Serge Gainsbourg
Encyclopedia
Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg (sɛʁʒ ɡɛ̃zbuʁ; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize. His legacy has been firmly established, and he is often regarded as one of the world's most influential popular musicians.
) – 22 April 1971) and Olga Bessman (1894 – 16 March 1985), who fled to France after the 1917 Russian Revolution. He had a twin sister, Liliane. 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 Paris. Before he was 30 years old, Gainsbourg was a disillusioned painter, but earned his living as a piano player in bars.
He first married Elisabeth "Lize" Levitsky on 3 November 1951, and divorced her in 1957. He married a second time on 7 January 1964, to Françoise-Antoinette "Béatrice" Pancrazzi (b. 28 July 1931), with whom he had two children: a daughter named Natacha (b. 8 August 1964) and a son, Paul (born in spring 1968, after Serge had gotten back together with Béatrice). They divorced in February 1966.
In late-1967, he had a short but ardent love affair with Brigitte Bardot
to whom he dedicated the song and album Initials BB.
In mid-1968, Gainsbourg fell in love with the younger English singer and actress Jane Birkin
, whom he met during the shooting of the film Slogan. Their relationship lasted over a decade. In 1971 they had a daughter, the actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg
. Although many sources state that they were married, according to their daughter Charlotte this was not the case. Birkin left Gainsbourg in 1980.
Birkin remembers the beginning of her affair with Gainsbourg: he first took her to a nightclub, then to a transvestite club and afterwards to the Hilton hotel, where he passed out in a drunken stupor. Birkin left Gainsbourg when pregnant with her third daughter, Lou
, by the film director Jacques Doillon
.
His last partner was Bambou
(Caroline Paulus, grandchild of General Friedrich Paulus
). In 1986 they had a son, Lucien (known as Lulu).
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, pop in the 1960s, funk
, rock and reggae
in the 1970s, and electronica
in the 1980s.
Many of his songs contained themes with a morbid or sexual twist in them. An early success, "Le Poinçonneur des Lilas", describes the day in the life of a Paris Métro
ticket man whose job it is to stamp holes in passengers' tickets. Gainsbourg describes this chore as so monotonous that the man eventually thinks of putting a hole into his own head and being buried in another.
More 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 and charming singer France Gall
, it won first prize. The song was recorded in English as "A Lonely Singing Doll" by British teen idol Twinkle
.
His next song for Gall, "Les Sucettes
" ("Lollipops"), caused a scandal in France: Gainsbourg had written the song with double-meanings and strong sexual innuendo, of which the singer was apparently unaware when she recorded it. Whereas Gall thought that the song was about a girl enjoying lollipops, it was really about oral sex
. The controversy arising from the song, although a big hit for Gall, threw her career off-track in France for several years.
Gainsbourg 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 fifth. He also wrote hit songs for other artists, such as "Comment Te Dire Adieu
" for Françoise Hardy
.
In 1969, he released "Je t'aime... moi non plus
", which featured explicit lyrics and 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 or banned from public broadcast in numerous countries, and in France even the toned-down version was suppressed. The Vatican
made a public statement citing the song as offensive. However, despite or perhaps because of all the controversy, it sold well and charted within the top ten in many European countries.
was 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. It features prominent string arrangements and even a massed choir at its tragic climax. The album has proven influential with artists such as Air, David Holmes
, Jarvis Cocker
, Beck
and Dan the Automator
.
In 1975, he released the album Rock Around the Bunker
, a rock album written entirely on the subject of the Nazis
. Gainsbourg used black comedy
, as he and his family suffered during World War II. While a child in Paris, Gainsbourg had worn the yellow badge
as the mark of a Jew. Rock Around the Bunker belonged in the mid-1970s "retro" trend.
The next year saw the release of another major work, L'Homme à tête de chou (Cabbage-Head Man), featuring the new character Marilou and sumptuous orchestral themes. Cabbage-Head Man is one of his nicknames, as it refers to his ears. Musically, L'homme à tête de chou turned out to be Gainsbourg's last LP in the English rock style he had favoured since the late 1960s. He would go on to produce two reggae
albums recorded in Jamaica (1979 and 1981) and two electronic funk albums recorded in New York (1984 and 1987).
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. Bob Marley
was furious when he discovered Gainsbourg made his wife Rita Marley
sing erotic lyrics. Shortly afterward, 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.
After a turbulent 13-year-long relationship, Jane Birkin left Gainsbourg. In the 1980s, near 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. In March 1984, he burned a 500 French franc
bill on television to protest against heavy taxation. He would show up drunk and unshaven on stage: in April 1986, in Michel Drucker
's live Saturday evening show with the American singer Whitney Houston
, he exclaimed to the host (in English, and when this was not translated, in French), "I want to fuck her". The same year, in another talk show interview, he appeared alongside Catherine Ringer
, a well known singer who had appeared in pornographic films. Gainsbourg shouted, "You're nothing but a filthy whore, a filthy, fucking whore". Ringer scolded back, "Look at you, you're just a bitter old alcoholic. I used to admire you but these days you've become a disgusting old parasite".
By December 1988, while a judge at a film festival in Val d'Isère
, he was extremely intoxicated at a local theatre where he was to do a presentation. While on stage he began to tell an obscene story about Brigitte Bardot and a champagne bottle, only to stagger offstage and collapse in a nearby seat. Subsequent years saw his health deteriorate. He had to undergo liver surgery, but denied any connection to cancer or cirrhosis. His appearances and releases became sparser as he had to rest and recover in Vezelay. During these final years, he released Love on the Beat
, a controversial electronic album with mostly sexual themes in the lyrics, and his last studio album, You're Under Arrest
, presented more synth-driven songs.
His songs became increasingly eccentric during this period, ranging from the anti-drug "Aux Enfants de la Chance" to the highly controversial duet with his daughter Charlotte
named "Lemon Incest". This translates as "Inceste de citron", a wordplay on "un zeste de citron" (a lemon zest). The title demonstrates Gainsbourg's love for puns – another example of which is Beau oui comme Bowie, a song he gave to Isabelle Adjani
.
During his career, he wrote the soundtracks for more than 40 films. In 1996, he received a posthumous César Award for Best Music Written for a Film
for Élisa, along with Zbigniew Preisner
and Michel Colombier
.
He directed four movies: Je t'aime... moi non plus
, Équateur
, Charlotte For Ever
and Stan The Flasher.
He made a brief appearance with Jane Birkin in 1980 in Egon Schiele Exzess und Bestrafung
, a film by Herbert Vesely, and also starred at "Les Chemins de Katmandou", with Jane Birkin.
said of him, "He was our Baudelaire, our Apollinaire... He elevated the song to the level of art." His home at the well-known address rue de Verneuil is still covered in graffiti and poems.
