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
La Chanson De Pre¦üvert
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cette chanson était la tienne
C'était ta préférée je crois
Qu'elle est de Prévert et Kosma
Et chaque fois "Les feuilles mortes"
Te rappellent à mon souvenir
Jour après jour les amours mortes
Avec d'autres bien sûr je m'abandonne
Mais leur chanson est monotone
Et peu à peu je m'indiffère
A cela il n'est rien à faire
Car chaque fois "Les feuilles mortes"
Te rappellent à mon souvenir
Jour après jour les amours mortes
N'en finissent pas de mourir
Peut-on jamais savoir par où commence
Et quand finit l'indifférence
Passe l'automne vienne l'hiver
Et que la chanson de Prévert
Cette chanson "Les feuilles mortes"
S'efface de mon souvenir
Et ce jour là mes amours mortes
En auront fini de mourir
Et ce jour là mes amours mortes
En auront fini de mourir
The lyrics of "La Chanson De Prévert" by Serge Gainsbourg speak to the lingering memory of lost love. The singer of the song addresses their past love, expressing a desire for them to remember that this song had been their favorite. The song in question is "Les feuilles mortes," a classic French standard written by Joseph Kosma with lyrics by Jacques Prévert. The singer continues to ruminate on the persistence of memories of dead love affairs, which remain even as they try to move on with other partners. The other partners may bring solace temporarily, but ultimately fall short in comparison to the passion and shared memories with the original love.
This song speaks to the power of music and memory to evoke strong emotions, reminding us of past joys and loves that we'll never experience again. The music itself is melancholic and haunting, providing a perfect backdrop for the themes of the lyrics. The repetition of certain phrases, like "Les feuilles mortes" and "Jour après jour," reinforces the cycle of loss, memories, and nostalgia that the singer is experiencing. The song ultimately acknowledges that the pain of lost love never truly goes away and that the memories will always be with us.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh je voudrais tant que tu te souviennes
I wish you could remember
Cette chanson était la tienne
This song belonged to you
C'était ta préférée je crois
I think it was your favorite
Qu'elle est de Prévert et Kosma
That it's by Prévert and Kosma
Et chaque fois "Les feuilles mortes"
And every time "The Dead Leaves"
Te rappellent à mon souvenir
Remind me of you
Jour après jour les amours mortes
Day after day, dead loves
N'en finissent pas de mourir
Don't stop dying
Avec d'autres bien sûr je m'abandonne
Of course, I indulge with others
Mais leur chanson est monotone
But their song is monotonous
Et peu à peu je m'indiffère
And little by little, I become indifferent
A cela il n'est rien à faire
There's nothing to be done about it
Car chaque fois "Les feuilles mortes"
Because every time "The Dead Leaves"
Te rappellent à mon souvenir
Remind me of you
Jour après jour les amours mortes
Day after day, dead loves
N'en finissent pas de mourir
Don't stop dying
Peut-on jamais savoir par où commence
Can anyone ever know where it starts?
Et quand finit l'indifférence
And when indifference ends
Passe l'automne vienne l'hiver
Autumn passes, winter comes
Et que la chanson de Prévert
And when Prévert's song
Cette chanson "Les feuilles mortes"
This song, "The Dead Leaves"
S'efface de mon souvenir
Fades from my memory
Et ce jour là mes amours mortes
And on that day, my dead loves
En auront fini de mourir
Will have finished dying
Et ce jour là mes amours mortes
And on that day, my dead loves
En auront fini de mourir
Will have finished dying
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Serge Gainsbourg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@camousjoel1661
Oh, je voudrais tant que tu te souviennes
Cette chanson était la tienne
C'était ta préférée, je crois
Qu'elle est de Prévert et Kosma
Et chaque fois les feuilles mortes
Te rappellent à mon souvenir
Jour après jour les amours mortes
N'en finissent pas de mourir
Avec d'autres bien sûr, je m'abandonne
Mais leur chanson est monotone
Et peu à peu je m'indiffère
À cela il n'est rien à faire
Car chaque fois, les feuilles mortes
Te rappellent à mon souvenir
Jour après jour les amours mortes
N'en finissent pas de mourir
Peut-on jamais savoir par où commence
Et quand fini l'indifférence?
Passe l'automne, vienne l'hiver
Et que la chanson de Prévert
Cette chanson, Les Feuilles Mortes
S'efface de mon souvenir
Et ce jour là, mes amours mortes
En auront fini de mourir
Et ce jour là, mes amours mortes
En auront fini de mourir
@jean-francoisespagno8072
Oser faire une chanson sur la chanson de Prévert... et aboutir à un chef d'oeuvre digne du modèle ! Incroyable... Quel génie, ce Gainsbourg.
@laportevalerie4659
❤
@mrswan667
Quel homme!
@MrAndreasy
Une des chef-d'oeuvre de la chanson française.
@laportevalerie4659
Pour chacun cette chanson réveille quelque chose de profond, Prévert et Gainsbourg fredonnent, Elle est vraiment superbe.
@pierrefauconnier8416
J ai toujours beaucoup de joie et de tristesse quand j écoute ce morceau de Gainsbourg car je vois défiler ma vie de bonheur et les personnes qui nous ont quittées.. ces absences insupportables...
Mais rassurons nous les poètes ne meurent jamais et restent à jamais dans nos âmes.
Je t ai écouté.. je t écoute.. et je t écouterais chanter mon ami.
@rolandnoel4695
Merci Gainsbourg. J'ai repris ta chanson au, piano pour mon plaisir et cultiver la nostalgie qu'elle m'ibpire...
@yvettecoudrier794
Gainsbourg est un personnage extrêmement attachant qui a composé de très belles chansons.Il est dans mon cœur à tout jamais.il se disait laid alors qu'il avait un magnifique sourire.toujours un grand plaisir à écouter ses chansons intemporelles.il me manque.
@felixlechat7130
en accord avec vous à 100 / 100
@josephin9587
"La beauté des laids, se voit, sans délai. Délai, délai..."