Jane Birkin, OBE (born Jane Mallory Birkin in London on 14 December 1946; d… Read Full Bio ↴Jane Birkin, OBE (born Jane Mallory Birkin in London on 14 December 1946; died 16 July 2023) was an Anglo-French singer and actress. She attained international fame and notability for her decade-long musical (and romantic) partnership with singer Serge Gainsbourg, beginning with the duet Je t'aime... moi non plus released in 1969. Later she made musical collaborations and duets with many artists, including Feist, Bryan Ferry, Franz Ferdinand, The Magic Numbers, Beck, Rufus Wainwright, and many others.

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.

There's a Small Hotel
Jane Birkin Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'd like to get away, Junior
Somewhere alone with you
It could be oh, so gay, Junior
You need a laugh
Or two

A certain place I know, Frankie
Where funny people can have fun

That's where the two will go,
Darling

Before you can count up
One, two, three.
For there's a small hotel
With a wishing well

I wish that we were there together
There's a bridal suite
One room bright and neat
Complete for us to
Share together

Looking through the window
You can see a distant steeple
Not a sign of people who
Wants people?
When the steeple bell says,
"Good night, sleep well,"
We'll thank the small hotel
Together

We'll creep into our little shell
And we will thank the small hotel together

Overall Meaning

In the song "There's a Small Hotel," Jane Birkin expresses her desire to escape to a quiet and peaceful place with her loved one. Her plea is directed at a character named Junior, whom she wants to take on this journey. She suggests they go to a certain place that she knows, which is full of cheerful people, hoping that they could have a good time together. Jane Birkin then takes Junior on an imaginary tour of this small hotel, where she says that they can stay in the bridal suite- a bright, neat room- full of all the essentials for them to share together. She describes the beautiful view through the window of a distant steeple and how they can hear the steeple bell say, "Goodnight, sleep well.” Finally, Birkin says that they will thank the small hotel together and crawl into their little shell, a place where they can be alone and free.

Line by Line Meaning

I'd like to get away, Junior
I want to take a break from the routine, Junior.

Somewhere alone with you
I want to go to a place where we both can be alone.

It could be oh, so gay, Junior
We can have a lot of fun, Junior.

You need a laugh
You need to have fun and laugh a little.

Or two
We need more than one laugh.

A certain place I know, Frankie
I know a particular spot, Frankie.

Where funny people can have fun
A place where amusing people can have fun.

That's where the two will go, Darling
That's the place where we both will go, my love.

Before you can count up
Before you even know it.

One, two, three
Just in three steps.

For there's a small hotel
Because there is a tiny hotel.