Gainsbourg made her motion picture debut playing Catherine Deneuve's daughter in the film Paroles et musique (1984). In 1986, Gainsbourg won a César Award for "Most Promising Actress" for L'effrontée, and, in 2000, she won "Best Supporting Actress" for the film La Bûche.
Gainsbourg made her musical debut with her father on the song "Lemon Incest" in 1984. Two years later, she released her debut album Charlotte for Ever, which was produced by her father.
In 2007, Gainsbourg appeared alongside Gael Garcia Bernal in Michel Gondry's La Science des rêves and as Claire in the Todd Haynes directed Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There, also contributing a cover of the Dylan song "Just Like A Woman" to the film's soundtrack.
In 2006, Gainsbourg released her second album 5:55 to critical acclaim and commercial success, reaching the top spot on the French charts and achieving platinum status in the country. In the UK, the album was moderately successful, reaching #78 (The single The Songs That We Sing only made #129).
Gainsbourg has recently released her third studio album, IRM, which was produced by Beck. One of the influential factors in the album's creative process was her time spent filming Antichrist.
Lying with You
Charlotte Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qui certainement t'a fait fuir
Tu jambe nue sortait du drap
Sans pudeur et le sang froid
Au coin de la bouche, une trainée
Tu n'aurais pas aimé
J'étais allongée contre toi
J'ai pris ce droit, sans foi
My feet are hovering above ground
Ready to follow
My mouth is whispering in raptures
Celebrating you
Laisse-moi donc imaginer
Que j'étais seule à t'aimer
D'un amour pur de fille chérie
Pauvre pantin transie
Où est parti mon baiser
Quand le coffre s'est fermé
J'entends toujours battre les clous
Toi perdu, moi éperdue
My feet are hovering above ground
Ready to follow
My mouth is whispering in raptures
Celebrating you
Shall we dream happy ever after?
Pretend we do
Playing a game of never after
Lying with you
In Charlotte Gainsbourg's song "Lying with You," the verses describe a surreal and eerie experience where the singer touches a face made of wax and someone's leg is sticking out from under the sheets with a cold blood stain on their lips. The imagery suggests that the singer is in a dark and disturbing dream state or maybe even a haunted house. The lyrics convey a feeling of fear, vulnerability, and uncertainty, as the singer is unsure if the other person would have liked what they were doing.
However, the chorus gives a contrasting sense of euphoria as the singer's feet are hovering above the ground, ready to follow, and her mouth is whispering in raptures, celebrating the other person. The singer is longing for something unattainable or possibly unrequited, as she imagines herself alone in her love for the other person. The sudden shift from creepy to joyful in the chorus could reflect the duality of intense human emotions or the idea that the singer is trying to replace fear with love.
The final lines suggest that the two people could be playing a game in which they pretend to have a happy-ever-after ending, even though it may never happen. The dreamy and ethereal quality of the music adds to the song's surreal and otherworldly atmosphere.
Line by Line Meaning
J'ai touché un visage de cire
My hands have caressed a face of wax
Qui certainement t'a fait fuir
That certainly made you run away
Tu jambe nue sortait du drap
Your naked leg peeked from under the sheet
Sans pudeur et le sang froid
Without shame or a care
Au coin de la bouche, une trainée
A trail of something at the corner of your mouth
Tu n'aurais pas aimé
You wouldn't have liked it
J'étais allongée contre toi
I was lying next to you
J'ai pris ce droit, sans foi
I took that right, with no remorse
Laisse-moi donc imaginer
Let me imagine
Que j'étais seule à t'aimer
That I was the only one who loved you
D'un amour pur de fille chérie
With a pure love of a cherished girl
Pauvre pantin transie
Poor puppet, frozen with fear
Où est parti mon baiser
Where did my kiss go
Quand le coffre s'est fermé
When the trunk closed
J'entends toujours battre les clous
I still hear the nails being hammered
Toi perdu, moi éperdue
You lost, me distraught
Shall we dream happy ever after?
Should we dream of a happily ever after?
Pretend we do
Let's make believe we have it
Playing a game of never after
Playing a game of a never-ending story
Lying with you
Being with you
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sebastian Akchote
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pod69
Beautiful. A song of mourning and remembrance for her father, filmed, for that reason, in the home in which he died, and among the objects that were left as they were found in 1991. It's a kind of mausoleum perhaps where she can lie with him:
My feet are hovering above ground
Ready to follow
My mouth is whispering in raptures
Celebrating you
Shall we dream happy ever after?
Pretend we do
Playing a game of never after
Lying with you
UPA Poitou-Charentes
Quel talent c'est fabuleux d'avoir un artiste comme ça en France 👍👍👍👍👍
P. Frédérique
Magnifique. ..
On ressent l'absence et la présence éternelle de ce père adoré .
Merci Charlotte pour cet album sublime
Stephane
Quel magnifique album même quelques années après je l écoute toujours en boucle très bien écrit et musicalement parfait a mes yeux
Hamady Deuley
A chaque fois que je regarde ce clip magnifique, j'ai ressens la présence de Serge Gainsbourg. Il composent pour les anges des cieux. Tu nous manques Serge !
Isabelle Molet
Entrer dans la maison de Gainsbourg avec Charlotte donne une dimension presque spirituelle...on y découvre un lieu encore imprégné de ce génie.De plus la présence de sa petite fille clos une epoque
Dmitry Buldakov
à coup sûr!
SAMUEL Baune
Tt a fait d'accord
Magnifique
Fatiha Loubbidi
Bien dit !
Richard Maubert
trop bien ce clip, j'adore ce disque et l'ambiance si particulière des arrangements
Jérôme Mouchebeuf
Musique glaciale et hypnotique, voix tantôt éthérée et sortie d'un rêve, tantôt mélancolique et nostalgique. Très beau!!