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.
Where or When
Jane Birkin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We looked at each other in the same way then
But I can't remember where or when
The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore
The smile you are smiling you were smiling then
But I can't remember where or when
Seem to be happening again
And so it seems that we have met before
And laughed before, and loved before
But who knows where or when
The lyrics to Jane Birkin's "Where or When" are a nostalgic reflection on a past encounter with a lover. The opening lines "It seems we stood and talked like this before," suggest that the two characters have a sense of déjà vu, as if they are replaying a conversation that they have had before. The following lines, "We looked at each other in the same way then, but I can't remember where or when," add to this sense of confusion and disorientation, as the singer cannot place the moment in time.
The second verse continues this theme, with the singer noting that the clothes and smile of their companion seem familiar, yet they cannot recall the details. The line "Some things that happened for the first time seem to be happening again" reinforces the sense of repetition and cyclical time, suggesting that the singer is caught in a loop of memory.
The final verse concludes with a wistful tone, as the singer reflects on the possibility that they have met and loved before, but cannot be sure of the details. The use of "who knows" creates a sense of ambiguity and uncertainty, reinforcing the idea that memory is an unreliable narrator.
Overall, "Where or When" is a poignant meditation on the nature of memory, time, and love. The lyrics capture a feeling of longing and nostalgia, and the repetition of the chorus reinforces the cyclical nature of memory.
Line by Line Meaning
It seems we stood and talked like this before
We're having a deja vu moment and it feels like we've already had this conversation
We looked at each other in the same way then
We had the same eye contact and connection the last time we talked
But I can't remember where or when
I can't remember the exact time and place of our last conversation
The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore
You're dressed in the same outfit as before, further adding to the feeling of deja vu
The smile you are smiling you were smiling then
Your smile hasn't changed since the last time we talked
But I can't remember where or when
I still can't remember the details of our previous encounter
Some things that happened for the first time
Sometimes we experience things as if they were new for the first time
Seem to be happening again
But in reality, those things are just repeating themselves
And so it seems that we have met before
All of these signs of deja vu point towards us having met before
And laughed before, and loved before
We've shared happy times and moments of love before
But who knows where or when
We still can't pinpoint exactly when and where we met before
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@milkmaid1961
Such a beautiful couple. Thanks for taking the time to put this together.
@wayne44ful
love her, amazing
@666atomic
R.I.P jane <3
@BillyReedMusic
This is great! I'm looking forward to hearing more of her.
@vicenzacaravella
J'aime Jane Birkin... <3 Violette
@sarahmcfadyen6682
Lovely!
@williammitchell9974
Love❤
@Emo6543210
Amazing! _
@MyLautreamont
TELLEMENT Belle ! :o
@lillydornetti9362
Vi adoro ❤️❤️❤️
Nel mio cuore ❤️❤️❤️