Since his death, Gainsbourg's music has reached legendary stature in France. His lyrical brilliance in French has left an extraordinary legacy. His music, always progressive, covered many styles: jazz, ballads, mambo, lounge, reggae, pop (including adult contemporary pop, kitsch pop, yé-yé pop
, '80s pop, pop-art pop, prog pop, space-age pop, psychedelic pop, and erotic pop), funk, disco, calypso, Africana, bossa nova
, and rock and roll
. He has gained a following in the English-speaking world with many non-mainstream artists finding his arrangements highly influential.
One of the most frequent interpreters of Gainsbourg's songs was British singer Petula Clark
, whose success in France was propelled by her recordings of his tunes. In 2003, she wrote and recorded La Chanson de Gainsbourg as a tribute to the composer of some of her biggest hits.
His lyrics are collected in the volume Dernières nouvelles des étoiles.
and Kacey Mottet Klein.
Singles written for other artists
Personal life
He was born Lucien Ginsburg in Paris, France, the son of Russian Jewish emigrants, Joseph Ginsburg (28 December 1898, Kharkov (UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) – 22 April 1971) and Olga Bessman (1894 – 16 March 1985), who fled to France after the 1917 Russian Revolution. He had a twin sister, Liliane. His childhood was profoundly affected by the occupation of France by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, during which he and his family, as Jews, were forced to wear the yellow star
Yellow badge
The yellow badge , also referred to as a Jewish badge, was a cloth patch that Jews were ordered to sew on their outer garments in order to mark them as Jews in public. It is intended to be a badge of shame associated with antisemitism...
and eventually flee Paris. Before he was 30 years old, Gainsbourg was a disillusioned painter, but earned his living as a piano player in bars.
He first married Elisabeth "Lize" Levitsky on 3 November 1951, and divorced her in 1957. He married a second time on 7 January 1964, to Françoise-Antoinette "Béatrice" Pancrazzi (b. 28 July 1931), with whom he had two children: a daughter named Natacha (b. 8 August 1964) and a son, Paul (born in spring 1968, after Serge had gotten back together with Béatrice). They divorced in February 1966.
In late-1967, he had a short but ardent love affair with Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot is a French former fashion model, actress, singer and animal rights activist. She was one of the best-known sex-symbols of the 1960s.In her early life, Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer...
to whom he dedicated the song and album Initials BB.
In mid-1968, Gainsbourg fell in love with the younger English singer and actress Jane Birkin
Jane Birkin
Jane Mallory Birkin, OBE is an English-born actress and singer who lives in France. In recent years she has written her own album, directed a film and become an outspoken proponent of democracy in Burma.- Early life :...
, whom he met during the shooting of the film Slogan. Their relationship lasted over a decade. In 1971 they had a daughter, the actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg is an Anglo-French actress and singer. After releasing an album with her father at the age of fifteen, more than twenty years passed before she released two albums as an adult to commercial and critical success...
. Although many sources state that they were married, according to their daughter Charlotte this was not the case. Birkin left Gainsbourg in 1980.
Birkin remembers the beginning of her affair with Gainsbourg: he first took her to a nightclub, then to a transvestite club and afterwards to the Hilton hotel, where he passed out in a drunken stupor. Birkin left Gainsbourg when pregnant with her third daughter, Lou
Lou Doillon
Lou Doillon is a French model and actress. Her father is director Jacques Doillon and her mother is British actress and singer Jane Birkin.-Biography:...
, by the film director Jacques Doillon
Jacques Doillon
Jacques Doillon is a French film director. He has a habit of giving lead roles to inexperienced young actresses in his films on family life and women...
.
His last partner was Bambou
Caroline von Paulus
Caroline von Paulus is a French actress, fashion model and singer, better known by her stage name - Bambou. She was married to the French singer Serge Gainsbourg from 1981 until his death in 1991. Their son Lucien 'Lulu' Gainsbourg was born in 1986...
(Caroline Paulus, grandchild of General Friedrich Paulus
Friedrich Paulus
Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus was an officer in the German military from 1910 to 1945. He attained the rank of Generalfeldmarschall during World War II, and is best known for having commanded the Sixth Army's assault on Stalingrad during Operation Blue in 1942...
). In 1986 they had a son, Lucien (known as Lulu).
Early work
His early songs were influenced by Boris VianBoris Vian
Boris Vian was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer. He is best remembered today for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan were bizarre parodies of criminal fiction, highly controversial at the time of their...
and were largely in the vein of old-fashioned chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
. Very early, however, Gainsbourg began to move beyond this and experiment with a succession of different musical styles: jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
early on, pop in the 1960s, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, rock and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
in the 1970s, and electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
in the 1980s.
Many of his songs contained themes with a morbid or sexual twist in them. An early success, "Le Poinçonneur des Lilas", describes the day in the life of a Paris Métro
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
ticket man whose job it is to stamp holes in passengers' tickets. Gainsbourg describes this chore as so monotonous that the man eventually thinks of putting a hole into his own head and being buried in another.
More success began to arrive when, in 1965, his song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son
Poupée de cire, poupée de son
"Poupée de cire, poupée de son" was the winning entry in the Eurovision Song Contest of 1965. It was performed in French by French singer France Gall, representing Luxembourg....
" was the Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. Performed by French teen and charming singer France Gall
France Gall
France Gall is a popular French yé-yé singer.Gall was married to, and had a successful singing career in partnership with, French singer-songwriter Michel Berger....
, it won first prize. The song was recorded in English as "A Lonely Singing Doll" by British teen idol Twinkle
Twinkle (singer)
Twinkle is an English singer-songwriter, primarily in the 1960s. Twinkle's most famous songs were "Terry" and "Golden Lights".-Career:...
.
His next song for Gall, "Les Sucettes
Les Sucettes
"Les Sucettes" is a French pop song written by Serge Gainsbourg and recorded by France Gall in 1966. One of Gall's biggest hits, it was an unusually risqué song for its time, but in performing it she was unaware of the fact....
" ("Lollipops"), caused a scandal in France: Gainsbourg had written the song with double-meanings and strong sexual innuendo, of which the singer was apparently unaware when she recorded it. Whereas Gall thought that the song was about a girl enjoying lollipops, it was really about oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
. The controversy arising from the song, although a big hit for Gall, threw her career off-track in France for several years.
Gainsbourg 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
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
in the 1967 contest, sung by Minouche Barelli
Minouche Barelli
Minouche Barelli, born Mary-Pierre Barelli, was a French singer, best-known internationally for her participation in the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest....
; it came fifth. He also wrote hit songs for other artists, such as "Comment Te Dire Adieu
Comment te dire adieu
"Comment te dire adieu?" is a French adaptation of the song "It Hurts to Say Goodbye". It was recorded by Françoise Hardy in 1968 and remains one of Hardy's most popular songs.-Background:...
