Serge Gainsbourg

Serge Gainsbourg (born Lucien Ginsburg the April 2nd 1928 with Paris - March 2nd 1991 with Paris) is a Auteur-compositeur-interprète and Cinéaste French.

He wanted to become Artist-painter, but in vain. Thereafter, it touched with many musical styles, but also with the cinema and the literature. It carried out several films and videos clip and composed more than 40 soundtracks. Lastly, it had created for itself the image of a cursed Poète and agitator.

Biography

Childhood and youth

It is in 1919 that Joseph and Olia Ginsburg leave the Russia for Paris, fleeing the Bolchevisme, while passing by Constantinople (current Istanbul), then Marseilles. Joseph is pianist of bar and of cabaret and Olia sings with the Russian Academy. They have a first wire, Marcel, who dies in low-age of a disease. They will have then a girl, Jacqueline, in 1926, then fraternal twins, Liliane and Lucien, in 1928, born street of China in the 20 {{E}} district of Paris.

In his childhood, the small Lucien lives in Paris in the popular quarters. His/her father teaches him the traditional piano and will push it towards the world of painting.

The years of the war are hard for him and it is obliged to carry the yellow star (“a star of sheriff”, will say he later by derision). He will have to even hide three days lasting in a forest while the S seek the Jews. The family takes refuge in province in 1944 under the name of Guimbard.

Of return to Paris after the release, the small family settles in the XVI {{E}} district of Paris. Lucien is in school failure and gives up little before the vat with the Lycée Condorcet. He is registered then with the Art schools but is rejected by the high mathematical studies and gives up. There he will meet his first wife, Elisabeth Levitsky, who has dealings with the surrealist S.

The year 1948 is one year important for Lucien who makes his military service with Courbevoie where it will be sent regularly to the dungeon for insubordination. It begins its ethyl “period there”; deprived of permission, it enivre with the wine with his/her old army mates.

A catch with Boris Vian

Until the thirty years age, Serge saw odd jobs. He is professor of drawing in turn, of song, supervisor… But its principal activity is painting. He would have liked to be a genius of painting like Francis Bacon or Fernand Leger, of which he was the pupil, but he gives up the Bohème quickly to become Crooner of piano-bar in the casinos of the coast like Deauville and in Parisian boxes like Mrs Arthur .

It has a revelation by seeing Boris Vian, which writes and interprets provocative texts, funny, cynical, which make squeak teeth, far from the high-speed motorboats of the moment, like Dario Moreno or Annie Cordy.

In 1957, it is by chance that Michele Arnaud, singer “left bank”, that it accompanies with the guitar in its song recital to the cabaret Milord Arsouille (where, the remainder of time, he is pianist of environment), discovers with amazement the compositions of Gainsbourg and incites it to interpret its own repertory with the same cabaret. She will be her first interpreter besides by recording, since 1958, the titles the Receipt of the insane love , Twelve Beautiful in the skin , Young women and old Sirs and the Woman of the ones under the body of the others . It is there that it makes its first weapons, composes of many songs and even a musical Revue. It launches also in its race unrestrained of women, that it allures into large number, which makes it move away from his wife of whom he divorces in 1957, six years after their marriage.

Its first album, Of the song to from where is extracted Poinçonneur from the lilacs , clashes but is a commercial failure. He is noticed by Marcel Aymé, which says that its songs “have the hardness of a report”. Its Master Boris Vian, before dying in 1959, compares it with Cole Porter.

When the time of the Yéyés arrives, it is then 32 years old, it is not very at ease: it passes in first part of Brel or Gréco, but the public rejects it and the cruel critics make fun of its large ears and its prominent nose.

It meets then Elek Bacsik and Michel Gaudry and their request to make a disc with him. It will be confidential Gainsbourg impresses of a Jazz archimoderne which liked so much Gainsbourg but which, it knows it, will never enable him to reach success. This disc is sold only with: 1500 specimens. Its decision was made as of the exit of the studio: “I will launch out in the food one and will buy myself a Rolls”.

