5:55 is the second studio album by French and British musician and actress Charlotte Gainsbourg. It was also her first album in twenty years. Charlotte collaborated on the album with French duo Air, English musician Jarvis Cocker, Irish singer-songwriter Neil Hannon, and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. "The Songs That We Sing" and "5:55" were released as singles. The album went platinum in France, selling over 500,000 copies.Atlantic Records :: Charlotte Gainsbourg News In the United States, the album sold 22,000 copies. "The Songs That We Sing" was No. 78 on Rolling Stones list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.
Charlotte sang most of the album in English. In France, the album received critical acclaim. Pitchfork described its erotic lyrical content as reminiscent of Serge Gainsbourg's, and Charlotte's vocal approach as similar to that of Jane Birkin. Overall, the album received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.
The first single, "The Songs That We Sing" was also included in the soundtrack to the 2009 film The Uninvited.
In 2012 it was awarded a platinum certification from the Independent Music Companies Association which indicated sales of at least 400,000 copies throughout Europe.
Track listing
Bonus tracks On some releases one or two bonus tracks were added.
Personnel Charlotte Gainsbourg – vocals Jean-Benoît Dunckel – piano, organ, synthesizer, glockenspiel, vibraphone, backing vocals, synth drums Nicolas Godin – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, bass, glockenspiel, synth drums, synthesizer, tambourine, melodica, percussion Jarvis Cocker – lyricist Neil Hannon – acoustic guitar Jeremy Stacey – drums Tony Allen – drums The Millennia Ensemble – strings David Richard Campbell – string arrangements, conductor Joby Talbot – string arrangements Technical Nigel Godrich – production, mixing Bob Ludwig – mastering Dan Grech-Marguerat – engineering Darrell Thorp – engineering Florian Lagatta – engineering
Chart performance
Album Chart (2006/2007)PeakpositionFrench Albums Chart1Austrian Albums Chart41Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)15Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)2Dutch Albums Chart99European Billboard Top 100 Albums14German Albums Chart38Swedish Albums Chart57Swiss Albums Chart12UK Albums Chart78US Billboard 200196US Billboard Top Heatseekers9US Billboard Top Independent Albums24
Singles "The Songs That We Sing" Chart (2006/2007)PeakpositionFrench SNEP Singles Chart30Belgian Ultratip Chart (Flanders)10Belgian Ultratip Chart (Wallonia)4UK Singles Chart129Billboard European Hot 100 Singles87
Release history RegionDateLabelFormatCatalogNotesFranceBecause MusicCD3116662Enhanced CD3116672Limited edition, with bonus track "Set Yourself on Fire". Enhanced section includes a Flash version of the booklet including lyrics, pictures and credits.LP albumBEC5772052Double album.UKBecause Music, Atlantic Records5051011-5911-2-9EuropeBecause Music, Warner Music2564-63652-2JapanWarner MusicCDWPCR-12431With bonus tracks "Set Yourself on Fire" and "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping"USVice RecordsEnhanced CD94703-2With bonus tracks "Set Yourself on Fire" and "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping". Enhanced section includes the promotional videos of "The Songs That We Sing" and "5:55" and an interview with Gainsbourg.
References
External links Charlotte Gainsbourg – official website.