" for Françoise Hardy
Françoise Hardy
Françoise Madeleine Hardy is a French singer, actress and astrologer. Hardy is an iconic figure in fashion, music and style. She is married to the singer and movie actor Jacques Dutronc.-Biography:...
.
In 1969, he released "Je t'aime... moi non plus
Je t'aime... moi non plus
"Je t'aime… moi non plus" is a French duet written by Serge Gainsbourg. It was written for and sung with Brigitte Bardot in 1967, but that version was not released until 1986. In 1969, Gainsbourg recorded a version with his lover, Jane Birkin. It reached number one in the UK, but was banned in...
", which featured explicit lyrics and simulated sounds of female orgasm
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
. The song appeared that year on an LP, Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg. Originally recorded with Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot is a French former fashion model, actress, singer and animal rights activist. She was one of the best-known sex-symbols of the 1960s.In her early life, Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer...
, 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 or banned from public broadcast in numerous countries, and in France even the toned-down version was suppressed. The Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
made a public statement citing the song as offensive. However, despite or perhaps because of all the controversy, it sold well and charted within the top ten in many European countries.
The seventies
Histoire de Melody NelsonHistoire de Melody Nelson
Histoire de Melody Nelson is a 1971 concept album by French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. The Lolita-esque pseudo-autobiographical plot involves the middle-aged Gainsbourg unintentionally colliding his Rolls Royce Silver Ghost into teenage nymphet Melody Nelson's bicycle, and the subsequent...
was released in 1971. This concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
, produced and arranged by Jean-Claude Vannier
Jean-Claude Vannier
Jean-Claude Vannier is a French musician, composer and arranger. He was born during a bomb scare in Courbevoie, Hauts-de-Seine. Self-taught, he began playing the piano at age 18, later arranging for Michel Magne and Alice Dona, his first notions of orchestration taken from the books of the "Que...
, tells the story of a Lolita-esque affair, with Gainsbourg as the narrator. It features prominent string arrangements and even a massed choir at its tragic climax. The album has proven influential with artists such as Air, David Holmes
David Holmes (musician)
David Holmes is a Northern Irish DJ, musician and composer.-Career:Holmes began djing in Belfast from the age of 15. His first hit was the song "DeNiro", with Ashley Beedle, in 1992. In the early to mid 1990s he ran two club nights in the Belfast Art College known as Sugar Sweet and Shake Yer Brain...
, Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
, Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
and Dan the Automator
Dan the Automator
Daniel M. Nakamura , better known by the stage name Dan the Automator, is a Japanese-American hip hop producer. He founded the record label 75 Ark, which was distributed by Tommy Boy Records during its short existence....
.
In 1975, he released the album Rock Around the Bunker
Rock Around the Bunker
Rock Around the Bunker is a 1975 album by French singer andsongwriter Serge Gainsbourg, containing songs which combined pseudo-1950smusical arrangements with lyrics relating to Nazi Germany and World War II and drawing from Gainsbourg's experiences as a Jewish child in occupied France.-Track...
, a rock album written entirely on the subject of the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
. Gainsbourg used black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
, as he and his family suffered during World War II. While a child in Paris, Gainsbourg had worn the yellow badge
Yellow badge
The yellow badge , also referred to as a Jewish badge, was a cloth patch that Jews were ordered to sew on their outer garments in order to mark them as Jews in public. It is intended to be a badge of shame associated with antisemitism...
as the mark of a Jew. Rock Around the Bunker belonged in the mid-1970s "retro" trend.
The next year saw the release of another major work, L'Homme à tête de chou (Cabbage-Head Man), featuring the new character Marilou and sumptuous orchestral themes. Cabbage-Head Man is one of his nicknames, as it refers to his ears. Musically, L'homme à tête de chou turned out to be Gainsbourg's last LP in the English rock style he had favoured since the late 1960s. He would go on to produce two reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
albums recorded in Jamaica (1979 and 1981) and two electronic funk albums recorded in New York (1984 and 1987).
In Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in 1978 he recorded "Aux Armes et cetera", a reggae version of the French national anthem "La Marseillaise
La Marseillaise
"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song, originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792. The French National Convention adopted it as the Republic's anthem in 1795...
", with Robbie Shakespeare, Sly Dunbar
Sly Dunbar
Lowell "Sly" Fillmore Dunbar is a drummer.-Biography:Dunbar, whose nickname was reportedly given for his passion for Sly & the Family Stone, launched his musical career while still in his adolescence, playing with a local group, The Yardbrooms, at the age of fifteen...
, and Rita Marley
Rita Marley
Alpharita Constantia Anderson , better known as Rita Marley, and sometimes called "Nana Rita", is the widow of reggae legend/musician Bob Marley, and a member of the trio the I Threes, Bob Marley's backup singers.-Biography:...
. This song earned him death threats from right-wing veterans of the Algerian War of Independence
Algerian War of Independence
The Algerian War was a conflict between France and Algerian independence movements from 1954 to 1962, which led to Algeria's gaining its independence from France...
who were opposed to certain lyrics. Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
was furious when he discovered Gainsbourg made his wife Rita Marley
Rita Marley
Alpharita Constantia Anderson , better known as Rita Marley, and sometimes called "Nana Rita", is the widow of reggae legend/musician Bob Marley, and a member of the trio the I Threes, Bob Marley's backup singers.-Biography:...
sing erotic lyrics. Shortly afterward, 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.
Final years
French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
bill on television to protest against heavy taxation. He would show up drunk and unshaven on stage: in April 1986, in Michel Drucker
Michel Drucker
Michel Drucker, CQ is a popular French journalist and TV host.Michel Drucker was born in Vire, Calvados, in Normandy. Jacques Drucker, a doctor, is Michel's younger brother, and Jean Drucker, a TV top executive, is Michel's older brother. He started a journalistic career in 1965 at the ORTF as...
's live Saturday evening show with the American singer Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, he exclaimed to the host (in English, and when this was not translated, in French), "I want to fuck her". The same year, in another talk show interview, he appeared alongside Catherine Ringer
Catherine Ringer
Catherine Ringer is a French singer, musician, songwriter, dancer, choreographer, and actress.Ringer started her professional career on stage in the late 1970s in productions with Michael Lonsdale's Théâtre de Recherche Musicale as well as musical and dance productions...
, a well known singer who had appeared in pornographic films. Gainsbourg shouted, "You're nothing but a filthy whore, a filthy, fucking whore". Ringer scolded back, "Look at you, you're just a bitter old alcoholic. I used to admire you but these days you've become a disgusting old parasite".
By December 1988, while a judge at a film festival in Val d'Isère
Val d'Isère
Val d'Isère is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in south-eastern France. It lies from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise National Park created in 1963. The Face de Bellevarde was the scene of the men's downhill race as part of the 1992 Winter...
