Si j'avais au moins..." (instrumental version) |
5:31 |
- CD single - Promo
| 1. |
"Si j'avais au moins..." (radio edit) |
4:15 |
- 12″ maxi - Limited edition
| 1. |
"Si j'avais au moins..." (single version) |
5:31 |
| 2. |
"Si j'avais au moins..." (instrumental version) |
5:31 |
- Digital download
| 1. |
"Si j'avais au moins..." (album version) |
5:31 |
Credits
- Mylène Farmer – lyrics
- Laurent Boutonnat – music
- Isiaka – editions
- Simon Hawk / H&B – photo
- Henry Neu – design
- Made in the E.U.
Release history
| Date |
Label |
Country |
Format |
Catalog |
| January 5, 2009 |
Polydor |
Belgium, France, Switzerland |
CD single - Promo |
12131 |
| February 16, 2009 |
CD single |
531625-1 |
| 12" |
531625-7 |
Official versions
| Version |
Length |
Album |
Remixed by |
Year |
Comment |
| Album version |
5:31 |
Point de Suture |
— |
2008 |
See the previous sections |
| Instrumental |
5:31 |
— |
— |
2008 |
All the lyrics are deleted. |
| Radio edit |
4:15 |
— |
— |
2008 |
The musical bridge is shortened and there are less refrains. |
Live version
(recorded in 2009) |
7:18 |
N°5 on Tour |
— |
2009 |
|
Charts
| Chart (2009) |
Peak
position |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[13] |
25 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 |
6 |
| French Airplay Chart[14] |
60 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart[15] |
1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[16] |
72 |
|
Certifications and sales
| Country |
Certification |
Date |
Sales certified |
Physical sales |
Digital downloads |
| France |
— |
— |
— |
31,000 |
500 |
|
References
External links
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