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
L'Hotel Particulier
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De la rue X, si vous frappez
À la porte
D'abord un coup, puis trois autres
On vous laisse entrer
Seul et parfois même accompagné
Une servante, sans vous dire un mot
Des escaliers
Des couloirs sans fin se succèdent
Décorés de bronzes baroques
D'anges dorés
D'Aphrodites et de Salomés
S'il est libre, dites que vous voulez le quarante-quatre
C'est la chambre qu'ils appellent ici
De Cléopâtre
Dont les colonnes du lit de style rococo
Sont des nègres portant des flambeaux
Entre ces esclaves nus
Taillés dans l'ébène
Qui seront les témoins muets
De cette scène
Tandis que là-haut un miroir
Nous réfléchit
Lentement j'enlace Melody
Melody
Melody
The lyrics to Serge Gainsbourg's L'Hôtel Particulier describe the experience of visiting a secretive, luxurious location that one can only access by knowing the correct address and following a certain protocol to gain entry. Upon arrival, the singer is greeted by a silent servant who escorts them through the ornate building's many hallways, which are decorated with baroque bronze fixtures and depictions of mythological figures like angels, Aphrodite, and Salome.
The lyrics become more sensual as the singer, in the company of someone named Melody, requests the specific room they desire - room 44, known as Cleopatra's room. The bed in this room is described as having rococo-style columns with naked, torch-bearing black slaves carved into them. The scene is set in a way that is both luxurious and exotic, as the singer envisions engaging in sensual activities with Melody while the naked slaves silently watch.
Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of an opulent yet secretive location, where one can indulge in sensual pleasures without worry of judgment or intrusion. It speaks to the indulgent nature of the human experience and the allure of secrecy and luxury.
Line by Line Meaning
Au cinquante-six, sept, huit, peu importe
No matter if it’s fifty-six, seven or eight, the exact location is irrelevant
De la rue X, si vous frappez
If you knock on the door of the X street
À la porte
You'll be at the door
D'abord un coup, puis trois autres
First, a knock, then three more
On vous laisse entrer
You'll be let in
Seul et parfois même accompagné
Whether alone or sometimes accompanied
Une servante, sans vous dire un mot
A silent maid
Vous précède
Leads you
Des escaliers
You climb stairs
Des couloirs sans fin se succèdent
Long never-ending corridors follow after
Décorés de bronzes baroques
Decorated with Baroque bronzes
D'anges dorés
Golden angels
D'Aphrodites et de Salomés
Aphrodites and Salomés
S'il est libre, dites que vous voulez le quarante-quatre
If available, ask for room forty-four
C'est la chambre qu'ils appellent ici
They call it the Cleopatra room
De Cléopâtre
The bed columns are in the Rococo style
Dont les colonnes du lit de style rococo
featuring ebony slave figures holding torches
Sont des nègres portant des flambeaux
Supporting columns are ebony slaves holding up torches
Entre ces esclaves nus
Between the naked slaves
Taillés dans l'ébène
Sculpted from ebony wood
Qui seront les témoins muets
Who will be silent witnesses
De cette scène
Of what’s about to happen
Tandis que là-haut un miroir
Meanwhile, a mirror
Nous réfléchit
Reflects us
Lentement j'enlace Melody
Slowly, I embrace Melody
Melody
Melody
Lyrics © MELODY NELSON PUBLISHING, BAGATELLE, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Serge Gainsbourg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anastasia Surikova
Au cinquante-six, sept, huit, peu importe
De la rue X, si vous frappez
À la porte
D'abord un coup, puis trois autres
On vous laisse entrer
Seul et parfois même accompagné
Une servante, sans vous dire un mot
Vous précède
Des escaliers
Des couloirs sans fin se succèdent
Décorés de bronzes baroques
D'anges dorés
D'Aphrodites et de Salomés
S'il est libre, dites que vous voulez le quarante-quatre
C'est la chambre qu'ils appellent ici
De Cléopâtre
Dont les colonnes du lit de style rococo
Sont des nègres portant des flambeaux
Entre ces esclaves nus
Taillés dans l'ébène
Qui seront les témoins muets
De cette scène
Tandis que là-haut un miroir
Nous réfléchit
Lentement j'enlace Melody
La serinette enivrante
La serinette enivrante Histoire de Melody Nelson is a 1971 concept album by French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. The Lolita-esque pseudo-autobiographical plot involves the middle-aged Gainsbourg unintentionally colliding his Rolls Royce Silver Ghost into teenage nymphet Melody Nelson's bicycle, and the subsequent seduction and romance that ensues. Histoire de Melody Nelson is considered by many critics and fans to be Gainsbourg's most influential and accomplished album. It is also regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. The French edition of Rolling Stone magazine named this album the 4th greatest French rock album (out of 100)
Concept
At just under twenty-eight minutes, the short running time and the stylistic consistency and similarity throughout the album gives it qualities more in line with an EP or an extended musical piece with a number of movements. Histoire de Melody Nelson's mix of freewheeling guitar, funk style bass guitar, near spoken word vocal delivery, and lush, deep orchestrated string and choral arrangements by Jean-Claude Vannier who composed almost the entire music in collaboration with Gainsbourg for the album, have proven to be highly influential amongst later francophone and anglophone musical performers including the French band Air, David Holmes, Stereolab, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Portishead, and Beck, whose 2002 track "Paper Tiger" from Sea Change is extremely close to the distinctive Histoire de Melody Nelson sound.
