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.
Living in limbo
Jane Birkin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vivre dans les limbes
(in limbo = dans les limbes (rel.), être tombé dans l'oubli, ou dans le vide juridique ou social)
Vivre dans les limbes, charger le camion
Le prochain arrêt est un endroit où quelque chose va arriver
Si les choses changent la différence est subtile
Charger, décharger par toutes sortes de temps
Se mettre en route jusqu'au bout du rouleau
Oh en chargeant et en déchargeant les souvenirs vous reviennent
Ils retracent vos pas, tout est si familier
Vivre dans les limbes
Vivre dans les limbes
La la la la,
Regarder par la fenêtre
Charger, décharger ce qui est dans ta valise
Continuer plonger la main et en sortir un nouveau visage
Oh charger décharger parler dans des skyphones (téléphone sans fil connecté í un ordinateur
La signification du contact se perd avec les zones de tarif horaire
Vivre dans les limbes …
Oh charger, décharger sur des ascenseurs lents
Appeler des taxis et attendre des garçons de service
Vivre dans les limbes …
The lyrics of Jane Birkin's song "Living in Limbo" delve into the experience of feeling stuck and caught between different states or situations in life, represented by the metaphor of existing in a sort of purgatory or limbo. The opening lines set the tone, describing the mundane activity of loading a truck, but with the sense that something is about to happen - "The next stop is a place where something will happen." The repetition of the phrase "charger, décharger" (to load, unload) emphasizes the cyclical and repetitive nature of life in a state of limbo, where one is constantly moving but never quite getting anywhere.
As the song progresses, we get glimpses of different settings and experiences - traveling on different modes of transportation, staying in hotels, talking on phones - but always returning to the central theme of being stuck in a state of uncertainty. The line "If things change, the difference is subtle" speaks to the sense that even when changes do occur, they can feel small or insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Throughout the song, the repetition of the phrase "vivre dans les limbes" (living in limbo) creates a hypnotic effect, emphasizing the way that this state of being can be all-encompassing and disorienting. The final verse introduces the idea of "new faces" emerging from a suitcase, suggesting the potential for transformation or reinvention even within a confined space. However, the final line "The meaning of contact is lost with hourly rates" highlights the sense of disconnection and fragmentation that can accompany feeling stuck in limbo.
Line by Line Meaning
Vivre dans les limbes, charger le camion
Living in a state of limbo, moving on to the next place where something might happen. Loading up the truck to leave behind what little we have.
Le prochain arrêt est un endroit où quelque chose va arriver
The next stop is a place where something will happen, or at least we hope it will. Living life in transit, hoping for a destination.
Oh charger, décharger, dormir dans une bulle
Loading and unloading, always on the move. Sleeping in a cocoon, trying to escape the world around us.
Si les choses changent la différence est subtile
If things change, we hardly notice. Life has become a monotony of loading, unloading, and moving on.
Charger, décharger par toutes sortes de temps
Loading and unloading in all kinds of weather. Life is unpredictable, and the only constant is our need to move forward.
Se mettre en route jusqu'au bout du rouleau
Setting off on a journey with no clear destination. Living a life of uncertainty and risk, always gambling on the next move.
Oh en chargeant et en déchargeant les souvenirs vous reviennent
As we load and unload, memories come flooding back. Things we thought we had left behind resurface, haunting us wherever we go.
Ils retracent vos pas, tout est si familier
Memories retrace our steps, everything feels so familiar. Even in a life of endless movement, there are moments of deja vu.
Vivre dans les limbes
Living in a state of limbo. Neither here nor there. Always moving, never staying put. A life of uncertainty and detachment.
La la la la, Regarder par la fenêtre
Watching the world go by from behind a window. A life of observation, always on the outside looking in.
Charger, décharger ce qui est dans ta valise
Packing and unpacking the contents of your suitcase. Life on the road means living with only what you can carry.
Continuer plonger la main et en sortir un nouveau visage
Constantly digging deep, trying to discover a new identity. Reinventing ourselves to fit in with the ever-changing landscape of our lives.
Oh charger décharger parler dans des skyphones
Loading and unloading while talking on the phone. Life on the move means multi-tasking, always trying to stay connected while staying one step ahead.
La signification du contact se perd avec les zones de tarif horaire
The meaning of connection gets lost in a world of hourly rates. Our sense of connection to the world around us is governed by the clock.
