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
Comment trouvez-vous ma soeur
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Enfin plus ou moins jolie jolie,
Yes sir, yes sir, mais comment trouvez vous ma soeur ?
Celle ci bien sur est charmante,
Celle là est ravissante,
Yes sir, yes sir, mais comment trouvez vous ma soeur ?
Pour qui cherche un souffre douceur,
Toutes les femmes sont à prendre,
Enfin y'en a qui peuvent attendre,
Yes sir, yes sir, mais comment trouvez vous ma soeur ?
N'est elle pas à la hauteur,
Pour qui cherche un souffre douceur,
Toutes les femmes sont à prendre,
Enfin y'en a qui peuvent attendre,
Yes sir, yes sir, mais comment trouvez vous ma soeur ?
Yes sir, yes sir, mais comment trouvez vous ma soeur ?
The lyrics of Serge Gainsbourg's song "Comment trouvez-vous ma soeur" translate to "How do you find my sister?". The song talks about how all women are pretty, more or less. But the singer is seeking the opinion of the listener about his sister, who he finds charming and ravishing. He questions if she is up to the expectations of someone looking for a delicate lover. He concludes by saying that all women are worth taking, but some can afford to wait.
The song seems to be a commentary on societal beauty standards and how even those close to the singer's life, in this case, his sister, are judged on their appearance. The line "Toutes les femmes sont à prendre, enfin y'en a qui peuvent attendre" translates to "All women are worth taking, but some can afford to wait," indicating that a woman's beauty is not just external, but what's within counts too. The song plays with the double standards that exist regarding male and female beauty, where the latter is often judged more harshly.
The song was released in 1964, and it achieved commercial success in France. It was part of Serge Gainsbourg's third studio album, "Gainsbourg Percussions," which was a fusion of Latin American rhythms and sounds. The song was performed by Jean-Claude Brialy, who was an actor, director, and singer. Serge Gainsbourg himself appeared in the music video of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Toutes les femmes sont jolies,
All women are pretty,
Enfin plus ou moins jolie jolie,
Well, more or less pretty pretty,
Yes sir, yes sir, mais comment trouvez vous ma soeur ?
Yes sir, but what do you think of my sister?
Celle ci bien sur est charmante,
This one of course is charming,
Celle là est ravissante,
That one is delightful,
N'est elle pas à la hauteur,
Isn't she up to par,
Pour qui cherche un souffle douceur,
For someone looking for a soft breath,
Toutes les femmes sont à prendre,
All women are worth taking,
Enfin y'en a qui peuvent attendre,
Well, there are some who can wait,
Yes sir, yes sir, mais comment trouvez vous ma soeur ?
Yes sir, but what do you think of my sister?
N'est elle pas à la hauteur,
Isn't she up to par,
Pour qui cherche un souffle douceur,
For someone looking for a soft breath,
Toutes les femmes sont à prendre,
All women are worth taking,
Enfin y'en a qui peuvent attendre,
Well, there are some who can wait,
Yes sir, yes sir, mais comment trouvez vous ma soeur ?
Yes sir, but what do you think of my sister?
Yes sir, yes sir, mais comment trouvez vous ma soeur ?
Yes sir, but what do you think of my sister?
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: 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