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
Ce Mortel Ennui
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qui me vient
Quand je suis avec toi
Ce mortel ennui
Qui me tient
Et me suit pas à pas
Le jour où j'aurai assez d'estomac
Et de toi
Ce jour-là, oui ce jour là, je crois
Oui je crois
Que je pourrai voir
Ce mortel ennui
Se tailler
À l'anglaise loin de moi
Bien sûr il n'est rien besoin de dire
À l'horizontale
Mais on ne trouve plus rien à se dire
À la verticale
Alors pour tuer le temps
Entre l'amour et l'amour
J'prends l'journal et mon stylo
Et je remplis et les A et les O
Il faudra bien que j'me décide un jour
Mon amour
À me faire la malle
Mais j'ai peur qu'tu n'ailles dans la salle de bain
Tendre la main
Vers le Gardénal
Comme j'veux pas d'ennui
Avec ma conscience
Et ton père
Je m'laisse faire!
The lyrics of Serge Gainsbourg's "Ce Mortel Ennui" (This Mortal Boredom) describe a sense of tedium and monotony that plagues the singer when he is with his lover. He feels that there is nothing left to say, that they are out of conversation topics and that he is stuck in a cycle of repetitive routine. The song's title, "Ce Mortel Ennui," properlly reflects this mood, as "ennui" means both boredom and weariness.
The singer contemplates the possibility of leaving his lover, but worries about the consequences of doing so. He states that when he has enough "stomach" and "enough of her," he will be able to let her go and, in doing so, shake off his boredom. He also acknowledges the possibility that the boredom and routine will follow him, but that he will still go through with it, saying "Oui, je crois que je pourrai voir/Ce mortel ennui se tailler à l'anglaise loin de moi" (Yes, I believe I could see this mortal boredom cut off and run away from me).
In the second verse, the singer reveals that he tries to alleviate the boredom by filling his time between moments of lovemaking with writing, hence the lyric "J'prends l'journal et mon stylo/Et je remplis et les A et les O" (I take the newspaper and my pen/And I fill in the As and the Os). However, the singer also seems resigned to his fate and afraid of the possible consequences of leaving his lover, citing concerns about hurting her, causing problems with her father, and most of all, the possibility that she might turn to drugs as a result of his abandoning her.
Overall, "Ce Mortel Ennui" is a poignant meditation on the complex interplay between love and boredom, and the fear of making changes in our lives, even if we are unhappy.
Line by Line Meaning
Ce mortel ennui
This deadly boredom
Qui me vient
That comes over me
Quand je suis avec toi
When I am with you
Ce mortel ennui
This deadly boredom
Qui me tient
That holds onto me
Et me suit pas à pas
And follows me step by step
Le jour où j'aurai assez d'estomac
The day when I will have the stomach
Et de toi
And of you
Pour te laisser choir
To let you fall
Ce jour-là, oui ce jour là, je crois
That day, yes that day, I believe
Oui je crois
Yes, I believe
Que je pourrai voir
That I will be able to see
Ce mortel ennui
This deadly boredom
Se tailler
Cutting out
À l'anglaise loin de moi
In English, far from me
Bien sûr il n'est rien besoin de dire
Of course, there is nothing to be said
À l'horizontale
Horizontally
Mais on ne trouve plus rien à se dire
But we no longer find anything to say to each other
À la verticale
Vertically
Alors pour tuer le temps
So, to kill time
Entre l'amour et l'amour
Between love and love
J'prends l'journal et mon stylo
I take the newspaper and my pen
Et je remplis et les A et les O
And I fill in the As and the Os
Il faudra bien que j'me décide un jour
I will have to make a decision one day
Mon amour
My love
À me faire la malle
To make my getaway
Mais j'ai peur qu'tu n'ailles dans la salle de bain
But I'm afraid you will go to the bathroom
Tendre la main
And reach out
Vers le Gardénal
For the sleeping pills
Comme j'veux pas d'ennui
As I don't want any trouble
Avec ma conscience
With my conscience
Et ton père
And your father
Je m'laisse faire!
I let it be!