Eurovision for France Gall

It is while writing for Juliette Gréco ( Accordéon , the Javanese ) and Petula Clark ( the Sludge ) which it meets its first successes, but is with Francoise Hardy ( Comment to tell you good-bye? ) and especially France Gall which it will succeed in alluring a young public. After its first successes gainsbourgiens ( does not listen to the idols , Laisse to fall the girls ), France Gall gains, in 1965, the Grand Prix of the Concours Eurovision of the song after having chosen the title Poupée of wax, headstock of sound , written by Gainsbourg at the instigation of Maritie and Gilbert Carpentier, among the ten that one proposed to him. The song prize winner becomes the international tube which passes on all the waves and which France Gall records even in Japanese. Gainsbourg continues on the vein of success with France Gall, in 1966, thanks to Pop Baby and especially with the Sucettes with the anise . End 1967, it saw then a short but torrid passion with Brigitte Bardot to which it dedicates the song Initials B.B. after him to have written some titles emblematic ( Harley Davidson , Bonnie and Clyde , I love you… me either , even if this last title recorded with it in duet in 1967 in symphonic version were returned celebrates the following year by Jane Birkin; the original version, initially kept secret by Serge at the request of Brigitte Bardot, will leave as for it only in 1986: it will be a tube).

On the plate of the turning of Slogan , in 1968, it meets Jane Birkin for which he will be again composer-songwriter. I love you… me either and 69 erotic Year are immense successes which exceed the borders.

They become during ten years a very media couple, with the point of the topicality, each one connecting turning after turning.

Its Années 1970 are marked by the writing and the composition of 4 albums headlights: History of Melody Nelson in 1971, Seen outside in 1973, Rock'n'roll around the bunker in 1975 and the Man with cabbage head in 1976. If, at the beginning, these albums meet little business success (the sales reach a maximum with: 30000 specimens), they hoist it with the row of the avant-garde of the French song.

Histoire of Melody Nelson is accommodated by the press like “the first true symphonic poem of the pop age”.

In May 1973, Serge Gainsbourg is victim of an heart attack. It however continues to drink and smoke, faithful to the character who it is becoming.

The album Vu outside comprises a tube: I came to say to you that I from go away .

With Rock around the bunker it pushes the autodérision (it had had to hide antijuives laws of the Occupation) and the provocation with its roof: it turns in derision, with the second degree, esthetics and small glassware Nazis. The album, recorded in London, is radically rejected by the programmers of radio who see in this joke with the Boris Vian only one scandalous provocation with titles like Nazi rock'n'roll or Tata teutonne . However, at the end of the decade 1980, this album will be covered with gold discs.

Marseillaise reggae

Film soundtracks are asked for to him. It gives up without regret the scene until in 1979, reconciled with the public thanks to its Marseillaise re-examined “with the sauce Reggae” (whose refrain is “with the weapons and will cætera”), with the participation of the chorus-singers of Bob Marley and of the musicians of Peter Tosh.

Its discs solo lorgnent initially towards the jazz and the rates/rhythms Cuban Negroes, it is the famous Gainsbourg Percussions with finely chopped daring rhymes. It cultivates its will have of artist worship while taking part in many films. Unfortunately for him, if he is regarded as an actor of talent, he turns practically only in films of little width.

In 1976 it launches out for the first time in the cinematographic realization. Its film I love you me either very quickly obtains a sulfurous reputation with a daring scenario concerning with the taboos of the Homosexualité and the erotism. It carries out three other films, Ecuador in 1983, Charlotte for Ever in 1986 and finally Stan the Flasher in 1990. Its films have little success, the tackled subjects being always provocative, that it are the Inceste ( Charlotte for Ever ), the Pédophilie, the Exhibitionnisme ( Stan the Flasher ) or homosexuality…

It composes of the tubes like the Friend Caouette but especially the famous one and sinks album the Man with cabbage head with its sulfurous Variations on Marilou . In 1979, it joined the group rock'n'roll Bijou on scene and pours a tear: the young public rock'n'roll makes him an ovation.

