THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

467-Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin-Je t’aime… moi non plus.

1969-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 4.04. When the song reaches it’s ‘climax.’

Serge Gainsbourg was born Lucien Ginsburg on April 2nd, 1928, in Paris, French Third Republic, France, he died of a heart attack on March 2nd, 1991, at the age of 62. He had had a first heart attack in 1973, but had refused to cut down on his smoking, and drinking. It was around 1957 while filling in a form to join the songwriting society ‘SACEM,’ that he decided to change his first name to Serge, his future partner Jane Birkin has said, ‘Lucien reminded him of a hairdresser’s assistant.’ He chose ‘Gainsbourg’ as his last name, in homage to the English painter Thomas Gainsborough, (1727-1788) whom he admired. During his lifetime Serge Gainsbourg was considered to be the most important artist in French Pop music, and since his death he has reached legendary stature in France. He was also an actor appearing in nearly 50 film, and television roles, and was the composer of the soundtracks for nearly 60 films, and television programs. He wrote and directed four feature films, including the 1976 film ‘Je t’aime moi non plus,’ starring Jane Birkin. Charlotte Gainsbourg who was born in 1971, and is the daughter of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin has said about her father, ‘He was a poet. What he did was way ahead of its time. You can just read his lyrics, he plays with words in such a way that there are double meanings that don’t work out in English. He was just so very authentic. He was so shy, and very touching. And he was very generous. Every time I get into a taxi in Paris I hear a story about my father, because he used to take taxis all day long and the drivers tell me how sweet he was. One day a taxi driver told me my father had paid for his teeth to be mended, somebody else’s roof needed to be mended and he paid for that. He just had real relationships with people from the street. He was selfish in ways that artists can be, but there was no snobisme. He was always amazed at the fact that he had money. I remember going to lovely hotels with him and he was like, ‘Oooh, how fun this is.’ He had the eyes of a child.

Serge Gainsbourg recorded in many musical genres, including ‘Jazz,’ ‘Chanson,’ ‘Yé-Yé,’ ‘Rock,’ ‘Zouk,’ ‘Funk,’ ‘Reggae,’ and ‘Electronica’ over the course of his 34 years career, he was also an influence on many English speaking artists, including Nick Cave, Michael Stipe, (see also best songs 710) and Beck (see also best songs 879 and 230.) The discography of Serge Gainsbourg includes 17 studio Albums released between 1958-1987, and 80 singles and extended plays (EP’s) released between 1958-2020, there is also one official compilation Album, and four live Albums available, and at least 10 soundtrack Albums. In his native France, his 13th studio Album ‘Aux armes et cætera,’ is his most successful, reaching Number 1 on the ‘SNEP’ French Album chart in 1979. Nine of his singles have made the French top 40 chart, with ‘Lemon Incest,’ with Charlotte Gainsbourg, peaking the highest at Number 2 in 1985, while ‘Je t’aime… moi non plus,’ with Jane Birkin, made Number 3 in 1969, and when re-released, made Number 4 in 1974.

Jane Mallory Birkin was born on December 14th, 1946, in Marylebone, London, England, on July 16th, 2023, she was found dead at her home in Paris, at the age of 76, no cause of death was disclosed. Jane Birkin was an actress and singer, having had a prolific career as an actress, mostly in French cinema. In 2001 she was appointed an ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire’ (OBE) ‘for services to acting and UK-French cultural relations,’ and in 2013, she was appointed to the ‘Ordre des Arts et des Lettres as Chevaliers.’ In 2018, she was awarded the ‘Order of the Rising Sun in the Spring Conferment,’ for her efforts in promoting cultural exchanges between Japan and France. Jane Birkin appeared in 70 films between 1965-2021, and released 13 studio Albums between 1969-2020, there are also six official live Albums available.

Serge Gainsbourg wrote ‘Je t’aime… moi non plus’ in 1967 at the suggestion of the French actress Brigitte Bardot. Gainsbourg and Bardot were having an affair, and Bardot asked Gainsbourg to write the most beautiful love song he could imagine. The pair recorded their version, but when Bardot’s husband Gunter Sachs (1932-2011) found out about the affair, Bardot pleaded with Gainsbourg not to release the song. In 1968 Gainbourg and the English actress Jane Birkin began a relationship when they met on the set of the film ‘Slogan.’ After filming the pair recorded ‘Je t’aime… moi non plus,’ Birkin who knew of the Bardot version has said, ’I only sang it because I didn’t want anybody else to sing it.’ When the singer Marianne Faithfull (see also best songs 452) was questioned whether she had been approached by Gainsbourg she said, ’Hah. He asked everybody.’

‘Je t’aime… moi non plus’ (French for ‘I love you, me neither’) was inspired by a Salvador Dali (1904-1989) comment, ’Picasso is Spanish, me too, Picasso is a genius, me too, Picasso is a communist, me neither.’ Because of the explicit nature of the lyrics, and the suggestive moans and groans, the song received a media ban in many countries. It is claimed that the Vatican even expressed their disapproval, with Gainsbourg calling the Pope ‘Our greatest PR man.’ When the song reached Number 1 in the UK, it became the first banned song to reach the top spot, it was also the first foreign language song to make Number 1 in the UK.

‘Je vais je vais et je viens entre tes reins.’