She participated in various musical shows and recorded many popular songs in the 1960s and 1970s, mostly in collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg, Bob Zagury and Sacha Distel, including "Harley Davidson", "Je Me Donne A Qui Me Plait", "Bubble gum", "Contact", "Je Reviendrais Toujours Vers Toi", "L'Appareil A Sous", "La Madrague", "On Demenage", "Sidonie", "Tu Veux, Ou Tu Veux Pas?", "Le Soleil De Ma Vie" (the cover of Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life") and notorious "Je t'aime… moi non plus".
In 1952, she appeared on screen for the first time in Le Trou Normand. That same year, at age 18, she married director Roger Vadim, with whom she had been romantically involved for several years.
Although the European film industry was then in the ascendant, her personal rise was remarkable: she has been one of the few European actresses to receive mass media attention in the United States. She and Marilyn Monroe were the icons of female sexuality in the 1950s and 1960s and whenever she made public appearances in the United States the media hordes covered her every move.
Her films of the early and mid 1950s were lightweight romantic dramas, some of them historical, in which she was cast as ingénue or siren, often with an element of undress. She played bit parts in three English-language films, the British comedy Doctor at Sea (1955), Helen of Troy (1954), in which she was understudy for the title-role but only appears as Helen's handmaid, and Act of Love (1954) with Kirk Douglas. Her French-language films were dubbed for international release. "She is every man's idea of the girl he'd like to meet in Paris" said the film-critic Ivon Addams in 1955.
Vadim was not content with this light fare. The New Wave of French and Italian art directors and their stars were riding high internationally and he felt Bardot was being undersold. Looking for something more like an art-film to push her as a serious actress, he showcased her in And God Created Woman (1956) with Jean-Louis Trintignant.
The film, about an amoral teenager in a respectable small-town setting, was a big international success. She may have had an affair with her co-star Trintignant, but this was more likely a pre-release publicity gimmick. The film is often wrongly described as her first film (it was her seventeenth) and to have launched her overnight, but it did help move her towards the cinematic mainstream.
It also ruled out a transition to Hollywood, where she was thought too risqué to handle. The Doris Day era was in still in full swing and even Jane Russell in The French Line (1953) had been thought to be going too far by showing her midriff. Erotica like Bardot's Cette sacrée gamine (That Crazy Kid, 1955) was considered fine at the box-office as long as it was clearly labelled "European". Bardot's limited English and strong accent, while beguiling to the ears of men, did not suit rapid-fire Hollywood scripts. In any event, staying in Europe benefited her image when the 1960s began to swing and Hollywood slipped into the background for a while, and Bardot was voted honorary sex-goddess of the decade.
Divorced from Vadim in 1957, she married actor Jacques Charrier (1959-62), by whom in 1960 she had her only child, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier from whom she is estranged. She once referred to her only child as "a tumour". The marriage was preyed on by the paparazzi and there were clashes over the direction of Bardot's career. Her films became more substantial, but this brought a heavy pressure of dual celebrity as she sought critical acclaim while remaining to most of the world a glamour model.
Vie privée (1960), directed by Louis Malle has more than an element of autobiography in it. The scene in which, returning to her flat, Bardot's character is harangued in the lift by a middle-aged cleaning-lady calling her a tramp and a tart was based on an actual incident, and is a resonant image of celebrity in the mid-20th century.
Soon after, Bardot withdrew to the seclusion of Southern France and is now known to have attempted suicide, but as the sexual revolution of the early 1960s gathered momentum her lifestyle began to seem more like the norm and the pressure lifted. Through the sixties, she was happy to appear in glossy star-vehicles like Viva Maria (1969), to dabble in pop music and to play the role of glamour model and icon. In 1965 she appeared as herself in the Hollywood production Dear Brigitte starring Jimmy Stewart.
Her other husbands were German millionaire playboy Gunter Sachs (1966-69), and French right-wing politician, Bernard d'Ormale (1992-present). She has also had reputed relationships with many men including singers Serge Gainsbourg and Sacha Distel. In the late 1950s, she shared an exchange she considered “croiser de deux sillages” with writer John Gilmore, then an actor in France for a New Wave film to have starred Jean Seberg. Gilmore told Paris Match, “I felt a beautiful warmth with Bardot but found it difficult to discuss things to any depth whatsoever”.
She is recognised for popularising bikini swimwear in early films such as Manina (Woman without a Veil, 1952) and in her appearances at Cannes and in many photo shoots. She even sported an early version of the monokini from time to time. Though this was not considered extraordinary in France, it was considered nearly scandalous in the US. The fashions of the 1960s looked effortlessly right and spontaneous on her and she joined Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy, in becoming a subject for Andy Warhol paintings.
