He was born Lucien Ginzburg in Paris, France, the son of Jewish Russian parents who fled to France after the 1917 Bolshevik uprising. His childhood was profoundly affected by the occupation of France by Nazi Germany, during which he and his family, as Jews, were forced to wear the yellow star and eventually flee from Paris. He had a daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg, with English singer and actress Jane Birkin; and a son, Lulu, with his last partner, Bambou (Caroline Von Paulus, who is related to Friedrich Paulus). Before he was 30 years old, Lucien Ginsburg was a disillusioned painter but earned his living as a piano player in bars. Daughter Charlotte would later become an actress and singer.
His early songs were influenced by Boris Vian and were largely in the vein of "old-fashioned" chanson. Very early, however, Gainsbourg began to move beyond this and experiment with a succession of different musical styles: jazz early on, English pop in the 60's, reggae in the 70's, even hip-hop in the 80's.
Success began to arrive when, in 1965, his song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" was the Luxembourg entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Performed by French teen singer France Gall, it won the grand prize. (The song was covered in English as "A Lonely Singing Doll" by British teen idol Twinkle.) He arranged other Gall songs and LPs that were characteristic of the late 1960s psychedelic styles, among them Gall's '1968' album. Another of Serge's songs "Boum Bada Boum" was entered in by Monaco in the 1967 contest, sung by Minouche Barelli; It came 5th.
In 1969, he released what would become his most famous song in the English-speaking world, "Je t'aime... moi non plus", which featured simulated sounds of female orgasm. The song appeared that year on an LP, "Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg". Originally recorded with Brigitte Bardot, it was released with future girlfriend Birkin when Bardot backed out. While Gainsbourg declared it the "ultimate love song," it was considered too "hot"; the song was censored in various countries, and in France, even the toned-down version was suppressed. Even the Vatican made a public statement citing the song as offensive. Its notoriety led it to reaching no. 1 in the UK singles chart. A long-standing rumor maintains that Gainsbourg and Birkin were actually having sex during the recording session (asked about it in an interview, Gainsbourg answered that if this was true, the song would have lasted longer than 4 minutes).
The seventies
His most influential work came near the start of the seventies with Histoire de Melody Nelson, released in 1971. This concept album, produced and arranged by Jean-Claude Vannier, tells the story of a Lolita-esque affair, with Gainsbourg as the narrator and Jane Birkin as the eponymous English heroine. It features prominent string arrangements and even a massed choir at its tragic climax. At the time, sales were poor, but the album has proven influential with artists such as Air, David Holmes and Beck.
In 1975, he released the album Rock Around the Bunker, a rock album written entirely on the subject of the Nazis. Gainsbourg used black humour, as he and his family suffered during World War II. While a child in Paris, Gainsbourg himself had worn the Yellow badge as the mark of a Jew.
The next year saw the release of another major work, L'Homme à la Tête de Chou (Cabbage-Head Man), featuring the new character Marilou and sumptuous orchestral themes.
In Jamaica in 1978 he recorded "Aux Armes et cetera," a reggae version of the French national anthem "La Marseillaise", with Robbie Shakespeare, Sly Dunbar and Rita Marley. This song earned him death threats from right-wing veterans of the Algerian War of Independence who were opposed to certain lyrics. Shortly afterwards, Gainsbourg bought the original manuscript of La Marseillaise. He was able to reply to his critics that his version was, in fact, closer to the original as the manuscript clearly shows the words "Aux armes et cætera..." for the chorus.
The next year saw him in the new look of Gainsbarre, officially introduced in the song "Ecce Homo."
Final years
In the 1980's, approaching the end of his life, Gainsbourg became a regular figure on French TV. His appearances seemed devoted to his controversial sense of humour and provocation. He would frequently show up drunk and unshaven on stage. Perhaps his most famous incident came when, on Michel Drucker's live Saturday evening show with the American singer Whitney Houston, he exclaimed, "I want to fuck her."
During this period he released Love On The Beat and his last studio album, You're Under Arrest, (which saw him adapt his style to the hip-hop genre), as well as two live recordings. His third and last Eurovision Song Contest entry came in 1990 with the French entry "White and Black Blues", sung by Joëlle Ursull. It came second in a tie with Ireland. His songs became increasingly eccentric in this period, ranging from the anti-drug "Les Enfants de la Chance" to the duet with his daughter Charlotte called "Lemon Incest (Un zeste de citron)." The title of the latter demonstrates Gainsbourg's love of puns (another example is "Bowie, Beau oui comme Bowie").
