Quelqu'un m'a dit
Studio album by
Carla Bruni
Released8 April 2003
Recorded2002
GenreFolk, chanson
Length38:27
LanguageFrench
LabelNaïve
ProducerCarla Bruni, Louis Bertignac
Carla Bruni chronology
Quelqu'un m'a dit
(2003)		 No Promises
(2007)
Singles from Quelqu'un m'a dit
  1. "Quelqu'un m'a dit"
    Released: 2002
  2. "Tout le monde"
    Released: 2002

Quelqu'un m'a dit (French pronunciation: [kɛlkœ̃ madi]; Someone told me) is the debut studio album of Italian-French singer Carla Bruni. It was produced, recorded and mixed by Louis Bertignac and released in 2003.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Observer[3]

Quelqu'un m'a dit debuted at number one on the French Album Chart, spending thirty-four non-consecutive weeks in the top ten. The album also reached the top ten in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal and Chile.

Three tracks appeared in Hans Canosa's 2005 American film Conversations with Other Women ("J'en connais", "Le plus beau du quartier", and "L'excessive"), and the song "Le plus beau du quartier" was used in H&M's Christmas 2006 commercial. The title track was played over the closing credits of Mensonges et trahisons et plus si affinités..., included on the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack released in 2009, and appeared in the 2010 Carte d'Or Muffin commercial. The song "Le Ciel Dans Une Chambre" also appeared in an episode of Skins, series 3.

Details

The second track, "Raphaël", is named for Bruni's then-lover, philosophy professor Raphaël Enthoven,[4] with whom she had a son, Aurélien Enthoven, in 2001.

Bruni has further collaborated with the producer, Louis Bertignac, in 2005 duetting with him on the song "Les Frôleuses" on his new album.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Carla Bruni except where otherwise indicated; all music is composed by Carla Bruni except where otherwise indicated[1]

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Quelqu'un m'a dit (Someone Told Me)"Carla Bruni, Leos Carax 2:45
2."Raphaël"  2:23
3."Tout le monde (Everyone)"  3:17
4."La Noyée (The Drowned Girl)"Serge GainsbourgSerge Gainsbourg3:58
5."Le Toi du moi (You of Me)"  3:18
6."Le Ciel dans une chambre (Heaven in a Room)" (French adaptation by Carla Bruni of Il cielo in una stanza)Gino Paoli,[5] Giulio Rapetti, Carla BruniGino Paoli, Renato Angiolini4:48
7."J'en connais (I Know Some)"  2:34
8."Le Plus Beau du quartier (The Most Handsome Boy Of The Neighbourhood)"  3:27
9."Chanson triste (Sad Song)"  3:28
10."L'Excessive (The Excessive)"  3:03
11."L'Amour (Love)"  3:03
12."La Dernière Minute (The Last Minute)"  1:00