Its new recorded album with Kingston becomes Disque of platinum in a few months. the Marseillaise reggae shocks the journalist of the Figaro Michel Droit which writes an article assassin, in extreme cases of the Antisémitisme. Serge will answer him by way of press in an article entitled One does not have the idiot to be also Droit . The concert hall in Strasbourg where it must occur is ransacked by soldiers (chaos is such as its black musicians refuse to enter on scene), which does not prevent Serge from starting a triumphal round with its assistants reggae, the famous Sly and Robbie accompanied by the chorus-singers of Bob Marley: the I Threes.

“Gainsbarre”

Nightclubs, drinking bouts, the Noctambulisme, physical decrepitude… More and more, “Gainsbarre” will succeed Gainsbourg with some appearances televised more or less alcoholic. It thus forges its legend of poet curses badly shaven and drunk who is worth sometimes admiration to him, sometimes the dislike. At the end of ten years, Jane Birkin cannot about it any more and leaves it.

Gainsbourg writes its new album reggae with these words on Ecce Homo : “It is reggae hilarious, the heart bored right through”.

It meets a new egery, Bambou, for which, mania gainsbourgienne, it cannot be prevented from composing. It makes him sing some titles which do not meet the favors of the public ( Made in Clouded , 1989).

Its integral work leaves out of box CD with the many untraceable ones that the collectors are torn off at ransom price; however, the songs written for its interpreters are not included. It leaves then for New York where it records its last two albums, Love one the Beat and You' Re Under Arrest . After the reggae, it rubs with the Hip-hop and the Funk. It occurs long weeks in concert with the Casino of Paris.

Gainsbourg dies out in 1991 following a fifth Heart attack (a roof for that which followed afflicted the burials with its successive cardiologists).

It is buried with his parents with the Cimetière of Montparnasse (1st section) to Paris where its tomb one of is visited with those of Jean-Paul Sartre - Simone de Beauvoir and of Charles Baudelaire which it put in music ('' Baudelaire, the snake which dances '', Album nº 4,1962). Since 1991, its tomb overflows constantly of various plants and objects (photographs, cabbages - for the Man with the head of… , short notes, subway tickets covered with a message - what one finds on other tombs of the cemetery but which for the author of the Poinçonneur of the Lilacs has a particular savor). The tomb bears the name of Serge Gainsbourg and his parents, Olga (1894-1985) and Joseph (1896-1971) Ginsburg. At the time of its burial, the March 7th 1991, came in particular among crowd, in addition to her family, Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Adjani, Francoise Hardy, Patrice Chéreau, Renaud, Johnny Hallyday, the ministers Jack Lang and Catherine Tasca, and the brigades of cooks and waiters of the restaurant Marc Meneau, where it had spent his last days. Catherine Deneuve lute on the tomb the text of the song To flee happiness for fear it saves .

One can say, in 2006, that Gainsbourg remains an influential and important presence of the French song. Many singers of the “new French scene” refer to it like certain rappeurs like Stomy Bugsy and MC Solaar. Serge Gainsbourg is the father of the actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, resulting from his union with the actress and singer Jane Birkin. He interpreted, with his daughter, the piece Lemon Incest in the happy album Love one the in 1984. He also wrote and composed for her the album Charlotte for Ever in 1986.

He is also the father of a boy, Lucien says Lulu Gainsbourg, born into 1986 of his union with Bambou. He has two other children, Natacha, born the August 8th 1964 and Paul, born at the springs 1968, born from a preceding marriage with Francoise Pancrazzi, said Béatrice, called “the Galitzine princess” with whom he lived a little less than one decade in the years 1960.

