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
Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qu'à part moi-même personne
N'a jamais pris dans ses bras
Ça vous étonne
Mais c'est comme ça
Elle avait de l'amour, pauvre Melody Nelson
Ouais, elle en avait des tonnes
Quatorze automnes et quinze étés
Un petit animal que cette Melody Nelson
Une adorable garçonne
Et si délicieuse enfant
Que je n'ai connue qu'un instant
Oh, ma Melody, ma Melody Nelson
Aimable petite conne
Tu étais la condition
Sine qua non de ma raison
The song Ballade de Melody Nelson by Serge Gainsbourg is a tragic love story of a young girl named Melody Nelson whom the singer claims had never been held by anyone except for him. He reveals that despite her having an abundance of love, her days were numbered, with only 14 autumns and 15 summers to live. The singer describes Melody as a charming and delightful child who he only knew for a brief moment. He addresses her in the chorus as "ma Melody Nelson", and though he uses the term "aimable petite conne", which means "adorable little idiot" in French, it is clear that he is fond of her despite her young age.
The song is widely interpreted as a commentary on the sexualization of young girls and the predatory behavior of older men towards them. The constant repetition of Melody's young age and the singer's possessive behavior towards her are unsettling and uncomfortable. Additionally, the line "Tu étais la condition/Sine qua non de ma raison", which means "You were the condition/Without which there was no reason for me", suggests that the singer's infatuation with Melody has clouded his judgment and affected his mental stability.
Overall, the song is a haunting and disturbing tale that calls into question the ethics and morality surrounding age differences in relationships, with the singer ultimately coming across as a dangerous predator.
Line by Line Meaning
Ça c'est l'histoire de Melody Nelson
This is the tale of Melody Nelson
Qu'à part moi-même personne
That no one other than me
N'a jamais pris dans ses bras
Has ever held in her arms
Ça vous étonne
Does that surprise you?
Mais c'est comme ça
But that’s just how it is
Elle avait de l'amour, pauvre Melody Nelson
Poor Melody Nelson had love in abundance
Ouais, elle en avait des tonnes
Loads of it, in fact
Mais ses jours étaient comptés
But she had a limited time
Quatorze automnes et quinze étés
Only fourteen autumns and fifteen summers
Un petit animal que cette Melody Nelson
Melody Nelson was like a small animal
Une adorable garçonne
An adorable young girl
Et si délicieuse enfant
Such a delightful child
Que je n'ai connue qu'un instant
Whom I only knew for a moment
Oh, ma Melody, ma Melody Nelson
Oh, my Melody, my Melody Nelson
Aimable petite conne
Lovely little idiot
Tu étais la condition
You were the condition
Sine qua non de ma raison
The essential element of my reason
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Jean-Claude Vannier, Serge Gainsbourg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lívia
Ça, c'est l'histoire de (Melody Nelson)
Qu'à par moi-même personne
N'a jamais pris dans ses bras
Ça vous étonne?
Mais c'est comme ça
Elle avait d'l'amour, pauvre (Melody Nelson)
Ouais, elle en avait des tonnes
Mais ses jours étaient comptés
14 automnes
Et 15 étés
Un petit animal, que cette (Melody Nelson)
Une adorable garçonne
Et si délicieuse enfant
Que je n'ai connue qu'un instant
Oh, ma Melody, ma (Melody Nelson)
Aimable petite conne
Tu étais la condition
Sine qua non
De ma raison
ByzantineLord
Ça, c'est l'histoire
De Melody Nelson
Qu'à part moi-même personne
N'a jamais pris dans ses bras
Ca vous étonne
Mais c'est comme ça
Elle avait de l'amour
Pauvre Melody Nelson
Ouais, elle en avait des tonnes
Mais ses jours étaient comptés
Quatorze automnes
Et quinze étés
Un petit animal
Que cette Melody Nelson
Une adorable garçonne
Et si délicieuse enfant
Que je n'ai connue qu'un instant
Oh! Ma Melody
Ma Melody Nelson
Aimable petite conne
Tu étais la condition
Sine qua non
De ma raison
Parachini Sylvain
Un véritable chef d'œuvre, Serge était un véritable génie.
M C
Euh, non, juste un poivrot
Elohim
@Amel Ejzid il est surtout le premier à être parti en Jamaïque enregistrer du reggae avec les chanteuses dont la femme de Bob Marley et les musiciens de Peter Tosh , du génie d’la class
Amel Ejzid
Il compose beaucoup
Amel Ejzid
Oui c'était un peintre aussi un auto compositeur Vanessa Paradis lui doit quelques chansons c est surtout qu il a fait venir en France le rythme noir américain
Stella Colmenero étoile
Il était un génie dans l art mineur, car il a arrêter l art majeur !
Paula Cerone
So beautiful - the entire record is a masterpiece.
George Doughly
Agreed!!
Romain Guinot
Tellement unique, dramatique et énergique ! Il est seul dans ce domaine. Merci SG .. !
Sandrine Rousseau
il n y a plus de musique et de paroles ainsi.... cela nous rendait aussi bien mélancoliques que révoltés ou sage et imaginatifs...