"Beyond My Control" is a 1991 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. It was the fourth single from her third studio album L'autre... and was released in May 1992. The song probably remains well known for its controversial music video, censored upon release due to its sexual and violent content. It achieved minor success in terms of sales, even though it reached the top ten in France and Belgium.

Background, writing and release

The fickle and ambiguous song "Pas de doute", already scheduled as the third single from the album L'autre...,Chuberre, 2007, pp. 62–63. would have been released as the fourth single, but was finally replaced by "Beyond My Control", which was remixed to be more commercial.

The song was inspired by two characters in the 1782 French epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, written by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos: the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont.Cachin, 2006, pp. 52–57. In the song, the voice heard on the chorus of the song which repeats "It's beyond my control" is in fact a sample of John Malkovich's voice from the film "Dangerous Liaisons" by Stephen Frears.

For the first time throughout Farmer's career, a CD single was released among the various formats. At the time of the song's release, the radio NRJ prepared a 7" maxi with a collector picture disc in a limited edition (50 units) and containing a new remix.

The song deals with self-control, love, death and the betrayal of the beloved man. Farmer tells her own story from the Valmont's sentence ("it's beyond my control"): that of a woman who kills her unfaithful lover after a night of love.Cachin, 2006 (2), pp. 22–23.

Music video

The video was directed by Laurent Boutonnat who also wrote the screenplay based on the book "Les Liaisons dangereuses", by Choderlos de Laclos. It would be his last video for Farmer before "Les Mots", produced nine years later.

The video was shot for two days at Studio Sets in Stains (where the video of "Plus grandir" was shot in 1985) and cost 45,000 euros, a limited budget due to contemporaneous production of the film Giorgino. A Requiem Publishing and Heathcliff SA production, the video features Farmer, Frédéric Lagache (the puppeteer in the video of "Sans contrefaçon") as her flighty lover, and Christophe Danchaud, a dancer of Farmer's tours, as Lagache's body double.Chuberre, 2008, pp. 150–52. Photographer Marianne Rosensthiel, who witnessed the shooting of the video, said that the white dress worn by Farmer was custom-made by a seamstress.

In the video, Farmer, tied on an ignited pyre, tries to struggle. Interspersed are scenes of her kissing her lover before walking on embers in a white dress, her hands covered in blood. Farmer enters a home and surprises her lover, who is engaged sexually with another woman. The scenes are very erotic. Farmer bites her lover in the shoulder and some blood trickles along his back; they kiss and some blood flows from their mouths. Two wolves voraciously tear apart the body of a dead man.Chuberre, 2009, pp. 110–15.

The video, with many explicit scenes of sex and violence, was censored from its release, with extensive criticism in the media. Polydor proposed to French television host Michel Drucker that he could premiere the video on his show Champs-Élysées on France 2, but he categorically refused. M6 decided to bill it in full version only after midnight, although the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel did not prohibit it.Royer, 2008, p. 107. Canal + agreed to broadcast it in the show Top 50, where the programmer confessed she did not find the video so shocking. and for the channel MCM, it asked advice of its television viewers who had voted for or against. Many journalists from various newspapers expressed concerns about the video and French magazine Star Music even qualified it as a "crap". This video was often seen by the general public as a pretext for showing salacious images. However, biographer Bernard Violet believes that the video marked the end of an era in Farmer's career, as she changed from more sophisticated scenarios to placing more emphasis on the song.Violet, 2004, pp. 148–50. According to journalist Caroline Beet, the bloody kissing between Farmer and her lover refers to a cannibalistic practice aiming to feed on the strength of one's enemy.Bee, 2006, pp. 284–86.

Farmer claimed that she liked the blood and nudity of this video, and that her relationships with men were very difficult at the time.

Live performances "Beyond My Control" was never performed on television. It was only sung during the 2000 Mylenium Tour. A recording of the performance is available on the VHS or DVD Mylenium Tour live album, but on this occasion, Malkovich's voice was replaced and the original choreography was abandoned. Farmer wore an orange costume composed of privateer trousers, a thick jacket and orange shoes with high heels. Her dancers had different coloured costumes. At the beginning of the song, Farmer asked the audience to clap their hands.Rigal, 2010, p. 115.

Chart performances In France, the single started at number ten on 9 May 1992 on the singles chart, reached twice a peak at number eight on 16 May and 6 June, but dropped rather quickly and fell off the top 50 after eleven weeks. The single started at number 21 on the Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart and reached number ten four weeks later; it remained for twelve weeks in the top 30. Thus the single chart trajectories and sales were rather disappointing in comparison with the other three singles off L'autre....

Formats and track listings These are the formats and track listings of single releases of "Beyond My Control": 7" single – France, Germany

CD single, cassette, CD single – Promo – France

CD maxi – France, Germany

12" maxi – France, Europe

Digital download

CD single – Promo – Without case – Canada

12" maxi – Promo – Picture disc

Release history Date Label Region Format CatalogMarch 1992PCDCanadaCD single – Promo162PolydorFrance, Belgium423012" maxi – Promo—13 April 19927" single865 820–7CD single865 820–27" maxi865 821–1CD maxi865 821–2Cassette865 820–4May 1992Germany7" single865 820–7CD maxi865 821–2

Official versions Version Length Album Remixed by Year CommentAlbum version5:22L'autre...—1991See the previous sectionsSingle version4:45—Laurent Boutonnat1992This version is shorter as the last refrain is delated. A guitar has been added to give dance sonorities. Unlike the album version, the song ends with a musical passage added.Single version 24:56—Laurent Boutonnat1991This version is shorter because the last refrain is delated. It ends with John Malkovich's voice.Single mix5:24Les MotsLaurent Boutonnat1992Guitar riffs were added.Ya ya version4:40—Laurent Boutonnat1992This is an instrumental version punctuated by the onomatopoeia "Ya ya" sung by Farmer, and the phrase "It's beyond my control" repeated by Malkovitch.Ya ya single version5:20—Laurent Boutonnat1992It is the same version as the 'Ya Ya Version', but longer. The last "It's beyond my control", by Malkovich, is totally distorted.Music video5:00L'autre, Music Videos I—1992Godforsaken mix8:03Dance RemixesLaurent Boutonnat1992In this version, the introduction (about 2:00) is composed of guitar riffs, Malkovitch's voice, the word "Lâche" repeated by Farmer and a cry of a man.Under control remix7:09—Laurent Boutonnat1992The introduction, almost entirely instrumental, lasts four minutes. Then, the refrain is sung five times.The raven mix6:02—Laurent Boutonnat1992It is an instrumental version, but with the voice of Malkovitch. A completely distorted cry can be heard at about the end of the song.Live version (recorded in 2000)5:18 (audio) 5:21 (video)Mylenium Tour—2000This version is similar to that of the album, but Malkovich's voice is replaced. See Mylenium Tour

Credits and personnel These are the credits and the personnel as they appear on the back of the single: Mylène Farmer – lyrics Laurent Boutonnat – music Requiem Publishing – editions Polydor – recording company Marianne Rosensthiel – photo Henry Neu / Com'N.B – design

Charts and sales

Chart (1991/92)PeakpositionBelgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart10Europe (European Hot 100)51French SNEP Singles Chart3Quebec (ADISQ)32

CountryCertificationPhysical salesFranceShould be Silver180,000Royer, 2008, pp. 354–55.Cachin, 2006, p. 54.

References

Notes

External links Mylène Farmer — "Beyond My Control" All about the song, on Mylene.net