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
Overseas Telegram
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Soit le plus beau télégramme
De tous les télégrammes
Que tu recevras jamais
Découvrant mon télégramme
Et lisant ce télégramme
À la fin du télégramme
Je sais que ce télégramme
Est le dernier télégramme
De tous les télégrammes
Que je t'enverrai jamais
Tu auras ce télégramme
Comme les autres télégramme
Par l'overseas telegram
Et le post office anglais
The song "Overseas Telegram" by Serge Gainsbourg is a melancholic ballad about a man who is sending a final telegram to his lover. The singer of the song wishes for his message to be the most beautiful one she has ever received, and that she might be moved to tears upon reading it. He is aware that this telegram will be the last, and he is saying goodbye in a way that is both simple and heartfelt. The use of the word "overseas" is significant, as it suggests distance and separation between the two lovers.
The singer's want for his telegram to be the most beautiful one is touching, as it shows how much he cares for the recipient of the message. He is not sure if he will be able to express his feelings well enough in words, and thus he wishes for the telegram to be the most beautiful one she will ever receive. However, the sad reality is that this will be his final message to her, and he hopes that she will understand the depth of his emotions and the significance of his goodbye.
Overall, "Overseas Telegram" is a bittersweet ode to a love that is coming to an end. The singer is trying to express his love and sorrow in a simple telegram, and hopes that his message will be enough to convey everything he wants to say. The song is a testament to the power of words, and how even a short message can carry a deep emotional weight.
Line by Line Meaning
Je voudrais que ce télégramme
I wish this telegram
Soit le plus beau télégramme
to be the most beautiful telegram
De tous les télégrammes
of all the telegrams
Que tu recevras jamais
that you will ever receive
Découvrant mon télégramme
Discovered my telegram
Et lisant ce télégramme
and reading this telegram
A la fin du télégramme
At the end of the telegram
Tu te mettes à pleurer
you begin to cry
Je sais que ce télégramme
I know that this telegram
Est le dernier télégramme
is the last telegram
De tous les télégrammes
of all the telegrams
Que je t'enverrai jamais
that I will ever send you
Tu auras ce télégramme
You will have this telegram
Comme les autres télégrammes
like the other telegrams
Par l'overseas telegram
by the overseas telegram
Et le post office anglais
and the English post office
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Serge Gainsbourg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jean Luc Bieules
Je ne peux pas oublier Serge ! Que le soleil soit en lui forever
florian mambrini
un soleil peut nourrir plusieurs planètes, après avoir livrer leurs enseignements, les messagers continuent leurs timeless and spaceless journeys of learning itinually in order to teach it back according to their agreements to a precise timeline that was/is/will inter-pret(r)e how you want , it might change and again means you ll be on your way
JMCTelQuel
Vous savez quoi? J'aime, sans pudeur, sans fausse modestie et sans fausse honte ce clip. C'est Gainsbourg lui-même qui l'a fait. Du début à la fin.
Jean-Marc Cormier
Je ne savais pas que ce titre était bloqué à certains endroits. + que désolant. Le clip a maintenant 69 «J'aime» et aucun «dislike» c'est Gainsbourg qui serait content. Moi j'adore cette chanson.
marie varloteaux
Une des plus belles mélodies
Julupopsiman
J' adore ce son !
JMCTelQuel
Merci. Il faut dire qu'il arrive très souvent que l'édition vendue au Québec d'un album d'un artiste français ne soit pas la même que l'édition originale en France. Le CD que je possède n'est pas nécessairement conforme à l'édition originale... Ça, je le comprends très bien. Ce qui importe c'est que nous prenions le même plaisir à l'audition de ces pièces.
OverseaTelegram
Hommage au grand Serge et a Robbie Shakespear qui a disparu lui aussi en ce debut de decembre 😢
stoxzo
muy buena rola :D BIG VIBES
KER JI
Serge, c'est le J.S BACH de la variétoche, tout simplement !