Serge Gainsbourg

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

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Personal life

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, 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.

[edit] Early work

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.

[edit] 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."

[edit] 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").

[edit] Film work

During his career, he wrote the soundtracks for more than forty films. He directed four movies: Je t'aime... moi non plus, Equateur, Charlotte For Ever and Stan The Flasher.

[edit] Photography work

To be done

[edit] Death and legacy

Gainsbourg's grave in the Montparnasse Cemetery (he is buried with his parents)
Enlarge
Gainsbourg's grave in the Montparnasse Cemetery (he is buried with his parents)

Gainsbourg died on March 2, 1991 of a heart-attack and was buried in Montparnasse Cemetery, in Paris. His funeral brought Paris to a standstill, and French President François Mitterrand 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 5bis rue de Verneuil is still covered by graffiti and poems.

Since his death, Gainsbourg's music has reached an iconic 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), 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 imaginative and eclectic arrangements highly influential.

He is also considered to be one of the first music pop artists of the late 1960s. While artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein explored modern iconographic consumer culture through painting, Gainsbourg explored similar territory in music with songs such as "Comic Strip," "Ford Mustang," "Qui est In Qui est Out," and "Teenie Weenie Boppie."

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.

[edit] Trivia

  • The first English-language version of a Gainsbourg song was Dionne Warwick's 1965 version of "Mamadou".
  • Australian rock musician Mick Harvey released two CDs worth of Gainsbourg's songs translated into English.
  • France Gall was horrified to discover the sexual double-meaning of the lyrics to "Les Sucettes". Les Sucettes tells about a little girl with a strong taste for lollipops — a perfectly innocent song suitable for small children. However, one can also interpret it as a description of fellatio.
  • A controversial video for the song "Lemon Incest" features a half-naked Gainsbourg lying on a bed with daughter Charlotte. Phrases from the song include: "L'amour que nous n'f'rons jamais ensemble/ Est le plus beau le plus violent/ Le plus pur le plus enivrant" ("The love that we will never make together is the most beautiful the most violent, the most pure, the most heady").
  • Reggae star Bob Marley was furious when he discovered Gainsbourg made his wife Rita Marley sing erotic lyrics.
  • He once burned a 500 French franc note on television to protest against heavy taxation.
  • Drunk on French national TV, he told a very young Whitney Houston "I want to fuck you". Horrified, the show host (Michel Drucker) pretended Gainsbourg had said something else "Well he says you're very nice...", then forced Gainsbourg to apologize after Gainsbourg clarified himself in English to a horrified Houston. (See also External links.)

[edit] Discography

  • 1958: Du chant à la une
  • 1959: Disque N°2
  • 1961: L'étonnant Serge Gainsbourg
  • 1962: Disque N°4
  • 1963: Gainsbourg Confidentiel
  • 1964: Gainsbourg Percussions
  • 1967: Anna
  • 1967: Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot: Bonnie & Clyde
  • 1968: Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot: Initials B.B.
  • 1969: Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg
  • 1971: Histoire de Melody Nelson
  • 1974: Vu de l'extérieur
  • 1975: Couleur Cafe'
  • 1975: Rock Around the Bunker
  • 1976: L'homme à tête de chou
  • 1979: Aux armes et cætera
  • 1980: Enregistrement public au Théâtre Le Palace
  • 1981: Mauvaises nouvelles des étoiles
  • 1984: Love on the beat
  • 1985: Serge Gainsbourg live (Casino de Paris)
  • 1987: You're under arrest
  • 1988: Le Zénith de Gainsbourg
  • 1989: De Gainsbourg à Gainsbarre (Box Set)
  • 2001: Gainsbourg Forever (Integral Box Set)
  • 2001: Le Cinéma de Gainsbourg (Box Set)

[edit] Noted songs

  • "Aux armes et caetera"
  • "Baby Pop"
  • "Bonnie and Clyde"
  • "Comment te dire adieu"
  • "Couleur Café"
  • "Elisa"
  • "Hold Up"
  • "Initials B.B."
  • "Je t'aime... moi non plus"
  • "La Gadoue"
  • "La Javanaise"
  • "Lemon Incest"
  • "Les Incorruptibles"
  • "Les Sucettes"
  • "L'homme à Tête de Chou"
  • "Lola Rastaquouere"
  • "Marilu"
  • "New York U.S.A."
  • "Poupée de cire, poupée de son"
  • "Sorry Angel"
  • "Sea, Sex and Sun"
  • "You're Under Arrest"
  • "White and black blues" (lyrics)

[edit] External links

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