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
Vilaines Filles Mauvais Garçons
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vilaine fille (mauvais garçon)
Dans cette vallée de larmes qu'est la vie
Viens avec moi par les sentiers interdits
À ceux-là qui nous appellent à tort ou à raison
Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon
À ceux-là qui nous appellent à tort ou à raison
Au fond de cette vallée coule un torrent
Il est l'image même de nos vingt ans
C'est à lui que nous devons cet air et ces façons
De vilaine fille, d'mauvais garçon
C'est à lui que nous devons cet air et ces façons
De vilaine fille (mauvais garçon)
Il n'est pas âme qui vive
Qui me plaise autant que toi
Si tu étais plus naïve
Je t'apprendrais tout ce que tu sais déjà
Les enfants du siècle sont tous un peu fous
Mais le cliquetis de la machine à sous
Couvrira cette voix qui dit à tort à raison
Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon
Couvrira cette voix qui dit à tort à raison
Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon
(Mauvais garçon)
Demain lorsque la lune se couchera
N'existera au monde que toi et moi
Plus personne pour nous dire à tort ou à raison
Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon
Et les yeux dans les yeux tendrement nous nous dirons
Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon
Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon
Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon
Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon
The lyrics of Serge Gainsbourg's song Vilaines Filles Mauvais Garçons (which translates as Naughty Girls and Bad Boys) describe the rebellion and defiance of youth against societal norms and expectations. The song invites the listener to accompany the singer, who represents the bad boy, on a journey through the forbidden paths of life. The bad boy and naughty girl portrayed in the song are alienated from society, and they find solace in each other’s company. They are misunderstood and rejected by the world, but they have each other, and that is all that matters.
The singer then describes a valley where a river flows, symbolizing their youth, and how they owe their style and demeanor to it. He explains that the music from the slot machines that they play on and the sound of the river will cover up their rebellious voice. The song ends with the hope of a future where they will find love and acceptance for who they are, and they will no longer be judged as bad boys or naughty girls.
Overall, the lyrics convey a message of non-conformity and the search for identity. The song highlights the struggle of young people to find their place in a world that is often hostile to them. Gainsbourg’s lyrics draw from the emotions and experiences of youth culture in the 1960s, where rebellion and non-conformity were the norm.
Line by Line Meaning
Vilaine fille (mauvais garçon)
The pairing of a mischievous girl and a bad boy
Dans cette vallée de larmes qu'est la vie
Life is often a difficult and sad journey
Viens avec moi par les sentiers interdits
Let's live a little dangerously and break the rules
À ceux-là qui nous appellent à tort ou à raison
People who judge and criticize us, whether justified or not
C'est à lui que nous devons cet air et ces façons
We owe our rebellious attitude and demeanor to our experiences and past
Il n'est pas âme qui vive
Qui me plaise autant que toi
Si tu étais plus naïve
Je t'apprendrais tout ce que tu sais déjà
There's no one else in the world that I find more pleasing than you; if only you were more innocent, I would teach you everything you already know
Les enfants du siècle sont tous un peu fous
Mais le cliquetis de la machine à sous
Couvrira cette voix qui dit à tort à raison
Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon
Young people are often seen as crazy and impulsive, but the distractions of modern society will silence anyone who criticizes us for being wild and free
(Mauvais garçon)
Demain lorsque la lune se couchera
N'existera au monde que toi et moi
Plus personne pour nous dire à tort ou à raison
Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon
Et les yeux dans les yeux tendrement nous nous dirons
Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon
Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon
Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon
Tomorrow, when the moon sets, there will be only you and me in the world, with no one else to judge or criticize us for being bad kids. And as we gaze into each other's eyes, we will softly whisper 'Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon' over and over again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Serge Gainsbourg, Maria Suire
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