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.
Litanie En Lituanie
Jane Birkin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que dis-tu, dis ?
Tu me regardes avec défiance
Tu m'étudies,
Tes néologismes
Et tes barbarismes,
Tu te les gardes pour toi.
Rien d'inédit
Du réel aux apparences
Qu'en sais-tu, dis ?
De ton nihilisme
Teinté de dandysme,
Je n'ai que faire de ça.
Litanie en Lituanie
Je t'interdis
De croire ni aux médisances
Ni aux on-dits,
L'hyperréalisme
De ton égoïsme
Lire le mode d'emploi.
Litanie en Lituanie
Que dis-tu, dis ?
Tu me regardes avec défiance
Tu m'étudies
Tes néologismes
Et tes barbarismes
Tu te les gardes pour toi.
Litanie en Lituanie
C'qui est dit est dit,
Peut-être qu'un mois d'absence
Qu'en dis-tu, dis ?
Oublie ton cynisme,
Entends mon mutisme,
J'ai froid de mon effroi.
Litanie en Lituanie
Je te dédie
Des Esseintes de Huysmans,
Ce qui est dit est dit
The song "Litanie en Lituanie" by Jane Birkin features a conversation between two people, with one person being questioned or challenged by the other. The singer is being scrutinized with skepticism, and there is a sense of distrust and tension throughout the song. The second stanza dismisses nihilism as something unimportant and contrasts it with the hyperrealism of selfishness. The singer forbids the other person from gossip and hearsay, urging them to read the instructions instead. The third stanza explores the fear and silence that can arise in the face of cynicism and suggests that absence might alleviate this state of mind.
The lyrics suggest a dynamic of power and control; the singer is assertive and critical towards the other person. The repetition of the phrase "Que dis-tu, dis?" emphasizes the challenge and demands a response. The use of neologisms and barbarisms highlights the difficulty of communication between the two and points to a possible language barrier or cultural difference. There is also an allusion to the French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans, whose character Des Esseintes embodies decadence and aestheticism, adding a literary reference to the theme of artifice and superficiality.
Line by Line Meaning
Litanie en Lituanie
Recitation in Lithuania
Que dis-tu, dis ?
What are you saying?
Tu me regardes avec défiance
You are looking at me with distrust
Tu m'étudies
You are studying me
Tes néologismes
Your neologisms
Et tes barbarismes
And your barbarisms
Tu te les gardes pour toi.
You keep them to yourself.
Rien d'inédit
Nothing new
Du réel aux apparences
From reality to appearances
Qu'en sais-tu, dis ?
What do you know about it?
De ton nihilisme
Of your nihilism
Teinté de dandysme,
Tinged with dandyism,
Je n'ai que faire de ça.
I don't care about that.
Je t'interdis
I forbid you
De croire ni aux médisances
To believe neither in gossip
Ni aux on-dits,
Nor in hearsay,
L'hyperréalisme
The hyperrealism
De ton égoïsme
Of your egotism
Lire le mode d'emploi.
Read the instructions.
C'qui est dit est dit,
What's said is said,
Peut-être qu'un mois d'absence
Maybe a month of absence
Qu'en dis-tu, dis ?
What do you think about that?
Oublie ton cynisme,
Forget your cynicism,
Entends mon mutisme,
Hear my silence,
J'ai froid de mon effroi.
I am cold with fear.
Je te dédie
I dedicate to you
Des Esseintes de Huysmans,
Des Esseintes by Huysmans
Ce qui est dit est dit
What's said is said
Contributed by Leah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.