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
Pas Long Feu
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mais c'est une question que c'est absolument ça ne faire rien
Parce que se ronger les sangs ça s'rait tout à fait y'a pas de quoi
Alors moi je sens que je f'rais
Pas long feu pas long feu pas long feu ici
Pas long feu
Pas long feu pas long feu dans cett' chienn' de vie
Quand la vie semble inévitablement c'est foutu
On s'dit qu'il faudrait mieux être tout à fait c'est pas ça
Et malgré tout on reste totalement on fait comme on a dit
Mais moi j'f'rai
Pas long feu pas long feu pas long feu ici
Pas long feu
Pas long feu pas long feu dans cett' chienn' de vie
Pas long feu
Se flinguer y aurait plus question de r'mettez nous ça patron
Mais dans ma tête je suis véritablement j'en peux plus
Et j'me sens vaguement où va-t-on nous
Alors j' f'rais
Pas long feu pas long feu pas long feu ici
Pas long feu
Pas long feu pas long feu dans cett' chienn' de vie
Pas long feu
The lyrics of Pas Long Feu by Serge Gainsbourg present a nihilistic perspective on life and the inevitability of its end. The song starts with the singer claiming that this time things are completely over, but questioning the importance of worrying about it. He suggests that there is no point in getting anxious over something that is bound to happen anyway, and instead he chooses to embrace the fleeting and temporary nature of life.
The repeated refrain of "pas long feu" reinforces this idea of the transience of life, and the singer seems to adopt a fatalistic attitude towards his own existence. He acknowledges the futility of trying to fight against this inevitability and contemplates the idea of ending it all. Despite this, he also seems to be resigned to his fate and accepts that he will not be around for long as he repeats the mantra "pas long feu" throughout the song.
Overall, Pas Long Feu can be interpreted as a meditation on mortality and the need to come to terms with the fleeting nature of human existence. The song suggests that one should find acceptance in the fact that life is not permanent and focus on living in the present rather than worrying about the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Cette fois je crois que nous sommes complètement ça y est
I believe we have reached the point of no return this time
Mais c'est une question que c'est absolument ça ne faire rien
But it's a rhetorical question, it doesn't really matter
Parce que se ronger les sangs ça s'rait tout à fait y'a pas de quoi
Because worrying won't change anything at all
Alors moi je sens que je f'rais
So I feel like doing something about it
Pas long feu pas long feu pas long feu ici
Won't last long, won't last long, won't last long here
Pas long feu
Won't last long
Pas long feu pas long feu dans cett' chienn' de vie
Won't last long, won't last long in this dog's life
Quand la vie semble inévitablement c'est foutu
When life seems inevitably screwed up
On s'dit qu'il faudrait mieux être tout à fait c'est pas ça
We think it would be better to not exist at all
Et malgré tout on reste totalement on fait comme on a dit
And yet we still live on, doing what we said we would do
Mais moi j'f'rai
But I will take action
Se flinguer y aurait plus question de r'mettez nous ça patron
Taking oneself out would mean no more second chances, boss
Mais dans ma tête je suis véritablement j'en peux plus
But in my head, I am truly exhausted
Et j'me sens vaguement où va-t-on nous
And I barely know where we are headed
Alors j' f'rais
So I will take action
Contributed by Logan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jon Gordon
indetronable notre Serge inoubliable unique et irremplaçable il nous manque ce mec à la tête de choux mes respect mr Serge
L espagnol
⁹
Jte revient te.cher de
L espagnol
Je reviens te chercher
L espagnol
Moi 48ans
Je.revien te.cherch
jon Gordon
inoubliable Serge Gainsbourg éternel et irremplaçable. Mes Respect Mr Gainsbourg
Stéphane ARTHAUD
Moi, je connais quelqu'un de 25 ans qui voudrait vivre vieux. "Le plus vieux possible". Eh bien j'ai l'honneur de lui annoncer qu'il a atteint son objectif ! Avec beaucoup d'avance.
stephinho73
decouvert sur un album live au casino d'panam...ça m'a maintenu jeune des morceaux comme ça :) Bonne philosophie de vie Serge
Sim On
Génialissime!
STANDEAD X
EXCELLENT ...
Ludovic Laures
🇨🇵Très bon son de Mr Serge avec les musiciens de peter tosh 🇯🇲