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
Dépression Au-Dessus Du Jardin
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ton expression est au chagrin
Tu as lâché ma main
Comme si de rien
N'était de l'été c'est la fin
Les fleurs ont perdu leurs parfums
Qu'emporte un à un
Le temps assassin
Dépression au-dessus du jardin
J'ai l'impression que c'est la fin
Je te sens soudain
Tellement lointain
Tu t'es égaré en chemin
Tu essayes de me faire croire en vain
Que l'amour revien-
Dra l'été prochain
Serge Gainsbourg's "Dépression Au-Dessus Du Jardin" portrays a sense of desolation and melancholy. The lyrics illustrate the overwhelming despair of a man who's inexperienced the breakup of a relationship. The chorus provides the imagery of how depression overshadows one's mind and thoughts: "Dépression au-dessus du jardin" which means "Depression above the garden," while "ton expression est au chagrin" translates to "your expression shows sadness." He tries to hold onto what he had before, as depicted in the first verse, "Tu as lâché ma main / Comme si de rien / N'était de l'été c'est la fin" or "You let go of my hand / As if nothing / Summer's over, it's the end." Yet, the feelings of despair and hopelessness become unbearable in the second verse as the subject's love-interest distances from him, "Je te sens soudain / Tellement lointain / Tu t'es égaré en chemin" or "I suddenly feel you, so distant / You lost your way along the road."
The lyrics also demonstrate the impact of time regarding relationships. The song acts as an elegy to the lost love, as Serge recognizes that, despite attempts to rekindle the flame, some things cannot be repaired. The bridge of the song, "Que l'amour revien-Dra l'été prochain" or "Love will come back next summer," showcases the optimist in Serge, but the audience can feel the sense of hopelessness in his voice as he knows things will not be the same.
Line by Line Meaning
Dépression au-dessus du jardin
The feeling of sadness hovering above the garden
Ton expression est au chagrin
Your facial expression embodies sorrow
Tu as lâché ma main
You have let go of my hand
Comme si de rien
As if it were nothing
N'était de l'été c'est la fin
If it weren't for the summer, it would be the end
Les fleurs ont perdu leurs parfums
The flowers have lost their fragrance
Qu'emporte un à un
One by one, taken away by
Le temps assassin
Time, the murderer
J'ai l'impression que c'est la fin
I have the impression that it's the end
Je te sens soudain
I suddenly sense you
Tellement lointain
So distant
Tu t'es égaré en chemin
You've lost your way
Tu essayes de me faire croire en vain
You try to make me believe in vain
Que l'amour reviendra l'été prochain
That love will come back next summer
Contributed by Brayden V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anne Saliou
Serge Gainsbourg m'a fait aimer la musique classique ! Quel génie d'avoir su "détourner" la musique classique pour composer. Il me manque tant, quelques soient ses compositions au fur et à mesure des périodes. Tout comme Alain Bashung...
Ianis Guerin
Jamais entendu chanson aussi intense de Serge Gainsboug. le niveau de mélancolie qu'il faut atteindre pour écrire un tel texte. A 15 ans ou à 50 ans cette chanson produit les mêmes effets. Sublime./
Le Renard v8
Juste fabuleux… merci Serge…
José Lenormand
Oui....intense.... indescriptible
unasensualita
là on touche le summum du summum, un chef d'oeuvre à mon sens...
incroyable artiste qu'il était, tout y est, le texte, la musique, le rythme, l'atmosphère en général qui se dégage de ce morceau d'anthologie...
Le Renard v8
@Armata les gens biens sont dépressifs…
Nadia M
je le réécoute i faut que je me soigne je suis bouleversée il 'y a qu'avec le temps, de Leo ferré qui me fait ca pour moi le must
Monique Lourdani
Armanta - Serge avait fait cette chanson pour Catherine Deneuve, c elle qui l'a chantait et c'était sublime, divin - Mais là, sur la scène, il n'est pas impossible qu'il parlait à son grand Amour Jane - Serge était plutôt d'un caractère rieur, dans le privé, c ce que raconte la famille à Jane et des proches - Mais en effet, il devait avoir aussi des grands périodes de dépression - Mais il n'aurait pas été Serge, s'il avait été autrement -
jean-Jacques speed
unasensualita tu touche la l'essentiel ! tu as bien ressenti la profondeur et la noirceur sublime de ce single rimbaldien 👍
sub rms
Je comprends rien moi -_-