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.
La Chanson De Slogan
Jane Birkin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu es froid, tu es faux, tu t'en fous
Évelyne je t'en pris Évelyne dis pas ça
Évelyne tu m'as aimé crois-moi
Tu es vil, tu es veule, tu es vain
Tu es vieux, tu es vide, tu n'es rien
Évelyne tu es injuste Évelyne tu as tort
The song La Chanson De Slogan by Jane Birkin is a melancholy piece that depicts a conversational exchange between two people. The lyrics suggest that somebody, most likely Évelyne, has been insulted and hurt by a person who they loved, which is indicated by their emotional response. The first verse describes the person as weak, deceitful and insane. The second verse suggests that the person is cruel, selfish and unkind. However, despite the harsh words used to describe this person, Évelyne still loves them and holds on to her belief that they once loved her as well. By the end of the song, the singer is appealing to Évelyne to let go and recognize that she is deserving of someone better.
The repetition of Évelyne's name throughout the song encourages a sense of intimacy and familiarity between the two characters, creating a sense that they might have known each other for a long time. The lyrics also suggest a sense of frustration and sadness as Évelyne struggles to come to terms with the loss of this person they once loved. The overall tone of the song suggests the complexity and pain of unrequited love and the difficulty of reconciling feelings of love with harsh realities.
Line by Line Meaning
Tu es faible, tu es fourbe, tu es fou
You are weak, you are deceitful, you are insane.
Tu es froid, tu es faux, tu t'en fous
You are cold, you are fake, you don't care.
Évelyne je t'en pris Évelyne dis pas ça
Evelyne, I beg you, Evelyne don't say that.
Évelyne tu m'as aimé crois-moi
Evelyne, you loved me, believe me.
Tu es vil, tu es veule, tu es vain
You are vile, you are cowardly, you are vain.
Tu es vieux, tu es vide, tu n'es rien
You are old, you are empty, you are nothing.
Évelyne tu es injuste Évelyne tu as tort
Evelyne, you are unfair, Evelyne you are wrong.
Évelyne tu vois tu m'aimes encore
Evelyne, you see, you still love me.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: Sergge Gainsbourg, Jean-Claude Vannier
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@theomoreau7365
L'accompagnement instrumental ici ! MaaaAAh! 👌💋 🫶 Superbe ! Si riche en émotions !
@mariem3008
Au-delà de la chanson qui est juste magnifique, mon dieu qu ils étaient beaux !
@a.bboyer7050
Le + beau couple du monde ! On est orphelins mm si Jane est encore là ...
@theomoreau7365
@@a.bboyer7050Plus maintenant. La nouvelle vient de tomber.
RIP Jane. 😢
@MrLinoventura
ils ont eu de la chance de se rencontrer ces deux là !
@stellissimo1
J'adore cette chanson. Merci.
@jbpfrance
La photo est particulièrement belle.
@cybersonor8516
Superbes arrangements de Jean-Claude Vannier (B.O de Slogan, B.O de La Horse, Melody Nelson etc)
@christophemarneux3027
J'ai des frissons tellement c'est bon
@thomasdupont7186
moi aussi,clairemnt...