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
Rien rien j'disais ça comme ça
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, son histoire de photos. Il est fou. Je trouve ça complètement idiot
Elle est quand même pas mal, non
Pas mal
Vous êtes amoureuse de lui
Mais qu'est-ce qui vous prend ? Mais ça va pas, non
Rien, rien, j' disais ça comme ça
Simplement travailler avec un type toute la journée
Ça peut donner des idées
C'est normal
Moi, je suis anormale, si c'est ça que vous voulez dire
Pas commode hein ? J' vous trouve marrante
Vous êtes sûrement une affaire, mais vous n' devez pas le savoir
Quelle prétention
Oh, vous n' m'avez pas compris. Je n' cherchais pas à me placer
Vous avez c' qu'il vous faut
Exact
Elle est jolie
Elles sont très jolies
Ah là là, quel salaud
Allez, salut poupée
The song "Rien rien j'disais ça comme ça" (translated to "Nothing, nothing, I said it like that") was a collaboration between Serge Gainsbourg and Anna Karina. The song is a dialogue between two characters, one of which is trying to convince the other that her attraction to a man they work with is harmless while the other character is skeptical. The lyrics are quite simple, but they explore themes of temptation, jealousy, and attraction.
The first character tries to brush off her feelings for the man as nothing serious, but the other character is not convinced. They argue about whether or not it's appropriate to be attracted to someone you work with, with the first character insisting that it's normal while the other character thinks it's a bad idea. The conversation becomes tense, with the first character getting defensive and accusing the other of being "not easy" to deal with. Eventually, the conversation ends with the first character saying "Allez, salut poupée" (translated to "Okay, bye doll") as if to dismiss the whole thing.
Overall, the song seems to be playing with the idea of how we justify our feelings and actions to ourselves and others. It also touches on the idea of societal norms and how they shape our behavior, particularly in the workplace.
Line by Line Meaning
Incurable. Vous êtes au courant
You're aware that he's incurable, aren't you?
Oh, son histoire de photos. Il est fou. Je trouve ça complètement idiot
Oh, his story with the photos. He's crazy. I think it's completely idiotic.
Elle est quand même pas mal, non
She's not bad, right?
Pas mal
Not bad.
Vous êtes amoureuse de lui
You're in love with him.
Mais qu'est-ce qui vous prend ? Mais ça va pas, non
What's gotten into you? Are you crazy or something?
Rien, rien, j' disais ça comme ça
Nothing, nothing, I was just saying that.
Faut pas vous fâcher
Don't get angry.
Simplement travailler avec un type toute la journée
Simply working with a guy all day can give you ideas.
Ça peut donner des idées
It can give you ideas.
C'est normal
That's normal.
Moi, je suis anormale, si c'est ça que vous voulez dire
I'm abnormal, if that's what you mean.
Pas commode hein ? J' vous trouve marrante
Not very convenient, right? I find you funny.
Vous êtes sûrement une affaire, mais vous n' devez pas le savoir
You're probably a catch, but you don't know it.
Quelle prétention
How pretentious.
Oh, vous n' m'avez pas compris. Je n' cherchais pas à me placer
Oh, you didn't understand me. I wasn't trying to position myself.
Vous avez c' qu'il vous faut
You have what you need.
Exact
Exactly.
Elle est jolie
She's pretty.
Elles sont très jolies
They're very pretty.
Ah là là, quel salaud
Oh my, what a jerk.
Allez, salut poupée
Alright, bye doll.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: SERGE GAINSBOURG, BRUNO RALLE, GUILLAUME SIRON
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