Influences

Serge Gainsbourg strongly marks the French music. He does not hesitate with métisser his compositions with very varied musical influences, contributing to popularize some in France of them:
  • the Reggae, with the album With the weapons and will cætera… recorded with Kingston (Jamaica) followed Bad news of the stars ,
  • the Rap with You' Re Under Arrest ,
  • the music Cuban Negro: Color coffee , inter alia,
  • the Jazz: Of the jazz in the ravine , album Confidential Gainsbourg
  • the traditional : several of its pieces are inspired by traditional topics such as Lemon Incest , My Lou Marilou or Baby Alone in Babylon ,
  • the progressive Rock: album History of Melody Nelson .

The music of Gainsbourg thereafter will be frequently sampled and re-used by artists as well French (ex: MC Solaar for Nouveau Western ) that international (for example, Massive Attack in Karmacoma (Portishead experiment) or Jennifer Charles of Elysian Fields, which takes again the lost Loves , on an album of recoveries of Gainsbourg by groups of the New Yorkean avant-garde, under the aegis of the jazzman John Zorn). Mick Harvey, the guitarist of Nick Undermines, recorded two albums of recovery, Intoxicated Man (1995) and Pink Elephants (1997). The album Mr Gainsbourg Revisited left in March 2006, gathers 14 English adaptations carried out by Boris Bergman and interpreted in particular by Franz Ferdinand, Portishead, Placebo, Jarvis Cocker, Kid Loco, Gonzales, Feist, Tricky…

Serge Gainsbourg durably prints moreover his mark thanks to his texts. In doesn't a poetic style, it hesitate to produce complex rhymes ( Comment to tell you good-bye? ). Fond of delicacies of word games, it is frequently based on the double direction. Erotic allusions are increasingly frequent progressively of its career. Some of its songs mark the memories by their provocative character, thus allusions supported to the Fellation in the Lollipops , which cause the agitation in the mouth of a France Gall of hardly 18 years. She will say not to have included/understood the double direction of the text that years later Then it is Jane Birkin pretending the orgasm in I love you, me either , tube planetary. Gainsbourg flirte with the taboo of the Inceste in company of his/her daughter, frail the Charlotte Gainsbourg: in the years 1980, it accompanies her father in the duet Lemon Incest , title evocative which will cause raised shields. Gainsbarre will reach the tops of the erotic provocation with the tube Love one the Beat : true pornographic poem, known as by itself of a voice monocorde and broken. The background music is consisted of the cries orgasmic of Bamboo, recorded without the knowledge of the singer. The orchestration bathes in a cold Funk and the choruses stress the title of the song of their voices Androgyne S and moving.

