Gainsbourg, a genius juggler of words and music

One of the biggest names in French song, Serge Gainsbourg was honored with an exhibition at

Public Information Library Center Pompidou in Paris, starting today. On this occasion, Musicaline brought back their greatest hits.

BPI is exhibiting for the first time Serge Gainsbourg’s manuscripts from his home, rue de Verneuil in Paris, as well as various works from his library. Author, composer and performer, Gainsbourg has graced the world with no less than 485 songs, both for himself and for other artists. He wrote primarily for Juliette Gréco, France Gall and Françoise Hardy with many titles remaining in historical records.

Here are his top 5 hits of the 60s and 70s about love:

In late 1967, Brigitte Bardot, with whom Gainsbourg had been in a relationship for several months, asked him to write to her “the most beautiful love song he could imagine”. On the music of the ballroom scene from the film Green Hearthe filed the words of I love you… neither do I. But the actress initially resisted its publication.

When released in 1969, the title read “Forbidden to those under the age of 21”, which was considered embarrassing especially because of the explicit groans that can be heard in the work. Gainsbourg’s frustrations re-recorded the title with his new girlfriend Jane Birkin two years later. Censored in Spain, Sweden or Italy, the song would go to number 1 in the UK and would be a worldwide success. Bardot’s version would be released seventeen years later, but met with modest commercial success. On the night Gainsbourg wrote Je t’aime moi non plus, he also completed another hit.

Lyricist, composer, performer, director, photographer and novelist, Serge Gainsbourg was heavily influenced by literature and poetry, but also by cinema, a source of inspiration for many songs. Following the film Bonnie and Clyde, a Hollywood smash hit released a few months earlier, evoking the American crime scene of the 1920s and 1930s. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, Serge Gainsbourg wrote, composed and sang this title in a duet with Bardot in 1968 and this time, together, they were a hit. Gainsbourg left behind an impressive corpus of over 500 texts, written both for himself and for his translators, which describe his influence on contemporary French song.

What is Gainsbourg’s favorite theme?

In 1973, Serge Gainsbourg nearly died after a heart attack. While hospitalized, he found time to write the first verses of one of his songs. It is now one of Gainsbourg’s most famous songs. Lyrics from I came to tell you that I’m leaving refers to a poem by Paul Verlaine (Autumn song). To give the song more life, Gainsbourg recorded the tears of Jane Birkin with whom he lived, but in reality, the song was addressed to Françoise-Antoinette Pancrazzi, the singer’s first wife who happened to be the mother of his first two children.

Gainsbourg’s words at the end of life: I admit, I have a hard time, don’t you think, my dear? Written one summer evening in 1962 by Juliette Gréco and Serge Gainsbourg, Java, was born when the two artists spent an evening listening to music and drinking champagne. After that evening, Gainsbourg texted Juliette Gréco. This is how one of Gainsbourg’s most famous songs was born across the ages.

A hit song performed with Jane Birkin, for the soundtrack sunburnt and that Gainsbourg finds it difficult to assume. Even if it allows him to prove he is capable of making a purely commercial hit

Gainsbourg’s talent is only talented throughout his repertoire. And it’s a safe bet for many others, the ranking of Serge Gainsbourg’s best songs will be very different…