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
Cha Cha Cha Du Loup
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
C'est une belle histoire que j'écoutais sur ses genoux
Si le cœur t'en dit, ma jolie écoute-moi
Je vais te la dire à mi-voix
L'était une fille douce et tendre comme toi
Tout aussi gentille se promenait dans les bois
Et voilà soudain qu'en chemin elle aperçoit
Hou, hou, hou, hou
Cha cha cha du loup
Hou, hou, hou, hou
Cha cha cha du loup
Hou, hou, hou, hou
Cha cha cha du loup
Tu es encore à l'âge où les filles ont peur de nous
Tu es bien trop sage pour venir sur mes genoux
Mais je t'aime bien, ne crains rien, approche-toi
Je ne te mangerai pas
Ne sois pas cruelle, viens dans mes bras ma jolie
Viens plus près ma belle et ne tremble pas ainsi
Je ne te ferai aucun mal, je ne suis pas
Le grand méchant loup aux abois
Hou, hou, hou, hou
Cha cha cha du loup
Hou, hou, hou, hou
Cha cha cha du loup
Hou, hou, hou, hou
Cha cha cha du loup
The song "Cha cha cha du loup" is a story retold by Serge Gainsbourg of a folklore tale about a girl who stumbles upon a wolf in the woods. He begins the song by recalling a story his nanny used to tell him when he was younger. The story is about a sweet and gentle girl who is walking in the forest and encounters a wolf in distress. The girl sees that the wolf is wounded and decides to help him. The wolf then convinces the girl to come closer to him and not to fear him. The wolf tries to calm her down and tells her that he will not hurt her, and reassures her that he is not the big bad wolf that she may perceive him to be.
As the song progresses, the chorus of "Hou, hou, hou, hou, Cha cha cha du loup" appears multiple times. The song has a playful tone until the end, where there is an uneasy feeling that the wolf may not be trustworthy after all. The song's lyrics are quite simple and easy to follow, but the message behind them is quite deep. It highlights the concept of human perception and how easily one's prejudices and beliefs can create fear and misjudgment.
Overall, the song is a thought-provoking story that reminds us to be open-minded and not so easily influenced by perceptions of others. It suggests that we should approach everyone with a neutral mindset and not be quick to judge.
Line by Line Meaning
Connais-tu l'histoire que me racontait ma nounou?
Do you know the story my nanny used to tell me?
C'est une belle histoire que j'écoutais sur ses genoux
It's a beautiful story I used to listen to on her lap
Si le cœur t'en dit, ma jolie écoute-moi
If you feel like it, my darling, listen to me
Je vais te la dire à mi-voix
I'll tell it to you in a low voice
L'était une fille douce et tendre comme toi
There was a girl sweet and tender like you
Tout aussi gentille se promenait dans les bois
Equally kind, she was walking in the woods
Et voilà soudain qu'en chemin elle aperçoit
And suddenly she sees on her path
Le grand méchant loup aux abois
The big bad wolf in distress
Hou, hou, hou, hou
Howl, howl, howl, howl
Cha cha cha du loup
The wolf's cha cha cha
Tu es encore à l'âge où les filles ont peur de nous
You're still at the age where girls are afraid of us
Tu es bien trop sage pour venir sur mes genoux
You're much too well-behaved to come on my lap
Mais je t'aime bien, ne crains rien, approche-toi
But I like you, don't be afraid, come closer
Je ne te mangerai pas
I won't eat you
Ne sois pas cruelle, viens dans mes bras ma jolie
Don't be cruel, come into my arms my pretty one
Viens plus près ma belle et ne tremble pas ainsi
Come closer my beauty and don't tremble like that
Je ne te ferai aucun mal, je ne suis pas
I won't harm you, I'm not
Le grand méchant loup aux abois
The big bad wolf in distress
Hou, hou, hou, hou
Howl, howl, howl, howl
Cha cha cha du loup
The wolf's cha cha cha
Hou, hou, hou, hou
Howl, howl, howl, howl
Cha cha cha du loup
The wolf's cha cha cha
Hou, hou, hou, hou
Howl, howl, howl, howl
Cha cha cha du loup
The wolf's cha cha cha
Lyrics © WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Alain Yves Reginald Goraguer, 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