Jane Birkin, OBE (born Jane Mallory Birkin in London on 14 December 1946; d… Read Full Bio ↴Jane Birkin, OBE (born Jane Mallory Birkin in London on 14 December 1946; died 16 July 2023) was an Anglo-French singer and actress. She attained international fame and notability for her decade-long musical (and romantic) partnership with singer Serge Gainsbourg, beginning with the duet Je t'aime... moi non plus released in 1969. Later she made musical collaborations and duets with many artists, including Feist, Bryan Ferry, Franz Ferdinand, The Magic Numbers, Beck, Rufus Wainwright, and many others.

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 gadoue
Jane Birkin Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Du mois de Septembre au mois d'août
Faudrait des bottes de caoutchouc
Pour patauger dans la gadoue
La gadoue, la gadoue, la gadoue
Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue

Une à une les gouttes d'eau
Me dégoulinent dans le dos

Nous pataugeons dans la gadoue
La gadoue, la gadoue, la gadoue
Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue

Vivons un peu sous le ciel gris-bleu
D'amour et d'eau de pluie
Puis mettons en marche les essuie-glaces
Et rentrons à Paris

Ça nous changera pas d'ici
Nous garderons nos parapluies
Nous retrouverons la gadoue
La gadoue, la gadoue, la gadoue
Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue

Il fait un temps abominable
Heureusement tu as ton imperméable
Et ça n'empêche pas la gadoue
La gadoue, la gadoue, la gadoue
Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue

Il fallait venir jusqu'ici
Pour jouer les amoureux transis
Et patauger dans la gadoue
La gadoue, la gadoue, la gadoue
Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue

Vivons un peu sous le ciel gris-bleu
D'amour et d'eau de pluie
Puis mettons en marche les essuie-glaces
Et rentrons à Paris

L'année prochaine nous irons
Dans un pays où il fait bon
Et nous oublierons la gadoue
La gadoue, la gadoue, la gadoue
Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue

Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue, la gadoue
Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue

(Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue, la gadoue
Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue
Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue, la gadoue
Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue
Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue, la gadoue
Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue

Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue, la gadoue
Ouh la gadoue, la gadoue)

Overall Meaning

The song La gadoue by Jane Birkin is a whimsical and playful take on the rainy season in France. Throughout the lyrics, the singer describes the muddy and rainy conditions that come with the season, with lines like "From September to August, we'd need rubber boots to wade in the mud" and "One by one, raindrops trickle down my back, we're wading in the mud." Despite this less-than-pleasant imagery, the song maintains its upbeat tone and encourages the listener to embrace the dreary weather: "Let's live a little under the grey-blue sky, of love and rainwater, then let's turn on the windshield wipers and head back to Paris."

The song seems to be celebrating the joy that can be found in the midst of even the most miserable conditions. The final lines suggest that, while there may be temporary respite from the mud and rain, eventually we'll go back to it and should make the most of it while we can.

Overall, La gadoue is a delightful and quirky ode to the French countryside and the people who, in spite of the rain and mud, still manage to find joy and love.

Line by Line Meaning

Du mois de Septembre au mois d'août
Regardless of the month, there will always be mud

Faudrait des bottes de caoutchouc
To avoid getting dirty, rubber boots are required

Pour patauger dans la gadoue
To happily splash around in the mud

La gadoue, la gadoue, la gadoue
Repetitive reference to the mud

Une à une les gouttes d'eau
Raindrops dripping one after another

Me dégoulinent dans le dos
Water trickles down my back and gets me wet

Nous pataugeons dans la gadoue
We are having fun frolicking in the mud

Vivons un peu sous le ciel gris-bleu
Enjoy a bit of time under the grey-blue sky

D'amour et d'eau de pluie
With love and rainwater

Puis mettons en marche les essuie-glaces
Turn on the windshield wipers

Et rentrons à Paris
And head back to Paris