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
Le Temps Des Yoyos
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Est désaccordé
J'ai mis mon banjo
Au temps des yé-yé
Le temps des yo-yo
C'était l'andante
C'est l'andantino
Le temps des yé-yé
S'il me faut taire
Ma mélancolie
Pourquoi en faire
Une maladie?
Le temps des yo-yo
Tourne ses feuillets
Voici au verso
Le temps des yé-yé
Au temps des yo-yo
Déjà je t'aimais
Je t'aime encore au-
-Tant et tu le sais
Le temps des yo-yo
Nous aura bercés
Voici au berceau
Le temps des yé-yé
Mais si tout change
Je n'ai pas changé
Et en échange
Je t'ai retrouvée
Du temps des yo-yo
Je te reconnais
Viens incognito
Au temps des yé-yé, yé-yé
The lyrics of Serge Gainsbourg’s “Le temps des Yoyos” reflect on the passage of time, how things change, and how nostalgia can linger on despite everything. The title of the song refers to yo-yos, which in French culture were a popular toy during the 1960s. Gainsbourg compares the era of yo-yos to the era of yé-yé, which refers to French popular music that was popular in the 1960s, characterized by upbeat and catchy melodies. Gainsbourg notes that though the times and the music may have changed, his feelings for someone have not, as he still loves her as much as he did during the era of yo-yos.
The first verse reflects the confusion about how things change as time passes. When something new comes along, it can quickly overtake what was once popular. Gainsbourg’s banjo is no longer important in the era of yé-yé, and the tempo has shifted. The nostalgia for what once was is palpable in the second verse, where Gainsbourg expresses his sadness but also seems to accept it. He asks why make a big deal of the melancholy that comes with nostalgia if things must inevitably change.
The third verse reveals that despite the changes, Gainsbourg's love for someone has remained constant. The final verse is an expression of hope that the someone he loves will return, and they will be able to move incognito through the era of yé-yé. Though the context may change, love and nostalgia are eternal.
Line by Line Meaning
Le temps des yo-yo
The era of instability
Est désaccordé
Is out of tune
J'ai mis mon banjo
I put away my banjo
Au temps des yé-yé
In the age of pop music
Le temps des yo-yo
The era of instability
C'était l'andante
It was a slow tempo
C'est l'andantino
It's a slightly faster tempo
Le temps des yé-yé
The age of pop music
S'il me faut taire
If I have to keep silent
Ma mélancolie
My sadness
Pourquoi en faire
Why make it
Une maladie?
A disease?
Le temps des yo-yo
The era of instability
Tourne ses feuillets
Flips its pages
Voici au verso
Here on the back
Le temps des yé-yé
The age of pop music
Au temps des yo-yo
In the era of instability
Déjà je t'aimais
I already loved you
Je t'aime encore au-
I still love you just as much
-Tant et tu le sais
And you know it
Le temps des yo-yo
The era of instability
Nous aura bercés
Has rocked us
Voici au berceau
Here in the cradle
Le temps des yé-yé
The age of pop music
Mais si tout change
But if everything changes
Je n'ai pas changé
I haven't changed
Et en échange
And in exchange
Je t'ai retrouvée
I found you again
Du temps des yo-yo
From the era of instability
Je te reconnais
I recognize you
Viens incognito
Come incognito
Au temps des yé-yé, yé-yé
To the age of pop music, pop music
Lyrics © WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Serge Gainsbourg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elian
on Ford Mustang
We're swapping spits / We're snorting lines [double entendre] (On s' fait des "lines")
In a Ford Mustang
And then, "Bang"
We're banging in [triple entendre]
To the plane trees / And then, "Bang," we're getting high ("embrasser les platanes = planer" [ French] (=to get high)
"Mus" to the left
"Tang" to the right
And to the left, to the right
A windshield wiper
A pack of Kool
A badge with the inscription
"Keep Cool"
A bar of
Chocolate
A Coca-Cola
We're swapping spits / We're snorting lines
In a Ford Mustang
And then, "Bang"
We're banging in
To the plane trees
"Mus" to the left
"Tang" to the right
And to the left, to the right
A bottle
Of make-up fluid
A flashgun
A Browning (automatic pistol)
A phonograph
A volume
Of Edgar A. Poe
And a plain brass ZIPPO
We're swapping spits / We're snorting lines
In a Ford Mustang
And then, "Bang"
We're banging in
To the plane trees
"Mus" to the left
"Tang" to the right
And to the left, to the right
An edition
Of Superman
A nut from
Paco
Rabanne
A pic of
Marilyn
A tube of aspirin
We're swapping spits / We're snorting lines
In a Ford Mustang
And then, "Bang"
We're banging in
To the plane trees
"Mus" to the left
"Tang" to the right
And to the left, to the right