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.
Strange Melody
Jane Birkin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lyrics to Jane Birkin's "Strange Melody" are complex and moving. It tells the story of a woman who is lost and struggles to find her place in the world. She is lying next to a young man and for a moment, forgets who she is and the sorrows she has faced. However, the paths the man dreams to follow remind her of the pain she has experienced in her past.
The lyrics touch on the idea that despite the young man's efforts to show her the beauty and colors of life, she cannot shake the feeling of hurt and loneliness. Every day feels like the same and it wears her down. The lyrics are a poignant reminder that sometimes, we are just unable to hear the beauty in life's strange melody, despite the efforts of those around us to show us the beauty of the world.
The final verses speak to the woman's ultimate fate. Walking into the water with a tired linen shawl, the waves represent the voices never knowing what's going through her head. Though she is surrounded by her thoughts, it is like the ocean tide around her. The lyrics are a heart-wrenching reminder that even though everyone is lonely deep down, we are ultimately alone in our struggles and our pain.
Line by Line Meaning
As she lay beside the young man, for a moment
For a brief moment, while lying next to a young man, she forgot who she had become
She'd forgotten, who she'd become
She had lost touch with her true identity
And paths he dreamed to follow, reminded her
The young man's aspirations served as a reminder for her past struggles
Of sorrows, once had won
Her previous hardships and challenges that she had overcome
And all the words he told her
The young man's words spoke volumes to her
The colours how they showed her
His words brought out vivid imagery in her mind
All that she'd lost
She had lost so much in her life
And everyday the same day
Every day felt like a rerun of the previous one
Revolving in the same way
Life seemed to be going in circles
How it broke her heart
This monotonous existence was breaking her heart
But no one else can hear
She kept her emotions hidden from others
No one else can save her now
She was beyond help and salvation from others
So quietly, life's strange melody
Life's strange tune played on silently
Won't be heard
No one could hear the music of her soul
She walks into the water
She walks into the water, possibly with suicidal intentions
With tired linen shawl, oh I wonder why
Dressed in a worn-out shawl, it's unclear why she's going into the water
And as the waves unfolding
As the waves gently unfolded
Like the voices never knowing
The waves resembled voices that were lost and searching
Inside her head
The thoughts inside her head were overwhelming
But as her thoughts surround her
Her thoughts engulfed her like the ocean tide
Like the ocean tide around her
Her thoughts were as persistent and unyielding as the ocean tide
Why will they say
She wonders why people say certain things or act a certain way
But everyone is lonely
Everyone experiences loneliness at some point in their lives
And inside if only
Inside, if only she could change her situation
So silently
She kept her inner turmoil hidden from others
But no one else can hear
No one else could hear the cries of her soul
No one else can save her now
She was beyond the help of others and needed to save herself
So quietly, life's strange melody
Life's strange tune played on in silence
Won't be heard
No one could hear the music of her soul
But no one else can hear
She kept her emotions hidden from others
No one else can save her now
She was beyond help and salvation from others
So quietly, life's strange melody
Life's strange tune played on silently
Won't be heard
No one could hear the music of her soul
But no one else can hear
No one else could hear the cries of her soul
No one else can save her now
She had to save herself, as no one else could help her
So quietly, life's strange melody
Life's strange tune played on in silence
Won't be heard
No one could hear the music of her soul
Contributed by Jayden G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.