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
Chanson Du Forçat
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh oh oh ne saura jamais ce qu'est la liberté,
Moi oui je le sais je suis un évadé
Oh oh oh, faut il pour voir un ciel tout bleu,
Oh oh oh supporter un ciel noir trois jour sur deux,
Je l'ai supporté, je suis un évadé,
Oh oh oh faut il vraiment se laisser emprisonner,
Moi je le connais je suis un évadé
Oh oh oh, est il necessaire de perdre la vue,
Pour esperer les soleils disparus,
Je les vois briller je suis un évadé,
Oh oh oh qui le sait, jamais laissé enchainer,
Oh oh oh ne saura jamais ce qu'est la liberté,
Moi oui je le sais je suis un évadé
The lyrics of Serge Gainsbourg's song, Chanson du forçat or Prisoner's Song in English, speak about the longing for freedom and the hardships that come with confinement. The first verse talks about the idea that only those who have been chained can truly understand what freedom means. The singer considers himself lucky as he has managed to escape from imprisonment, and as such he knows what freedom is.
In the following verses, the singer acknowledges the struggles he has faced as a prisoner, including having to endure long periods of darkness without seeing the sky, and the reality of having to be imprisoned to understand the true value of freedom. The chorus repeats the idea that those who have not been imprisoned and chained will never understand what it truly means to be free.
Perhaps the most striking part of the song is the final lines, "qui le sait, jamais laissé enchainer, ne saura jamais ce qu'est la liberté, moi oui je le sais je suis un évadé" ("those who have never been chained will never know what freedom is, but I know as I am an escaped prisoner"). This line reminds us that freedom is a precious, fragile thing that can easily be taken away and that those who have experienced confinement and loss of freedom will always have a unique understanding of its worth.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh oh oh qui ne s'est jamais laissé enchainer,
Oh oh oh - Whoever has never allowed themselves to be restrained
Oh oh oh ne saura jamais ce qu'est la liberté,
Oh oh oh - Will never know what freedom truly means
Moi oui je le sais je suis un évadé
I do know, because I am an escaped prisoner
Oh oh oh, faut il pour voir un ciel tout bleu,
Oh oh oh - Must one endure a sky that's black three days out of two
Oh oh oh supporter un ciel noir trois jour sur deux,
Oh oh oh - To finally appreciate a clear blue sky
Je l'ai supporté, je suis un évadé,
I have endured it, for I am an escaped prisoner
Oh oh oh faut il vraiment se laisser emprisonner,
Oh oh oh - Is it truly necessary to imprison oneself
Pour connaitre le prix de la liberté,
To truly appreciate the value of liberty
Moi je le connais je suis un évadé
I know it, for I am an escaped prisoner
Oh oh oh, est il necessaire de perdre la vue,
Oh oh oh - Is it necessary to lose your sight
Pour esperer les soleils disparus,
To hope to see the missing suns
Je les vois briller je suis un évadé,
I see them shining, for I am an escaped prisoner
Oh oh oh qui le sait, jamais laissé enchainer,
Oh oh oh - Who knows, whoever has never been restrained
Oh oh oh ne saura jamais ce qu'est la liberté,
Oh oh oh - Will never know what freedom truly means
Moi oui je le sais je suis un évadé
I do know, because I am an escaped prisoner
Writer(s): Serge Gainsbourg
Contributed by Wyatt S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Love Is On The Road
Vraiment une belle chanson.
giorgio marcato
De l'Italie (je m'excuse pour mon francais)... je me rappele très bien de Vidocq et de cette chanson!! C'est un grand dommage que à present on ne peut pas le voir!!
HarryTuttle68
ne t'excuse pas, il est très bien ton français
gwenhadu56
tout est bon dans ce morceau que j'ai découvert par hasard dans la discographie de Gainsbourg, belles paroles rythmique et gimmick impeccables
Benoit Zingerberg
Ce n'est pas trop loin c'est vrai, Il s'était bien "inspiré" d'une des œuvres de Mr Bob Dylan, mais c'était de 'Ballad of Hollis Brown'.
Patrick
@Dominique Sarthou C'est vrai, pas grave. Gainsbourg piquait à droite à gauche ( Chopin Dylan, etc....). Disons que c'est un " tribute " . Actuellement tout le monde trouve ça génial les Tribute ! ( Steve'n' seagulls, 3 cellos, etc......)....Alors pourquoi pas si c'est bien fait, effectivement........et dans le cas précis ici, c'est plutôt très bien.
Dominique Sarthou
Merci Benoit, Gainsbourg a avoué, je ne sais plus où qu'il avait "tout piqué à Dylan". c'est franchement pas grave.
Josef Nagy
Nice to hear this one after 50 years or so...
454mole
Gainsbourg est un figurant dans l'episode 4 de Vidocq. (12 min+). episode sur dps stream / series/ a la lettre V
Franz Karma
Magnifique. Je me rappelle aussi.