Performances
Jean-Claude Vannier performed the album live at London's Barbican on October 21, 2006 with guest vocalists Jarvis Cocker, Badly Drawn Boy, Brigitte Fontaine, The Bad Seeds' Mick Harvey and lead singer from Super Furry Animals, Gruff Rhys. Vannier performed the album in its entirety alongside his own solo album L'Enfant assassin des mouches.
Publicity for the Barbican concert revealed that the musicians used for the album were Dougie Wright, Big Jim Sullivan, Herbie Flowers and Vic Flick who all joined Vannier for the concert. The BBC Concert Orchestra, the Crouch End Festival Chorus and a children's string quintet were part of the show.
In October 2008 22nd & 23rd Jean-Claude Vannier performed the album live at the Cité de la Musique with guest vocalists Mathieu Amalric, Brigitte Fontaine, Brian Molko (Placebo), Martina Topley Bird, Daniel Darc, Clotilde Hesme, Seaming To. Also performing were Herbie Flowers (bass), Claude Engel (guitar), Pierre-Alain Dahan (drums). Jean Claude Vannier also performed the L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches. The Lamoureux Orchestra, the Yound Choir of Paris and a children's string quintet were also part of the show.
On August 28, 2011, Jean-Claude Vannier participated in A Tribute to Serge Gainsbourg at the Hollywood Bowl. The artists that performed Gainsbourg's songs that evening included Beck, Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl, Mike Patton, Zola Jesus, Victoria Legrand (singer of indie band Beach House), Ed Droste (singer of indie band Grizzly Bear) and Serge's son Lulu Gainsbourg. The second half of the evening included a performance of the album with Vannier conducting. Each of the album's songs were performed by different combinations of the evening's artists, backed by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Cal State Fullerton chorale. American actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt also participated in the album's performance.
Musicians :
Serge Gainsbourg : chant, composition
Jane Birkin : voix
Alan Parker : guitare électrique
Dave Richmond / Herbie Flowers : basse
Dougie Wright (présumé) : batterie
Georges Barboteu : cor solo (piste 4)
Jean-Luc Ponty : violon solo (piste 6)
Jean-Claude Vannier : piano, orgue, harmonium, timbales
Jeunesses musicales de France : chœur
Alois Furtwangler
a cette époque, il était franchement bon, même si cette époque n'est pas la mienne, en conclusion j'avoue que ce morceau relève du génie
Brandon Hall
I've been searching for years for this haunting melody.
Anastasia Surikova
Au cinquante-six, sept, huit, peu importe
De la rue X, si vous frappez
À la porte
D'abord un coup, puis trois autres
On vous laisse entrer
Seul et parfois même accompagné
Une servante, sans vous dire un mot
Vous précède
Des escaliers
Des couloirs sans fin se succèdent
Décorés de bronzes baroques
D'anges dorés
D'Aphrodites et de Salomés
S'il est libre, dites que vous voulez le quarante-quatre
C'est la chambre qu'ils appellent ici
De Cléopâtre
Dont les colonnes du lit de style rococo
Sont des nègres portant des flambeaux
Entre ces esclaves nus
Taillés dans l'ébène
Qui seront les témoins muets
De cette scène
Tandis que là-haut un miroir
Nous réfléchit
Lentement j'enlace Melody
krafty
He said the N-word. Canceled.
Frédie Nat
Un artiste dans toute sa splendeur !
Horusisone
Quel chef d'oeuvre...Quelle classe. La compo, le texte...
Les images sont chouettes aussi, années 60' ?
Teodor Teodoriu
To wspaniały kawałek. Czarodziej muzyki w pelnej odslonie. Cos ponad granicami. Wielkiego. Damy rade Francjo i bedzie to zasczyt gosic Twoje dzieci w Polsce. Czekamy nauczycie nas jak przemykac po korytarzach Wersalu my Was jak jak używać sztućców. Wive la France. M.
LANDE ALAIN
Un véritable chef d'oeuvre !!!
Жанна
Adorable genius Serge, and this composition is a delight!
Fleur Sauvage
Toujours aussi sublime 💖