Serge Big Baller Posted by djmaru

Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin: "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus" and "Jane B" From Je T'aime (Fontana, 1969) Serge Gainsbourg: "Melody" From Histoire de Melody Nelson Original Soundtrack (Phillips, 1971) "Cannabis" From Cannabis Original Soundtrack (Phillips, 1970) "If you were leaving for a desert island and you could only take one record..." Answer: "Gainsbourg, the complete works, naturally." Reason: because in Gainsbourg there's everything, poetry, humour, provocation, hopelessness, love, sex, alcohol... Gainsbourg is you, me, everybody, Gainsbourg is ugly and beautiful, Gainsbourg is also jazz, the java (inane), reggae, rock, funk...from Le Poinçonneur des Lilas to Love on the beat . So, for that desert island, Gainsbourg definitely - or nothing at all. Yes indeed, Gainsbourg may be a strong candidate for the "deset island" question, it's hard to say. But most would agree that he is one of the most important pop icons of the 20th century. Born Lucien Ginsburg in Paris in 1928, Gainsbourg's rise to cultural icon started as a painter, pianist, and guitarist, inspired by musicians like Billy Holiday, Dizzy Gillepsie, and Thelonious Monk. Eventually his success as a piano player branched out into songwriting for other people until he realized that nobody could sing his songs as well as he could. His name was changed and he officially abandoned painting in order to focus solely on music. Similar to Bob Dylan, Gainsbourg managed to fuse together musical, cultural, and political movements into an unparalleled artistic vision as his raspy voice accentuated his dark humor and cynical charm. Musically, Gainsbourg experimented with a variety of sounds, naturally drawn towards rock and roll guitar and adding African rhythms, mambo, jazz, eventually touching virtually all facets of music by the end of his career. Perhaps the most momentous time period was his partnership with British actress and singer Jane Birkin. Together, they produced one of Gainsbourg's biggest hits and one of the most controversial pieces up to that point in time. The beautiful "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus", which I believe translates to "I love you...neither do I," was banned in several countries for its explicit sexual content complete with orgasmic sounds. The impact of this song still resonates today as many artists such as Donna Summer and Nick Cave have attempted to cover the track. There's obviously a lot more that can be said about Gainsbourg, but I'm not qualified to delve too deep nor is there enough space for such a dense career. I haven't read it, but Serge Gainsbourg: A Fistful of Gitanes by Sylvie Simmons is supposed to be one of the best biographies on the man, and there are a number of compilations that would be good starting points for anyone looking to explore his music.