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 Sucettes
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Les sucettes à l'anis
Les sucettes à l'anis
De Annie
Donnent à ses baisers
Un goût anisé
lorsque le sucre d'orge
Parfumé à l'anis
Elle est au paradis
Pour quelques pennies
Annie
A ses sucettes à
L'anis
Elles ont la couleur de ses grands yeux
La couleur des jours heureux
Annie aime les sucettes
Les sucettes à l'anis
Les sucettes à l'anis
De Annie
Donnent à ses baisers
Un goût anisé
Quand elle n'a sur la langue
Que le petit bâton
Elle prend ses jambes à son corps
Et retourne au drugstore
Pour quelques pennies
Annie
A ses sucettes à
L'anis
Elles ont la couleur de ses grands yeux
La couleur des jours heureux
Lorsque le sucre d'orge
Parfumé à l'anis
Coule dans la gorge d'Annie
Elle est au paradis
The lyrics to Serge Gainsbourg's song Les Sucettes tell the story of a young girl named Annie who loves anise-flavored lollipops. The repetition of the phrase "les sucettes a l'anis" emphasizes Annie's fondness for the candy. These lollipops, in particular, give Annie's kisses an aniseed flavor that she enjoys. When the candy dissolves in her mouth, it transports her to a state of bliss. The song implies that Annie may be quite young, as she only has a few "pennies" to spend on her beloved sweets.
Interestingly, the lyrics also suggest that Annie's love for anise-flavored lollipops may be more than just a simple candy preference. The way in which Gainsbourg describes how the candy gives Annie's kisses an aniseed flavor suggests that Annie may be using the candy to enhance her kissing experiences. This interpretation is supported by the line "elle prend ses jambes à son corps et retourne au drugstore," which can be translated to "she takes her legs in her arms and returns to the drugstore." This could imply that Annie is going to the store specifically to buy the candy to add a certain taste to her kissing.
Line by Line Meaning
Annie aime les sucettes
Annie a un faible pour les sucettes
Les sucettes à l'anis
Elle préfère les sucettes à la saveur anisée
Les sucettes à l'anis
Même chose que ligne 2
De Annie
Ces sucettes sont à elle
Donnent à ses baisers
Les sucettes influencent le goût de ses baisers
Un goût anisé
Le goût des sucettes est anisé
lorsque le sucre d'orge
Quand le sucre fondu de la sucette coule
Parfumé à l'anis
Il a une odeur et un goût d'anis
Coule dans la gorge d'Annie
Le sucre se déverse dans la gorge d'Annie
Elle est au paradis
Elle est pleinement satisfaite
Pour quelques pennies
Pour peu d'argent
Annie
Annie, la chanteuse présumée ou de manière générale une personne
A ses sucettes à
Elle possède des sucettes
L'anis
à la saveur d'anis
Elles ont la couleur de ses grands yeux
Les sucettes ont la couleur des yeux de la personne
La couleur des jours heureux
Les sucettes rappellent les jours heureux de l'enfance
Quand elle n'a sur la langue
Quand la sucette a fondu
Que le petit bâton
Il ne reste que le bâtonnet
Elle prend ses jambes à son corps
Elle part rapidement
Et retourne au drugstore
Et elle retourne au magasin pour en acheter davantage
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, SIDONIE
Written by: Serge Gainsbourg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@odilebams
Paroles :
Annie aime les sucettes
Les sucettes à l'anis
Les sucettes à l'anis
De Annie
Donnent à ses baisers
Un goût anisé
lorsque le sucre d'orge
Parfumé à l'anis
Coule dans la gorge d'Annie
Elle est au paradis
Pour quelques pennies
Annie
A ses sucettes à
L'anis
Elles ont la couleur de ses grands yeux
La couleur des jours heureux
Annie aime les sucettes
Les sucettes à l'anis
Les sucettes à l'anis
De Annie
Donnent à ses baisers
Un goût anisé
Quand elle n'a sur la langue
Que le petit bâton
Elle prend ses jambes à son corps
Et retourne au drugstore
Pour quelques pennies
Annie
A ses sucettes à
L'anis
Elles ont la couleur de ses grands yeux
La couleur des jours heureux
Lorsque le sucre d'orge
Parfumé à l'anis
Coule dans la gorge d'Annie
Elle est au paradis
@Mahjabiene
Serge Gainsbourg, the „world’s dearest abuser“. Really, it’s a shame, that some men interpreted the sexual liberation of the 60-ies as an invitation for sexualising and abusing women and children.