Female interpreters

Serge Gainsbourg written for many interpreters, only or the time of a Duet at its sides, in particular:
  • Isabelle Adjani: Sweater Marine , Rocking chair , Ohio
  • Elisabeth Anaïs: My father a catholic
  • Michele Arnaud: the Woman of the ones under the body of the others , the black Butterflies , Ballade of the birds of cross , do not say anything
  • Isabelle Aubret: It has there no more subscriber with the number which you asked , Arc-en-ciel , to like it is necessary to be three
  • Brigitte Bardot: the Apparatus with under , Bubble gum , Bonnie and Clyde , Harley Davidson , Comic strip , I love you… me either
  • Minouche Barelli: Bang badaboum
  • Jane Birkin:
    • In duet with Serge Gainsbourg: I love you… me either , 69 erotic year , Décadanse .
    • As soloist: Ex-fan of the sixties , Baby alone in Babylon , Lolita go home , Ballade of Johnny-Jane .
  • Petula Clark : O! O! Sheriff , Incorruptible the , the Sludge
  • Pia Colombo: Defense to post
  • Dalida: I prefer naturally
  • Dani: Like a boomerang
  • Mireille Darc: Cavaleuse , Helicopter , the black Flag
  • Catherine Deneuve: God is a smoker of havanes , Souviens to forget me
  • Diane Dufresne: Suicide
  • Marianne Faithfull: Yesterday or tomorrow
  • Charlotte Gainsbourg: Lemon incest , Elastic , Zero pointed towards infinite the , Charlotte for ever , Don' T forget to forget me , Openings flashes , Oh daddy oh , For what you were not
  • France Gall: Drops the girls , Poupée of wax, headstock of sound , Attends or go away , Pop Baby , the Lollipops , Teenie Weenie Boppie
  • Juliette Gréco: Accordion , the Javanese , Striptease , the Sixth direction , A little less than presently (I love you however)
  • Francoise Hardy: How to tell you good-bye , Anamour , Love into private , Recording
  • Zizi Jeanmaire: Zizi (the Life Zizi) , Bloody Jack , Blue (are the most beautiful jewels) , Tic-TAC-toe
  • Anna Karina: Under the sun exactly , Roller Girl
  • Valerie Lagrange: the Guerilla
  • Viktor Lazlo: Love power six
  • OJ Lemaire: I came to say to you that I from go away
  • Lisette Malidor: Y' has good
  • Michele Mercier: the Girl who makes tchic-Ti-tchic
  • Nana Mouskouri: Eyes to cry
  • Nico: Striptease
  • Vanessa Paradis: Dis him you that I love you , Tandem
  • Régine: P' tits papers , Why pyjamas? , Ouvre the mouth closes the eyes
  • Catherine Sauvage: Baudelaire ,…
  • Stone: Buffalo Bill
  • Joelle Ursul: White And Black Blues
  • Marie-White Alder: With the risk to displease
to you

Male interpreters

  • At the request of Alain Chamfort, it writes two albums to him.
  • Jacques Dutronc: faded Pinks (in trio with Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin), P' tits Papers (in trio also with Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin).
  • It coécrit the third album of Alain Bashung, Play Wound .

Rewards

  • 1996 : César of the best music (decreed on a purely posthumous basis) for the film Élisa of Jean Becker (1994)

  • 1965 : Gain the Concours Eurovision of the song with the title Poupée of wax, headstock of sound interpreted by France Gall which contributes for… the Luxembourg. It will finish also second in 1990 with the White and Black Blues interpreted by Joelle Ursull (France) and fifth in 1967 with Bang badaboum interpreted by Minouche Barelli (Monte Carlo).

Quotations

  • On the Anti-semitism: You know who ran the Titanic? Iceberg, still a Jew!
  • On the left: In 1981 I did street trott Saint-Denis, there I fall on a superb whore, I say to him - you know how I am called, but you which is your name? - socialism. Then I go up with it and in the room I realize that it is a immonde travelo, it says to me then - take to me by Communism!
  • On the war of Afghanistan: I have 7 words to say: the Russians are out of Cu breadths.
  • For the friendship between men and women, unthinkable. Because there is always subjacent the animal desire.
  • I had an heart attack what proves that I have a heart.
  • I stop smoking every 5 minutes.
  • The connery is the relaxation of the intelligence.
  • The roof of misery it is the out-of-paper condition bottom.
  • Lolita, it is a flower which has just hatched and which becomes aware of its perfume and its prickles.
  • In connection with France Gall: If you can open this oyster, you will find the pearl… If not, you will fall on a mussel.
  • Jew: it is not a religion. No religion makes push a nose like that.
  • I smoke, I drink, I kiss. Equilateral triangle.
  • The snobbery, it is a champagne bubble which hesitates between the belch and the fart.
  • I changed my colors when I realized that it was doubled of mink. (delivery during an emission tele Discorama).
  • I placed my universe of the song in a sphere of luxury and neurosis.
  • The chance is a bird of prey flying over a blind man with the bandaged eyes.
  • A removed man is ambiguous, whereas a made up woman is confused.
  • Success and glory will never gray us but the temples.
  • I do not know what it is necessary to do, but I know what one should not do.
  • The mask falls, the man remains, and the hero disappears.
  • Who walks his dog is at the end of leaves.
  • The man created God, the reverse remains to be proven.
  • The physical love is without exit.
  • The love is blind and its cane is pink candy.
  • The love is a crystal which breaks in silence.
  • We said ourselves you. We said ourselves all. We said ourselves you, then we keep silent ourselves.
  • I find the left rather skilful, and a little left right-hand side.
  • I like Mickey. It is like me: it has two large ears and a long tail.
  • I drink and I smoke. Alcohol preserves the fruits; smoke preserves the meat.
  • The ugliness is higher than the beauty in the sense that it lasts. (quotation borrowed from Georg Christoph Lichtenberg).
  • The mouth that I have today, I will regret it in ten years.
  • On a tele plate, it declares in connection with the American singer Whitney Houston: I want to fuck her! , which means, in English, “I want the to kiss! ”
  • I put my genius in my life and my talent in my work. (quotation borrowed from Oscar Wilde).