Oh charger, décharger sur des ascenseurs lents
Loading and unloading on slow elevators. Life is full of ups and downs, and sometimes it seems like we're stuck in a perpetual state of waiting.
Appeler des taxis et attendre des garçons de service
Calling for taxis and waiting for bellboys. Life on the move means relying on the kindness of strangers, always at the mercy of the next person we meet.
Writer(s): gonzales
Contributed by Lincoln Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gonca Kocak
living in limbo, load up the wagon
next stop is somewhere where something will happen
oh packing, unpacking, sleep in a bubble
if things are changcing the difference is subtle
packing unpacking all types of water
start on the path to the end of the tether
oh packing unpacking memories linger
retracing your steps it's all so familiar
living in limbo,
living in limbo
la la la la,
watching through the window
packing, unpacking what's in your suitcase
go ahead and reach in and pull out a new face
oh packing unpacking talking on skyphones
meaningful contact is strained over time zones
living in limbo...
oh packing, unpacking on slow elevators
asking for taxis and waiting for waiters
living in limbo...
Gonca Kocak
living in limbo, load up the wagon
next stop is somewhere where something will happen
oh packing, unpacking, sleep in a bubble
if things are changcing the difference is subtle
packing unpacking all types of water
start on the path to the end of the tether
oh packing unpacking memories linger
retracing your steps it's all so familiar
living in limbo,
living in limbo
la la la la,
watching through the window
packing, unpacking what's in your suitcase
go ahead and reach in and pull out a new face
oh packing unpacking talking on skyphones
meaningful contact is strained over time zones
living in limbo...
oh packing, unpacking on slow elevators
asking for taxis and waiting for waiters
living in limbo...
Tarık Demir
Kaç kere dinledigimi hatırlamıyorum...
İbrahim Bingol
Hastasıyız...
Piemaker88
geçenlerde yol kenarında hızlı adımlarla durağa doğru yürüyorum. okula yetişmem lazım, acelem var. derken arkadan oldukça yüksek; fakat boğuk bir sesle çıkan bir melodi kulağıma takıldı. kafamı hafif sola çevirmemle, sesin bir arabadan gelmekte olduğunu fark ettim. evet, müzik ve şarkıcının ses tonu beni büyülemişti. hemen telefona sarılıp shazam programını açtım. patlak egzoz kullandığını tahmin ettiğim şahin'den gelen bu şarkıyı, ilk seferde yakalamak kolay olmadı. fakat nihayet kararlı adımlarla az ileride bulunan ışıklarda kuş serisi aracı yakaladım. aracın önünden karşıya aheste aheste geçerken, elimde tuttuğum telefonu tıpkı oyuncak topu fırlattığınızda size geri getiren köpeği sevme edasıyla "helal oğlum, bu sefer başardı" diye sıvazlarken gelen korna sesiyle irkildim. koyu siyah filmlerle camları bezenmiş şahinin yarısı açık halde bulunan sol camından bana bakan dünyanın en ilginç adamına ayağımı göstererek "gardaş dün halı sahada burkuldu, kusura bakma" dedim. o da sağ elini havaya kaldırarak vücut diliyle "anladım, eyvallah" dedi ve o son güzel insan şahine binip gitti.
Bahadır AKDAĞ
@Önder Kılıç sen bi de gençliğini gör
murat balkan
Selam..Güzel müzik be.
Ah Jane Birkin. Yıllar hiç acımamış..
Önder Kılıç
Kırkın eşiğindeyim ve yirmi beş yıldır dinlerim dünya halklarının müziklerini. Nasıl denk gel(e)mem?
Önder Kılıç
İş çıkışı rs fm de ceyda karan programını dinlerim. Bugün programının ilk bölümünün sonunda çaldı bu parçayı. Eve gelşr gelmez tıvitırda takipleştiğim Ceyda Karan'a yazdım. Hemen cevap verdi sağolsun. Şimdi büyülenmiş halde dinliyorum. Acaba hissiyatıma ortak olmuş olan var mıdır diye yorumları okumaya başladım ve size denk geldim. Kulağınız açık hissiyatınız bol olsun. Selamlar
Felix Sanchez
Simplemente maravilloso.Que voz más cálida,con ella tu alma no tendrá frío,nunca.
Burcu Aktağ
Alaçatı sokaklarında küçücük bir dükkanda keşfettim bu şarkıyı.. Şahane!