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
Zig Zig Avec Toi
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Et lorsque ton corps zigzague
Zig zig toi et moi
Zig zig hum ! quel émoi
Zig zig oui je t'aime
J'aime ton petit corps blême
Zig zig toi et moi
Zig zig hum ! quel émoi
Big big je vois grand
N'est-c'pas qu'je suis un bon zigue
Big big c'est pour toi
Big big hum ! quel émoi
Big big mon amour
Est si grand qu'j'en fait pas l'tour
Big big c'est pour toi
Big big hum ! quel émoi
Et allez l'orchestre !
Encore une fois !
Zig zig avec toi
Et lorsque ton corps zigzague
Zig zig toi et moi
Zig zig hum quel émoi
Zig zig oui je t'aime
J'aime tes petits seins blêmes
Zig zig toi et moi
Zig zig, hum ! quel émoi
Big big je vois grand
N'est-c'pas qu'je suis un bon zèbre
Big big c'est pour toi
Big big hum ! quel émoi
Big big mon amour
Est si grand qu'j'en fait pas l'tour
Big big c'est pour toi
Big big Hum ! quel émoi
Tout le monde danse !
In Serge Gainsbourg's "Zig Zig Avec Toi" the lyrics are about the love and admiration the singer has for his partner. He uses the metaphor of "zig zagging" to describe his lover's movements, indicating that she is unpredictable and exciting. The singer seems to take pleasure in this unpredictability and is swept away by his affection for her. The chorus reinforces the sentiment with the phrase "zig zig toi et moi, zig zig hum! quel émoi" which translates as "zig zag with you, zig zag you and me, zig zag, oh what an emotion".
The verses use the same structure as the chorus with the comparison of the singer's love to the grandeur of a "zigue" or "zebra". This can be interpreted as saying that his love is both wild and visually striking. He sings about his lover's small "blême"/pale body and her small "seins"/breasts, indicating that his love and attraction to her is not based solely on physical appearance but it's about the entirety of her being.
Overall, the song expresses a deeply felt love that defies convention and celebrates individuality. The zigzag is a perfect visual metaphor for this love, which is characterized by its unpredictability.
Line by Line Meaning
Zig zig avec toi
I want to zig zag with you
Et lorsque ton corps zigzague
And when your body twists and turns
Zig zig toi et moi
Zig zag, you and me
Zig zig hum ! quel émoi
Zig zag, wow! What a thrill
Zig zig oui je t'aime
Zig zag, yes I love you
J'aime ton petit corps blême
I love your small, pale body
Zig zig toi et moi
Zig zag, you and me
Zig zig hum ! quel émoi
Zig zag, wow! What a thrill
Big big je vois grand
I see big
N'est-c'pas qu'je suis un bon zigue
Aren't I a good guy
Big big c'est pour toi
I do it big for you
Big big hum ! quel émoi
Big big, wow! What a thrill
Big big mon amour
My love is big
Est si grand qu'j'en fait pas l'tour
It's so big, I can't go around it
Big big c'est pour toi
I do it big for you
Big big hum ! quel émoi
Big big, wow! What a thrill
Et allez l'orchestre !
And here comes the orchestra!
Encore une fois !
One more time!
J'aime tes petits seins blêmes
I love your small, pale breasts
Big big je vois grand
I see big
N'est-c'pas qu'je suis un bon zèbre
Aren't I a good guy
Tout le monde danse !
Everybody dance!
Big big c'est pour toi
I do it big for you
Big big hum ! quel émoi
Big big, wow! What a thrill
Big big mon amour
My love is big
Est si grand qu'j'en fait pas l'tour
It's so big, I can't go around it
Big big c'est pour toi
I do it big for you
Big big Hum ! quel émoi
Big big, wow! What a thrill
Contributed by Violet P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-zq9ub5mt6l
J adore cette chanson qui fait année yéyé😎🥸
@MrLul75
Superbe ce clip.
@martialdelort3375
Cette chanson est géniale pour déclarer sa flamme à sa promise.
Merci Serge ❤🎉😮
@luizmauriciocoelholima540
Magnifique serge
@little0moi
Pour l'album Rock Around the Bunker, Serge a gardé à peu près les mêmes instrumentales pour toutes les chansons, c'était volontaire. Il a toujours aimé faire des albums harmonieux
@viveauch
Quelle classe!
@carrieredjessy4895
J'adore 😍😘😘😘😘
@myprivatechannel4918
Serge Gainsbourg was the essence of cool.
@Tony-to7cf
Serge Gainsbourg, président du swag.
@alexdesslin
classieux, et au top de la provoc !!