Songs and other musical works

See also: List of the songs of Serge Gainsbourg, Taken again songs of Serge Gainsbourg

Discography

  • 1958 :
    • Of the Song With the One!
  • 1959 :
  • 1960:
    • water With the Mouth , BO of the film
    • Wolves In the Sheep-fold , BO of the film
  • 1961:
    • astonishing It Serge Gainsbourg
  • 1962:
  • 1963:
    • Striptease , BO of the film
    • Gainsbourg Confidentiel
    • Comment do you Find My Sister? , BO of the film
  • 1964:
  • 1966:
    • Vidocq , BO of the serial TV
  • 1967:
    • Anna , BO of the Musical comedy insane Anna
    • All of him , BO of the film
    • the Horizon , BO of the film
    • This crowned grandfather , BO of the film
    • the Pasha, BO of the film
  • 1968:
  • 1969:
    • Mister Freedom , BO of the film
    • Slogan , BO of the film
    • Jane Birkin-Serge Gainsbourg , album divided with Jane Birkin
  • 1970:
    • Cannabis , BO of the film
    • a little boy named Charlie Brown , French BO of the film
  • 1971:
  • 1972:
    • Sex shop , Too pretty BO of the film
    • to be honest , BO of the film
  • 1973:
  • 1975:
  • 1976:
  • 1977:
  • 1978:
    • Bronzed the, BO of the film
  • 1979:
    • With the weapons and will cætera , (famous for the resumption of the Marseillaise in version Reggae)
    • Disturbance of the peace at night , BO of the film
    • public Enregistrement with the Theater the De luxe hotel , (published in 1980)
  • 1980:
    • I love you , BO of the film
  • 1981:
    • Illustrated physique And the , BO of the Short film
    • Bad news Of the Stars
  • 1984:
    • Coils one the Beat
  • 1985:
  • 1987:
    • You' Re Under Arrest
  • 1989:
    • the Zenith of Gainsbourg
    • De Gainsbourg With Gainsbarre (207 songs, Box 9 CD)
  • 1997:
    • Of the jazz in the ravine (Compilation Jazz)
    • Color coffee (Compilation rates/rhythms Cuban Negroes)
    • Comic Strip (Compilation pop)
  • 1998:
    • Class X (Compilation " sexe")
  • 2001 :
    • I Coils Serge (album remix electro)
    • Gainsbourg Forever (integral out of box)
    • the Cinema of Gainsbourg (Box 3 CD)
  • 2003:
    • With the Weapons and Cætera - Dub Style (new mixing of the album + versions Dub & versions of artists jamaïcains, 2 CD)
    • Bad news Of Stars - Dub Style (new mixing of the album + versions Dub & versions of artists jamaïcains, 2 CD)
  • 2006:
    • Gainsbourg and will cætera (new mixing of the public recording to the Theater the De luxe hotel, 2 CD)

Catalog of films

As a realizer

As an actor

Short films and clips

Exposure

Random links:Bernard Lafay | National school of the fine arts of Lyon | Canton of Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire | Paul Coffey | Vincent Lavenu | Haveuse_de_Harry