, he was extremely intoxicated at a local theatre where he was to do a presentation. While on stage he began to tell an obscene story about Brigitte Bardot and a champagne bottle, only to stagger offstage and collapse in a nearby seat. Subsequent years saw his health deteriorate. He had to undergo liver surgery, but denied any connection to cancer or cirrhosis. His appearances and releases became sparser as he had to rest and recover in Vezelay. During these final years, he released Love on the Beat
Love on the Beat
Love on the Beat is a 1984 album by French singer and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. On this album, Gainsbourg tried his hand at the electronic new-wave movement, ripe with synthesizers, which were heavily popular at the time. The album was controversial due to its very sexual lyrical content, with...
, a controversial electronic album with mostly sexual themes in the lyrics, and his last studio album, You're Under Arrest
You're Under Arrest (Serge Gainsbourg album)
You're Under Arrest is the final album by French singer and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, released in 1987.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Serge Gainsbourg; except "Gloomy Sunday" and "Mon légionnaire"# You're Under Arrest# Five Easy Pisseuses...
, presented more synth-driven songs.
His songs became increasingly eccentric during this period, ranging from the anti-drug "Aux Enfants de la Chance" to the highly controversial duet with his daughter Charlotte
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg is an Anglo-French actress and singer. After releasing an album with her father at the age of fifteen, more than twenty years passed before she released two albums as an adult to commercial and critical success...
named "Lemon Incest". This translates as "Inceste de citron", a wordplay on "un zeste de citron" (a lemon zest). The title demonstrates Gainsbourg's love for puns – another example of which is Beau oui comme Bowie, a song he gave to Isabelle Adjani
Isabelle Adjani
Isabelle Yasmine Adjani is a French film actress and singer. Adjani has appeared in 30 films since 1970. She holds the record for most César Awards for Best Actress with five, for Possession , One Deadly Summer , Camille Claudel , Queen Margot and Skirt Day...
.
Film work
In 1960 Gainsbourg co-starred with Rhonda Fleming in the Italian film, La Rivolta Degli Schiavi "The Revolt of The Slaves" as Corvino, the Roman Emperor Massimiano's evil henchman.During his career, he wrote the soundtracks for more than 40 films. In 1996, he received a posthumous César Award for Best Music Written for a Film
César Award for Best Music Written for a Film
This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Music Written for a Film . Before 2000, the award was called "César Award for Best Music".-1970s:...
for Élisa, along with Zbigniew Preisner
Zbigniew Preisner
Zbigniew Preisner is a Polish film score composer, best known for his work with film director Krzysztof Kieślowski.-Life:Zbigniew Preisner studied history and philosophy in Kraków. Never having received formal music lessons, he taught himself music by listening and transcribing parts from records....
and Michel Colombier
Michel Colombier
Michel Colombier was a French composer, songwriter, arranger, and conductor.- External links :*...
.
He directed four movies: Je t'aime... moi non plus
Je t'aime... moi non plus (film)
Je t'aime moi non plus is a 1976 feature film directed by Serge Gainsbourg, starring Jane Birkin, Hugues Quester and Joe Dallesandro, and featuring a cameo by Gérard Depardieu.- Plot introduction :...
, Équateur
Équateur (film)
Équateur is a 1983 French drama film directed by Serge Gainsbourg. It was screened out of competition at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.About Timar's trip to black Africa and his unfortunate passion for Adele, a murderess whose amorality sends a disillusioned Timar back to Europe.- Cast :* Francis...
, Charlotte For Ever
Charlotte for Ever (film)
Charlotte for Ever is a 1986 feature film directed by Serge Gainsbourg, starring himself, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Roland Bertin and Roland Dubillard.- Plot :...
and Stan The Flasher.
He made a brief appearance with Jane Birkin in 1980 in Egon Schiele Exzess und Bestrafung
Egon Schiele Exzess und Bestrafung
Egon Schiele Exzess und Bestrafung, also known as Egon Schiele Excess and Punishment and Egon Schiele, enfer et passion is a 1980 film based on the life of the Austrian artist Egon Schiele. It stars Mathieu Carriere as Schiele with Jane Birkin as his artist muse Wally and Christine Kaufman as his...
, a film by Herbert Vesely, and also starred at "Les Chemins de Katmandou", with Jane Birkin.
Death and legacy
Gainsbourg died on 2 March 1991 of a heart attack. He was buried in the Jewish lot of the Montparnasse Cemetery, in Paris. His funeral brought Paris to a standstill, and French President François MitterrandFrançois Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
said of him, "He was our Baudelaire, our Apollinaire... He elevated the song to the level of art." His home at the well-known address rue de Verneuil is still covered in graffiti and poems.
Since his death, Gainsbourg's music has reached legendary stature in France. His lyrical brilliance in French has left an extraordinary legacy. His music, always progressive, covered many styles: jazz, ballads, mambo, lounge, reggae, pop (including adult contemporary pop, kitsch pop, yé-yé pop
Yé-yé
Yé-yé was a style of pop music that emerged from France, Québec and Spain in the early 1960s. The term "yé-yé" derived from "yeah! yeah!" The style expanded worldwide, due to the success of figures such as the French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg....
, '80s pop, pop-art pop, prog pop, space-age pop, psychedelic pop, and erotic pop), funk, disco, calypso, Africana, bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
, and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. He has gained a following in the English-speaking world with many non-mainstream artists finding his arrangements highly influential.
One of the most frequent interpreters of Gainsbourg's songs was British singer Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
, whose success in France was propelled by her recordings of his tunes. In 2003, she wrote and recorded La Chanson de Gainsbourg as a tribute to the composer of some of her biggest hits.
His lyrics are collected in the volume Dernières nouvelles des étoiles.
Film biopic
A feature film titled Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque) was released in France in January 2010, which is based on the graphic novel by the writer-director of the film, Joann Sfar. Gainsbourg is portrayed by Eric ElmosninoEric Elmosnino
Eric Elmosnino is a French actor and musician of jewish origin. He is best known internationally for portraying Serge Gainsbourg in the film Gainsbourg for which he won the César Award for Best Actor....
and Kacey Mottet Klein.
Covers and tributes
- In 1964, Gainsbourg himself did covers of Babatunde OlatunjiBabatunde OlatunjiBabatunde Olatunji was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist and recording artist.- Biography :Olatunji was born in the village of Ajido, a small town near Badagry, Lagos State, in southwestern Nigeria. A member of the Yoruba people, Olatunji was introduced to traditional African music at...
