Appelle mon numéro

In late August 2008, when Point de Suture was available digitally, several sites announced "Appelle mon numéro" as the singer's next single from her album,[1][2] but often presented as a probability.[3] However, this information was not officially confirmed before 12 September 2008. That day, a promotional format was sent to the radio stations which began to broadcast the radio edit version.[4][5]

On 9 October, Cede.ch site announced the date of release – 3 November 2008 – and two formats that would be available – two CD maxi.[6] Two days later, Amazon.fr and Alapage.com revealed other two formats: a CD single, a digipack CD maxi and a vinyl.[7][8] The cover art of the CD maxi was shown on 19 October 2008, and those of the CD single on 21 October.

This "pop ballad" uses an acoustic guitar.[9] The psychologist Hugues Royer said the song is naughty and speaks of love on the phone, Farmer hoping that her lover came to share her privacy.[10] He said that the lyrics "my most beautiful gesture" is for the singer "the act of placing her head on the pillow, and that this privilege is reserved for the person who "enters the history", i.e. that of the singer".[11]

On 8 October, some media revealed that the music video was shot on 4 and 5 October in the studios of Saint-Ouen, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. This video was scheduled to be broadcast on television on 22 October but, according to Polydor, it could be delayed on 29 October if the assembly is not finished.[12] It was directed by Benoît Di Sabatino, the singer's companion, who had also produced the music videos for "C'est une belle journée", "L'amour n'est rien..." and "Drôle de creepie" (for Lisa). The first images were shown on the Internet on 17 October 2008[13] and the full video was eventually available on the Internet and on television on 22 October. It was elected "Video of the month" of November 2008 on the radio Radio Jeunes Reims. On 17 November 2008, the video was available digitally on the official sites of download.

The video has no screenplay and uses the radio edit version of the song. In it, the singer is lying on a huge white bed, while four way of colors illustrating the four seasons are shown (dead leaves, rain, snow, sun). In each of them, Farmer wears different clothes, and has successively in her hands a crystal ball, a pillow, a telephone, a shoe that she repairs while wearing round glasses, an umbrella. The video ends in the same way it began, i.e. showing the singer being asleep.

The video was generally well received by the media. Virgin site said the clip is "fresh and colorful", and expresses "the naughty and the childhood side of the artist".[14] According to Obiwi, the video is "sweet and paradisiac" and "we would believe it was taken from a fairy's tale".[15] For Musique.evous, Farmer seems surprisingly "happy" in this video which "shows the red icon in a new light".[16] However, Plurielles said the video, "full of thoughtlessness", was not appreciated by all the singer's fans, adding that it shows Farmer "as a child woman, a little candid".[17] However, the video was diversely appreciated by the singers' fans: some of them liked the freshness, the colors and the fact that Farmer was smiling in the video, others considered that there was a lack of inspiration.[18]

The song was generally well received by the critics. According to La Meuse, this song will "win over the public".[19] Télé Moustique said that "Appelle mon numéro" is "an stubborning song whose freshness makes almost forget the refrain".[20] For Cité Gay, the song is "rather pleasant, [but] does not give an irrepressible desire to replay without delay".[21] For Le Petit Journal, the song is "a solid, tenderly naughty and very catchy composition".[22] Backchichinfo stated: ""Appelle mon numéro" holds the attention, with an effective verse and a certain general freshness."[23] According to Royer, the song demonstrates a sense of "indolent humor" and is "musically successful".[24]

However, there were sometimes mixed reviews by the media and Farmer's fans. For example, Hit Muse Mag stated: ""Appelle mon numéro" [has] a minimalist text. The detractors of Mylène who had blamed her for an outdated expression and for a pretentious vocabulary are fulfilled... The poor melody is easy to remember. We wonder if, due to having dug the abysses of a black and painful poetry, Mylène Farmer did not use her lexical field preferred up to the rope."[25] Le Matin deemed that with this song, "Farmer almost reaches the limits of the easiness : kind melody, simple lyrics".[26] Similarly, French author Julien Rigal said the song has "disappointing lyrics".[27]

On 8 November 2008, the single entered the French Singles Chart at number one,[28] selling 16,236 units,[29] thus becoming Farmer's sixth number-one single in France, which was at the time the new record for an artist on the SNEP Singles Chart. The following week, it dropped to number three, with 5,376 sales (−66%),[30] and continued to drop, re-gained a few places during Christmas, then dropped slowly out of the top 50. It totaled five weeks in the top ten, 21 weeks in the top 50 and 36 weeks in the top 100. "Appelle mon numéro" also entered the digital chart at number 22 on 8 November 2008, then dropped and fell off the top 50 after eight weeks.[31]

The single started at number 12 on the Ultratop 40 in Belgium (Wallonia), on 15 November 2008, then peaked at number seven seven weeks later, and remained in the top 40 for 14 weeks.[32] In Switzerland, it debuted at number 53 on 16 November 2008, then dropped to number 89 and fell off the chart.[33]

In France, the single was much aired on radio than "Dégénération".[34] It reached number 38 in its fourth week on the airplay chart. The video reached number 13 on the Muzicast television chart in its second week, while the single peaked at number 42 on the club chart in its fifth week, on 4 December 2008.[35] The song was much aired in Ukraine, Lithuania and Russia, reaching number 16 in Moscow and 19 in St. Petersbourg in 2008 and 2009, and hit number 98 in the whole country in 2010.[31]

The song was actively promoted on TF1: two advertisements, respectively of 20 and 30 seconds, were broadcast from the late October to the early November, then a 1:30 teaser in early December 2008.[36] Mylène Farmer performed the song in lip sync on 13 December 2008, on France 2, on the TV show Ça ne finira jamais, devoted to Johnny Hallyday. On this occasion, the singer was sitting near a window and was dressed as on the single cover, plus few rings with skulls at her fingers.[18] The song was also performed during the 2009 tour: at this point, Farmer wore a glittering short dress with red cape with hood and the stage became pink.[37] The introduction being very different from the album version, the first notes of the song are unrecognizable.[38]

These are the formats and track listings of single releases of "Appelle mon numéro":[39]

• CD single[40]

• CD maxi – Digipack[41]

• 12" maxi[42]

• Digital download[43][44]

• 12" maxi – Promo – Remixes[45]

• CD single – Promo[46]

• CD single – Promo – Club Remixes[47]

• CD maxi – Promo[48]

These are the credits and the personnel as they appear on the back of the single:[39]

• (in French) Mylène Farmer — "Appelle mon numéro" All about the song, on Mylene.net
• "Appelle mon numéro", official music video