5:55

Last updated

5:55
Charlotte555.jpg
Studio album by
Released28 August 2006 (2006-08-28)
Genre Indie pop, dream pop
Length42:37
LanguageEnglish, French
Label Because Music, Atlantic, Vice
Producer Nigel Godrich
Charlotte Gainsbourg chronology
Charlotte for Ever
(1986)
5:55
(2006)
IRM
(2009)
Singles from 5:55
  1. "The Songs That We Sing"
    Released: 2006
  2. "5:55"
    Released: 2007
  3. "The Operation"
    Released: 2007
  4. "Beauty Mark"
    Released: 2007
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 72/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]
Pitchfork Media (5.8/10) [5]
The Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]

5:55 is the second album by French 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]

Contents

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.TitleLyricsLength
1."5:55"
4:52
2."AF607105"Cocker4:30
3."The Operation"Cocker3:59
4."Tel Que Tu Es"
  • Godin
  • Dunckel
3:09
5."The Songs That We Sing"
2:57
6."Beauty Mark"
  • Hannon
  • Cocker
  • Godin
  • Dunckel
3:06
7."Little Monsters"Cocker3:46
8."Jamais"Cocker4:37
9."Night-Time Intermission"2:44
10."Everything I Cannot See"Cocker5:45
11."Morning Song"
  • Cocker
  • Gainsbourg
3:08

Bonus tracks

On some releases one or two bonus tracks were added.

No.TitleLyricsLength
12."Set Yourself on Fire"Cocker4:10
13."Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping"
  • Hannon
  • Cocker
3:45

Personnel

Technical

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

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalogNotes
France28 August 2006 Because Music CD3116662
Enhanced CD 3116672Limited 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.
UKBecause Music, Atlantic Records 5051011-5911-2-9
EuropeBecause Music, Warner Music 2564-63652-2
Japan8 November 2006Warner MusicCDWPCR-12431With bonus tracks "Set Yourself on Fire" and "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping"
US24 April 2007 Vice Records Enhanced CD94703-2With 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.

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