's drum-heavy tunes "Kiyakiya (Why Do You Run Away?)", "Akiwowo (Chant to the Trainman)" and "Jin-go-lo-ba" which are featured on Olatunji's acclaimed Drums of Passion LP (1959). They appeared, with new French lyrics but otherwise identical in rhythm, melody and overall sound, as "Joanna", "New York – U.S.A." and "Marabout", respectively, on the "Gainsbourg Percussions" album – without any credit given to Olatunji. - One of the celebrating events of the Year of France in Brazil was a concert in September 2009 called "Gainsbourg Imperial", an event celebrating the music of Serge Gainsbourg. It was performed by Brazilian Samba Big Band Orquestra ImperialOrquestra ImperialOrquestra Imperial is a Brazilian Big Band formed in 2002 with the objective of recreating the typical Gafieira Samba sound. The group brought together notable names from the new Carioca pop scene such as Rodrigo Amarante , Moreno Veloso, Domenico and Kassin , Nina Becker, Thalma de Freitas, Max...
, having French maestro Jean-Claude VannierJean-Claude VannierJean-Claude Vannier is a French musician, composer and arranger. He was born during a bomb scare in Courbevoie, Hauts-de-Seine. Self-taught, he began playing the piano at age 18, later arranging for Michel Magne and Alice Dona, his first notions of orchestration taken from the books of the "Que...
, English singer Jane BirkinJane BirkinJane Mallory Birkin, OBE is an English-born actress and singer who lives in France. In recent years she has written her own album, directed a film and become an outspoken proponent of democracy in Burma.- Early life :...
and Brazilian musician and singer Caetano VelosoCaetano VelosoCaetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
as special guests. - Steve Wynn (formerly of The Dream Syndicate) recorded "Bonnie and Clyde" as a duet with Johnette NapolitanoJohnette NapolitanoJohnette Napolitano is an American singer, songwriter and bassist best known as the lead vocalist/songwriter and bassist for the alternative rock group Concrete Blonde.- Solo career :...
of Concrete BlondeConcrete BlondeConcrete Blonde is an alternative rock band based in the United States. They were initially active from 1982 to 1995, and again from 2001 to 2004, and once again in 2010.-Biography:...
on his 1992 solo album, Dazzling Display. - Belinda CarlisleBelinda CarlisleBelinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...
covered "Bonnie and ClydeBonnie and Clyde (Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot song)"Bonnie and Clyde" is a French language song written by Serge Gainsbourg, and performed by Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot. It is based on an English language poem written by Bonnie Parker herself a few weeks before she and Clyde Barrow were shot, entitled "The Trail's End". The song tells the story...
" and "Contact" on her 2007 French language album VoilaVoila (album)-Personnel:*Belinda Carlisle - vocals*Natacha Atlas - additional vocals on "Ma jeunesse fout le camp", "La Vie en rose", "Bonnie et Clyde" and "Des ronds dans l'eau"*Brian Eno - keyboards*Sagat Guirey - Flamenco guitar*Graham Henderson - accordion...
. - Giddle & Boyd (Giddle Partridge and Boyd RiceBoyd RiceBoyd Blake Rice is an American experimental sound/noise musician using the name of NON since the mid-1970s, archivist, actor, photographer, author, member of the Partridge Family Temple religious group, co-founder of the UNPOP art movement and current staff writer for Modern Drunkard...
) covered "Bonnie and Clyde" on their 2008 EP Going Steady with Peggy Moffitt. - The first English-language version of a Gainsbourg song was Dionne WarwickDionne WarwickDionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
's 1965 version of "Mamadou". - Australian rock musician Mick HarveyMick HarveyMichael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
released two CDs of Gainsbourg's songs translated into English. Of particular note is "To All the Lucky Kids (Aux Enfants De La Chance)" on Pink ElephantsPink ElephantsPink Elephants is Mick Harvey's second collection of Serge Gainsbourg covers.-Track listing:#"Pink Elephants" – 2:90#"Requiem. . . " – 2:35#"The Javanaise " – 2:30#"Black Seaweed " – 2:21...
. - Gainsbourg's song "Bonnie and Clyde" is featured in the burlesque show scene of Rush Hour 3Rush Hour 3Rush Hour 3 is a 2007 martial arts/action-comedy film, and the third installment in the Rush Hour film series, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, that began with the 1998 film Rush Hour and continued with the first sequel Rush Hour 2 in 2001. The film was officially announced on May 7, 2006,...
and in the romantic film Laurel CanyonLaurel Canyon (film)Laurel Canyon is a 2002 American drama film written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko. The film stars Frances McDormand, Christian Bale, Kate Beckinsale, Natascha McElhone, and Alessandro Nivola.-Plot:...
starring Christian Bale and Kate Beckinsale. - American indie rock band LunaLuna (band)Luna was a dream pop/indie pop band formed in 1991 by Dean Wareham after the breakup of Galaxie 500, with Stanley Demeski and Justin Harwood...
included a cover of "Bonnie and Clyde" as a hidden track on their 1995 album Penthouse, and their 2001 Luna Live album features a live performance of the song. - Swedish band SambassadeurSambassadeurSambassadeur are a Swedish pop band formed in 2003 in Gothenburg. They are named after the Serge Gainsbourg song "Les Sambassadeurs." The band are signed to the Labrador label, and to date, they have released three studio albums and a handful of EPs and singles...
covers "La Chanson de Prevert" in French on their self-titled debut albumSambassadeur (album)Sambassadeur is the debut album by Swedish band Sambassadeur.-Track listing:#"New Moon" - 2:41#"Ice & Snow" - 2:58#"One Last Remark" - 3:17#"Sense of Sound" - 3:51#"If Rain" - 2:35#"Still Life Ahead" - 2:57#"La Chanson de Prévert" - 3:24...
. - Okkervil River covers "Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais" in English ("I Came Here to Say I'm Going Away").
- Arcade Fire covered "Poupée de cire, poupée de Son" and also released it as a split 7" single with LCD SoundsystemLCD SoundsystemLCD Soundsystem was a prominent American dance-punk band from New York City. It was fronted by American singer-songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records...
. - BeirutBeirut (band)Beirut is an American band which was originally the solo musical project of Santa Fe native Zachary Francis Condon, and later expanded into a band. The band's first performances were in Wollaston, United Kingdom, in May 2006, to support the release of their debut album, Gulag Orkestar...
often covers "La Javanaise" in their live sets and it is included in the live album Live at the Music Hall of Williamsburg (2009). - Australian pop singer-songwriter Kylie MinogueKylie MinogueKylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
extensively sampled his duet with Brigitte Bardot "Bonnie and Clyde" on the song "Sensitized" off her 2007 album XX (Kylie Minogue album)X is the tenth studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It is her first release since the greatest hits compilation Ultimate Kylie , and her first studio album since Body Language . X was preceded by lead single "2 Hearts" and released worldwide in November 2007...
