Mylene Farmer - Innamoramento (Japan 1st press) (1999)

By 1999, Farmer had barely appeared in the media since her 1996 concerts at Paris-Bercy. The singer spent most of this time traveling many countries (such as China, Ireland, Italy and the United States), where she drew her inspiration for her next album, giving it a greater ethnic orientation. She was also inspired by the books Falling In Love by Francesco Alberoni, If This is a Man by Primo Levi, and books on Buddhism. While some media announced that the album would be called Immortelles, Mes Moires (according to the magazine Voici), Mémoires and Ensemble, rumor had it that the next album would have more techno sonorities (and the first single would be named "The Small World", according to the Belgian newspaper 7 Extra). It was recorded at studios Ocean Way Recording and Record One in Los Angeles, but mixed at Guillaume Tell studio in Paris.
Finally, the album was released on 7 April, almost a month after that of the lead single "L'Âme-stram-gram" and was named Innamoramento, in reference to the book by Francesco Alberoni mentioned above. A quote from this author is also cited at the first page of the album's booklet. The photographs, produced by Marino Parisotto Vay, cost about 104,000 euros. The cover shows Farmer dressed in white on top of an open iron cage in the middle of the ocean.
The album received mostly positive reviews from media. DH Magazine stated that this album doesn't contain "any surprise, but is "tidy, less sophisticated than Anamorphosée, and ultimately captivating. (...) It is more spiritual". L'Humanité stated in their review "Her songs resemble the prayers of a monk, whose writing has always been seen as a therapy".
In France, the album was released at a time when Francis Cabrel made also his comeback with his album Hors Saison which topped the French Albums Chart. As a result, Innamoramento failed to reach #1 on the chart, but went straight in at #2 on 10 April 1999, remaining there for two weeks. Despite not hitting the top spot, the album remained in the chart for 94 weeks, including 18 weeks in the top ten and became one of Farmer's highest selling albums. It re-entered the chart during Farmer's Mylenium Tour and also when Universal organised further promotion of the album. Certified Diamond disc by the SNEP, Innamoramento ranked #4, #43 and #92 on 1999, 2000 and 2001 End of Year Charts.