In 1970, the sculptor Alain Gourdon used Bardot as the model for a bust of Marianne, the French national emblem.
Mentions of Bardot in music
The first song to reference Brigitte Bardot was "Gimme' that Wine" by vocalese group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross on the Columbia label in 1960.
Indie singer Jordan Galland also has a song called "Brigitte Bardot". In 1966, Harry Belafonte recorded "Zombie Jamboree" which has an entire verse dedicated to Brigitte Bargot.
Bardot has also been referenced in many other songs, including "I Shall Be Free" (Bob Dylan), "We Didn't Start the Fire" (Billy Joel), "Message of Love" (The Pretenders), "I Think I'm Going To Kill Myself" (Elton John), "Warlocks" (Red Hot Chili Peppers), "You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie" (Allan Sherman), "You're My Favourite Star" (The Bellamy Brothers), "It's Not Enough" (The Who), "Contempt" (Silkworm), "Big Wedge" (Fish),"Brigitte Bardot" (Tom Zé), "Alegria, Alegria" (Caetano Veloso), "Loaded" (ZZ Top), "Brigitte Bardot" (Creature), "Bardot" (Marden Hill), "Shir Nevu'i Cosmi Aliz" (Yoni Rechter & Eli Mohar), "Smiles Like Richard Nixon" (The Bad Examples), "Bijou" (Stew), "Stratford-On-Guy" (Liz Phair), and "Brigitte Bardot T.N.T." (Pizzicato Five).
Tu veux ou tu veux pas
Brigitte Bardot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu veux ou tu veux pas
Tu veux see'est bien
Si tu veux pas tant pis
Si tu veux pas
J'en f'rai pas une maladie
Oui mais voilà réponds-moi
Non ou bien oui
Ou tu veux ou tu veux pas
Tu veux ou tu veux pas
Toi tu dis noir et après tu dis blanc
see'est noir see'est noir
Oui mais si see'est blanc see'est blanc
see'est noir ou blanc
Mais ce n'est pas noir et blanc
see'est comme ci ou comme ça
Ou tu veux ou tu veux pas
La vie, oui see'est une gymnastique
Et see'est comme la musique
why a do mauvais et do bon
La vie, pour moi elle est magnifique
Faut pas que tu la compliques
Par tes hésitations
{ Refrain}
La vie, elle peut être très douce
A condition que tu la pousses
Dans la bonne direction
La vie, elle est là elle nous appelle
Avec toi elle sera belle
Si tu viens à la maison
Tu veux ou tu veux pas ? hein !
Quoi ? Ah ! tu dis oui
Ah ! a a a a a a a
Et ben moi j'veux plus !
Ouh ! la la
The lyrics of Brigitte Bardot's song "Tu veux ou tu veux pas" are about a person who is unsure about their feelings towards another person. The singer asks this person if they want to be with her or not, stating that if they do, that's great and if they don't, it's not a big deal. She asks for a straightforward answer of either yes or no, rather than going back and forth between their feelings. The lyrics suggest that life is like music and there can be good and bad notes, but it doesn't have to be complicated by indecisiveness. Ultimately, the singer feels that life is beautiful and wants to share it with this person, but only if they are sure they want to be with her.
The song itself was written by French composer Michel Polnareff and released in 1969, becoming a major hit and reaching number one on the charts in France. It was later covered by several other artists and has been featured in various movies and television shows. The lyrics have been translated into multiple languages, including English, German, and Italian.
Line by Line Meaning
Tu veux ou tu veux pas
Do you want to or not?
Tu veux see'est bien
If you want, it's fine
Si tu veux pas tant pis
If you don't, too bad
Si tu veux pas
If you don't want to
J'en f'rai pas une maladie
I won't make a big deal out of it
Oui mais voilà réponds-moi
But answer me straight
Non ou bien oui see'est comme ci ou comme ça
Whether it's no or yes, it's either way
Ou tu veux ou tu veux pas
Either you want to or you don't
Toi tu dis noir et après tu dis blanc
You say black and then you say white
see'est noir see'est noir
It's black, it's black
Oui mais si see'est blanc see'est blanc
But if it's white, it's white
see'est noir ou blanc
It's either black or white
Mais ce n'est pas noir et blanc
But it's not that simple
see'est comme ci ou comme ça
It's either this way or that way
Ou tu veux ou tu veux pas
Either you want to or you don't
La vie, oui see'est une gymnastique
Life is like gymnastics
Et see'est comme la musique
And it's like music
why a do mauvais et do bon
With good and bad notes
La vie, pour moi elle est magnifique
Life, for me, is magnificent
Faut pas que tu la compliques
You shouldn't complicate it
Par tes hésitations
With your hesitations
La vie, elle peut être très douce
Life can be very sweet
A condition que tu la pousses
Provided that you push it
Dans la bonne direction
In the right direction
La vie, elle est là elle nous appelle
Life is here, calling us
Avec toi elle sera belle
With you, it will be beautiful
Si tu viens à la maison
If you come to my house
Tu veux ou tu veux pas ? hein !
