"Désenchantée" (pronounced: [dezɑ̃ʃɑ̃te]; English: "Disenchanted") is a 1991 song recorded by the French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. First single from her third studio album L'Autre..., it was released on 18 March 1991 and achieved great success in France, topping the charts for more than two months. It was Farmer's most successful song and is generally considered her signature song.
In 2002, the song was successfully covered by Kate Ryan, who reached number one in Belgium.
After a two-year absence from the media, Farmer launched this new single "Désenchantée" on 18 March 1991, three weeks before the release of the album L'Autre.... At the time, many demonstrations were organized by students throughout France to protest against their status and conditions for learning, and the Gulf War was raging. The pessimistic lyrics of the song strongly echoed the feelings toward worldwide events and thus certainly contributed to its success. According to the sound engineer, Thierry Rogen, "Désenchantée" was recorded four times. Boutonnat originally wanted a jerky song with techno influences, but Rogen convinced him to add drums and a more funk sound. The text was inspired by the 1934 book On the Heights of Despair by the Romanian philosopher Emil Cioran.
Désenchantée
Nager dans les eaux troubles
Des lendemains
Attendre ici la fin
Flotter dans l'air trop lourd
Du presque rien
A qui tendre la main
Si je dois tomber de haut
Que ma chute soit lente
Je n'ai trouvé de repos
Que dans l'indifférence
Pourtant, je voudrais retrouver l'innocence
Mais rien n'a de sens, et rien ne va
Tout est chaos
A côté
Tous mes idéaux: des mots
Abîmés...
Je cherche une âme, qui
Pourra m'aider
Je suis
D'une génération désenchantée,
Désenchantée
Qui pourrait m'empêcher
De tout entendre
Quand la raison s'effondre
A quel sein se vouer
Qui peut prétendre
Nous bercer dans son ventre
Si la mort est un mystère
La vie n'a rien de tendre
Si le ciel a un enfer
Le ciel peut bien m'attendre
Dis-moi,
Dans ces vents contraires comment s'y prendre
Plus rien n'a de sens, plus rien ne va