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
New York U.S.A.
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
New York USA
J'ai vu New York
New York USA
Je n'avais rien vu d'au
Je n'avais rien vu d'aussi haut
Oh! C'est haut, c'est haut New York
New York USA
J'ai vu New York
New York USA
J'ai vu New York
New York USA
Je n'avais rien vu d'au
Je n'avais rien vu d'aussi haut
Oh! C'est haut, c'est haut New York
New York USA
Empire States Building oh! c'est haut
Rockfeller Center oh! c'est haut
Internationnal Building oh! c'est haut
Waldorf Astoria oh! c'est haut
Panamerican Building oh! c'est haut
Bank of Manhattan oh! c'est haut
J'ai vu New York
New York USA
J'ai vu New York
New York USA
Je n'avais rien vu d'au
Je n'avais rien vu d'aussi haut
Oh! C'est haut, c'est haut New York
New York USA
Time and life building oh! c'est haut
American hotel oh! c'est haut
CBS Building oh! c'est haut
RCA Building oh! c'est haut
First National City Bank oh! c'est haut
Serge Gainsbourg's song "New York U.S.A." is an ode to the city of New York, where he recounts his experience of seeing the city for the first time. In the first verse, Gainsbourg sings "J'ai vu New York, New York, USA" (I saw New York, New York, USA), emphasizing the iconic name of the city. He repeats this verse throughout the song, conveying his amazement at the city.
Gainsbourg expresses his admiration for the city's tall buildings, singing "Je n'avais rien vu d'au, je n'avais rien vu d'aussi haut. Oh! C'est haut, c'est haut New York, New York USA" (I had not seen anything like it, I had not seen anything so high. Oh! It's high, it's high New York, New York USA). He lists some of the well-known tall buildings of New York such as the Empire State Building, the Rockefeller Center, and the International Building. The lyrics show that Gainsbourg was in awe of the city's grandeur and magnificence.
Overall, the song serves as a tribute to New York City and its impressive architecture. Gainsbourg's admiration for the city's buildings is complemented by the song's upbeat melody, making it an enjoyable listen that captures the magic of New York.
Line by Line Meaning
J'ai vu New York
I saw New York City
New York USA
New York City, located in the United States of America
Je n'avais rien vu d'au
I had never seen anything like it
Je n'avais rien vu d'aussi haut
I had never seen anything as tall
Oh! C'est haut, c'est haut New York
Oh! It's tall, it's tall in New York City
Empire States Building oh! c'est haut
The Empire State Building, oh! It's tall
Rockfeller Center oh! c'est haut
Rockefeller Center, oh! It's tall
Internationnal Building oh! c'est haut
International Building, oh! It's tall
Waldorf Astoria oh! c'est haut
Waldorf Astoria, oh! It's tall
Panamerican Building oh! c'est haut
Pan-American Building, oh! It's tall
Bank of Manhattan oh! c'est haut
The Bank of Manhattan, oh! It's tall
Time and life building oh! c'est haut
Time and Life Building, oh! It's tall
American hotel oh! c'est haut
The American Hotel, oh! It's tall
CBS Building oh! c'est haut
CBS Building, oh! It's tall
RCA Building oh! c'est haut
RCA Building, oh! It's tall
First National City Bank oh! c'est haut
The First National City Bank, oh! It's tall
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: MICHAEL BABAT UNDE OLATUNJI, SERGE GAINSBOURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Isabelle Lévy - Banchereau
Celui-ci aussi est superbe
J'aime beaucoup cette période de sa vie
Ce n'est pas ma préférée mais c'était un vrai poète avec une grande sensibilité
3340steve
Love this song...should released again, such good vibes..
soapbxprod
Merci bien pour celui-ci! J'avais 4 ans en 1964, un enfant New Yorkais... je me souviens.
Mc Daniels
I've wondered how he really felt about New York, because it seems he's just mentioning skyscrapers, most of which are not particularly enjoyable to look at. I think it would be hard to come from a place like Paris, where there are architectural wonders left and right, and see similiar beauty on the New York skyline. Don't get me wrong, New York has some great buildings, but aside from the Waldorf-Astoria, I don't hear any of them mentioned.
ouii8
the lyrics are copied from another, like 99% of his lyrics
spaceinbetween
Skyscrapers are mesmerizing in their own right, especially for someone from Paris, which didn't have them in the 60's.
trashkwekwe
@ouii8 from who?
soapbxprod
New York and Paris are both remarkable, each in their unique fashions. Being a native NYC'er- now a NH Free Stater- who also speaks French and worked in Paris many times in the 1980s, I love them both. Now, shall we discuss Montréal? :)
G
The melody of this song is from Nigeria. Akiwowo. Thing is "o se o" sounds like "haut c'est haut" which in French literally is tall it's tall. I'm my mind it's almost like a Weird Al spoof. He was just having fun with "o se o" so he named buildings and said they're tall 🤷♂️... not too deep, not too shallow. Just a bit of fun imho. Cheers!
Otto Kar
J ai vu ça à la tl à l epoque j avais 14 et le genie de ce type m a marqué