"Maman a tort" is a

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

song recorded by French artist

Mylène Farmer Mylène Jeanne Gautier (; born 12 September 1961), known professionally as Mylène Farmer (), is a French singer and songwriter. Having sold more than 30 million records worldwide, she is among the most successful recording artists of all time ...

. It was the debut single from Farmer's first studio album '' Cendres de Lune'', and marked the beginning of her collaboration with her long-time

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, Laurent Boutonnat. With lyrics by Jérôme Dahan, who also helped compose the song with Boutonnat, the song was first released in March 1984. Initially, Boutonnat and Dahan held auditions to find a performer for the song, which ultimately led to Farmer being chosen. An English-language version, titled "My Mum Is Wrong" and produced by F. R. David, was released in September 1984. "Maman a tort" was deemed provocative at the time of its release, as its ambiguous lyrics were accused of containing themes of

lesbianism A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homo ...

. Its accompanying music video, in which Farmer appeared lightly dressed, was also censored on television. "Maman a tort" was generally well received by critics and achieved modest success, while its English-language version was a commercial failure. "Maman a tort" helped Farmer to launch her singing career and establish her artistry, while the song attracted the attention of many gay people to her work.

Background and writing

In December 1983, Jerôme Dahan and Laurent Boutonnat, two friends, composed a song called "Maman a tort", about lesbian love between a girl committed to a mental hospital and her nurse. To find a performer, they held a

casting Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or ...

. A girl aged 15–16 was initially chosen to perform the song, before being rejected because she was too young to sing its sexually ambiguous lyrics. Cachin, 2006, p. 160. Boutonnat then decided to ask one of his friends, Mylène Gautier, to sing the track. Both composers have said that they thought Gautier seemed

psychotic In psychopathology, psychosis is a condition in which a person is unable to distinguish, in their experience of life, between what is and is not real. Examples of psychotic symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized or incoher ...

and thus was the ideal person to record the track. Boutonnat said: "As soon as I saw her, with her triangular face, I realized that this would be her and nobody else. She looked crazy, it was perfect." After they decided to work with her, Gautier took the pseudonym of Farmer, as a tribute to actress

Frances Farmer Frances Elena Farmer (September 19, 1913August 1, 1970) was an American actress. She appeared in over a dozen feature films over the course of her career, though she garnered notoriety for sensationalized accounts of her life, especially her inv ...

. Cachin, 2006, p. 162. According to Jean-Claude Déquéant, Farmer showed limited enthusiasm during the demo recordings and declared: "The voice was surprisingly present and she laughed after each

take A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production. Film In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each ...

when listening". Dahan was satisfied, because Farmer had a clear and deep voice and could easily reach high notes. Initial rehearsals were held at Dahan's home. Dahan has said of these rehearsals: "There was a large room with a piano and there we repeated the staging of the song. Mylène had a hard time understanding all this, we had to teach her everything, starting with the choreography ..This probably did not look very professional." Recording of the French version of "Maman a tort" took place in Paris in January 1984, with Farmer stating that the sessions were a "magic" moment. Later, the English-language version of the song was recorded in an afternoon at the Dany Darras studio in Cernay. Farmer had no difficulty in singing in English because she spoke the language very well, having lived in Canada. Hemmerlin, Pontet, 2009, pp. 70–73. Initially Boutonnat and Dahan found it difficult to find a record company who would release the track, either because labels were worried about the song being censored due to the sexual nature of its lyrics or because they did not see any commercial potential in the track. In order to get a second appointment with

RCA records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

the pair claimed they had

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

ed the song, even though they had not. Only after a third appointment with RCA did the label's Francis Dacla give them a contract. According to ''

France Dimanche ''France Dimanche'' (English language, English: France Sunday) is a French weekly celebrity news magazine published by Czech Media Invest with a circulation of about 150.00 copies. Similar to British Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloids, but wit ...

'', the song saved Farmer from entering into a loveless marriage. Farmer had become disillusioned with showbusiness after struggling to get even tiny roles in commercials and had resolved to wed a childhood friend, a student of the

École nationale d'administration The (; ENA; ) was a French ''grande école'', created in 1945 by the then Provisional Government of the French Republic, provisional chief of government Charles de Gaulle and principal co-author of the Constitution of France, 1958 Constitution M ...

, before she was selected to sing "Maman a tort".

