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
Five Easy Pisseuses
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ouais pour toi Samantha j'ai balancé mes cinq ex
Tes petites socks
Me mettent en erex
Elles sont si sex-
Y de mes cinq petites pisseuses j'ai préféré la six
Un dancing avec des synthés où suintait un sax
Tes petites socks
J'sens ça si sex
De mes cinq petites pisseuses j'ai préféré la six
C'était la plus noire de peau, de loin la plus lascive
Ses petites socks blanches
Me mettent en erex
Jusqu'à l'intox
De mes cinq petites pisseuses j'ai préféré la six
Premier contact, dans son dos mon ongle dessine un x
Ses petites socks
Me mettent en erex
J'oublie mes ex
De mes cinq petites pisseuses j'ai préféré la six
Je sais pourtant que Samantha a des délires annexes
Ses petites socks
Me mettent en erex
Elle me suck
De mes cinq petites pisseuses j'ai préféré la six
J'les avais limées limées limite jusqu'à l'intox
Ses petites socks
Me mettent en erex
Et je la fuck
The song "Five easy pisseuses" by Serge Gainsbourg is a love song with a twist. The lyrics talk about the singer's love for Samantha and how he chose her over his "five easy pisseuses", or his five previous lovers. He describes Samantha as the most desirable of them all, with her socks making him sexually aroused. The singer also acknowledges that Samantha has some strange fetishes and that he knows about them but loves her regardless. The lyrics suggest that Samantha is sexually very active and pleasing, and the singer enjoys being with her.
The lyrics' underlying meaning could be that the singer has grown tired of his previous, easy lovers and has finally found someone who is worth being with. He is willing to overlook her quirks and unconventional desires because he is genuinely in love with her. The song also highlights the importance of socks in arousing the singer sexually, which could be interpreted as a fetish or simply an erotic detail that excites him.
Line by Line Meaning
De mes cinq petites pisseuses j'ai préféré la six
Out of my five little pissers, I preferred the sixth.
Ouais pour toi Samantha j'ai balancé mes cinq ex
Yeah, for you Samantha, I dumped my five exes.
Tes petites socks
Me mettent en erex
Elles sont si sex-
Your little socks make me erect, they're so sexy.
Y de mes cinq petites pisseuses j'ai préféré la six
And out of my five little pissers, I preferred the sixth.
Un dancing avec des synthés où suintait un sax
A dancing club with synths and oozing sax music.
J'sens ça si sex
I feel it so sexy.
C'était la plus noire de peau, de loin la plus lascive
She had the darkest skin and was by far the most sensual.
Ses petites socks blanches
Me mettent en erex
Jusqu'à l'intox
Her little white socks make me erect, to the point of intoxication.
Premier contact, dans son dos mon ongle dessine un x
First contact, my fingernail draws an X on her back.
J'oublie mes ex
I forget my exes.
Je sais pourtant que Samantha a des délires annexes
However, I know that Samantha has some additional quirks.
Elle me suck
She sucks me.
J'les avais limées limées limite jusqu'à l'intox
I had filed them, filed them to the limit, until intoxicated.
Et je la fuck
And I fuck her.
Contributed by Jordyn Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Esteban Ramos Jimenez
Un génie... Les jeux de mots l'un après l'autre, l'usage d'assonance et d'alliteration. Si on s'arrête au côté provoc c'est bien "easy" de critiquer mais toutes époques confondues il était au dessus de tous.
omnia vincitamor33
Exact
Jee
A l'époque à chaque fois que Gainsbourg sortait un hit c'était un séisme. Merci Serge pour ces délices sonores intemporels ! ❤
Wouter Swanepoel
Just magnificent! What a loss it was to the world when Serge passed on.
Trifold Primaire
Un très grand monsieur Serge Gainsbourg ! Mettez-nous d'autres vidéos svp.
Tucco
Mes hommages à ce grand artiste qui est Gainsbourg
barkofink
En ce 2 mars 2021, 30 ans déja... Le chef d'œuvre absolu de Serge Five Easy Pieces Stan Harrison on the top of that Sublime.
Florian Zigammer
Immense Hommages, Éternel Respect à toi Serge GAINSBOURG.
Nicolas Oliveros
En 2022 ce clip est révoltant. Faudrait le montrer dans les écoles ! Et super chanson, l’apogée de la fin.
le redoutable et sa redoutable
waouh quelle souvenir j était serveur au cabaret le milliardaire quand il est venu enregistrer ce clip !! un après midi plus que mémorable !! salut gins bard !! 🤟