Birkin was born to David Birkin and Judy Campbell, an actress in Noel Coward musicals. Her great aunt was Freda Dudley Ward, a mistress of Edward VIII while he was Prince of Wales.
Birkin emerged in the swinging '60s in London, starring as one of the models in the controversial film Blowup in 1966.
In 1968, Birkin went to France to audition for the lead female role in Slogan. Though she did not speak French, she got the role.
In 1969, she and Serge Gainsbourg released the song "Je t'aime... moi non plus" ("I love you... me neither"), written by Gainsbourg and featuring both of them singing, which caused a scandal for its sexual explicitness. Arguably due in part to the publicity it got from being banned by radio stations in Italy, Sweden, Spain, and the UK, it was a commercial success all over Europe. The song's fame is a result of its salacious lyrics (sung in French) against a background of female moaning and groaning, culminating in an orgasm at the song's conclusion (which some claim to be the result of Jane and Serge actually engaging in sex during the recording of the song).
Birkin took a short break from her acting career in 1971-72, but returned as Brigitte Bardot's lover in Don Juan (or if Don Juan were a woman) in 1973.
In 1975, she appeared in Gainsbourg's first film, also titled Je t'aime... moi non plus, which created quite a stir for its frank examination of sexual ambiguity. For this performance she was nominated for a Best Actress César Award.
Birkin has starred in the Agatha Christie films Death on the Nile and Evil Under the Sun, and recorded several albums, including Baby Alone in Babylone, Amours des Feintes, Lolita Go Home and Rendez-vous. She has obtained in the category Female Artist of the year in France the Victoires de la Musique award in 1992 .
She starred in two films by Jacques Doillon — as Anne in La fille prodigue (1981) and as Alma in La pirate (1984, nominated for a César Award). This work led to an invitation from Patrice Chéreau to star on stage in La Fausse suivante by Marivaux at Nanterre. After this, she also began to appear frequently on stage in plays and concerts (in France, Japan, the UK and then the US).
Jacques Rivette collaborated with her for Love on the Ground (1983) and La belle noiseuse (1991, Nominated Césars best supporting actress). Additionally, she appeared in Merchant Ivory's A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998, also used her song "Di Doo Dah") and Merci Docteur Rey (2002), while Le Divorce's end title song featured her singing "L'Anamour", composed by Serge Gainsbourg.
In 2006, she played Elektra, directed by Philippe Calvario in France.
Jane Birkin's humanitarian interests led her to work with Amnesty International, on immigrant welfare and AIDS issues. Birkin has also visited Bosnia, Rwanda. and Palestinian Territories, often working with children. She has been awarded an OBE for her services to acting, as well as the Ordre National du Mérite in France.
She made musical collaborations and duets with artists such as Feist, Beth Gibbons from Portishead, Bryan Ferry, Brian Molko from Placebo, Franz Ferdinand, Manu Chao, Brett Anderson from Suede, Mickey (3d), Françoise Hardy, Cali, The Divine Comedy, The Magic Numbers, Paolo Conte, Beck, Rufus Wainwright, Yann Tiersen, Alain Souchon, Les Negresses Vertes, Johnny Marr from The Smiths, Zazie, MC Solaar, Yosui Inoue, Étienne Daho, Alain Chamfort, Jimmy Rowles, Goran Bregović, Sonny Landreth, The Soundtrack of Our Lives and many others.
Birkin recorded the song "Beauty" on French producer Hector Zazou's 2003 album Strong Currents.
She is noted as being the inspiration for fashion house Hermès' popular Birkin Bag after the actress was seen struggling with several bags while boarding an aeroplane.
Her image features on the cover art of Have You Fed the Fish? by singer-songwriter Badly Drawn Boy (which features her daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg on backing vocals).
Despite decades of residence in France and the ability to speak French fluently, Birkin still retains a strong English accent and makes grammatical mistakes when speaking French.
Personal Life :
She was married from 1965 until 1968 to John Barry, an English composer who wrote the musical score to the James Bond movies. Their daughter, the photographer Kate Barry, was born in 1968.
Muse of Gainsbourg :
She had a very passionate and creative relationship with her mentor Serge Gainsbourg — they met on the set of Slogan and married in 1968. They separated in 1980. Their daughter is actress Charlotte Gainsbourg.
In 1982 she gave birth to her third daughter, Lou Doillon, from her relationship with the director Jacques Doillon.