Release

The single was first released in France in March 1984, but was not commercially successful. Several months later, it gained more success under the management of Bertrand Le Page, a famous artistic director. The song was heavily played on French radio. In view of the song's success, Frédérick Leibovitz suggested that Farmer record an English-language version of the single named "My Mum Is Wrong", in an effort to win over a wider audience. Cachin, 2006, p. 161. This version was produced by F. R. David who also translated the lyrics, being motivated by affection for Le Page. The song was released in September in France and Canada. The English version was released in Germany, Italy and Scandinavia and was scheduled to be released in England and the United States. Extended versions of "Maman a tort" and "My Mum Is Wrong" were produced by Laurent Boutonnat and issued as 7" maxi singles. There were two covers for "Maman a tort": the first release was produced in black and white and shows Farmer looking sad and wearing a nightgown, Violet, 2004, p. 54. the second release, in colour, shows her laughing. The second cover was based on an idea by Bertrand Le Page who thought that it would be better to give the public an image it wanted. The single's Canadian release did not have a cover. A different cover was used for "My Mum Is Wrong"'s vinyl, with the image used being similar to the second French release of "Maman a tort". The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of the song was an instrumental version of the track, as Farmer's musical team had no budget to record another song. In 2003, a remix version was produced by DJ Joaquim Garraud for the compilation album ''

RemixeS A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

'' but was not released.

Lyrics and music

The song is constructed like a

nursery rhyme A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and other European countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. Fr ...

in which a young girl, while numbering facts between 1 and 8, confesses her love for a female nurse. As written on the cover, the song is dedicated to the actress

, as well as King

Ludwig II of Bavaria Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886), also called the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King (), was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke ...

. Farmer explained at the time that the song was not autobiographical. "Maman a tort" lays the foundation of Farmer's musical universe, including many themes dealt with by Farmer in subsequent releases. Among the topics discussed are transgression, love, the world of childhood, violence and death, mortality and suffering, sexuality, and social demands. Bee, 2006, pp. 234–35. The song also deals with

psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: and is a set of theories and techniques of research to discover unconscious mind, unconscious processes and their influence on conscious mind, conscious thought, emotion and behaviour. Based on The Inte ...

. The rhythm is catchy, and the lyrics, "dark and symbolic", describe the conflicts between a daughter and her mother, as the title suggests. According to an analysis published by Sophie Khairallah, the lyrics could also refer to

incest Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineag ...

. Khairallah, 2007, p. 151. They seem to be "innocent" and are sung "in the most ingenuous way". Biographer Bernard Violet considers the song "a nursery rhyme with enigmatic but quite spicy lyrics which place it rather far from contemporary

Sabine Paturel Sabine Paturel (born 19 September 1965) is a French singer and actress. Biography Paturel was born in Toulon, and has three sisters. In 1986, her first single "Les Bêtises" (French, "stupid things") stayed for 30 weeks in the French singles c ...

and her innocent song "

Les Bêtises "Les Bêtises" (French translation for "Stupid Things") is a 1985 song recorded by French artist Sabine Paturel. Released in March 1986 as her debut single from her album ''Cœur Bébé'', released two years later, on which it is the sixth tr ...

"". Journalist Caroline Bee deemed the song as "a small efficient

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...

, with a catchy and binary melody and a disconcerting video". In a 1984 interview Farmer discussed the song's lyrics, stating: "It can happen to many children who are in hospital ..the nurses feed these children, tuck them into bed, kiss them before they sleep and therefore take the place of their mothers. So it is a little girl who tells her mother: I love the nurse". She said in another interview: "But if people prefer to give this song a perverse sense, it is their problem". Thus, she does not confirm the

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

allusions that seem to emerge from the chorus (the French verb "aimer" can mean either "to love" or "to like"). However, the song has been listed in several books dealing with homosexuality and explains the fact that many gay people were immediately attracted to Farmer's work.

Music video

Production and plot

The music video was directed by Laurent Boutonnat who also wrote the screenplay. Produced by

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

, it was shot in one day and cost about 5,000

franc The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th century ...

s (750–760

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

). Boutonnat wanted the video to be filmed in

cinemascope CinemaScope is an anamorphic format, anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its cr ...

, but this was unusual at the time and the idea was withdrawn. The video begins with a portrait of

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...

in close-up, then shows a picture of Farmer's mother. The song's lyrics are

subtitled Subtitles are texts representing the contents of the audio in a film, television show, opera or other audiovisual media. Subtitles might provide a transcription or translation of spoken dialogue. Although naming conventions can vary, captions ...