France Gall, she was a lovely and charming lady, he is playing with her innocence in a disgusting way! „Anis“ a word for „Anus“, „Penny“ a word for „Penis“ and full of sexualised meanings.
This is exactly abuse, she wasn’t aware about the disgusting, dirty meanings of these songs!
Even about this filthy intentions of Gainsbourg, I love still the song „poupe à cire“ because of France Gall, who had a charming innocent interpretation, but the context is disgusting!
„Poup“ means the same as „Poop“ in English.
Gainsbourg he remembers me of a young family member, he always made kind of filthy perverse jokes like this with me, when I was about 15/16 years old. He was playing with my innocence and naivety, also with that of my family.
I tried to show myself „cool“, tried to laugh about these kind of jokes, tried to return it, try to show myself as „adult” and „experienced“ in the field of love, even I was not, because it was kind of „cool“ to show yourself that you aren’t a „prude“. But this man, he was 10 years older than me, he had a kind of sadistic behaviour and I was an innocent shy child, and clearly it was a kind of abuse, in my heart I was a child, he was playing with my innocence and shame and torturing me with these things. I felt clearly uncomfortable and ashamed and disgusted. It had a bad effect on my love life, I needed time to get into a healthy relationship, before I became often the victim of some men.
Later, we found out of a probable case of child abuse of this man and than I could understand his dirty intention.
The same with Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin as a 22 year old showing some orgasm in a public song, her daughter together in a video with her father, playing some pedophile dream.
Even if both of them showed themselves in a very naive kind, didn’t see, that this was clearly not a healthy relationship, Charlotte tried to continue the sexualising / scandalising work of her parents.
But they don’t see, that in fact they were used and abused, that the intention of this was a bad one.
The only excuse I have for him is, that he had himself a childhood of abuse and persecution, maybe this had done some damage in his mind. Some abused people changed later to abusers themselves to change the side.
The public is doing exactly like my family in my childhood. They laugh about these kind of jokes, think they are cool, think he was a loving person who only liked to provoked the audience for getting some attention.
It’s not easy to admit, that you were getting a victim of abuse. Also I didn’t want to see it, I thought it kind of cool in this kind, because I wanted to rebel against the establishment.
But the intention of my „abuser“ was not for me, he played a sadistic game, completely aware of my innocence, brought me in shameful situations.
I think, Charlotte, she should think about it, if the intention of her father was so pure hearted. Or if in fact he tried to horny about some innocent children women to fulfill his dirty fantasy!
@zimzimzalabim
Priceless things:
1. Serge's self-satisfied smirk through the whole song as he watches an unsuspecting France sing the lyrics thinking of lollypops.
2. People dancing around them like it was freaking Soul Train.
@epajarjestelmallisyyttakaa3308
this comment needs more likes!
@TTCandlevibe
zimzimzalabim they are dancing like they don’t know the meaning of the song.
@zimzimzalabim
@@epajarjestelmallisyyttakaa3308 😅😅😅 I was high when I wrote that.
@zimzimzalabim
@@TTCandlevibe i know right? France was supposedly the only one who didn't know what it was about
@WayneKimRecords
lmfaoo
@KristofferSkjrestad
Haha, I just love his facial expressions at 0:45. It's like he's thinking: "I can't believe that I'm actually getting away with this."
@willemrm4033
No, he's thinking "I can't believe she still doesn't get it" . And if her impresario and her father didn't tell her, why should he?
@icinfin117
@@willemrm4033 Because her father basically pimped her out. She had no contact with him after.
@Sidek0
Because he's Jewish and all the people in the entertainment/music industry in France are Jews and pedophiles. How did Roman Polanski get away with raping little gentile girls? In fact, Serge Gainsbourg wrote, produced and recorded a song with his then 12 year old daughter that promotes pedophilia and incest (Lemon Incest).