"À contre-courant" (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

: "Against the Current") is a song by

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

singer

Alizée Alizée Lyonnet ( Jacotey; born 21 August 1984), known professionally as Alizée, is a French pop singer. She is one of the best-selling French female artists of the 21st century, and the singer with the most exports out of France. Her best-k ...

, released on 7 October 2003. as the third and final single for her second studio album, ''

Mes courants électriques ''Mes courants électriques'' ( English: ''My Electric Currents'') is the second studio album by the French singer Alizée, released on 18 March 2003 through Polydor. The album was produced by Laurent Boutonnat and Mylène Farmer. The album's l ...

'' (2003), through the label

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

. The song was written by

Mylene Farmer Mylene or Mylène is a given name, a contraction of Marie-Hélène. Notable people and characters with the name include: * Mylène Demongeot (1935–2022), French actress * Mylene Dizon (born 1976), Filipino actress and model * Mylène Farmer, Fren ...

and Boutonnat, and production was managed by

Laurent Boutonnat Laurent Boutonnat (born 14 June 1961) is a French film score composer and music video director, best known as the songwriting partner of Mylène Farmer and the director of several music videos. Career Early career and collaboration with Mylèn ...

and Farmer as well. Lyrically, it explores the theme of going against societal expectations and resisting conformity. The title itself translates to "Against the Current," symbolizing a personal journey of rebellion, independence, and self-assertion. Upon release, the song experienced moderate commercial success following its release in late 2003 as the third single from her album ''Mes courants électriques''. In

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, it peaked at #22 on the SNEP Singles Chart, and although it didn’t reach the top ten like her previous singles, it still maintained chart presence for several weeks, reflecting steady popularity. The single also charted in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

(both

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

and

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

), reaching the top 30, and in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, where it entered the top 50, showcasing her cross-border appeal in

Francophone The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...

europe. While it didn’t achieve certifications like gold or platinum in these regions, it solidified Alizée’s position as a consistent pop figure in early 2000s French music. The music video presents a dreamlike and surreal underwater aesthetic that visually mirrors the emotional depth of the song. Set in an abstract, almost otherworldly pool environment, Alizée is seen performing elegant choreography beneath shimmering lights, creating a feeling of being submerged or drifting—an apt visual metaphor for going “against the current.” The video’s use of reflective surfaces, flowing fabric, and fluid camera movements enhances its ethereal quality, while subtle symbolic elements, like water and mirrors, reinforce themes of inner conflict and emotional resistance.

Background

On 21 November 2000, Alizée released her debut album, "''

Gourmandises ''Gourmandises'' ( English: "Delicacies") is the debut studio album by French singer Alizée, released domestically on 28 November 2000, and worldwide on 13 March 2001 by Polydor Records. Production and composition was managed by Laurent Bouton ...

''" (2000) in France, and released the album internationally on 13 March 2001. The album produced four singles, including the global top-five hits " Moi... Lolita," "

L'Alizé "L'Alizé" (English: "The Trade Wind") is the second single by French singer Alizée Alizée Lyonnet ( Jacotey; born 21 August 1984), known professionally as Alizée, is a French pop singer. She is one of the best-selling French female ar ...

," and "

," each of which received notable commercial success. "Moi... Lolita" reached

diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...

status in

, while "L'Alizé" was certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

, and "Gourmandises" also achieved success, receiving significant chart positions across multiple countries. To promote "''Gourmandises"'' and her subsequent album, Alizée embarked on the ''

En concert Tour The ''En concert'' tour was the first concert tour of the French recording artist Alizée. It started at the famous Olympia music hall in Paris. The tour was generally well received although not all of the concerts sold out. The original plan h ...

'' in late 2003, which helped boost the later success of ''

''. Music critics and scholars have highlighted the album's lasting influence on popular music, particularly for its role in reintroducing electronic music into the mainstream pop scene. Praised by critics as a standout in modern French pop, the album received widespread acclaim upon its release, with reviewers highlighting the singer's vocal performance and musical direction.

Composition

"À contre-courant" is a blend of introspective

with elements of

atmospheric An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

, reflecting the song’s contemplative and emotional tone. Written and composed by

, with lyrics by

Mylène Farmer Mylène Jeanne Gautier (; born 12 September 1961), known professionally as Mylène Farmer (), is a French singer and songwriter. Having sold more than 30 million records worldwide, she is among the most successful recording artists of all time ...

, the track showcases their signature synergy—combining

poetic Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

lyricism with moody, immersive

soundscapes A soundscape is the acoustic environment as perceived by humans, in context. The term, originally coined by Michael Southworth, was popularized by R. Murray Schafer. There is a varied history of the use of soundscape depending on discipline, ra ...

. The song opens with soft,

ambient Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film * ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...

synths A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis an ...

and builds into a more layered arrangement featuring subdued

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

beats, melodic

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

lines, and gentle

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

accents. The mixing process took place at Studio Guillaume Tell, ensuring a polished and cohesive sound throughout the album. The song is composed in

A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: Changes needed for the melodic ...

, with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 120 bpm.

Commercial performance

The final single experienced moderate chart performance in several territories. In

, the single peaked at number 22 on the

French Singles Chart SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

and remained on the chart for 11 weeks. It also charted in

(

), where it reached number 32 and stayed for 7 weeks, and in the

region, the single peaked at number 60. In

, it peaked at number 64 and lasted 4 weeks on the chart. The single also appeared briefly in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, reaching number 95. While "À contre-courant" did not achieve the commercial impact of the album’s earlier singles, it continued to contribute to Alizée’s presence in the European pop scene during this period.

Music video

The music video was shot in Triage-Lavoir de Péronnes, in

Péronnes-lez-Binche Péronnes-lez-Binche (, ; ) is a town in Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Binche located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It was a municipality before the 1977 fusion of the Belgian municipalities. Péronnes became known for ...

, in

. The video was directed by Pierre Stine, who also suggested the filming location. The video features Alizée following a young man through an old coal washing plant, while he performs acrobatics. The video was produced by Belgian production company Blueberry and AdnStudio. The video was filmed on 35mm film and the length of the video is 3:54. The video premiered on M6 channel on 1 October 2003.

Formats and track listings

French CD Single #"À contre-courant" – 4:32 #"I'm Not Twenty" – 4:15 French CD maxi single #"À contre-courant" - 4:25 #"À contre-courant" (Azzibo Da Bass Remix) – 7:15 #"À contre-courant" ( Steve Helstrip Club Remix) – 6:55 #"À contre-courant" (Azzibo Da Bass Dub) – 6:05 French promotional CD #"À contre-courant" (radio edit) - 3:47 French promotional vinyl #"À contre-courant" (Azzibo Da Bass Remix) – 7:15 #"À contre-courant" (Steve Helstrip Club Remix) – 6:55 French promotional VHS #"À contre-courant" - 3:54

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:A contre-courant 2003 singles Alizée songs Songs with lyrics by Mylène Farmer Songs with music by Laurent Boutonnat 2003 songs Polydor Records singles