Song summaries

1. Quelqu'un m'a dit (Someone Told Me)
This melancholy song from which the album draws its name speaks of the sadness of life – "On me dit que nos vies ne valent pas grand chose, / Elles passent en un instant comme fanent les roses." ("They tell me that our lives are not worth very much, / They pass in an instant as roses wilt.") – and that time and fate (destiny) care nothing for us. She forlornly hopes that "you still love me" – "quelqu'un m'a dit / Que tu m'aimais encore," ("Somebody told me / that you loved me still") – recalling that somebody told her, but she cannot remember who.
2. Raphaël
In this lively and playful song, Bruni sings of her love for her then-lover Raphaël Enthoven, first reveling in his name – "Quatre consonnes et trois voyelles / c'est le prénom de Raphaël," ("Four consonants and three vowels / that's the first name of Raphaël") – then delighting in his wickedness and their time together. The middle of the song features mysterious lyrics – "Peau de chagrin, pâtre éternel / Archange étrange d'un autre ciel" ("Shagreen[6]/Sorrow skin, eternal father / Strange archangel from another heaven/sky"), alluding to the magical skin that is slowly used up in Balzac's novel La Peau de chagrin. She later sings of their love being in the moment – "Pas de promesse à l'éternel" ("No promises of eternity") – compare the title of her next album, No Promises, and the eventual end of her relationship with Raphaël.
3. Tout le monde (Everyone)
This melancholy song tells of how everyone has known disappointment – forgotten childhood memories, remains of dreams ("restes de rêves"), and devastation – and then absurdly suggests that this solitude should be fixed by passing a law – "Il faudrait que tout l'monde réclame auprès des autorités, / Une loi contre toute notre solitude," ("Everyone should demand from the authorities / A law against all our solitude."), musing on French socialism.
4. La noyée (Drowned)
This is a cover of a song by Serge Gainsbourg, which Bruni heard on the soundtrack to the movie Romance of a Horsethief (1971); another cover was released near the same time in the 2002 album C'était ici.
The song speaks of time and memory separating people, using contrasting images of water – "la rivière du souvenir" ("the river of memory") and "l'océan de l'oubli" ("the ocean of forgetting").
5. Le toi du moi (You of Me)
This love song consists of various pairings of the form "You are my X, I am your Y", "I am the X, you are the Y", or "You are the X of my Y", beginning "Je suis ton pile / Tu es mon face" ("I am your tails / You are my heads" [We are two sides of the same coin]), passing through over fifty pairs, climaxing 2/3 of the way through and again ending with "T'es le jamais de mon toujours / T'es mon amour t'es mon amour." ("You are the never of my forever / You are my love you are my love.")
Some of the images are playful "T'es la moustache de mon Trotski" ("You are the mustache of my Trotsky"), while some allude to drugs "Toi tu es l'herbe et moi le joint" ("You are the weed and I'm the joint" – marijuana) and "Toi la paille et moi la poudre" ("You the straw and I the powder" – cocaine); compare Tu es ma came ("You're My Drug") from her third album, Comme si de rien n'était.
6. Le ciel dans une chambre (Heaven in a Room)
7. J'en connais (I Know Some)
8. Le plus beau du quartier (The Most Handsome Boy Of The Neighbourhood)
9. Chanson triste (Sad Song)
10. L'excessive (The Excessive)
11. L'amour (Love)
12. La dernière minute (The Last Minute)
The last song is one minute long, exactly as it says on the tin. It features a metronome tick-tock beat. The lyrics refer to someone at the end of her life, not yet ready to die ("Quand je verrai ma mort juste au pied de mon lit (When I see my death at the foot of my bed)/ Que je la verrai sourire de ma si petite vie (I'll see a smile from my little life)/ Je lui dirai "écoute ! laisse-moi juste une minute" (I will say [to death], "Listen! Give me just a minute!").

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Quelqu'un m'a dit
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[30] Platinum 50,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[31] Platinum 100,000^
France — 1,200,000[32]
Germany (BVMI)[33] Gold 100,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[34] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[35] Platinum 40,000^
United Kingdom — 16,000[32]
United States — 53,000[32]
Summaries
Worldwide — 2,000,000[36]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Quelqu'un m'a dit at Discogs
  2. ↑ AllMusic review
  3. ↑ The Observer review
  4. ↑ (in French) When Carla Bruni broke hearts — Gala, Eliane Georges , 17 August 2005
  5. ↑ "Gino Paoli e Carla Bruni, duetto charmant". 6 November 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  6. ↑ Shagreen is a type of leather, from French chagrin, of complex etymology.
  7. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 44.
  8. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Carla Bruni – Quelqu'un m'a dit" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  9. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Carla Bruni – Quelqu'un m'a dit" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Carla Bruni – Quelqu'un m'a dit" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  11. ↑ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. 14 August 2003. Archived from the original on 31 July 2004. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  12. ↑ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 9. 22 February 2003. p. 8. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  13. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Carla Bruni – Quelqu'un m'a dit". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
  14. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Carla Bruni – Quelqu'un m'a dit" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  15. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Carla Bruni – Quelqu'un m'a dit". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  16. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Carla Bruni – Quelqu'un m'a dit". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  17. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Carla Bruni – Quelqu'un m'a dit". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  18. ↑ "Chart Log UK (1994–2010): Darren B – David Byrne". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  19. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  20. ↑ "Carla Bruni Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  21. ↑ "Tops de l'année | Top Albums 2002" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  22. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2003 – Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
  23. ↑ "Rapports annuels 2003 – Albums" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
  24. ↑ "Tops de l'année | Top Albums 2003" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  25. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 2003" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  26. ↑ "Classifica Annuale 2003 (dal 30.12.2002 al 28.12.2003) – Album & Compilation" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  27. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2003". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  28. ↑ "Rapports annuels 2004 – Albums" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
  29. ↑ "Classement Albums – année 2004" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  30. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2003". Ultratop. Hung Medien. 1 March 2003.
  31. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Carla Bruni – Quelqu'un m'a dit". Music Canada. 27 July 2006.
  32. 1 2 3 Pichevin, Aymeric (2 August 2008). "Here's to You, Mr. President". Billboard. Vol. 120, no. 31. p. 35. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  33. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Carla Bruni; 'Quelqu'un m'a dit')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  34. ↑ "Top 100 Albumes – Lista de los titulos mas vendidos del 12.04.04 al 18.04.04" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 August 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  35. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Quelqu'un m'a dit')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  36. ↑ Nikkhah, Roya (12 July 2008). "Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, a big hit in Britain". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2019.

Further reading

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