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The French Madonna Is Back

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

47 year old Mylène Farmer - aka 'The French Madonna' - has scored her fifth French number one with the lead single from her seventh studio album, Point De Suture. This ties for the record of 'most number ones in France' with Céline Dion apparently.

The video for "Dégénération" is a typically restrained affair featuring, in no particular order, a "Ghost In The Shell" inspired orgy, soldiers touching each other inappropriately, doctors disrobing when they should be treating Tori Amos, spontaneous floor dancing like Kylie's "Slow" video, a brief glimpse of a Dannii Minogue lookalike nurse, and a fat man getting off on Farmer's wafting body odour.

Curiously, Farmer never gets off her lazy arse throughout, except for a fleeting glimpse of what could be a body double at the end. But then, when you've sold 25 million albums, why should you?

Well done, Mylène!

Fantastique Farmer Facts:

1. In 1991 a crazed stalker took hostages captive at Polydor Records in Paris, demanding to speak to Mylène. He killed a receptionist and then himself. Mylène fled to Los Angeles and lived as a recluse until...

2. Mylène strapped herself to the front of a moving train for 1995's comeback number one, "XXL". (The video was directed Marcus Nispel, who's helming the upcoming 'Friday The 13th' remake, pop fans).

3. Her 1999 concert was called 'The Mylenium Tour'. Genius.

4. In 2000 Farmer turned svengali, unleashing paedo-pop sensation Aizée upon quality cheese-loving Europeans everywhere. "Moi Lolita" even made the UK Top 10 - a rare feat for a French language single. Farmer not only wrote the lyrics, she also mentions herself in them. This is, of course, brilliant.

5. Her classic 1991 video for "Désenchantée" featured Farmer being pelted by rocks in a gulag. Released at a time of heavy rioting in France, this spent two months at the top of the charts and made Farmer iconic in her home country (she was born 'Marie-Hélène Gauthier' in Canada). The video is so 'epic' it has cast and crew credits and a child mowing down guards with a machine gun. It's over 10 minutes long.

6. "Fuck Them All" was the first single from her sixth studio album. The official remixes were titled the "motherfucking vocal mix" and the "motherfucking dub mix".