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
Laissez-moi tranquille
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dites donc
Dites-moi Madame
Qu'ai-je donc?
Perfides ou sincères
C'est selon
Quand faut s'en défaire
Avec une gueule pareille
Nom de nom
Ne me manque aux oreilles
Des pompons
Et si je marchais à
Croupetons
J'aurais tout du pauvre
À Liboron
Laissez-moi
Laissez-moi tranquille
Laissez-moi
Laissez-moi
Laissez-moi tranquille
Laissez-moi
Allez sans esclandre
Mes chatons
Allez vous faire pendre
Allez donc
Ailleurs qu'à mon gilet
À quoi bon
Je ne suis pas le gibet
De Montfaucon
Laissez-moi
Laissez-moi tranquille
Laissez-moi
Laissez-moi
Laissez-moi tranquille
Laissez-moi
The lyrics to Serge Gainsbourg's song Laissez-moi tranquille are indicative of a person who has had enough of societal expectations and pressures to conform. The lyrics begin with the singer questioning what he must do to please women - a seemingly impossible task as their preferences can be either perfidious or sincere. They are aware that it can be difficult to break free from these societal norms and expectations, likening it to getting rid of a difficult stain. This is emphasized in the line "C'est coton" which translates to "It's cotton".
The singer then talks about their physical appearance, stating that their distinctive appearance has resulted in them being made fun of, or being thought of as poor. The line "Et si je marchais à Croupetons, J'aurais tout du pauvre À Liboron" roughly translates to "And if I walked on all fours, I would appear poor in Liboron". Despite this, the singer refuses to change themselves to fit in with the expectations of others. The chorus serves as a plea to be left alone and not subjected to the pressures of others - "Laissez-moi tranquille" or "Leave me alone".
The second verse continues with the same theme, with the singer urging those around them to leave and go elsewhere, as they are not interested in conforming to expectations or being a source of ridicule. They state that they are not the "gibet de Montfaucon" - a reference to a famous French execution site that was used until the 18th century.
Overall, the lyrics of Laissez-moi tranquille hold a powerful message about individuality and resisting societal pressures to conform. It is an enduring anthem of liberation.
Line by Line Meaning
Pour leur plaire aux femmes
In order to please women
Dites donc
Well then
Dites-moi Madame
Tell me, Madam
Qu'ai-je donc?
What is wrong with me?
Perfides ou sincères
Deceitful or sincere
C'est selon
It depends
Quand faut s'en défaire
When it's time to get rid of them
C'est coton
It's difficult
Avec une gueule pareille
With a face like mine
Nom de nom
Good grief
Ne me manque aux oreilles
I don't need
Des pompons
Flattery
Et si je marchais à
And if I walked on all fours
Croupetons
On my hands and knees
J'aurais tout du pauvre
I would have all the traits of a poor man
À Liboron
In Liboron, a small village in France
Laissez-moi
Leave me
Laissez-moi tranquille
Leave me alone
Allez sans esclandre
Go without creating a scene
Mes chatons
My little kittens
Allez vous faire pendre
Go hang yourselves
Allez donc
Just go
Ailleurs qu'à mon gilet
Elsewhere than on my vest
À quoi bon
What's the point
Je ne suis pas le gibet
I am not the gallows
De Montfaucon
In Montfaucon, a former site of public executions in Paris
Laissez-moi
Leave me
Laissez-moi tranquille
Leave me alone
Laissez-moi
Leave me
Laissez-moi
Leave me
Laissez-moi tranquille
Leave me alone
Laissez-moi
Leave me
Lyrics © WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Serge Gainsbourg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@celinelallemand2086
Sacré gainsburg
@ajferet
Heh. This was covered by Warren Zevon "My Ride's here." Neat!
@chunlingfu9101
第一次从我儿子口中听到他说less moi tranquille 我觉得不可思议,要知道他才三岁,居然洗澡时不要妈妈陪他玩恐龙大战鲨鱼了
@bonsummers2657
Funny, and cool
@davidmorales5766
it's lit
@valerydnl5270
This is the bio of someone I find attractive hmm
@terrak7609
J'ai mis le 200ème like alors laissez moi tranquille !
@HE9JSD
et moi le 283, LIKE
@evd7079
I heart low production value
@seansmith3058
Too short!