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.
Surannée
Jane Birkin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comme une ballerine
De l'Opéra Garnier
Indémodable mais,
Suranné
Chemise en popeline
Sonnet de Mallarmé
Peu négligeable mais,
Après le chant du cygne
Dépassé mis à la consigne
Du grand hôtel
Non loin du Pier
Souvenir d'un souvenir
Suranné
Comme la beauté divine
D'une infante en corset
Inoubliable mais,
Suranné
La fumée des dancings
Le parfum des sorbets
Irremplaçables mais,
Suranné
Après le chant du cygne
Dépassé mis à la consigne
Du grand hôtel
Non loin du Pier
Rire puisqu'il vaut mieux en rire
Suranné
Comme un grand verre de gin
Au Plaza Athénée
Inoubliable mais,
Suranné
Comme une ballerine
De l'Opéra Garnier
Indémodable mais
The lyrics of Jane Birkin's song Surannée describe a feeling of nostalgia for a past that is both beautiful and outdated. The song compares various things to a ballerina from the Opéra Garnier, which is a classic symbol of timeless beauty and grace. For example, the poplin shirt and sonnet by Mallarmé are described as "suranné" or outdated, but not entirely unimportant. The same goes for the memories of smoke-filled dance halls and the scent of sorbets. They may be "irremplaçable" or irreplaceable, but they are also relics of a bygone era.
The song also references "le chant du cygne" or "the swan song," which is a metaphor for the final act of a great performer. This suggests that the things described in the song were once great but have now faded into obscurity. However, the song insists that these memories are still worth cherishing and even laughing at, because they are a reminder of a time that will never come again.
Overall, Surannée is a bittersweet reflection on the passage of time and the role of memory in shaping our perception of the past. It suggests that even though some things may be outdated, they still hold a special place in our hearts and minds.
Line by Line Meaning
Suranné
Obsolete
Comme une ballerine
Like a ballerina
De l'Opéra Garnier
From the Opera Garnier
Indémodable mais,
Timeless but,
Chemise en popeline
Poplin shirt
Sonnet de Mallarmé
Mallarmé's sonnet
Peu négligeable mais,
Not insignificant but,
Après le chant du cygne
After the swan song
Dépassé mis à la consigne
Outdated put in the luggage storage
Du grand hôtel
Of the grand hotel
Non loin du Pier
Not far from the pier
Souvenir d'un souvenir
Memory of a memory
Comme la beauté divine
Like divine beauty
D'une infante en corset
Of a corseted princess
Inoubliable mais,
Unforgettable but,
La fumée des dancings
The smoke of dance halls
Le parfum des sorbets
The scent of sorbets
Irremplaçables mais,
Irreplaceable but,
Rire puisqu'il vaut mieux en rire
Laugh because it's better to laugh about it
Comme un grand verre de gin
Like a big glass of gin
Au Plaza Athénée
At the Plaza Athénée
Inoubliable mais,
Unforgettable but,
Comme une ballerine
Like a ballerina
De l'Opéra Garnier
From the Opera Garnier
Indémodable mais
Timeless but
Contributed by Jordyn V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.