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
Javanaise Remake featuring Bra
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
J'en ai
Bavé
Pas vous
Love
Avant
D'avoir
Eu vent
Love
À votre
Avis
Qu'avons-
Nous vu
Love
De vous
À moi
Vous m'a-
Vez eu
Love
Hélas
Avril
En vain
Me voue
Love
J'avais
Envie
De voir
En vous
Love
La vie
Ne vaut
D'être
Vécue
Love
Mais c'est
Vous qui
L'avez
Voulu
Love
Navré
D'avoir
Ouvert
Mes veines
Love
Pour une vraie
Sava
lavo
Paveu
Love
The lyrics to Serge Gainsbourg's song "Javanaise Remake" featuring Bra are a poetic and emotional confession of love. The opening lines, "J'avoue, j'en ai bavé, pas vous" (I confess, I struggled, didn't you?) set the tone for the rest of the song, which is filled with regret, longing, and a sense of vulnerability. The singer admits to loving the object of their affection before even meeting them ("Avant d'avoir eu vent de vous" - before even hearing about you) and wonders what they have seen of each other ("À votre avis, qu'avons-nous vu" - What have we seen of each other?) There is a sense of unfulfilled desire as the singer had hoped to see something in the other person ("J'avais envie de voir en vous" - I wanted to see in you) but it didn't come to fruition.
The final lines, "Navré d'avoir ouvert mes veines pour une vraie sava lavo paveu" are particularly cryptic and open to interpretation. "Sava", "lavo", and "paveu" are not actual words in French, but it's possible that they are an anagram of sorts, or even a coded message. Some interpret the lines to mean that the singer regrets exposing their vulnerability and opening up for a true love that was never reciprocated.
Overall, "Javanaise Remake" is a bittersweet and contemplative song that captures the complexity of love and relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
J'avoue
I confess
J'en ai
I have
Bavé
slobbered
Pas vous
not you
Love
love
Avant
before
D'avoir
having had
Eu vent
wind of you
De vous
of you
Love
love
À votre
In your
Avis
opinion
Qu'avons-
What have we
Nous vu
seen in us
Love
love
De vous
Of you
À moi
to me
Vous m'a-
You made me
Vez eu
have.
Love
love
Hélas
Alas,
Avril
April
En vain
in vain
Me voue
is dedicated to me
Love
love
J'avais
I had
Envie
desire
De voir
to see
En vous
in you
Love
love
La vie
Life
Ne vaut
is not worth
D'être
being
Vécue
lived
Love
love
Mais c'est
But it's
Vous qui
you who
L'avez
wanted it
Voulu
to be
Love
love
Navré
Sorry
D'avoir
for having
Ouvert
opened
Mes veines
my veins
Love
love
Pour une vraie
For a true
Sava
it's going
lavo
it's washing
Paveu
it's paving
Love
love
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC. , Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SERGE GAINSBOURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LittlePanda2003
J'avoue j'en ai bavé pas vous mon amour
Avant d'avoir eu vent de vous mon amour
Ne vous déplaise
En dansant la Javanaise
Nous nous aimions
Le temps d'une chanson
À votre avis qu'avons-nous vu de l'amour?
De vous à moi vous m'avez eu mon amour
Ne vous déplaise
En dansant la Javanaise
Nous nous aimions
Le temps d'une chanson
Hélas avril en vain me voue à l'amour
J'avais envie de voir en vous cet amour
Ne vous déplaise
En dansant la Javanaise
Nous nous aimions
Le temps d'une chanson
La vie ne vaut d'être vécue sans amour
Mais c'est vous qui l'avez voulu mon amour
Ne vous déplaise
En dansant la Javanaise
Nous nous aimions
Le temps d'une chanson
@slocad11
I just read about the lyrics on Quora:.
It’s a pun.
It’s a bit complicated. Please follow me:
Javanais and javanaise means the inhabitants of the island of Java (Indonesia) in French.
But javanais was also an old form of slang consisting in adding va or av in the middle of words not to be understood by cops or bourgeois. For example, bonjour becomes bavonjavour ; gros becomes gravos. Stay calm, this kind of slang is not very common…
Java is also a danse. Of popular origin, it appeared around 1925 in Paris among the accordionists of the rue de Lappe. Faire la java (do the java) also means to celebrate.
So when Serge Gainsbourg wrote a song called la javanaise, he was refering to all these double or even triple meaning…
@thealexione4049
J'avoue j'en ai bavé pas vous
Mon amour
Avant d'avoir eu vent de vous
Mon amour
Ne vous déplaise
En dansant la Javanaise
Nous nous aimions
Le temps d'une
Chanson
À votre avis qu'avons-nous vu
De l'amour?
De vous à moi vous m'avez eu
Mon amour
Ne vous déplaise
En dansant la Javanaise
Nous nous aimions
Le temps d'une
Chanson
Hélas avril en vain me voue
À l'amour
J'avais envie de voir en vous
Cet amour
Ne vous déplaise
En dansant la Javanaise
Nous nous aimions
Le temps d'une
Chanson
La vie ne vaut d'être vécue
Sans amour
Mais c'est vous qui l'avez voulu
Mon amour
Ne vous déplaise
En dansant la Javanaise
Nous nous aimions
Le temps d'une
Chanson
@stoneapple9816
The Javanaise
I confess, I went through hell, not you,
My love.
Before I got wind of you,1
My love.
Whether you admit it or not
As we danced the Javanaise,
We loved each other
For the time of one song.
In your opinion, what have we seen
Of love?
From you to me, you have had me,
My love.
Whether you admit it or not
As we danced the Javanaise,
We loved each other
For the time of one song.
Alas, April was in vain
When it came to love.
I felt like seeing
That love in you.
Whether you admit it or not
As we danced the Javanaise,
We loved each other
For the time of one song.
Life is not worth being lived
Without love,
But it's you who wanted it,
My love.
Whether you admit it or not
As we danced the Javanaise,
We loved each other
For the time of one song.
@Pre114
A melancholic and suave gentleman singing a beautiful love song while smoking a cigarette, this is one of the most French thing ever.
@staslurik
Yet, he was Russian 😎
@epajarjestelmallisyyttakaa3308
@@staslurik ?
@epajarjestelmallisyyttakaa3308
@Thomas Sohier ok
@Mr74261000027
@@staslurik russian descent
@jean-ts7jn
Yes , but he born in france and he has a very " titi parisien"
@barbabelle6280
L'un des plus grands artistes que la France a eu l'honneur de connaître.
@Ukiyo-e-sama
bon musique mais il était fou.
@clovistournai7933
Ahahaha...cela reste de la variété...
@JBugz777
L'un de plus grands du monde entier