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
Manon
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Manon
Non tu ne sais sur'ment pas Manon
A quel point je hais
Ce que tu es
Sinon
Manon
Je t'aurais déjà perdue Manon
Perfide Manon
Il me faut t'aimer avec un autre
Je le sais Manon
Cruelle Manon
Manon
Manon
Non tu ne sauras jamais Manon
A quel point je hais
Ce que tu es
Au fond
Manon
Je dois avoir perdu la raison
Je t'aime Manon
The lyrics in Serge Gainsbourg’s song Manon are about a woman named Manon whom the singer despises but also loves. He addresses her directly in the song, saying that she does not know how much he hates her for being perverse and perfidious. However, he cannot lose her and has to love her with someone else. The singer acknowledges a loss of reason for still loving Manon, despite his strong negative feelings towards her.
The lyrics of Manon are an expression of frustration and pain that often accompany relationships that are not working. The singer's ambivalent emotions towards Manon demonstrate his struggle to reconcile the negative influence she has on his life with his love for her. The lines “Il me faut t'aimer avec un autre” are particularly poignant, as they suggest that the singer must find a way to love Manon without being harmed by her.
Despite the bitterness of the song, the singer cannot seem to help but remain devoted to Manon. Overall, the lyrics to Manon paint a picture of complex emotions that are not easily resolved.
Line by Line Meaning
Manon
Addressing the person he is singing about.
Manon
Repeating the name of the person he is singing about.
Non tu ne sais sur'ment pas Manon
You definitely do not know, Manon.
A quel point je hais
How much he hates something.
Ce que tu es
Referring to the characteristics of the person he is singing about.
Sinon
Otherwise.
Manon
Reference again to the person he is singing about.
Je t'aurais déjà perdue Manon
I would have already lost you, Manon.
Perverse Manon
Manon is being described as sexually deviant and morally corrupt.
Perfide Manon
Manon is being described as deceitful and untrustworthy.
Il me faut t'aimer avec un autre
I must love you with another.
Je le sais Manon
He knows that he must love her with another.
Cruelle Manon
Manon is being described as cruel.
Manon
Repeating the name of the person he is singing about.
Manon
Reference again to the person he is singing about.
Non tu ne sauras jamais Manon
You will never know, Manon.
A quel point je hais
How much he hates something.
Ce que tu es
Referring to the characteristics of the person he is singing about.
Au fond
In the end.
Manon
Reference again to the person he is singing about.
Je dois avoir perdu la raison
He must have lost his mind.
Je t'aime Manon
I love you, Manon.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SERGE GAINSBOURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tiarini
Manon
Manon
Non tu ne sais sur'ment pas Manon
A quel point je hais
Ce que tu es
Sinon
Manon
Je t'aurais déjà perdue Manon
Perverse Manon
Perfide Manon
Il me faut t'aimer avec un autre
Je le sais Manon
Cruelle Manon
Manon
Manon
Non tu ne sauras jamais Manon
A quel point je hais
Ce que tu es
Au fond
Manon
Je dois avoir perdu la raison
Je t'aime Manon
@maelmarc4506
Qui est la en 2024 pour la dissertation😜
@FjKGKjF
C'est, pour moi, le meilleur titre de l'album : belle mélancolie sentimentale sous ballade feutrée à souhait, un petit chef d'œuvre à effet d'interlude qui me ravit l'écoute.
@angel-tz9jh
Que dire de Serge Gainsbourg le plus grand maître un grand monsieur quel talent qu'il repose en paix on l'aimera toujours
@noelfrancois3591
Un génie ce Monsieur GAiNSBoURG
@manongiana
La team Manon en 2020 vous êtes là???
@clincpb8903
Non.
@andreigersheim9653
Idem en 2021 😁
@justo1582
2022, ici.
@thetalkeraboutall.somethin3289
Je suppose que je dois compléter...
@elouanblot1397
2023😂 Lecture linéaire bac