Discography :
1958 : Du Chant À La Une !
1959 : Serge Gainsbourg N°2
1961 : L'étonnant Serge Gainsbourg
1962 : Serge Gainsbourg N° 4
1963 : Gainsbourg Confidentiel
1964 : Gainsbourg Percussions
1968 : Initials B.B.
1968 : Bonnie And Clyde ( with Brigitte Bardot )
1969 : Jane Birkin-Serge Gainsbourg
1971 : Histoire de Melody Nelson ( with Jane Birkin )
1973 : Vu de l'extérieur
1975 : Rock around the bunker
1976 : L'Homme à tête de chou
1979 : Aux armes et cætera
1981 : Mauvaises Nouvelles Des Étoiles
1984 : Love on the Beat
1987 : You're Under Arrest
Brigade Des Stups
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
J'suis tombé sur des cops
Ils ont cherché mon spliff
Ils ont trouvé mon paf
À la brigade des stups
Y'a un ancien mataf
Qu'est complètement louf
À la brigade des stups
Idée fixe la chnouf
J'ai les moules je flippe
C'est pas mon genre de trip
À la brigade des stups
C'qu'ils voulaient c'est un scoop
V'la que l'ancien mataf
M'demande un autographe
À la brigade des stups
Je leur dis j'fume que les troupes
Je suis la Betty Boop
Du cinématographe
In Serge Gainsbourg's "Brigade Des Stups", the lyrics describe the singer's experience with the narcotics police in France ("stups" is short for "stupéfiants", or "narcotics" in French). The singer was caught smoking marijuana and the police searched him, finding the drug on him. As he sits in the narcotics department, he observes an old cop who is seemingly insane and always drunk. The singer is frightened and nervous about his situation, and he repeatedly denies any involvement in the drug trade to the police, stating that he only smokes marijuana from time to time.
The lyrics also touch upon the idea of being a celebrity and being recognized by others, no matter where you are. The old police officer recognizes the singer as a famous person and asks for his autograph, despite the fact that he's being interrogated for drug possession. The singer comes across as somewhat of an enigma - someone who smokes marijuana but isn't involved with the drug trade, someone who is recognizable but not necessarily a role model, and someone who is in a tricky situation but doesn't seem too perturbed about it.
Overall, the song seems to be less of a political statement and more of a character study of someone who's been caught with drugs and is interacting with the police. Gainsbourg doesn't necessarily take a hard stance on the subject of drug use or the police, but he does create a vivid and evocative portrait of a situation that many people may have experienced.
Line by Line Meaning
À la brigade des stups
At the police department dealing with narcotics
J'suis tombé sur des cops
I encountered some police officers
Ils ont cherché mon spliff
They searched for my joint
Ils ont trouvé mon paf
They found my stash
Y'a un ancien mataf
There's a retired sailor
Qu'est complètement louf
Who's completely crazy
Toujours à moitié paf
Always half drunk
Idée fixe la chnouf
Obsessed with marijuana
J'ai les moules je flippe
I'm scared and nervous
C'est pas mon genre de trip
It's not my thing to do
C'qu'ils voulaient c'est un scoop
All they wanted was a sensational story
V'la que l'ancien mataf
Here comes the retired sailor
M'demande un autographe
Asks me for an autograph
Je leur dis j'fume que les troupes
I say I only smoke cigarettes
Je suis la Betty Boop
I'm like Betty Boop
Du cinématographe
From the movies
Contributed by Leah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Xorval
Il avait pas fait les choses à moitié le bon Serge. Son album reggae est une pépite et n'a pas du tout à pâlir devant les institutions du genre ❤
Stéphane ARTHAUD
"Ne fumer que des troupes !" La devise du bon soldat ! (En réponse à la tribune des mauvais !) Valeurs éternelles ! By Serge Gainsbourg.
Henri Rennet
Les "troupes" étaient les paquets de cigarettes distribués gratuitement à l'armée au siècle dernier pendant le service militaire... il y avait les "P4" aussi...
anthony guerin
les caporal !!!!
Людмила Михайлова
Чувствую :родственная. Душа!!!
Jérémy GAUER
😃👍👍
Jean Gomez
Trés bon serge
Olivier Haussaire
Un collector 😁😂😃👍👍👍👊👊✌✌
sans pitié
Et encore encore encore encore encore encore encore mon paf☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
Людмила Михайлова
Спасибо. За. Внимание. И. Комментарии !!!