I’ve already written about Slimane and Mon Amour here, and I have a ton of other reviews to get out in the next few weeks before rehearsals finally start. So why am I writing about Slimane again?
Because he’s released this remix, which is what I wish he were bringing to the Eurovision stage.
This remix , and the video surrounding it – provide a new context for Mon Amour that the existing version doesn’t. In that version, Slimane stands alone, untouched and untouchable. His passion exists only through his voice and his artistry. He is performing a love song, but it is a love song that is secondary to the goal of showcasing Slimane’s impressive vocal range. We leave feeling not that we have experienced the emotion of a man in the grip of an affair, but the craft of an artist at the top of his game. It doesn’t matter what song he’s performing; all that matters is whether it gives him enough of an opportunity to unleash a powerful vocal moment.
In watching Mon Amour – the Eurovision version – the audience is a mere spectator. We are supposed to be amazed at his capabilities, but we are not drawn in by his song. Admiration, not empathy, is the goal.
The Mon Amour Meya Remix changes all that. For the first time, I get why Slimane is one of France’s top selling pop stars. In this video, he makes us believe he is a man whose heart is broken; a man who is trying to dance his feelings out at the club and failing miserably. Slimane also gives us hints of the passion that lies beneath the song, aided by a director who lingers over his form with a lover’s gaze. To put it bluntly, this is a Mon Amour that fucks. And that is what makes the difference. I can believe the passion behind the song here in a way I can’t when it’s simply Slimane standing at the microphone.
I know France won’t swap out versions now, but oh! OH! How I wish we were getting more of a glimpse of Slimane the human in his otherwise flawless, note-perfect Eurovision performance.
dudepoints.fun 