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
Souviens-toi de m'oublier
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Réflechis comme un miroir, je vais voir,
Et souviens toi de m'oublier, je vais essayer,
L'amnesie a le pouvoir de la magie noire,
Souviens toi de m'oublier, et quand je pleurerais,
Fais un noeud à ton mouchoir, pour ta mémoire,
Et souviens toi de m'oublier, je vais y penser,
Les flash-back c'est comme voir des films noirs,
Réflechis comme un miroir, je vais voir,
Et souviens toi de m'oublier, je vais essayer,
Tu sais bien qu'il va falloir, ne plus nous voir,
Mais souviens toi
de m'oublier
The lyrics of Serge Gainsbourg's song Souviens-toi de m'oublier are about forgetting someone after a relationship has ended. The singer is addressing their former partner and asking them to remember to forget them. The singer reflects on their own process of forgetting and compares it to looking in a mirror, attempting to see themselves clearly. They acknowledge that forgetting is not an easy task, comparing it to the power of black magic. The singer asks their former partner to tie a knot in their handkerchief as a reminder to forget.
The singer also acknowledges that they will shed tears over the end of the relationship, but ultimately it is necessary to move on. The singer describes the experience of remembering past moments as like watching black and white films. The repeated refrain of "souviens toi de m'oublier" emphasizes the idea of forgetting as a necessary process after a breakup.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of sadness and resignation, but also a recognition that forgetting is an important part of moving on from a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Souviens toi de m'oublier, je vais y penser,
Remember to forget me, I'm going to try to do the same.
Réflechis comme un miroir, je vais voir,
Reflect like a mirror, I'm going to observe.
Et souviens toi de m'oublier, je vais essayer,
And remember to forget me, I'm going to make an effort.
L'amnesie a le pouvoir de la magie noire,
Amnesia has the power of black magic.
Souviens toi de m'oublier, et quand je pleurerais,
Remember to forget me, and when I cry,
Fais un noeud à ton mouchoir, pour ta mémoire,
Tie a knot in your handkerchief, for your memory,
Et souviens toi de m'oublier, je vais y penser,
And remember to forget me, I'm going to think about it.
Les flash-back c'est comme voir des films noirs,
Flashbacks are like watching black and white movies.
Souviens toi de m'oublier, ouais je vais y penser,
Remember to forget me, oh yes I'm going to think about it,
Réflechis comme un miroir, je vais voir,
Reflect like a mirror, I'm going to observe.
Et souviens toi de m'oublier, je vais essayer,
And remember to forget me, I'm going to make an effort.
Tu sais bien qu'il va falloir, ne plus nous voir,
You know very well that we have to stop seeing each other,
Mais souviens toi
But remember
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SERGE GAINSBOURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kit Baleine
I cannot believe how underrated this album is
Banditos Banditos
C vrai = Charlotte ❤❤❤
Ирина Миронович
Красавчик Серж и его красивая музыка.
MoiMonPainpanzeR
Serge est juste génial !
Chansons de France
Deneuve c’est Deneuve...et sa voix est authentique
Toma Überwenig
Merci, au moins une personne qui accepte de voir (enfin, d'entendre) la présence fragile de Deneuve. A croire que tous ceux qui n'avaient pas connu Les Parapluies de Cherbourg s'étaient donné rendez-vous dans l'espace commentaire!!
SingHouse
oui gainsbourg est le roi du style mi parlé, mi chanté, j'adore aussi
MICHAUT Laurent
tu nous manques Serge!
Esfaindyar Daneshvar
Parti en fumée, envoie o Serge en fulguration des sons électriques ondes magiques à la surface de ce désert...
AngelaB
je l'aime!!!