. Still images of Farmer are then shown in silhouette wearing a white and transparent nightgown. With each line of the song, an image of Farmer appears. When the chorus begins, Farmer turns blue and begins to dance in front of a backdrop featuring stars and the moon. Three children are shown looking at Farmer. After another verse, which again features still images of Farmer, shots of Farmer jumping are intercut with shots of her singing along with the track with her arms clutched to her breast. Afterwards Farmer and the three children are shown holding placards with the words "Maman a tort". Following another verse Farmer's severed head is pictured on a plate on a table in front of the children who are holding knives and forks. Farmer is again shown in blue and cries before being slapped in the face. A

low-angle shot In cinematography, a low-angle shot, is a shot from a camera angle positioned low on the vertical axis, anywhere below the eye line, looking up. Boutonnat originally planned a more elaborate concept for the video. Farmer would have been shown in a wheelchair pushed by a nurse, who she had feelings for. As Farmer cannot understand this relationship, and faces the disapproval of her mother because of it, Farmer decides to commit suicide by throwing herself from the top of a cliff. The story board was also presented in the media, but Farmer's recording company RCA did not agree with to the project, especially since this video would have cost 70,000 euro to make. Violet, 2004, p. 55. There was no video for "My Mum Is Wrong".

Reviews

The video caused "a veritable stir in the music world" because "Boutonnat cast armeras a kind of provocative Lolita figure". As she wears a transparent nightgown in the music video, some French television channels censored it. It was first aired on the French television programme ''Clip Clap'' in a shortened version. In an interview, Farmer deplored the censorship, saying: " thas shocked many people. I find it pretty stupid.

Jacques Dutronc Jacques Dutronc (; born 28 April 1943) is a French singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, and actor. Some of Dutronc's best-known hits include " Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille" (which AllMusic has called "his finest hour"), "Le Responsa ...

said "Merde in France" and everyone went into raptures. As for me, I simply say that I enjoyed the controversy". Despite the low cost of the video, it was described in the press as "beautiful" by ''Chanson'' and "one of the best music videos of the year" by ''Télé Star''. In contrast, the French newspaper ''Le Provençal'' called the video "useless: static, unimaginative" and claimed that it was low-budget. For his part, Violet described the video as being "half way between

fotonovela Photo comics are a form of sequential storytelling using photographs rather than illustrations for the images, along with the usual comics conventions of narrative text and word balloons containing dialogue. They are sometimes referred to in ...

and

shadow play Shadow play, also known as shadow puppetry, is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment which uses flat articulated cut-out figures (shadow puppets) which are held between a source of light and a translucent screen or scrim (material), ...

" and said that it provides "a blend of ethereal and childish sensuality, of measured provocation and of obsessive victimization".

Critical reception

The song was generally very well received by the press at the time. ''Boys and Girls'' considered it "undoubtedly one of the hits of the summer of 1984", ''OK'' called it "a very promising first 7"", and ''Chanson 84'' stated that it was "great: rhythmic, spicy, original; the orchestration, based on a synth and drums, is enriched over the couplets". ''Le Matin de Paris'' said it was "a funny perverse little song", and ''Les Grands de la Variété'' stated: "The tone is original, the music is subtle: it's a good surprise". "Maman a tort" did not appear in the French Top 50 Singles Chart because the chart had not been created at the time. The sales of the single were about 100,000 (220,000, according to French magazine ''

Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...

''), which was deemed as a "decent performance" and a "first success, not a triumphant one". Violet, 2004, p. 60. "My Mum Is Wrong" was not successful and its sales are unknown. Cachin, 2006, pp. 171–72. In March 2014 "Maman a Tort" entered the French Singles Chart at number 104 due to digital downloads by Farmer's fans as a tribute to her thirty-year singing career.

Promotion and live performances

Bertrand Le Page provided many opportunities for Farmer to perform the song on television. French host

Michel Drucker Michel Drucker, CQ (born 12 September 1942) is a popular French journalist and TV host. He has been on screen for so long on various shows and different networks, both public and private, that he once said that some people joked that he was in ...

was the first to allow Farmer to perform on his show, ''Champs Élysées''. From that moment, the song was widely played on radio and aroused the curiosity of the public. Throughout 1984, Farmer actively promoted "Maman a tort" and performed it in on many French television programs broadcast on

TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is part ...

