Serge Gainsbourg (April 2, 1928 – March 2, 1991) was a French poet-songwrit… Read Full Bio ↴Serge Gainsbourg (April 2, 1928 – March 2, 1991) was a French poet-songwriter, singer, actor, novelist, painter and director. Gainsbourg's varied style and individuality made him difficult to categorize. Although famous in France for many years, he did not achieve his first No. 1 album until 1979, when he released Aux Armes et caetera more than twenty years after his music career had begun. But since the 1980s, his legacy has been firmly established.

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

Sait-on jamais où va une femme quand elle vous quitte
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sait-on jamais où va une femme quand elle vous quitte
Où elle s'en va
Quand elle s'en va
Qui sait
Sait-on jamais où va une femme quand elle vous quitte
Moi je le sais toi
Tu es partie à
Jamais

Sait-on jamais où va une femme quand elle vous quitte
Tu es mon seul amour
Et c'est je crois pour
La vie
Sait-on jamais où va une femme quand elle vous quitte
Qu'importe là ou
Ailleurs les verrous
Sont mis

Sait-on jamais où va une femme quand elle vous quitte
Qui disait cela
C'est c'que tu n'as ja-
Mais su
Sait-on jamais où va une femme quand elle vous quitte
Moi je le sais c'est

Au cours d'son procès
Landru

Overall Meaning

In Serge Gainsbourg's song 'Sait-on jamais où va une femme quand elle vous quitte', he explores the question of where a woman goes when she leaves a man, and whether anyone can truly know. The lyrics are reflective and melancholic, with a sense of resignation and acceptance of the unknown.

The first verse begins with the question "Sait-on jamais où va une femme quand elle vous quitte" (Do we ever know where a woman goes when she leaves you), followed by the repeated phrase "Où elle s'en va, quand elle s'en va, qui sait" (Where she goes, when she goes, who knows). This sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer acknowledging the mysterious and unpredictable nature of a woman's departure.

The second verse reveals that the singer's own love has left him, but he claims to know where she has gone - "Tu es partie à jamais" (You have gone forever). He speaks with a sense of longing and devotion, describing her as his "seul amour" (only love) and suggesting that their love was meant to be for life.

The third verse suggests that it doesn't really matter where a woman goes when she leaves, as long as "les verrous sont mis" (the locks are closed). This could be interpreted as a way of protecting oneself from the pain of abandonment, or as a metaphor for keeping one's heart closed off from future relationships.

The fourth and final verse includes a reference to the infamous French serial killer Henri Désiré Landru, who was responsible for the deaths of at least 11 people in the early 20th century. The singer muses that perhaps during her trial, the woman he loves will reveal where she has gone - "Moi je le sais c'est au cours d'son procès Landru" (I know it's during her trial, Landru). This adds a dark and intriguing twist to the song, leaving the listener to imagine the possible reasons for her disappearance.

Overall, 'Sait-on jamais où va une femme quand elle vous quitte' is a poignant and reflective song that captures the feelings of loss and uncertainty that can accompany the end of a relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Sait-on jamais où va une femme quand elle vous quitte
One can never know where a woman goes when she leaves you.

Où elle s'en va
Where she's going?

Quand elle s'en va
When she leaves?

Qui sait
Who knows?

Moi je le sais toi
I know, you

Tu es partie à
You left to

Jamais
Never

Tu es mon seul amour
You are my only love

Et c'est je crois pour
And I believe it's for

La vie
Life.

Qu'importe là ou
No matter where