. In 2003, she sampled "Je t'aime... moi non plus" in a modified version of her song "Breathe" (which originally did not contain any samples) for a special one-off live performance at the Hammersmith ApolloHammersmith ApolloHammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
in promotion of her album Body LanguageBody Language (Kylie Minogue album)Body Language is the ninth studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, released on 20 November 2003 by Parlophone. While Body Language failed to reach the chart and sales success of its predecessor, 2001's Fever, it still managed to chart inside the top five in several countries...
. - French rapper MC SolaarMC SolaarMC Solaar is a francophone hip hop and rap artist. He is one of the most internationally popular and influential French rappers....
sampled "Bonnie and Clyde" in his song "Nouveau Western" on his 1994 album Prose CombatProse CombatProse Combat was the second studio album released by MC Solaar. Its success propelled him to international fame. An outtake from the album sessions was "Comme dans un film"...
. Renegade SoundwaveRenegade SoundwaveRenegade Soundwave was an electronic music group. Formed in London in 1986, the group originally consisted of Gary Asquith, Carl Bonnie and Danny Briottet.-History:...
released "Renegade Soundwave" with the same sample at the same time. - Irish musician David HolmesDavid HolmesDavid Holmes is the name of:* David Holmes , stuntman and actor in the Harry Potter films* David Holmes , former Chairman of Rangers* David Holmes , former BBC Political Editor...
covered "Cargo Culte" in his song "Don't Die Just Yet" on his 1997 album Let's Get KilledLet's Get KilledLets Get Killed is the second studio album by Belfast electronica DJ and producer David Holmes. It was released in the UK on 8 September 1997 through Go! Beat Records and contained two UK Top 40 singles: "Don't Die Just Yet" and "My Mate Paul"...
. - American emcee Princess SuperstarPrincess SuperstarPrincess Superstar is an American emcee and DJ.Her musical style, as she describes it, is flip-flop — a mixture of 'hip hop, electroclash and electronica'.-Background:...
sampled the melody of the songs "Melody" and "Cargo Culte" in the song "You Get Mad At Napster" on her album Princess Superstar IsPrincess Superstar IsPrincess Superstar Is is a hip-hop album released by Princess Superstar. It is her fourth LP.Producers include Princess Superstar , Herbaliser, Curtis Curtis, DJ Mighty Mi of High and Mighty, Lenny Lacem, Chops, Sinista, Dart LA, and Big Jim Slade.-Track listing:#"Super Fantasy"#"Bad Babysitter"...
. - The Welsh comedy-rap band Goldie Lookin ChainGoldie Lookin ChainGoldie Lookin Chain is a comedic rap music group based in Newport, South Wales. The group produces humorous, controversial and often explicit songs that satirise hip hop, today's consumer society, the ‘chav’ culture and life in Newport and south Wales in general.-Background:Many of the songs...
extensively sampled the title track of Gainsbourg's Cannabis film soundtrack for their single "Your Missus Is a NutterYour Missus Is a Nutter"Your Missus is a Nutter" is a song by the Welsh satirical rap act Goldie Lookin' Chain . It has more of a "rock" sound than their previous records, heavily drawing on a sample taken from Serge Gainsbourg's song Cannabis....
". - In 1997 Tzadik records released a tribute to GainsbourgGreat Jewish Music: Serge GainsbourgGreat Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg is a tribute album featuring the music of French singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. Executive-produced by John Zorn, it was released on Tzadik Records in 1997 as part of their series on "Radical Jewish Culture"....
in their Great Jewish Composers series. The album includes covers by John ZornJohn ZornJohn Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Mike PattonMike PattonMichael Allan "Mike" Patton is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the metal/experimental rock band Faith No More. He has also sung for Mr...
, Fred FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
, Ikue MoriIkue Mori, also known as Ikue Ile, is a drummer, composer, and graphic designer.-Biography:Ikue Mori was born and raised in Japan. She says she had little interest in music before hearing punk rock...
, Marc RibotMarc RibotMarc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
and Cyro BaptistaCyro BaptistaCyro Baptista is a Brazilian musician, teacher, and recording artist specializing in percussion in the genres of jazz and world music....
. - On the HBO show Flight of the ConchordsFlight of the Conchords (TV series)Flight of the Conchords is an American television comedy series that debuted on HBO on June 17, 2007. The show follows the adventures of Flight of the Conchords, a two-man band from New Zealand, as its members seek fame and success in New York City. The show stars the real-life duo, Jemaine Clement...
, the sequence for the song "A Kiss is Not a Contract" is a tribute to Gainsbourg's video for "Ballade de Melody Nelson". - The track "Serge" on The HerbaliserThe HerbaliserThe Herbaliser is a jazz rap band formed by Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba London, England during the early 1990s. Although currently signed to !K7 Records, they were one of the best-known acts from the Ninja Tune independent record label...
's album Take LondonTake LondonTake London is the 7th album released by The Herbaliser, released in 2005 .A second version was also released which contained a second disc Take London is the 7th album released by The Herbaliser, released in 2005 (Cat. no: ZENCD098).A second version was also released which contained a second disc...
is about a chance encounter with Gainsbourg 3 days before his death. - Black Grape's "A Big Day in the North" is based on a sample taken from Initials B.B. and also features samples from "Ford Mustang".
- In the film High FidelityHigh Fidelity (film)High Fidelity is a 2000 American comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and starring John Cusack and the Danish actress Iben Hjejle. The film is based on the 1995 British novel of the same name by Nick Hornby, with the setting moved from London to Chicago and the name of the lead character...
, when a pair of punks steals from Rob Gordon's record store, one of the things they stole was a Serge Gainsbourg record. - American hip hop duo The BeatnutsThe BeatnutsThe Beatnuts are a New York-based hip hop group and production duo from Queens, New York City. Its current members are JuJu and Psycho Les. JuJu is Dominican American from Corona and Psycho Les is a Colombian American from Jackson Heights...
sampled "Melody" on their track "Superbad" off their album The Beatnuts LP. - Nick CaveNick CaveNicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
sang a duet of "I love you nor do I" with his long time girlfriend Anita LaneAnita LaneAnita Lane is an Australian singer and songwriter who directly influenced the early 1980s European post-punk landscape.-Birthday Party:Lane was born in Melbourne, Australia in the late 1950s. Lane began singing and writing songs at age 16. She was a classmate with Rowland S. Howard who would...
