Chrysalis

Chrysalis (English version) is the second international studio album by Anggun. The album was released by Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment in over 15 countries in Europe and Asia, with the English version being first released in Japan on 30 August 2000 and the French version premiering in France on 2 October 2000. A major departure to her debut album’s world music composition, Chrysalis features electropop sounds with elements of R&B and ambient music. The album was again produced by Erick Benzi, but it featured some of Anggun’s compositions. Anggun also co-wrote the entire material on the English version.

Chrysalis debuted at number 66 on the Billboard‘s European Top 100 Albums chart. It became her second top-ten album in Italy, and was certified gold in a week after its release. In Indonesia, Chrysalis received quadruple platinum certification. The album received Platinum Export for its commercial success outside France. Singles released were “Still Reminds Me” and “Chrysalis” from Chrysalis.

 

Composition

As the title suggests, Chrysalis shows Anggun’s growth—both personally and musically—as prior to the release of the album, she divorced her husband of seven years, Michel Georgea. The divorce presumably inspired Anggun to write songs like “Still Reminds Me” and “Broken Dream,” among others, on the album. The album also marked Anggun’s artistic development, as a departure from Snow on the Sahara where she only co-wrote one song, on Chrysalis she co-wrote every song with Erick Benzi with exceptions of “Rain,” “Tears of Sorrow,” and “Non Angelical,” (co-written with Cathy Grier and Erick Benzi) and “Comme un privilege” (co-written with Erick Benzi and Nicolas Mingot). Anggun’s songwriting varies from heartbroken (“Still Reminds Me,” “Broken Dream”), love-longing (“Breathing,” “Signs of Destiny”), humanity (“Tears of Sorrow,” “How the World…”) even spirituality (“A Prayer”) and a fan’s obsession (“Want You to Want Me”).

anggun_-_chrysalis

The music is also a departure from the highly ethnic-influenced Snow on the Sahara to more Euro-pop/electro sounds. This evident is clear on songs like “Rain” (“Les champs de peine”), “Signs of Destiny” (“Tout peut arriver”) and “Forbidden Love.” Meanwhile, her pop/world trademark can also be found on “How The World…” (“Une femme”). The album also features some acoustic ballads (accompanied with piano only), in songs like “Want You to Want Me” (“Tu nages”) and “Broken Dream”. “Tu nages” was later covered by Celine Dion for her French album 1 fille & 4 types (2003).

Another thing, the album has a lot simpler production compared to Snow on the Sahara, as the sounds are mainly based on synth and computer programming. Only two instruments were used: electric guitar and keyboards. Like her debut album, the music on the English version is the same as the French one, but this time around, the lyrics are different (on Chrysalis, Anggun wrote all the lyrics by herself except for four songs and on Désirs Contraires, Erick Benzi took a sole songwriting part). There are two songs in the French version which are not available on the English version (“Marcher sur la mer” and “Brume”). Instead, they are replaced with two original songs in English (“A Prayer” and “Forbidden Love”)

Track listing

English version

Chrysalis – International standard edition
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. “Still Reminds Me” Anggun, Erick Benzi 3:50
2. “Rain” Anggun, Cathy Grier, Benzi 3:46
3. “Breathing” Anggun, Benzi 3:48
4. “Chrysalis” Anggun, Benzi 3:43
5. “Tears of Sorrow” Anggun, Grier, Benzi 4:16
6. “Want You to Want Me” Anggun, Benzi 3:15
7. “How the World…” Anggun, Benzi 3:52
8. “A Prayer” Anggun, Benzi 3:47
9. “Non Angelical” Anggun, Grier, Benzi 3:53
10. “Look into Yourself” Anggun, Benzi 4:06
11. “Forbidden Love” Anggun, Benzi 4:14
12. “Signs of Destiny” Anggun, Benzi 3:57
13. “Comme un privilege” Anggun, Benzi, Nicolas Mingot 3:45
14. “Broken Dream” Anggun, Benzi 3:15
Total length:
 53:27