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
I
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That can enjoy
Invisibility
I'm the boy
Le garçon
Qui a le don
D'invisibilité
Des nocturnes torrides
Je me perds dans le nombre
Pour atteindre au sordide
I'm the boy
That can enjoy
Invisibility
I'm the boy
Le garçon
Qui a le don
D'invisibilité
Masque parmi les masques
Tragiques ou d'amertume
Le cuir noir et les casques
Scintillant sous la lune
I'm the boy
That can enjoy
Invisibility
I'm the boy
Le garçon
Qui a le don
D'invisibilité
Âme parmi les âmes
Fébriles dans leurs angoisses
Lorsque brille une lame
Ou un regard salace
I'm the boy
That can enjoy
Invisibility
I'm the boy
Le garçon
Qui a le don
D'invisibilité
Homme parmi les hommes
Dans le noir ou l'ivoire
Recherchant les symptômes
D'orgasmes illusoires
I'm the boy
That can enjoy
Invisibility
I'm the boy
Le garçon
Qui a le don
D'invisibilité
Putain parmi les putes
J'enfonce dans la fange
Où s'étreignent les brutes
Et se saignent les anges
I'm the boy
That can enjoy
Invisibility
I'm the boy
Le garçon
Qui a le don
D'invisibilité
The lyrics of Serge Gainsbourg's "I'm the Boy" are a reflection on the singer's ability to blend in and observe his surroundings without being noticed. He paints an image of himself as a shadow among shadows, losing himself in crowds to witness the seedy underbelly of life. Gainsbourg sings in French, but the English translation is just as powerful, capturing the essence of the song's themes.
The verse "Ombre parmi les ombres/Des nocturnes torrides/Je me perds dans le nombre/Pour atteindre au sordide" can be interpreted as the singer losing himself in the crowd to witness the more sordid elements of humanity. He is the boy who can enjoy invisibility and fade into the background to observe everything around him. The second verse describes the singer as a "masque parmi les masques" or a mask among masks, signifying his ability to blend in without being noticed.
The lyrics continue with the singer describing himself as an "âme parmi les âmes" or a soul among souls, pointing to his ability to empathize with others as he observes them. He goes further and describes himself as a "putain parmi les putes," meaning a prostitute among prostitutes, suggesting that he is not above sinking into the muck to witness the worst humanity has to offer.
Overall, the song is a reflection on the human condition, our ability to fade into the background and observe without being noticed, and the seedy underbelly that we all have but try to hide.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the boy
I am the person being referred to in these lyrics
That can enjoy
Capable of finding pleasure in a unique way
Invisibility
Being unseen or unnoticeable by others
Le garçon
The boy (French)
Qui a le don
Who possesses a gift or talent
D'invisibilité
Of being invisible (French)
Ombre parmi les ombres
Shadow among shadows (French)
Des nocturnes torrides
Of torrid or passionate nights (French)
Je me perds dans le nombre
I get lost or caught up in the crowd (French)
Pour atteindre au sordide
To reach the sordid or unpleasant aspects (French)
Masque parmi les masques
Mask among masks (French)
Tragiques ou d'amertume
Tragic or bitter (French)
Le cuir noir et les casques
The black leather and helmets (French)
Scintillant sous la lune
Sparkling under the moon (French)
Âme parmi les âmes
Soul among souls (French)
Fébriles dans leurs angoisses
Feverish in their anxieties (French)
Lorsque brille une lame
When a blade glows (French)
Ou un regard salace
Or a lecherous look (French)
Homme parmi les hommes
Man among men (French)
Dans le noir ou l'ivoire
In the dark or ivory (French)
Recherchant les symptômes
Searching for symptoms (French)
D'orgasmes illusoires
Of illusory orgasms (French)
Putain parmi les putes
Whore among whores (French)
J'enfonce dans la fange
I plunge into the mud or dirt (French)
Où s'étreignent les brutes
Where beasts embrace (French)
Et se saignent les anges
And angels bleed (French)
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: SERGE GAINSBOURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tobiasmeinecke6144
Rest in peace, dear Jane Birkin. Thanks for what you gave to the world.❣🌺
@HaraldKellerwessel-up7mq
RIP, Jane Birkin. Das Skandallied "Je T'aime" habe ich - wie so viele - in meiner Jugend geliebt.
@pablopirizgiagnacovo4988
La verdad que está actriz fue una belleza en su juventud y la cantante muy erótica
@catholiccowboy8545
.. lol.. to the world ??!!! .. wow !
@bevcoatham6462
I was so shocked to see that she has died RIP Jane I’ll never forget you 😢😢
@Francesca-sv4tx
Merci Jane RIP😢🙏🙏🙏
@birkenmoor
RIP Jane Birkin!
My all-time-favorite french song.
@SmugSmuggler
Now she is reunited with Serge Gainsbourg again. May they rest in peace.
@bevcoatham6462
Yes same here 🥲 forever in our hearts xxx
@ingeh.9604
Absolutely yes