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.
Puisque Je Te Le Dis
Jane Birkin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mais oui je t'aime
Puisque je te dis qu' non
T' es drôle quand même
Ça fait au moins deux heures
Qu'on est là-dedans
Ça commence à bien faire
Moi j'en peux plus
Puisque je te le dis
Je te le jure
Puisque je te dis qu' non
Mais si je t'assure
Pas plus tard que tout à...
The lyrics of Jane Birkin's song Puisque Je Te Le Dis depicts a conflicted yet honest conversation between two lovers. The opening lines "Puisque je te le dis, mais oui je t'aime" translates to "Since I'm telling you, yes, I love you" and sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is expressing their love for their partner, but later on says "Puisque je te dis qu' non, t'es drôle quand même" which means "Since I'm telling you no, you're still funny." This contradictory statement captures the complexity of relationships and how people can feel more than one emotion towards a person.
As the song progresses, the singer expresses their frustration and exhaustion with the situation they're in. They mention that they've been in this situation for at least two hours and "ça commence à bien faire, moi j'en peux plus" which means "it's starting to get old, I can't take it anymore." These lines suggest that the lovers are possibly arguing or having a hard time communicating effectively.
Towards the end of the song, the singer swings back to expressing their love for their partner by saying "Puisque je te le dis, je te le jure, puisque je te dis qu'non, mais si je t'assure" which means "Since I'm telling you, I swear to you, since I'm telling you no, but yes I assure you." These lines show the struggle the singer is going through - on one hand, they want to say no but on the other hand, they want to reassure their partner that they love them.
Overall, Jane Birkin's Puisque Je Te Le Dis is an honest and complex portrayal of the intricacies of love and relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Puisque je te le dis
Since I'm telling you
Mais oui je t'aime
But yes, I love you
Puisque je te dis qu' non
Since I'm saying no to you
T' es drôle quand même
You're still funny though
Ça fait au moins deux heures
It's been at least two hours
Qu'on est là-dedans
That we're stuck in this
Ça commence à bien faire
It's starting to get old
Moi j'en peux plus
I can't take it anymore
Je te le jure
I swear to you
Mais si je t'assure
But yes, I assure you
Pas plus tard que tout à l'heure
Not even a while ago
Contributed by Camden H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.