. So did Barry AdamsonBarry AdamsonBarry Adamson is a British rock musician who has worked with rock bands such as Magazine, Visage, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the electronic musicians Pan sonic and Depeche Mode. Adamson created the seven-minute opus "Useless " remix for the latter band in 1997...
with Anita in 1993 on his release The Negro inside Me with "Je t'aime ... Moi non plus". - Trumpet player Erik TruffazErik TruffazErik Truffaz is a Swiss-born French jazz trumpeter, infusing elements of hip hop, rock and roll and dance music into his compositions. He signed with the French EMI label in 1996. Truffaz gained international attention with his second album on Blue Note, The Dawn, produced together with Pat...
did a jazz remake of "Je t'aime, moi non plus". - Australian Psychedelic band Tame ImpalaTame ImpalaTame Impala are a psychedelic rock band from Perth, Australia. They are signed to Modular Records. The band came to prominence in 2010 with the release of their first debut album, Innerspeaker. Their name refers to the impala, a medium sized antelope...
covered "Bonnie and Clyde" in their 2011 tour of Europe. - American hip hop band De La SoulDe La SoulDe La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
sampled "Les Oubliettes" and "En Melody" on their second album De La Soul Is DeadDe La Soul Is DeadDe La Soul Is Dead is De La Soul's second full-length album, released in 1991 . The album was produced by Prince Paul, whose work on 3 Feet High and Rising was highly praised by music critics. The album was one of the first to receive a five mic rating in the Hip hop magazine The Source...
released in 1991. - In 2005, the album Monsieur Gainsbourg RevisitedMonsieur Gainsbourg RevisitedMonsieur Gainsbourg Revisited is a tribute album to the works of late French singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. First released on Virgin Records in 2006, it consists of English language cover versions of Gainsbourg songs, performed by a diverse array of contemporary artists...
was released by Virgin Records. The album consisted of specially-recorded English-language cover versions of Gainsbourg's songs, recorded by artists as diverse as Franz Ferdinand, Portishead, PlaceboPlacebo (band)Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
, Marc AlmondMarc AlmondMarc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
, Michael StipeMichael StipeJohn Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
, Cat PowerCat PowerCharlyn Marie Marshall , also known as Chan Marshall or by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer/songwriter and occasional actress and model. Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall's first band, but has come to refer to her musical projects with various backing bands...
, Karen ElsonKaren ElsonKaren Elson is a British model, singer-songwriter and guitarist.As a child, Elson attended North Chadderton School in Chadderton with her twin sister, filmmaker Kate Elson. She began working as a model as a teenager....
, Jarvis CockerJarvis CockerJarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
, Kid LocoKid LocoJean-Yves Prieur, aka Kid Loco is a French electronic musician, DJ, remixer and producer. He was born on June 16, 1964 in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, France. Allmusic considers his style to be similar to Air and Dimitri from Paris...
, Faultline, Françoise HardyFrançoise HardyFrançoise Madeleine Hardy is a French singer, actress and astrologer. Hardy is an iconic figure in fashion, music and style. She is married to the singer and movie actor Jacques Dutronc.-Biography:...
, TrickyTrickyTricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...
, Marianne FaithfullMarianne FaithfullMarianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
, Sly and RobbieSly and RobbieSly and Robbie is the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production team of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare who joined in the mid 1970s after having established themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians...
, GonzalesGonzalesGonzales is a variant spelling of the common Spanish González . It may refer to:-People:*Alberto Gonzales, former U.S. Attorney General...
, FeistFeistFeist may refer to:* Feist , a specific class of small hunting dogs, though not a recognized pedigree* Feist Publications, a United States telephone directory publisher acquired by Yellow Book in 2004...
, DaniDaniDani is a unisex given name typically truncated from the name Daniel or Danielle.Dani may refer to:-People:* Dani people, a people living in the isolated central highlands of West Papua* Danes -Given name:...
, Trash Palace, The RakesThe RakesThe Rakes were an English indie rock band from London. They split up in October 2009.-History:The Rakes formed in 2004. Since coming to fame in 2005, they were associated with the British post-punk/art rock scene, a genre shared by bands such as Bloc Party, Maxïmo Park, and The Futureheads...
, The KillsThe KillsThe Kills is a rock band formed by American singer Alison Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie Hince . Their first three albums, Keep On Your Mean Side, No Wow, and Midnight Boom, have garnered much critical praise...
, Carla BruniCarla BruniCarla Bruni-Sarkozy is an Italian-French songwriter, singer, actress, and former model...
, James IhaJames IhaJames Yoshinobu Iha b. March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Japanese American rock musician. He is best known as having been a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, most notably being a permanent...
, Kazu Makino, Nina PerssonNina Perssonis the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish pop group The Cardigans. She has also worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums as A Camp and appearing on the tribute album to Serge Gainsbourg entitled Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited...
and Nathan LarsonNathan LarsonNathan Larson is an American film composer, musician, and author. Larson's debut novel The Dewey Decimal System was released by Akashic Books in April 2011....
.
Albums
- 1958: Du chant à la uneDu chant à la uneDu chant à la une!... is an album by French musician Serge Gainsbourg, released 1958. This was the debut album for Gainsbourg, released on a 10" vinyl.-Track listing:All songs by Serge Gainsbourg except where noted otherwise...
- 1959: N° 2N° 2N° 2 is the second album by French musician Serge Gainsbourg, released in 1959. It features Gainsbourg backed by the Alain Goraguer Orchestra.-Track listing:All songs by Serge Gainsbourg except where noted otherwise# "Le Claqeur de Doigts" – 3:07...
- 1961: L'Étonnant Serge GainsbourgL'Étonnant Serge GainsbourgL'Étonnant Serge Gainsbourg is the third album by French musician Serge Gainsbourg, released in 1961. Like its predecessors, it features Gainsbourg backed by the Alain Goraguer Orchestra.-Track listing:...
- 1962: N° 4
- 1963: Confidentiel
- 1964: Percussions
- 1967: AnnaAnna (1967 film)Anna is a 1967 French musical-comedy film directed by Pierre Koralnik and starring Anna Karina.-Cast:* Anna Karina - Anna* Jean-Claude Brialy - Serge Anna is a 1967 French musical-comedy film directed by Pierre Koralnik and starring Anna Karina.-Cast:* Anna Karina - Anna* Jean-Claude Brialy - Serge...
- 1968: Serge Gainsbourg – Brigitte BardotBrigitte BardotBrigitte Anne-Marie Bardot is a French former fashion model, actress, singer and animal rights activist. She was one of the best-known sex-symbols of the 1960s.In her early life, Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer...
: Bonnie & ClydeBonnie and Clyde (album)Bonnie and Clyde is a 1968 collaboration album by Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot.-Track listing:Music from the album was composed by Serge Gainsbourg, Gérard Bourgeois, Jean-Max Rivière, Alain Goraguer, Jack Palmer, Spencer Williams and Charles Baudelaire.#"Bonnie And Clyde" 4:19 #"Bubble...
(compilation) - 1968: Initials B.B. (compilation)
- 1969: Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg
- 1970: CannabisCannabis (film score)Cannabis is a film score by French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, released in May 1970 through Philips Records, accompanying the 1970 film of the same name, directed by Pierre Koralnik and starring Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, and Curd Jürgens....
