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
Marilou Reggae Dub featuring B
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ouvrir braguette et prodiguer,
Salutations distinguées,
De petits serpents katangais
Quand Marilou danse reggae,
Sur Marilou passait à gué,
Beaucoup caresses endiguer,
Quand Marilou danse reggae,
Au bord climax faire le guet,
Changer vitesse changer braquet
Et décoller avion Bréguet
Quand Marilou danse reggae,
Elle et moi plaisirs conjugués,
En Marilou moi seringuer
Faire mousser en meringué.
Quand Marilou danse reggae,
Quand Marilou bien irriguée,
Jamais jamais epiloguer,
Record à corps homologué
Quand Marilou danse reggae,
Petit détail à divulguer,
En petit nègre dialoguer,
Après l'amour pisser sagaie
The lyrics of Serge Gainsbourg's Marilou Reggae are sexually explicit and reveal the singer's lustful thoughts for Marilou when she dances reggae. The first few lines suggest that the singer has an urge to open his zipper and engage in sexual activity with Marilou as she dances. The reference to "petits serpents katangais" (little Katangan snakes) may be interpreted as the singer's libido, which is awakened by Marilou's dance. As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is describing his desire to have sexual relations with Marilou and achieve climax. The line "Spermatozoïdes aux aguets" (spermatozoa at the ready) suggests that the singer is anticipating ejaculation, while the line "Changer vitesse changer braquet" (changing gears) alludes to different stages of sexual excitement. The final verse reveals that the singer wants to engage in conversation in African dialect after intercourse, emphasizing his exotic fantasies.
The song's lyrics are controversial and have been regarded as vulgar and offensive by some listeners, while others admire Gainsbourg's poetic subtlety and provocative wordplay. The song was released in 1978 and became popular in France, despite being banned from radio and television for its explicit content. The reggae rhythm and Marilou's name are clear nods to Jamaica and the Caribbean, a symbol of liberation and cultural diversity that Gainsbourg appreciated. Gainsbourg's fondness for reggae music was also reflected in other songs, such as "Aux armes et cætera" and "Marilou sous la neige".
Line by Line Meaning
Quand Marilou danse reggae,
Whenever Marilou dances reggae,
Ouvrir braguette et prodiguer,
Open up my fly and lavish attention,
Salutations distinguées,
Offering refined greetings,
De petits serpents katangais
Of little Katangan snakes.
Sur Marilou passait à gué,
On Marilou, I traverse,
Beaucoup caresses endiguer,
With many endearing caresses,
Spermatozoïdes aux aguets
Spermatozoa on the lookout.
Au bord climax faire le guet,
At the brink of climax, stand on guard,
Changer vitesse changer braquet
Change speed, change gears,
Et décoller avion Bréguet
And take off like a Bréguet airplane.
Elle et moi plaisirs conjugués,
She and I, pleasures combined,
En Marilou moi seringuer
In Marilou, I inject myself,
Faire mousser en meringué.
Make her foam like a meringue.
Quand Marilou bien irriguée,
When Marilou is well irrigated,
Jamais jamais épiloguer,
Never never dwell on it,
Record à corps homologué
Record homologated by the body.
Petit détail à divulguer,
One small detail to divulge,
En petit nègre dialoguer,
Converse in baby talk,
Après l'amour pisser sagaie.
After lovemaking, urinate like a spear.
Contributed by Natalie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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