You want to or not? Hm!
Quoi ? Ah ! tu dis oui
What? Ah! You say yes
Ah ! a a a a a a a
Ah! Aaaaaa
Et ben moi j'veux plus !
Well, I don't want to anymore!
Ouh ! la la
Ooh la la
Lyrics © Editora e Importadora Musical Fermata do Brasil Ltda.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rafael Dejesus
You want it or not?
If you want it, that's great
And if you don't, too bad
If you don't want it
I won't mind
But answer me
With a yes or a no
It's either one or the other
Either you want it or you don't
You want it or not?
You say black and then you say white
If it's black, it's black
And if it's white, it's white
It's black or white
But it's not black and white
It's either one or the other
Either you want it or you don't
Life is like gymnastics
And it's like music
There's good and there's bad
Life is marvelous for me
You shouldn't complicate it
With your hesitation
You want it or not?
If you want it, that's great
And if you don't, too bad
If you don't want it
I won't mind
But answer me
With a yes or a no
It's either one or the other
Either you want it or you don't
Life could be so sweet
Only as long as you steer it
In the right direction
Life is here and it's calling us
With you it would be nice
If you came over to my house
Do you want it or not?
jhon nz
Tu veux ou tu veux pas
Tu veux see'est bien
Si tu veux pas tant pis
Si tu veux pas
J'en f'rai pas une maladie
Oui mais voilà réponds-moi
Non ou bien oui
see'est comme ci ou comme ça
Ou tu veux ou tu veux pas
Tu veux ou tu veux pas
Toi tu dis noir et après tu dis blanc
see'est noir see'est noir
Oui mais si see'est blanc see'est blanc
see'est noir ou blanc
Mais ce n'est pas noir et blanc
see'est comme ci ou comme ça
Ou tu veux ou tu veux pas
La vie, oui see'est une gymnastique
Et see'est comme la musique
why a do mauvais et do bon
La vie, pour moi elle est magnifique
Faut pas que tu la compliques
Par tes hésitations
{ Refrain}
La vie, elle peut être très douce
A condition que tu la pousses
Dans la bonne direction
La vie, elle est là elle nous appelle
Avec toi elle sera belle
Si tu viens à la maison
Tu veux ou tu veux pas ? hein !
Quoi ? Ah ! tu dis oui
Ah ! a a a a a a a
Et ben moi j'veux plus !
Ouh ! la la
VENUS IN LOVE BY SELENA S ANGELS
Belle rebelle sentimentale et une âme pure cette femme ce qu elle fait pour les animaux est exceptionnel 🙏elle est l incarnation de venus sur terre. Une forme de perfection d ame de cœur et de corps ❤️😘🙏
Sophie Archidoit
Fan absolue de Brigitte Bardot, l incarnation de la beauté parfaite. Magnifique personne sur tous les plans
Mat Mm
Je suis d'accord avec vous, à une seule condition; elle incarne la beauté parfaite de la Femme Française !
Mat Mm
Elle est l'incarnation parfaite de la Femme Française. Vive la France !
Bazz
Elle était... Et encore on parle que physiquement...
Piaf Baker
Me encanto esta canción.
Elodiekenzahadjmihoub1995
Toute mon enfance maman maman me chantait ça ❤❤❤ je l'aime maman d'amour . J'ai 27 ans ça me rappelle tellement de bons souvenirs ❤ . A chaque fois elle me disait ça . Tu veux ou tu veux pas ? Si tu veux pas.tant pis j'en ferais pas une maladie 😂
Matt Leinhauser
This beautiful woman was so awesome love her ❤❤❤❤
Zuzana Šimurdová
Love it!
Gerald Viredaz
Tu veux, tu veux pas1 est une chanson française, adaptée du portugais au français par Pierre Cour, enregistrée en 1969 par le chanteur et musicien de jazz Marcel Zanini.
Devenue un tube, elle a été reprise sous le titre Tu veux ou tu veux pas par plusieurs artistes, dont Brigitte Bardot en 1970