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.
Love Fifteen
Jane Birkin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Haut dé
Nudé
Love fifteen
Et des jeans
Azurés
Quand ses yeux sur moi se glissent
Ça me fait
Love fifteen
D'un verre de gin
Glacé
Déjouant les maléfices
Du Portrait
De Dorian Gray
Love fifteen
Elle est in
Et le sait
Descendant jusqu'aux abysses
De mes
Pensées
Love fifteen
Est-elle elean
Qui sait
Lolyeéenne en esquisse
AB
CD
Love fifteen
A la gamine
J'ai Cédé
Elle était mon Eurydice
J 'étais
Orphée
Love fifteen
Un James Dean
Est passé
Socquettes blanches tennis
Haut dé
Nudé
Love fifteen
Et des jeans
Azurés
Quand ses yeux sur moi se glissent
Ça me fait
L'effet
Love fifteen
D'un verre de gin
Glacé
Descendant jusqu'aux abysses
De mes
Pensées
Love fifteen
Est-elle clean
Qui sait
Elle était mon Eurydice
J'étais
Orphée
Love fifteen
Un James Dean
Est passé
Ainsi disparut Alice
C'était dé
Cidé
Love fifteen
J'ai le spleen
A jamais
The lyrics of Jane Birkin's Love Fifteen evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing for a lost time, place or love. The song describes a moment in time, captured in the attire of the singer's lover - white tennis socks, bare skin and a tennis skirt, paired with blue jeans. The lyricist suggests that when her lover's eyes meet hers, it has the same effect of a chilled glass of gin, leaving her feeling intoxicated and wanting more.
The lyrics paint a picture of a relationship that has ended, and the singer is left to wonder if her former lover is "clean", implying that they may have indulged in drug use. The lyricist also references the novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde, describing the challenges of avoiding evil and temptation.
The song's chorus, "love fifteen", is a reference to the game of tennis, where the score is often announced as "fifteen-love". However, the term "love" in tennis actually means "zero points", which adds an additional layer of meaning to the lyrics. The song can be seen as a reflection on the singer's relationship, which has ended with a score of "love fifteen" - a total loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Socquettes blanches tennis
Wearing white tennis socks
Haut dé
Low-cut top
Nudé
Nude
Love fifteen
A reference to the game of tennis, where the score is 15-love
Et des jeans
And jeans
Azurés
Colored blue
Quand ses yeux sur moi se glissent
When her eyes pass over me
Ça me fait
It makes me feel
L'effet
The effect
D'un verre de gin
Like a gin and tonic
Glacé
On the rocks
Déjouant les maléfices
Resisting the charms
Du Portrait
Of the portrait
De Dorian Gray
Of Dorian Gray
Elle est in
She is hip
Et le sait
And she knows it
Descendant jusqu'aux abysses
Descending into the depths
De mes
Of my
Pensées
Thoughts
Est-elle elean
Is she pure
Qui sait
Who knows
Lolyeéenne en esquisse
Scribbled like a Lolita
AB
AB
CD
CD
A la gamine
To the girl
J'ai Cédé
I gave in
Elle était mon Eurydice
She was my Eurydice
J 'étais
I was
Orphée
Orpheus
Un James Dean
A James Dean
Est passé
Has passed
Descendant jusqu'aux abysses
Descending into the depths
De mes
Of my
Est-elle clean
Is she pure
Elle était mon Eurydice
She was my Eurydice
J'étais
I was
Ainsi disparut Alice
Thus disappeared Alice
C'était dé
It was over
Cidé
Decided
J'ai le spleen
I have the blues
A jamais
Forever
Contributed by Sydney M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Philippe Vigier
Le plus troublant et émouvant c'est que Serge Gainsbourg a écrit ses plus belles chansons pour sa muse, Jane Birkin, même après qu'elle l'ai quitté. L'amour était toujours là.
Bambou 88
La classe !!!
Du boulot pour les bassistes ......
jacob Franck
Chef d'oeuvre absolu
X-or Jador
Mélodie très bien ficelée pour l époque
Vit Levanskiy
Please Jane, live forever
Jeannine Marnef
super
Timothy Morrison
What is the song about?
jpcperso
N'est-ce pas Constance Meyer sur le court ? Troublant.
Justin peu
Jpcperso
Ah pas du tout, c'est une adolescente dans le clip... Constance Meyer était déjà une adulte qd le clip a été tourné...