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
J'Entends Des Voix Off
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tache
Pos-
Tiche
P'tite
Mèche
D'lous-
Tic
Vache
Bouche
Sèche
Moche
Reich
Louches
Speech
J'entends des voix off
Qui me disent « Adolf,
Tu cours à la catastrophe »
Mais je me dis « bof »
Tout ça c'est du « bluff »
Vieux
Chnock
Pauv'
Cloche
P'tit
Shmock
Faux
Derche
Grosses
Miches
Pauvr'
Cruche
Bau
Druche
D'Au
Triche
J'entends des voix off
Qui me disent « Adolf,
Tu cours à la catastrophe »
Mais je me dis « bof »
Tout ça c'est du « bluff »
Grand
Lâche
Type
Louche
Grosse
Vache
D'basse
Souche
Pomme
Fritz
Sale
Chleu
Mouche
Verte
Jérôme
Boche
J'entends des voix off
Qui me disent « Adolf,
Tu cours à la catastrophe »
Mais je me dis « bof »
Tout ça c'est du « bluff »
The lyrics of Serge Gainsbourg's song J'entends des voix off feature a series of seemingly disconnected words and phrases that culminate in a chillingly ironic commentary on the dangerous power of propaganda and the seduction of evil. The first stanza presents a string of images that evoke a sense of unease and discomfort, with words like "moustache", "louche", and "oeil" (eye) hinting at the fascist symbolism of Nazi Germany. This is followed by the expression "Adolf", which becomes increasingly disturbing as the song goes on.
The second stanza continues this eerie march, with words like "pauvre", "cloche", and "cruche" evoking a sense of vulnerability and weakness. However, the line "grosses miches" (large breasts) breaks the mood somewhat, highlighting the sexual objectification of women that is often intertwined with fascist ideology. The third stanza is even more unsettling, with images of violence and hate like "pomme" (slang for grenade) and "chleu" (a derogatory term for a French person of German descent).
Throughout the song, however, Gainsbourg inserts the repeated refrain "J'entends des voix off" (I hear voices offscreen), which serves as a reminder that these words and images are not just random fragments but are part of a larger narrative - one that has the potential to seduce even the most skeptical of minds. The line "Tout ça c'est du 'bluff'" (all of this is bluff) adds an ironic twist, suggesting that the singer is aware of the danger but cannot resist the lure of a charismatic leader and the thrill of being part of a powerful movement.
In summary, J'entends des voix off is a masterful piece of wordplay that uses seemingly disparate words and phrases to reveal the insidious power of propaganda and the ease with which people can be seduced by hateful ideologies. By juxtaposing disturbing images with a sarcastic tone, Gainsbourg highlights the danger of underestimating the allure of evil.
Line by Line Meaning
J'entends des voix off
I hear voices in my head
Qui me disent « Adolf, Tu cours à la catastrophe »
That tell me 'Adolf, you're heading for a disaster'
Mais je me dis « bof »
But I tell myself 'whatever'
Tout ça c'est du « bluff »
It's all just a bluff
Vieux Chnock
Old Chap
Pauv' Cloche
Poor Fool
P'tit Shmock
Little Schmuck
Faux Derche
Fake Butt
Grosses Miches
Big Boobs
Pauvr' Cruche
Poor Jug
Bau Druche
Stupid Drunk
D'Au Triche
Cheater from Alsace
Grand Lâche
Big Coward
Type Louche
Shady Character
Grosse Vache
Fat Cow
D'basse Souche
Low Born
Pomme Fritz
Potato Fritz
Sale Chleu
Dirty Kraut
Mouche Verte
Green Fly
Jérôme Boche
Jerry Kraut
Contributed by Anthony H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tictac
un vrai chef d'oeuvre,ainsi que tout l'album
MsVogueman
Je suis d'accord avec vous. Cet album est énorme. Gainsbourg : indépassable, indémodable.
kagou 07
Album top de Gainsbourg !!!
Arnaud FAUCHERE
🎸🎹🎤🍷😎👍👍👍👍👍👍
Fleur de sel
Une pensée pour le Brésil !!!
Martial Delort
Moi aussi il y a des jours où je me dit: j’entends des voix off qui me disent, Martial, tu court à la catastrophe, alors je me dit bof tout ça c’est du bleff.
Désolé pour l’orthographe.
Olivier Monjauze
Dommage qu'elle ne soit pas entière .
Vincent Bouverne
Tt ce que j'aime ne lâches pas
Guillaume Toffel
J'entends des voix off qui me disent
"Madoff tu cours à la catastrophe!"
Arnaud FAUCHERE
😂👍