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Serge Gainsbourg Serge
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniela Andrade
Ce mortel ennui
Qui me vient
Quand je suis avec toi
Ce mortel ennui
Qui me tient
Et me suit pas à pas
Le jour où j'aurai assez d'estomac
Et de toi
Pour te laisser choir
Ce jour-là, oui ce jour là, je crois
Oui je crois
Que je pourrai voir
Ce mortel ennui
Se tailler
À l'anglaise loin de moi
Bien sûr il n'est rien besoin de dire
À l'horizontale
Mais on ne trouve plus rien à se dire
À la verticale
Alors pour tuer le temps
Entre l'amour et l'amour
J'prends l'journal et mon stylo
Et je remplis et les A et les O
Il faudra bien que j'me décide un jour
Mon amour
À me faire la malle
Mais j'ai peur qu'tu n'ailles dans la salle de bain
Tendre la main
Vers le Gardénal
Comme j'veux pas d'ennui
Avec ma conscience
Et ton père
Je m'laisse faire
The Fly
C'est surprenant de lire des choses pareilles.
Je connais ce morceau depuis plus de 40 ans.....
Un jour,
Serge a Sorti un Super Best Of De Lui Même.....
Il était toujours parmis NOUS.......
Le Fameux Paquet de Gitanes.....
C'est la, Que j'ai découvert ce morceau.
Inclassable.
Superbe.
Perfection Parôles et musique.
Class.
Excellent.
Beth Murphy
This Deadly Boredom
This deadly boredom
That comes over me
When I'm with you
This deadly boredom
That takes hold of me
And follows me step by step
The day when I have enough guts
And enough of you
To let you drop
On that day, oh yes on that day, I believe
Yes I believe
That
I
Will be able to see
This deadly boredom
Clear off
Slyly far from me
For sure there is no need to talk
When horizontal
But we don't find anything else to talk about
When vertical
So to kill the time
Between loving and loving
I take my paper and my pen
And I fill in
All the 'a's and the 'o's
One day I'll have to decide
My love
To pack my bags
But I'm afraid that you'll go into the bathroom
And reach out
For
The
Phenobarbital
As I don't want any trouble
With my
Conscience and your father
I let it lie
Ce mortel ennui
Ce mortel ennui
Qui me vient
Quand je suis avec toi
Ce mortel ennui
Qui me tient
Et me suis pas à pas
Le jour où j'aurai assez d'estomac
Et de toi
Pour te laisser choir
Ce jour-là, oh oui ce jour là, je crois
Oui je crois
Que
Je
Pourrai voir
Ce mortel ennui
Se tailler
À l'anglaise loin de moi
Bien sûr il n'est rien besoin de dire
À l'horizontale
Mais on ne trouve plus rien à se dire
À la verticale
Alors pour tuer le temps
Entre l'amour et l'amour
Je prends le journal et mon stylo
Et je remplis
Et les a et les o
Il faudra bien que je me décide un jour
Mon amour
À me faire la malle
Mais j'ai peur que tu n'ailles dans la salle de bains
Tendre la main
Vers
Le
Gardénal
Comme je ne veux pas d'ennui
Avec ma
Conscience et ton père
Je me laisse faire!
Elaina Williams
Love this song. I find Serge's early jazz period more interesting than his music in late 60s & beyond. His jazz band was amazing.
Julian Johnson
same
Anne-Louise Luccarini
Absolutely! That's a terrific album.
BORIS GITEAU
Un des titres les plus formidables du Gainsbourg des débuts:tout est déjà la;ton désabusé,ambiance jazzy;une vraie réussite.
Chanson peu connue à l'époque,car sortie exclusivement sur son premier 33 tours,lequel s'est très peu vendu,malgré les éloges de son ami Boris Vian,dont on sent encore énormément l'influence sur ce morceau.
Difficile de faire mieux dans le genre!
BORIS GITEAU
Un 33 tours vraiment formidable,avec ce formidable morceau jazzy:texte travaillé,magnifiques arrangements d'Alain Goraguer avec des musiciens français épatants(Garros,Michelin,Hausser).
Raph Istolé
Je ne m'en lasse pas! Caustique et génial Serge, tu nous manques!!
chant.tonnant
Quelle élégance et quelle délicatesse, quelle subtilité nous imprégnaient dans ces années ! Quel bonheur a ét le nôtre !
Isabelle Lévy - Banchereau
Gainsbourg à ses débuts
J'aimais beaucoup
Merci pour ce partage en live qui nous permet d'apprécier tout le talent de cet artiste à l'époque très "propre" sur lui
RIP Serge Gainsbourg
Zuzana Šimurdová
Great song...amazing piano part...and his attitude? Love it!
Damien Balzac
La mélodie, techniquement, est juste ... parfaite ! Probablement une des chansons Française les mieux réalisée du 20ème siècle !