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.
These Foolish Things
Jane Birkin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh! Will you never set me free?
The ties that bound us
Are still around us
There's no escape that I can see
And still those little things remain
That bring me happiness or pain
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
A fair ground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you
You came you saw you conquer'd me
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
First daffodils and long excited cables
And candle lights on little corner tables
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The beauty that is Spring's
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
The song "These Foolish Things" by Jane Birkin is a nostalgic tribute to a past love that she can't seem to forget. She acknowledges the emotional ties that still bind them, and amidst enumerating little things that trigger memories of the relationship, she wonders why she can't be set free. The opening lines suggest the suffocating nature of an unresolved relationship, to the point where the singer feels trapped and sees no escape. Despite the pain that the memories evoke, the lyrics also reveal a certain beauty and sweetness in the recollection of the past. It's as though the memories are bringing the lost love closer, making the distance between them seem less insurmountable.
The little things that remind her of the person are all sensory triggers. There's a trace of a lipstick on a cigarette, an airline ticket to romantic places. The tinkling of a piano in a neighboring apartment, the painted swings on a fairground each has the power to take her back to moments with the person. The winds of March, the ringing telephone, and sweet fragrances also remind her of the lover. The memories are vivid, and they hint at the depth of the connection that she felt with this person. With each remembered cue, the feeling of missing the lost love only intensifies.
Jane Birkin's "These Foolish Things" might have been written as a tribute to Noel Coward. Coward wrote a song with the same title and included such lyrical lines in the song as "a cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces," which Birkin has also included. However, their choice of lyrics beyond that point is very different.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! Will you never let me be?
I am trapped by my feelings for you and cannot escape.
Oh! Will you never set me free?
I am asking for you to let me go from the ties of our past relationship.
The ties that bound us
Are still around us
There's no escape that I can see
Though we have separated, memories of our love still surround me, and there is no way to escape them.
And still those little things remain
That bring me happiness or pain
Even small things that remind me of you, bring me mixed feelings of happiness and pain.
A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
Even ordinary things like a cigarette with your lipstick mark, an old airline ticket to a beautiful place, or listening to romantic music brings back the memories of our love, making me feel alive again.
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
A fair ground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you
Simple things like the sound of a piano playing nearby, the memory of the first time I said I love you to you, or the sight of painted swings in a fair remind me of how we used to be together.
You came you saw you conquer'd me
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be
You won my heart completely when we were together, and even though it hurt, I knew that our love story was meant to be.
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
Just like the winds of spring that bring new life, every time the phone rings, I hope that it's you, but your absence haunts me, and these foolish things keep reminding me of you.
First daffodils and long excited cables
And candle lights on little corner tables
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
Even the sight of spring flowers or the memory of our romantic candlelit dinners gives me happiness and makes me feel alive, but also reminds me of my love for you.
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The beauty that is Spring's
These foolish things remind me of you
Walking in the park on a spring evening or standing near the harbor with the sound of gulls flying around makes me feel your presence, and these simple things remind me of you.
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
These foolish things remind me of you
Even watching an old movie star like Garbo smiling, the scent of roses announced in the air, or the song of Bing Crosby brings back memories of our love and reminds me of you.
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
The smell of burning leaves or the sound of steamer ships reminds me of our time together, as well as seeing two people in love walking on the streets reminds me of my love for you.
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
It is strange, but sweet to realize that even though we have separated, these memories are still dear to me, and somehow they make me feel closer to you.
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
The sound of trains passing by empty stations or the memory of dancing together with my silk stockings thrown aside takes me straight back to the past and reminds me of you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Harry Link, Holt Marvell, Jack Strachey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sheridanguy
I hadn't heard all these lyrics before. This song is like a novel! And an epic poem. So lovely. Very nice version of one of the best songs ever.
Child of God
Rest in peace Jane. This song changed my life.
sonia meziat
great version!!! beautiful piano &lovely voices...nice realy nice
theuofc
Wonderful song from DADDY NOSTALGIE starring Dirk Bogarde and Jane Birkin. Thank you!
Fakir Ethan
This is amazing!
Jan Wisniewski Gitara I Śpiew
Piękny. ..klimatyczny nawet można napisać magiczny utwór. Dziękuję. .Juan
R O
Wow, your voices Conqured me ‼️
Shane Leslie
bellissima!
ukrandr
I just watched Daddy Nostalgia and was hooked on this song and this version in particular. Beautiful film too.
3iwanek
dobra muzyka, dobry nastroj