5:55
2006 studio album by Charlotte Gainsbourg
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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.[7][8] In the United States, the album sold 22,000 copies. "The Songs That We Sing" was No. 78 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.[9]
| 5:55 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 28 August 2006 | |||
| Genre | Indie pop, dream pop | |||
| Length | 42:37 | |||
| Language | English, French | |||
| Label | Because Music, Atlantic, Vice | |||
| Producer | Nigel Godrich | |||
| Charlotte Gainsbourg chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 5:55 | ||||
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 72/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Guardian | [3] |
| The Observer | [4] |
| Pitchfork Media | (5.8/10)[5] |
| The Times | [6] |
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.[5] Overall, the album received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.[1]
The first single, "The Songs That We Sing" was also included in the soundtrack to the 2009 film The Uninvited.[10][11]
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.[12]
Track listing
All music is composed by Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "5:55" |
| 4:52 |
| 2. | "AF607105" | Cocker | 4:30 |
| 3. | "The Operation" | Cocker | 3:59 |
| 4. | "Tel que tu es" |
| 3:09 |
| 5. | "The Songs That We Sing" |
| 2:57 |
| 6. | "Beauty Mark" |
| 3:06 |
| 7. | "Little Monsters" | Cocker | 3:46 |
| 8. | "Jamais" | Cocker | 4:37 |
| 9. | "Night-Time Intermission" |
| 2:44 |
| 10. | "Everything I Cannot See" | Cocker | 5:45 |
| 11. | "Morning Song" |
| 3:08 |
Bonus tracks
On some releases one or two bonus tracks were added.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Set Yourself on Fire" | Cocker | 4:10 |
| 13. | "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping" |
| 3:45 |
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) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums Chart[13] | 1 |
| Austrian Albums Chart[14] | 41 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[15] | 15 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[16] | 2 |
| Dutch Albums Chart[17] | 99 |
| European Billboard Top 100 Albums[18] | 14 |
| German Albums Chart[19] | 38 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[20] | 57 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[21] | 12 |
| UK Albums Chart | 78 |
| US Billboard 200[22][23] | 196 |
| US Billboard Top Heatseekers[23][24] | 9 |
| US Billboard Top Independent Albums[23][25] | 24 |
Singles
- "The Songs That We Sing"
| Chart (2006/2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French SNEP Singles Chart[26] | 30 |
| Belgian Ultratip Chart (Flanders)[26] | 10 |
| Belgian Ultratip Chart (Wallonia)[26] | 4 |
| UK Singles Chart | 129 |
| Billboard European Hot 100 Singles[27] | 87 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 28 August 2006 | Because Music | CD | 3116662 | |
| Enhanced CD | 3116672 | Limited edition, with bonus track "Set Yourself on Fire". Enhanced section includes a Flash version of the booklet including lyrics, pictures and credits. | |||
| 4 September 2006 | LP album | BEC5772052 | Double album. | ||
| UK | Because Music, Atlantic Records | 5051011-5911-2-9 | |||
| Europe | Because Music, Warner Music | 2564-63652-2 | |||
| Japan | 8 November 2006 | Warner Music | CD | WPCR-12431 | With bonus tracks "Set Yourself on Fire" and "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping" |
| US | 24 April 2007 | Vice Records | Enhanced CD | 94703-2 | With 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. |