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
Les P'Tits Papiers
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
1. Lais-sez par-ler
Les p'tits pa-piers
À l'oc-ca-sion
Pa-pier chif-fon
Puiss'nt-ils un jour
Pa-pier bu-vard
Lais-sez brû-ler
Les p'tits pa-piers
Pa-pier de riz
Ou d'Ar-mé-nie
Qu'un soir ils puiss'nt
Pa-pier ma-ïs
Vous ré-chauf-fer
2. Un peu d'a-mour
Pa-pier ve-lours
Et d'es-thé-tique
Pa-pier mu-sique
C'est du cha-grin
Pa-pier des-sin
A-vant long-temps
Lais-sez glis-ser
Pa-pier gla-cé
Les sen-ti-ments
Pa-pier col-lant
Ça im-pres-sionne
Pa-pier car-bonne
Mais c'est du vent
3. Machin Machine
Papier machine
Faut pas s'leurrer
Papier doré
Celui qu'y touche
Papier tue-mouche
Est moitié fou
C'est pas brillant
Papier d'argent
C'est pas donné
Papier monnaie
Ou l'on en meurt
Papier à fleurs
Ou l'on s'en fout
4. Laissez parler
Les p'tits papiers
À l'occasion
Papier chiffon
Puiss'nt-ils un soir
Papier buvard
Vous consoler
Laissez brûler
Les p'tits papiers
Papier de riz
Où d'Arménie
Qu'un soir ils puiss'nt
Papier maïs
Vous réchauffer
Serge Gainsbourg's song "Les P'tits Papiers" is a satirical take on the idea of love letters and how they are ultimately worthless. The lyrics encourage people to let go of their attachment to small pieces of paper (papier chiffron, papier buvard, papier de riz) which we often hold onto as a symbol of our love, only to throw them away as they no longer hold any significance. The lyrics also critique the ways in which people try to impress each other with fancy papers like papier collant, papier carbone, and papier d'argent, which ultimately have no value.
The song starts by encouraging people to let the little pieces of paper speak for themselves (laissez parler les p'tits papiers), and throughout the song, the lyrics transform to encourage people to let go of their attachment to these superficial symbols of love. The song also critiques the ways in which people often use love letters as a way to impress others.
Overall, the song is a critique of the superficiality of love, and encourages people to let go of the idea that love can be contained on a small piece of paper.
Line by Line Meaning
Lais-sez par-ler
Les p'tits pa-piers
À l'oc-ca-sion
Pa-pier chif-fon
Puiss'nt-ils un jour
Pa-pier bu-vard
Vous con-so-ler
Lais-sez brû-ler
Les p'tits pa-piers
Pa-pier de riz
Ou d'Ar-mé-nie
Qu'un soir ils puiss'nt
Pa-pier ma-ïs
Vous ré-chauf-fer
Let the little papers speak, occasionally. Whether it's tissue paper or blotting paper, may one day console you. Let the little papers burn, whether it's rice paper or paper from Armenia. That one day they may warm you like maize paper.
Un peu d'a-mour
Pa-pier ve-lours
Et d'es-thé-tique
Pa-pier mu-sique
C'est du cha-grin
Pa-pier des-sin
A-vant long-temps
Lais-sez glis-ser
Pa-pier gla-cé
Les sen-ti-ments
Pa-pier col-lant
Ça im-pres-sionne
Pa-pier car-bonne
Mais c'est du vent
A little bit of love and velvet paper, and some aesthetic and musical paper. It's all sorrowful, like paper drawing from a long time ago. Let the icy paper slide, the clingy paper which impresses others, but it's all wind.
Machin Machine
Papier machine
Faut pas s'leurrer
Papier doré
Celui qu'y touche
Papier tue-mouche
Est moitié fou
C'est pas brillant
Papier d'argent
C'est pas donné
Papier monnaie
Ou l'on en meurt
Papier à fleurs
Ou l'on s'en fout
Thing Machine and machine-made paper, don't be fooled by golden paper. Whoever touches fly paper is half crazy. Silver paper isn't brilliant and money paper isn't given away. Flower paper can make us die, or we just don't care.
Laissez parler
Les p'tits papiers
À l'occasion
Papier chiffon
Puiss'nt-ils un soir
Papier buvard
Vous consoler
Laissez brûler
Les p'tits papiers
Papier de riz
Où d'Arménie
Qu'un soir ils puiss'nt
Papier maïs
Vous réchauffer
Let the little papers speak, occasionally. Whether it's tissue paper or blotting paper, may one day console you. Let the little papers burn, whether it's rice paper or paper from Armenia. That one day they may warm you like maize paper.
Lyrics © SIDONIE
Written by: Serge GAINSBOURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@yvelinec3557
KY ?!! me les a Ôffert ? les papiers
d' ARMENIE !!!!!
à
San TYPPÔ ?
Ils ont une Ôdeur particulière ;
pour Les Lecteurs confirmés :
"Un certain
mois d' avril
à Adana "
de Daniel Arsand .
@woodyalien8617
tout à fait Adimirror, derrière les mots est la vérité
c’est pas donné papier monnaie
où l’on en meurt papier à fleurs
puissent ils un soir vous consoler
Ça impressionne
Papier carbonne
Mais c'est du vent
Celui qu'y touche
Papier tue-mouche
Est moitié fou
c'est assez explicite, Non ?
@Jonmal0ne
La grande Régine sur l'orchestration du magistral Gainsbourg... Cette France me manque. Ils sont tous morts ou presque.
@TVVORE47
Je félicite la TSR de mettre à disposition du public de si belles archives, avec une qualité visuelle magnifique. Vous avez eu soin de votre chaîne. Le résultat sont des archives merveilleuses et très intéressantes ! Merci mille fois ! Un abonné Italien, de nationalité Belge et vivant en Roumanie. Vive la Suisse !!!
@leslecturesdecoco9041
Franchement je suis tellement impressionée cette artiste est une légende qu'elle repose en paix ❤
@c.chelseathedog7987
La Poésie selon Régine et Gainsbourg !
Ça n’a pas pris une ride!
Merci pour ce beau post!!
@margotpoulin6440
Tellement bonne chanson. Régine + Gainsbourg = trop beau.💞💞💞
@mariannello5519
A Dieu la Reine des nuits !
@Poldereaux
composition + interprétation = 100% !
@gorgewashington1216
c'est serge Gainsbourg qui a composer apprend
a lire mdr
@defilippijeanlouis8820
Salut la reine de la nuit de Paris on t'oubliera jamais ❤️☝️👌👏👏
@romaindi4350
RIP Regine