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
Negusa Nagast
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Croire c'est aussi fumeux que la ganja
Tire sur ton joint pauvre rasta
Et inhale tes paraboles
Là-bas en Ethiopie est une sombre idole
Haïlé Sélassié négus roi des rois
Descendant de Moïse à ce qu'en croient
Des esclaves le protègent sous de noirs parasols
Du ciel blanc d'Addis-Abeba
À ses pieds un lionceau emblème de Juda
Symbole
Dans son lointain palais le négus s'isole
Prisonnier après un nouveau coup d'État
Peut-être passé par les armes va savoir qui ou quoi
Demande donc à la C.I.A. ou Interpol
The song Negusa Nagast by Serge Gainsbourg is full of cultural and historical references. In the first verse, the lyrics suggest that humans have created gods, which is the opposite of the truth. Here, Gainsbourg is expressing his skepticism towards religion and belief systems. He uses the metaphor of smoking marijuana to highlight how belief is just as hazy as the smoke itself. The line "inhale tes paraboles" suggests that people inhale their own made-up stories and beliefs in the same way that they would inhale smoke.
The second verse is about the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, who is considered to be a divine being by the Rastafari movement. Gainsbourg describes him as a sombre idol, and the king of kings. He also mentions that some people believe he is a descendant of Moses, which adds to the mythological element of the song. Gainsbourg himself believes what he has heard, and he trusts the word of others who believe the same.
The third verse talks about how the emperor is protected by black slaves who hold black parasols to shield him from the white sky of Addis Ababa. At his feet is a lion cub, which is the symbol of Juda. In the final few lines, Gainsbourg suggests that the emperor is in danger because of a new coup d'état. He hints that the CIA or Interpol may know more about the situation, but it is up to the listener to decide for themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
L'homme a créé des Dieux l'inverse tu rigoles
The singer suggests that humans have created gods, which is the opposite of what some believe. He finds the idea of believing in things just as hazy as smoking marijuana and laughs at those who think otherwise.
Croire c'est aussi fumeux que la ganja
The singer thinks that having faith is as vague as smoking weed and can be just as delusional.
Tire sur ton joint pauvre rasta
The singer addresses a poor Rastafarian, telling them to take a drag of their joint.
Et inhale tes paraboles
The artist tells the Rastafarian to breathe in the smoke and their own delusions.
Là-bas en Ethiopie est une sombre idole
The artist introduces the subject of the song, a dark idol in Ethiopia.
Haïlé Sélassié négus, roi des rois
The singer gives the idol's name, Haile Selassie, who is the Negus, or 'king of kings,' in Ethiopia.
Descendant de Moïse à ce qu'en croient
The singer mentions that some believe Haile Selassie is a descendant of Moses.
Certains quant à moi je les crois sur parole
The artist, however, personally takes them at their word without necessarily believing it to be true.
Des esclaves le protègent sous de noirs parasols
The artist describes the idol being protected by slaves who hold black parasols over him.
Du ciel blanc d'Addis-Abeba
The artist describes the scene in Addis Ababa, where the white sky contrasts with the dark parasols.
À ses pieds un lionceau emblème de Juda
The idol has a lion cub, which is the emblem of Judah, at his feet.
Symbole
The lion is a symbol of Haile Selassie's power and the Rastafarian movement.
Dans son lointain palais le négus s'isole
The singer describes Haile Selassie's palace, where he isolates himself.
Prisonnier après un nouveau coup d'État
The singer notes that Haile Selassie has been imprisoned after another coup d'état.
Peut-être passé par les armes va savoir qui ou quoi
The singer questions what may happen to Haile Selassie, wondering if he may be executed.
Demande donc à la C.I.A. ou Interpol
The artist suggests that one should ask intelligence agencies, like the CIA or Interpol, to find out what happened to Haile Selassie.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Gainsbourg Serge
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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