Formidable (song)
| Formidable | |
|---|---|
| Stromae | |
| publication | 1st June 2013 |
| length | 3:34 min. |
| Genre (s) | Hip-hop , pop , R&B |
| Author (s) | Paul Van Haver |
| Label | Mercury , Universal |
| album | √ (Racine carrée) |
Formidable (in German: fantastic , great ) is a song by the Belgian singer Stromae . The second single from his second album √ (Racine carrée) was released in Belgium on June 1, 2013 and started at number one on the local charts. It is his most successful single since Alors on danse (2009).
The music video is subtitled “ceci n'est pas une leçon” ( This is not a lesson ).
content
The plot revolves around a recently abandoned man who pessimistically mourns his ex-girlfriend and turns drunk to various people. He keeps repeating (always in the chorus ) how great everything was the day before and expresses his despair over the current situation.
In the first stanza he speaks to a strange woman and wants to tell her about his suffering. She is deterred and unwilling to keep him company, possibly out of fear that he could become aggressive because of his desperation and drunkenness.
The second stanza is addressed to a married man. The singer warns him that it is better not to fool himself into the bond of marriage. It's just a ring, after all, and his wife will leave him anyway, as he thinks women always do. He also asks him if he has already told his wife about "the other one" and offers to do it for him in order to simplify the separation (which - and this is the basic message - is imminent anyway).
The third verse is initially addressed to a boy to whom the singer explains that there is no such thing as “good and bad” in life. Then he turns to the people who look at him disparagingly (as if he were a monkey ) and criticizes them for it. He emphasizes that they are not saints either , but ultimately just a bunch of monkeys. In the context of the music video , in which the drunk artist is stared at and filmed by many people waiting and walking around at the bus stop, these lines achieve an even greater effect.
Music video
On May 22, 2013, the first amateur recordings appeared on YouTube , showing Stromae walking around a metro and tram station in Brussels on the morning of the 21st, apparently drunk . The images went viral . Shortly afterwards it was announced that the action involved the recording of a music video. Stromae confirmed this on May 24, 2013 on the French television program Ce soir ou jamais , in which he performed his new single "Formidable" live for the first time .
The music video, which was filmed exclusively with a hidden camera, shows Stromae with headphones drunk at the Louise tram stop . He walks around in a visibly dejected state, mumbling or shouting a few lines of the song over and over again, attracting the attention of passers-by and some police officers . The latter approach him, confess to being fans of his music and offer to drive him home. To make it easier to understand for non- francophones , the lyrics translated into English are displayed as subtitles .
Chart placements
| Charts | Top ranking | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Chart placements | ||
 Germany (GfK)
|
39 (4 weeks) | 4th |
 Flanders (Ultratop)
|
1 (40 weeks) | 40 |
 France (SNEP)
|
1 (87 weeks) | 87 |
 Austria (Ö3)
|
36 (2 weeks) | 2 |
 Switzerland (IFPI)
|
13 (43 weeks) | 43 |
 Wallonia (Ultratop)
|
1 (41 weeks) | 41 |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Stromae - Formidable on iTunes. In: Apple iTunes. June 1, 2013, accessed August 8, 2013 .
- ↑ a b c Stromae - Formidable (ceci n'est pas une leçon). In: YouTube music video. May 27, 2013, accessed August 8, 2013 (French).
- ↑ Buzz. Stromae chante ivre sur le plateau de "Ce soir ou jamais" (video). In: LaDépêche.fr. May 27, 2013, accessed August 8, 2013 (French).
- ↑ a b c d e f Chart sources: DE AT CH UK FR BE W (Wallonia) BE F (Flanders)