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 Nostalgie Camarade
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De ce panoupanou, puis sortir ton canif
Ouvrir le bide au primitif
Qui débarquait de sa savane
La nostalgie camarade, la nostalgie camarade
Qu'est ce qui t'as fait prendre cette fille diaphane
Des regrets tu réponds négatif
Mieux encore tu ricanes
La nostalgie camarade, la nostalgie camarade
Qu'est-ce qui te prend mon sucre de canne
De te klaxonner la gueule sombrer sur les récifs
De ta mémoire et revoir ton passif
En respirant la colophane
La nostalgie camarade, la nostalgie camarade
Il s'en passe des choses sous ton crâne
Rasé c'est plein de tristesse et de kif
Tu te vois encore en tenue léopard bourrée d'explosifs
Sauter de ton aéroplane
La nostalgie camarade, la nostalgie camarade
The song "La Nostalgie Camarade" by Serge Gainsbourg is an introspective exploration of nostalgia and regret. The lyrics pose a series of questions to the singer, asking him what drove him to certain violent and regretful actions. The first stanza asks why he felt the need to destroy someone's "cabane" (a simple shelter) and stab a primitive man just arriving from the savanna. In the second stanza, the lyrics question his decision to take advantage of a diaphanous girl against her will, and when regret is suggested, he denies it, laughing instead. The third stanza asks why he feels the need to constantly dwell on his past mistakes, which have led him to a state of sadness and drug use. And finally, the fourth stanza suggests that he has a vivid imagination, as he sees himself jumping out of an airplane in leopard print and explosives.
The song seems to be addressing the universal experience of nostalgia, regret, and the overwhelming feeling of looking back on past actions and wondering what could have been different. The repetition of "la nostalgie camarade" throughout the song adds a sense of camaraderie, as if the singer is acknowledging that we all experience these feelings at some point in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Qu'est-ce qui t'as pris bordel de casser la cabane
What possessed you to break down this hut with your knife, opening up the stomach of a primitive who had just arrived from his savanna?
La nostalgie camarade, la nostalgie camarade
The longing, my friend, the longing.
Qu'est ce qui t'as fait prendre cette fille diaphane
What drove you to take this translucent girl against her will and claws? You deny regret and even laugh.
Mieux encore tu ricanes
Even better, you chuckle.
Qu'est-ce qui te prend mon sucre de canne
What's gotten into you, my sugarcane? Honking your horn, heading for the reefs of your memory, revisiting your past while breathing in colophony.
Il s'en passe des choses sous ton crâne
There are many things going on inside your shaven head. It's full of sadness and hashish. You still see yourself in a leopard suit, loaded with explosives, jumping out of your airplane.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: SERGE GAINSBOURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marina Billy Hargrove
Dans ce clip il est absolument hyper classe , je dirai même la classe incarnée le Sergio
Fabre Family
un maître dans son domaine, la musique et l'écriture!
Mémoire de l'Ombre
Le plus grand qu il y ai eu en France,bien au dessus de tous les autres johnny Claude François berger inclus...personne ne le surpassera il avait un don incroyable et il a su l exploiter !
Plr serge
Brassens je le remonterai dans le top 5 car beaucoup se sont inspirés de lui
Mémoire de l'Ombre
@endapian jiyl ouf vous me rassurez :)
endapian jiyl
@Mémoire de l'Ombre vous avez raison, j'y suis allé un peu fort. Serge était créatif dans ses bons moments......
Mémoire de l'Ombre
@endapian jiyl Serge manquer de créativité ??? Hum passons...votre dernière phrase est juste c est pour ça que Birkin l a quitté...
daniel macal
Un vrai génie tu nous manque serge on sait connu mais tu n'ai plus là
Kevin Bouchenez
Une légende restera une légende🥰💪🔥
Mica Drum
Un génie absolu