(instrumental) - 1971: Histoire de Melody NelsonHistoire de Melody NelsonHistoire de Melody Nelson is a 1971 concept album by French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. The Lolita-esque pseudo-autobiographical plot involves the middle-aged Gainsbourg unintentionally colliding his Rolls Royce Silver Ghost into teenage nymphet Melody Nelson's bicycle, and the subsequent...
- 1973: Vu de l'extérieurVu de l'extérieurVu de l'extérieur is a studio album by French musician Serge Gainsbourg, released in 1973.-Overview:1971's Histoire de Melody Nelson, a first-person rock opera depicting the meeting and eventual seduction of doomed English teenager Melody Nelson, was Gainsbourg's first major success in the LP...
- 1975: Rock around the bunkerRock Around the BunkerRock Around the Bunker is a 1975 album by French singer andsongwriter Serge Gainsbourg, containing songs which combined pseudo-1950smusical arrangements with lyrics relating to Nazi Germany and World War II and drawing from Gainsbourg's experiences as a Jewish child in occupied France.-Track...
- 1976: Je t'aime... moi non plus – Ballade de Johnny-Jane (instrumental)
- 1976: L'Homme à la tête de chou
- 1977: Madame Claude
- 1977: Goodbye Emmanuelle (instrumental)
- 1979: Aux armes et cæteraAux armes et cætera (album)Produced by Philippe Lerichomme, Aux Armes et cætera is the thirteenth album by Serge Gainsbourg, released in the early spring of 1979. It was recorded in Kingston, Jamaica, with some of the island's best reggae musicians as well as members of the I Threes, Bob Marley's backup chorus which includes...
- 1980: Je vous aime (only 3 pieces sung by Gainsbourg)
- 1980: Enregistrement public au Théâtre Le Palace (live)
- 1981: Mauvaises nouvelles des étoiles
- 1984: Love On The BeatLove on the BeatLove on the Beat is a 1984 album by French singer and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. On this album, Gainsbourg tried his hand at the electronic new-wave movement, ripe with synthesizers, which were heavily popular at the time. The album was controversial due to its very sexual lyrical content, with...
- 1986: Live (Casino de Paris)
- 1986: Putain de film ! – B.O.F. Tenue de soirée
- 1987: You're Under ArrestYou're Under Arrest (Serge Gainsbourg album)You're Under Arrest is the final album by French singer and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, released in 1987.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Serge Gainsbourg; except "Gloomy Sunday" and "Mon légionnaire"# You're Under Arrest# Five Easy Pisseuses...
- 1988: Le Zénith de Gainsbourg (live)
- 1994: De Gainsbourg à Gainsbarre (11 CD box set)
Tribute albums and posthumous releases
- 1997: Great Jewish Music: Serge GainsbourgGreat Jewish Music: Serge GainsbourgGreat Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg is a tribute album featuring the music of French singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. Executive-produced by John Zorn, it was released on Tzadik Records in 1997 as part of their series on "Radical Jewish Culture"....
(tribute album) - 1997: Comic Strip
- 2001: Gainsbourg Forever (integral box set)
- 2001: Le Cinéma de Gainsbourg (box set)
- 2001: I Love Serge: Electronicagainsbourg (remix album)
- 2005: Monsieur Gainsbourg RevisitedMonsieur Gainsbourg RevisitedMonsieur Gainsbourg Revisited is a tribute album to the works of late French singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. First released on Virgin Records in 2006, it consists of English language cover versions of Gainsbourg songs, performed by a diverse array of contemporary artists...
(tribute album) - 2008: Classé X (compilation)
Singles
- "Black Trombone" (1962)
- "La Javanaise" (1963)
- "Couleur Café" (1964)
- "New York U.S.A." (1964)
- "Les SucettesLes Sucettes"Les Sucettes" is a French pop song written by Serge Gainsbourg and recorded by France Gall in 1966. One of Gall's biggest hits, it was an unusually risqué song for its time, but in performing it she was unaware of the fact....
" (1966) - "Hold Up" (1967)
- "Initials B.B." (1967)
- "Bonnie and ClydeBonnie and Clyde (Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot song)"Bonnie and Clyde" is a French language song written by Serge Gainsbourg, and performed by Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot. It is based on an English language poem written by Bonnie Parker herself a few weeks before she and Clyde Barrow were shot, entitled "The Trail's End". The song tells the story...
" (1968) (Brigitte Bardot et Serge Gainsbourg) - "Je t'aime... moi non plusJe t'aime... moi non plus"Je t'aime… moi non plus" is a French duet written by Serge Gainsbourg. It was written for and sung with Brigitte Bardot in 1967, but that version was not released until 1986. In 1969, Gainsbourg recorded a version with his lover, Jane Birkin. It reached number one in the UK, but was banned in...
" (1969) (Jane Birkin avec Serge Gainsbourg) - "La Décadanse" (1971) (Jane Birkin et Serge Gainsbourg)
- "Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais" (1973)
- "L'Homme à Tête de Chou" (1976)
- "Marilou" (1976)
- "Sea, Sex and Sun" (1978)
- "Aux armes et caetera" (1979)
- "Lola Rastaquouère" (1979)
- "Dieu fumeur de havanes" (1980) (Catherine Deneuve & Serge Gainsbourg)
- "Sorry Angel" (1984)
- "Lemon Incest" (1985) (Charlotte & Gainsbourg)
- "You're Under Arrest" (1987)
- "Mon légionnaireMon légionnaireMon légionnaire is a French song created in 1936 by Marie Dubas, with lyrics by Raymond Asso and music by Marguerite Monnot. Marie Dubas toured the United States with this song in 1939....
" (1987) - "Requiem pour un con" (1991)
- "Élisa" (1995)
- "La Noyée"
Singles written for other artists
- "Les Incorruptibles" (1965) – Petula Clark
- "Poupée de cire, poupée de sonPoupée de cire, poupée de son"Poupée de cire, poupée de son" was the winning entry in the Eurovision Song Contest of 1965. It was performed in French by French singer France Gall, representing Luxembourg....
" (1965) – France Gall - "Baby Pop" (1966) – France Gall
- "Comment te dire adieu?" (1968) – Françoise Hardy
- "Dis-lui toi que je t'aime" (1990) – Vanessa Paradis
- "White and Black BluesWhite and Black Blues"White and Black Blues" was the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1990, performed in French by Joëlle Ursull, from her album Black French. The song was performed fourteenth on the night of the competition. At the close of voting, it had received 132 points, tying for second place in a...
" (1990) – Joëlle Ursull (lyrics by Gainsbourg) - "La Gadoue" (1995) – Jane Birkin