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
Indifférente
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu ne viens jamais à moi quand je t'appelle
Qu'importe le temps
Qu'emporte le vent
Mieux vaut ton absence
Que ton inconséquence
Quand par hasard dans mon lit je te rencontre
Qu'importe le temps
Qu'emporte le vent
Mieux vaut ton absence
Que ton impertinence
Dans tes yeux je vois mes yeux t'en as de la chance
ca te donne des lueurs d'intelligence
Qu'importe le temps
Qu'emporte le vent
Mieux vaut ton absence
Que ton incohérence
En d'autres occasions je chanterais les transes
De l'amour mais aujourd'hui je m'en balance
Qu'importe le temps
Qu'emporte le vent
Mieux vaut ton absence
Que ton indifférence
The lyrics of Serge Gainsbourg's song Indifférente depict the internal conflict of the singer towards their lover. The opening lines of the song compare the lover to Monsieur Jean de Nivelle's dog, stating that they do not come when called. Despite this, the singer considers their absence preferable to their inconstancy. The subsequent stanzas deal with the singer's ambiguous relationship with their lover, depicting their meetings as neither for nor against the singer. The third stanza highlights the singer's jealousy towards their lover's eyes, which reflect back the singer's own intelligence. The final stanza discloses the singer's emotional detachment towards their lover, stating that they no longer care about singing passionately about love, and that the lover's indifference is worse than their absence.
Through the song, the singer evinces a complicated emotional state towards their lover, characterized by a mixture of passion, jealousy, and detachment. The repeated phrases of "Qu'importe le temps/Qu'emporte le vent/Mieux vaut ton absence/Que ton (inconséquence/impertinence/incohérence/indifférence)" intensify this inner turmoil, as they emphasize the singer's struggle between wanting their lover to be with them and the impossibility of dealing with their inconstancy or indifference.
Overall, Indifférente is a powerful and complex portrayal of emotional conflict, exemplifying how Gainsbourg's lyrics capture the intricacy of relationships and human emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Comme le chien de monsieur Jean de Nivelle
Just like monsieur Jean de Nivelle's dog who never comes when called
Tu ne viens jamais à moi quand je t'appelle
You never come to me when I call
Qu'importe le temps
No matter how much time passes
Qu'emporte le vent
No matter how strong the wind may blow
Mieux vaut ton absence
Your absence is preferable
Que ton inconséquence
Than your inconsistency
Quand par hasard dans mon lit je te rencontre
When I happen to meet you in my bed
On n'peut pas dire que tu sois pour ni qu'tu sois contre
It can't be said that you're for or against it
Qu'importe le temps
No matter how much time passes
Qu'emporte le vent
No matter how strong the wind may blow
Mieux vaut ton absence
Your absence is preferable
Que ton impertinence
Than your impertinence
Dans tes yeux je vois mes yeux t'en as de la chance
In your eyes I see my own, how lucky you are
ca te donne des lueurs d'intelligence
It gives you a shimmer of intelligence
Qu'importe le temps
No matter how much time passes
Qu'emporte le vent
No matter how strong the wind may blow
Mieux vaut ton absence
Your absence is preferable
Que ton incohérence
Than your incoherence
En d'autres occasions je chanterais les transes
On other occasions, I would sing about the ecstasy
De l'amour mais aujourd'hui je m'en balance
Of love, but today I don't care
Qu'importe le temps
No matter how much time passes
Qu'emporte le vent
No matter how strong the wind may blow
Mieux vaut ton absence
Your absence is preferable
Que ton indifférence
Than your indifference
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Gainsbourg Serge, Goraguer Alain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Laurent Potelle
Comme le chien de monsieur Jean de Nivelle
Tu ne viens jamais à moi quand je t'appelle
Qu'importe le temps
Qu'emporte le vent
Mieux vaut ton absence
Que ton inconséquence
Quand par hasard dans mon lit je te rencontre
On n'peut pas dire que tu sois pour ni qu'tu sois contre
Qu'importe le temps
Qu'emporte le vent
Mieux vaut ton absence
Que ton impertinence
Dans tes yeux je vois mes yeux t'en as de la chance
Ça te donne des lueurs d'intelligence
Qu'importe le temps
Qu'emporte le vent
Mieux vaut ton absence
Que ton incohérence
En d'autres occasions je chanterais les transes
De l'amour mais aujourd'hui je m'en balance
Qu'importe le temps
Qu'emporte le vent
Mieux vaut ton absence
Que ton indifférence
Serge Gainsbourg
frabrun3
Il faut retenir le "Dans tes yeux je vois mes yeux - T'en as d'la chance - Ça t'donne des lueurs d'intelligence", excellent.
Alicia Lanthay
frabrun3
🎶 👀 🎶
Laurent Potelle
Comme le chien de monsieur Jean de Nivelle
Tu ne viens jamais à moi quand je t'appelle
Qu'importe le temps
Qu'emporte le vent
Mieux vaut ton absence
Que ton inconséquence
Quand par hasard dans mon lit je te rencontre
On n'peut pas dire que tu sois pour ni qu'tu sois contre
Qu'importe le temps
Qu'emporte le vent
Mieux vaut ton absence
Que ton impertinence
Dans tes yeux je vois mes yeux t'en as de la chance
Ça te donne des lueurs d'intelligence
Qu'importe le temps
Qu'emporte le vent
Mieux vaut ton absence
Que ton incohérence
En d'autres occasions je chanterais les transes
De l'amour mais aujourd'hui je m'en balance
Qu'importe le temps
Qu'emporte le vent
Mieux vaut ton absence
Que ton indifférence
Serge Gainsbourg
1dreamer1000
The man was truly diverse in his compositions. A real talent. Thank you for posting.
Ichi
Superbe texte. Serge Gainsbourg a écrit et composé tant de chansons, rares sont celles qu'il a interpréter lui même. Magnifique vidéo.
Rachel Tremblay Saint-Yves
Superbement exprimé. Et la chute à la fin, wow.
Trodur
Relations futiles - merveilleusement exprimées. Ma chanson préférée avec "Je n'avais qu'un seul mot à lui dire"
Gilles Olen
Rien que pour te distinguer avec une chanson méconnue !?
angel75020
Incontournable Serge...et un humour subtil avec des mots choisis, un langage ciselé.
Arceus 309
Le piano du début, une tuerie 😂