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'm The Boy
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
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 d'ivoir
Recherchant les symptômes d'orgasme illusoire
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
I'm the boy
That can enjoy
Invisibility
In "I'm The Boy," Serge Gainsbourg sings about being a boy who possesses the gift of invisibility. He describes himself as a shadow among shadows during hot nights, disappearing into the crowd to reach debauchery. He is a mask among masks of tragedy and bitterness, donning black leather and helmets that glitter in the moonlight. He is a soul among anxious souls, trembling at the sight of a blade or a lecherous stare. He is a man among men, seeking the symptoms of an illusory orgasm in the ivory darkness. He is also a whore among whores, sinking into the mud where brutes embrace and angels bleed.
This song is a haunting portrayal of a person who feels invisible to others and their own desires. The singer is searching for a way to fulfill their hidden fantasies, but they feel invisible and alone, even in the midst of others. The singer's invisibility is not necessarily physical but emotional, as if they can only truly be seen in their darkest moments. The imagery is dark and vivid, capturing the despair and depravity of the singer's existence.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the boy
I am the one
That can enjoy
Who can find pleasure
Invisibility
In being unnoticed
Le garçon
The boy
Qui a le don
Who has the gift
D'invisibilité
Of being invisible
Ombre parmi les ombres
Shadow among the shadows
Des nocturnes torrides
Of torrid nights
Je me perds dans le nombre
I lose myself in the crowd
Pour atteindre au sordide
To reach the sordid
Masque parmi les masques
Mask among masks
Tragiques ou d'amertume
Tragic or bitter
Le cuir noir et les casques
The black leather and helmets
Scintillant sous la lune
Shimmering under the moon
Âme parmi les âmes
Soul among souls
Fébriles dans leurs angoisses
Feverish in their anxieties
Lorsque brille une lame
When a blade shines
Ou un regard salace
Or a lewd look
Homme parmi les hommes
Man among men
Dans le noir d'ivoir
In the ivory darkness
Recherchant les symptômes d'orgasme illusoire
Searching for the symptoms of an illusory orgasm
Putain parmi les putes
Whore among whores
J'enfonce dans la fange
I sink into the muck
Où s'étreignent les brutes
Where the brutes embrace
Et se saignent les anges
And the angels bleed
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Serge Gainsbourg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Илья Тороманов
I'm the boy
That can enjoy
Invisibility
I'm the boy
Le garçon
Qui a le don
D'invisibilité
Ombre parmi les ombres
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
金枝亨
お客さんに嫌われるど〜ww
空耳アワーからこちらに来たけど
曲の渋さの中に
このセリフが何回も（笑）
マジでツボった🤣
これは名曲ですね
何回聴いても飽きない😆
brihar586
She heard old Royce sing in the pantomime of TURKO THE TERRIBLE and laughed with others when he sang:
I AM THE BOY
THAT CAN ENJOY
INVISIBILITY.
James Joyce - Ulysses
Le garçon qui a le don d'invisibilité...
Romain Deville
Love On The Beat (1984) de Serge Gainsbourg, un des meilleurs albums de la musique française, probablement le meilleur de l' artiste !
Nico Crussiere
Non
Il ya plusieurs sege donc plusieurs meilleurs albums.
Respectueusement
Max power of music
Ma préférée funk de Gainsbarre ,c'est elle ,la meilleur zik de funk française
Harold Hivart
@SNT Rize Pour le coup je trouve "You're under arrest" vraiment faible... Y a que la reprise de Piaf qui sort du lot.. et puis sa chanson contre la drogue... bon ça fait bizarre venant d'un alcoolo & fumeur invétéré..
HENRY PEЯRIER
a romain deville tout a été dit dans votre commentaire
Harold Hivart
non
10key channel
空耳とか抜きにして何度も聴くくらい癖になるリズム
Bruno Crovi
Cette chanson est troublante et délicieuse comme de la vraie poésie..Serge à jamais quel super mec t'étais!
R y
Les chansons de Serge Gainsbourg, une fois que je les écoute je peux jamais oublier leurs mélodies. Il était génie. Amour de Japon 🇯🇵
Brigitte BOET
D'une poésie EXTRAORDINAIRE, et la musique waouh qui touche le divin !