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
C'est la cristallisation comme dit Stendhal
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Laisse-moi rire ! Tu bois comme un trou!
Ouais t'es foutu. Tu perds toutes les autres.
C'est la cristallisation comme dit Stendhal.
Vous êtes pas marrants tout les deux, c'est l' même cinéma tout les soirs.
Toi ça va hein! Non mais alors!
Si tu veux qu'on te mette sur un coup tu vas te tenir tranquille.
C'est pourquoi je dis que la lucidité est indispensable.
Sinon les filles te possèdent jusqu'à la gauche.
Un seul remède, changer!
Changer pour vous, c'est échanger!
Ouais une belle partie de base-ball, une belle partie de base-ball.
Moi je fais bande à part, ouais je fais bande à part.
Et oui, chacun son jeu mon vieux. Tu as été à Londres ces jours-ci?
Ouais j'ai ramené ça.
Oh oh les gâtés, les gâtés (Lemon tie! Lemon tie!)
Encore une bière
Deux.
Trois.
Quatre, je vais vous les chercher.
Tu la connais?
Pourquoi ça t'intéresse?
Ah! on peut te brancher si tu veux.
343-78-53. Ton boulot ça marche ?
Ben faut que je trouve un nom pour une marque de chewing-gum.
Baby gum, Baby gum, Lolita Lola Gum!
Baby gum ça va pas?
Ah on verra, je trouverai bien. Allez, à demain!
Allez pour le moment faut penser à se marrer hein haaa!
The lyrics of this song portray a group of friends who are enjoying their time together, but also discussing the dangers of losing control and their individual struggles with finding balance in their lives. The phrase "C'est la cristallisation comme dit Stendhal" refers to a concept introduced by French writer Stendhal, meaning the process of idealizing and glorifying a person or object in one's mind to the point of obsession. This concept is reflected in the lyrics as a warning to not get too caught up in the moment or to lose sight of one's self-awareness.
The song also touches on themes of peer pressure and the struggle to maintain one's identity in a group dynamic. The main character expresses his desire to "make his own path" and not conform to the group's behavior. Despite this, he still struggles with drinking and possibly other vices, highlighting the difficulty of striking a balance between individuality and fitting in with one's social circle.
Line by Line Meaning
Moi je te dis une chose. Tu perds un seul instant ta lucidité, t'es foutu.
I'll tell you one thing. If you lose your clarity even for a moment, you're screwed.
Laisse-moi rire ! Tu bois comme un trou!
Let me laugh! You drink like a fish!
Ouais t'es foutu. Tu perds toutes les autres.
Yeah, you're done for. You lose all the others.
C'est la cristallisation comme dit Stendhal.
It's crystallization, as Stendhal put it.
Vous êtes pas marrants tout les deux, c'est l' même cinéma tout les soirs.
You two aren't funny, it's the same thing every night.
Toi ça va hein! Non mais alors!
You're good, right? I mean, seriously.
Si tu veux qu'on te mette sur un coup tu vas te tenir tranquille.
If you want to be in on something, you'll keep quiet.
Si vous croyez que je vous ai attendu
If you think I've been waiting for you
C'est pourquoi je dis que la lucidité est indispensable.
That's why I say clarity is essential.
Sinon les filles te possèdent jusqu'à la gauche.
Otherwise, girls possess you down to your left.
Un seul remède, changer!
The only cure is to change!
Changer pour vous, c'est échanger!
Changing for you means exchanging!
Ouais une belle partie de base-ball, une belle partie de base-ball.
Yeah, a nice game of baseball, a nice game of baseball.
Moi je fais bande à part, ouais je fais bande à part.
I go off on my own, yeah, I go off on my own.
Et oui, chacun son jeu mon vieux. Tu as été à Londres ces jours-ci?
Yeah, everyone has their own game, buddy. Have you been to London recently?
Ouais j'ai ramené ça.
Yeah, I brought this back.
Oh oh les gâtés, les gâtés (Lemon tie! Lemon tie!)
Oh, oh, the spoiled ones, the spoiled ones (Lemon tie! Lemon tie!)
Encore une bière
Another beer.
Deux.
Two.
Trois.
Three.
Quatre, je vais vous les chercher.
Four, I'll go get them for you.
Tu la connais?
Do you know her?
Pourquoi ça t'intéresse?
Why do you care?
Ah! on peut te brancher si tu veux.
Ah! We can hook you up if you want.
343-78-53. Ton boulot ça marche ?
343-78-53. How's your job going?
Ben faut que je trouve un nom pour une marque de chewing-gum.
Well, I need to come up with a name for a brand of chewing gum.
Baby gum, Baby gum, Lolita Lola Gum!
Baby gum, Baby gum, Lolita Lola Gum!
Baby gum ça va pas?
Baby gum isn't good?
Ah on verra, je trouverai bien. Allez, à demain!
Ah, we'll see. I'll figure it out. Alright, see you tomorrow!
Allez pour le moment faut penser à se marrer hein haaa!
Alright, for now we need to think about having a good time, huh haaa!
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: BRUNO RALLE, GUILLAUME SIRON, SERGE GAINSBOURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elian
on Ford Mustang
We're swapping spits / We're snorting lines [double entendre] (On s' fait des "lines")
In a Ford Mustang
And then, "Bang"
We're banging in [triple entendre]
To the plane trees / And then, "Bang," we're getting high ("embrasser les platanes = planer" [ French] (=to get high)
"Mus" to the left
"Tang" to the right
And to the left, to the right
A windshield wiper
A pack of Kool
A badge with the inscription
"Keep Cool"
A bar of
Chocolate
A Coca-Cola
We're swapping spits / We're snorting lines
In a Ford Mustang
And then, "Bang"
We're banging in
To the plane trees
"Mus" to the left
"Tang" to the right
And to the left, to the right
A bottle
Of make-up fluid
A flashgun
A Browning (automatic pistol)
A phonograph
A volume
Of Edgar A. Poe
And a plain brass ZIPPO
We're swapping spits / We're snorting lines
In a Ford Mustang
And then, "Bang"
We're banging in
To the plane trees
"Mus" to the left
"Tang" to the right
And to the left, to the right
An edition
Of Superman
A nut from
Paco
Rabanne
A pic of
Marilyn
A tube of aspirin
We're swapping spits / We're snorting lines
In a Ford Mustang
And then, "Bang"
We're banging in
To the plane trees
"Mus" to the left
"Tang" to the right
And to the left, to the right