Antenne 2 France 2 () is a French free-to-air public television channel. The flagship channel of France Télévisions, it broadcasts generalist programming including news, entertainment (such as dramas, films, and game shows), factual programmes, and sp ...

, FR3 and TMC. From February 1985 to December 1986, when her next three singles — "

On est tous des imbéciles "On est tous des imbéciles" (English: "We Are All Fools") is a 1984 song recorded by France, French artist Mylène Farmer. It was released in February 1985 as her second Single (music), single after "Maman a tort" and its English-translated vers ...

", " Plus grandir" and "

Libertine A libertine is a person questioning and challenging most moral principles, such as responsibility or Human sexual activity, sexual restraints, and will often declare these traits as unnecessary, undesirable or evil. A libertine is especially som ...

" — were released, Farmer promoted them on many television shows, but she also sang "Maman a tort" on these occasions. In total, the song has been performed over twenty times on television. Her performance on ''Salut les Mickey'' was censored because of the song's ambiguous lyrics. According to author Erwan Chuberre, Farmer's performances on television were generally deemed as unconvincing, because she had never taken dance lessons at the time, and her colored dresses were not very tasteful. In spite of these performances, Farmer had difficulty achieving notoriety and, on an advice of Le Page, she extended the promotion of the song to include

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

s in magazines for teenagers. The song was included in the set list of Farmer's 1989 tour and was performed as a duet.

Carole Fredericks Carole Denise Fredericks (June 5, 1952 – June 7, 2001) was an American singer best known for her work in French music. She was the younger sister of Taj Mahal. Between 1990 and 1996 she was in the trio Fredericks Goldman Jones alongside ...

, one of Farmer's vocalists, portrayed the nurse, and in a long monologue, she complained about one of her female patients, who was difficult to bear. Farmer, hidden beneath Frederick's long dress, suddenly appeared, wearing pyjamas, and performed the song by waddling like a little child. Cachin, 2006, pp. 163–64. The song was also performed during the

Mylenium Tour ''Mylènium Tour'' is the third live album by Mylène Farmer, released on 5 December 2000. Background After having ending her third successful tour whose last shows were held in Russia on 7 March 2000, Farmer rested, and then decided to relea ...

but included in a medley composed of her 1980s greatest hits. A snippet of the song was performed on the opening night of the Timeless Tour on 7 September 2013 in Paris. As for "My Mum Is Wrong", it does not appear on any of Farmer's albums and has not been performed on stage.

Cover versions

The song has been notably covered first by French singer

Lio Lio or LIO may refer to: People *Lio (singer) (born 1962), Belgian singer and actress * Leonel Cunha Guerra (born 1987), Portuguese football player known as Lio * Lee Hyung-sang, nickname Lio (1985), South Korean football player * L.I.O. Petrodol ...

for a 1984 hits compilation, then in 2003 by Yohann and Gabrielle, two contestants of

À la Recherche de la Nouvelle Star ''À la recherche de la nouvelle star '' (Looking for the new Star) is a reality television show based on the popular British show ''Pop Idol''. The show is a contest to determine the best young singer in La Francophonie. It was hosted by Benj ...

, on the album ''1ers Tubes'' on which it appears as 13th track; then by MF2003, whose version, released in the United Kingdom as a 7" maxi single, included an instrumental version named "My Mum Is Dub" as a B-side, but was unsuccessful and failed to chart.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of single releases of "Maman a tort" and "My Mum Is Wrong": ; "Maman a tort" * 7" single – First and second releases * 7" maxi * Digital download (since 2005) ; "My Mum Is Wrong" * 7" single * 7" maxi – Promo

Official versions

Credits and personnel

These are the credits and the personnel as they appear on the back of the single: * Jérôme Dahan – lyrics, music * Laurent Boutonnat – music * Jean-Claude Déquéant – recording, at "Le matin calme" studio * Philippe Omnès – mixing, at Davout studio * Bertrand Le Page – editions *

– recording company * John Frost – photo

Release history

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Notes

External links

*
Mylène Farmer — "Maman a tort"
All about the song, on ''Mylene.net'' {{authority control 1984 debut singles Mylène Farmer songs Songs with music by Laurent Boutonnat Music videos directed by Laurent Boutonnat LGBTQ-related songs Lesbian-related songs 1984 songs RCA Records singles