Amour Des Feintes
Jane Birkin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Des faux-semblants
Infante défunte
Se pavanant
Cartes en quinte
S'édifiant
Le palais d'un prince
Catalan
Seul un can-
Délabre scint-
Ille au vent
Où l'on emprunte
Des sentiments
Le labyrinthe
Obsédant
Et comme si de rien n'était
On joue à l'émotion
Entre un automne et un été
Mensonge par omission
Amours des feintes
Des faux-semblants
Infante défunte
Se pavanant
Etrange crainte
En écoutant
Les douces plaintes
Du vent
Amours des feintes
Au présent
Et l'on s'éreinte
Hors du temps
Et pourtant maintes
Fois l'on tend
A se mainte-
Nir longtemps
Le temps ne peut-il s'arrêter
Au feu de nos passions
Il les consume sans pitié
Et c'est sans rémission
Amours des feintes
Des faux-semblants
Infante défunte
Se pavanant
Couleur absinthe
Odeur du temps
Jamais ne serai
Comme avant
Amours des feintes
Au loin j'entends
Là-bas qui tinte
Le temps
De ces empreintes
De nos vingt ans
Ne restent que les teintes
D'antan
Qui peut être et avoir été
Je pose la question
Peut-être étais-je destinée
A rêver d'évasion
The song "Amours des feintes" by Jane Birkin speaks about the deceiving nature of love, and how easily it can be a facade or a trick. The first stanza introduces the idea of false love, with "amours des feintes" meaning "love of trickery." The image of an "infante défunte" or "dead infant" is conjured, who struts around with a false sense of importance. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for someone who is not sincere in their affections, yet still puts on a show.
The second stanza talks about the web of lies that love can spin. "Le labyrinthe obsédant" describes the maze of emotions that people can get lost in, with "sentiments" or feelings being borrowed along the way. The idea of "jouer à l'émotion" or "playing with emotion" suggests that people can use love as a tool or game, and that it might not always be genuine. The final line of this stanza states "mensonge par omission" or "lying by omission," highlighting the fact that sometimes silence can be more deceiving than words.
The final stanza reflects on the passage of time, and the fact that love can change drastically over the years. As the singer longs for the past, they realize that they can never return to it. The final line states "peut-être étais-je destinée à rêver d'évasion" or "perhaps I was destined to dream of escape," suggesting that the singer may have always known that love can be restrictive and binding.
Line by Line Meaning
Amours des feintes
Love of deceits
Des faux-semblants
Full of false pretenses
Infante défunte
Dead princess
Se pavanant
Proudly parading
Cartes en quinte
Cards in sequence
S'édifiant
Building itself up
Le palais d'un prince
The palace of a Catalan prince
Amours des feintes
Love of deceits
Seul un can-
Only a dog
Délabre scint-
Dilapidated, glittering
Ille au vent
Island in the wind
Où l'on emprunte
Where one borrows
Des sentiments
Some feelings
Le labyrinthe
The labyrinth
Obsédant
Obsessive
Et comme si de rien n'était
And as if nothing happened
On joue à l'émotion
We play at emotions
Entre un automne et un été
Between autumn and summer
Mensonge par omission
Lie by omission
Amours des feintes
Love of deceits
Des faux-semblants
Full of false pretenses
Infante défunte
Dead princess
Se pavanant
Proudly parading
Etrange crainte
Strange fear
En écoutant
While listening
Les douces plaintes
The sweet complaints
Du vent
Of the wind
Amours des feintes
Love of deceits
Au présent
In the present
Et l'on s'éreinte
And we exhaust ourselves
Hors du temps
Out of time
Et pourtant maintes
Yet many times
Fois l'on tend
We try
A se mainte-
To endure
Nir longtemps
For a long time
Le temps ne peut-il s'arrêter
Can time not stop
Au feu de nos passions
In the fire of our passions
Il les consume sans pitié
It consumes them without mercy
Et c'est sans rémission
And it's without forgiveness
Amours des feintes
Love of deceits
Des faux-semblants
Full of false pretenses
Infante défunte
Dead princess
Se pavanant
Proudly parading
Couleur absinthe
Absinth color
Odeur du temps
The smell of time
Jamais ne serai
Will never be
Comme avant
Like before
Amours des feintes
Love of deceits
Au loin j'entends
In the distance I hear
Là-bas qui tinte
The sound over there
Le temps
The time
De ces empreintes
Of these marks
De nos vingt ans
Of our twenties
Ne restent que les teintes
Only the hues remain
D'antan
Of old times
Qui peut être et avoir été
Who can be and have been
Je pose la question
I ask the question
Peut-être étais-je destinée
Perhaps I was destined
A rêver d'évasion
To dream of escape
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: SERGE GAINSBOURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind