[European Times Network] Serge Gansbour has the titles of "French Elvis Presley" and "Contemporary Baudelaire", which is regarded as "the logo of French life" and "the epitome of the 80s". He was a singer-songwriter, an eccentric poet and painter. British journalists commented on it as a combination of "clowns, poets, and aestheticians."
Due to his ugly appearance and rebellious personality, Seiji became the target of attacks in the music scene at that time. It is such a prodigal son who is hated by everyone, but he has gained the heart of "millions of fans" Jane Birkin. Can the love between "beauty" and "beast" get a happy ending?
With the passage of time, the musical prodigal son who was "spurned" at that time has long become the brightest star in the French music scene. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Serge Gansbour, and let us trace the trajectory of his passionate, humiliating, and rebellious life and relive this "Beauty and the Beast" love saga.
From painter to "Baudelaire"
Serge gainsbourg was born in Paris in 1928. During World War II, Seige, a Russian Jew, hid in central France, but was still threatened by the Nazis.
In his early years, Saiji received professional fine arts training and wanted to become a painter. But what really made him famous was the variety of styles, provocative and erotic songs he composed.
Sergey's album du chant à la une!. (Image source: The pictures in this article are from the European Times internal reference)
In 1958, Seggi released his first album with an alternative style, du chant à la une!, which did not attract critical acclaim. A passage by the writer Marcel Aymé summed up the style of the record, "He sang wine, he sang about women, he sang about the affairs of men and women, he sang about speeding, he sang about poverty, he sang about some miserable profession." The young man sang in his bitter and deep voice, making it seem that the theme of the song, the rhythm, was even more important than the melody..."
Unable to fill his stomach with painting, Seigie had to play the piano in the bars and nightclubs on the Left Bank. After meeting the famous singer-songwriter and writer Boris Vian (pictured above), Serge changed his mind that "music is a second-class profession".
In 1961, Serge published his third album, l'étonnant serge gainsbourg. Among them, "The Song of Mulan" pays tribute to the French writer Victor Hugo, while "la chanson de prévert" was written for the famous poet and lyricist Jacques prévert at that time, and immediately became a popular work. Since then, Saiji has entered the high-yield era.
Seigie once refused to write a song for edith Piaf, a famous singer and singer of "Life of a Rose": because "for her, my songs are too complicated". Seggi also added, "She sings throat songs that are vocalized from her abdomen, while my lyrics are elaborate wordplay.".
Victory over the world is innumerable
The most beautiful women of France's contemporaries have contributed to songs written by Serge: catherine deneuve, françoise hardy, france gall, and his partner Jane birkin .
Before meeting Jane Birkin, Sergey had two marriages and shared a passionate love song with Brigitte Bardot on "86 Days".
In 1968, Sergey and Jane met in the film Slogan. Jane recalls that when Seggi mistakenly thought she would return to the UK after the filming was completed, she never returned and cried sadly for a day.
Jane Birkin was born in England in 1946. Her father was an aristocratic officer and her mother was a British theatre celebrity. Fashion giant Hermes's much-anticipated birkin handbag is named after her last name.
However, the two initially got along very cramped and reserved. Until one time when they met at the Regent Club, Jane invited Seggi to a swing dance. Seigie awkwardly stepped on Jane's feet, and she felt angry and funny, and the sophisticated, arrogant Gainsbourg couldn't dance the most popular swing dance of the moment.
Shortly after the two met, in front of Jane's mother, Sergey gave her a red-covered copy of The Collection of Cruel Songs and wrote on the title page, "Jane, give you a few 'Cruel Songs,' one of which is called 'I Love You, I Don't Love You'."
Since then, Seiji has never taken a photo alone, and the two are inseparable. When Jane was shooting movies, Serge often waited on set. According to Jane, "as soon as he got on set, he was bored to death." But Sergey admits that the reason he insists on coming every time is, "I'm worried you're running away with the handsome actor." He wrote quite a few songs in this wait.
Sergey and Jane.
When people wonder how Jane saw the "very repulsive" and "ugly" Saige, Beauty recalls, "When I was a child, I had a biting parrot that no one but me let go of — because only I dared to tickle its arm socket. Everyone says, how can you like this annoying thing. I thought to myself, it's actually cute. That's great! This secret is known only to me. She loved with all her heart the shy soul beneath the shell of sergey's provocative, erotic, angry poet.
Working together to create the "Sound of Silence"
Seigie and Jane were with jane for 12 years. The duo is best known for the song "Je t'aime, moi non plus" (I love you). The song was originally written by Sergey for Brigitte Bardot, and when Seggi asked Jane if she would like to sing it with him, Jane immediately agreed, and the reason was "simply out of jealousy." I don't want him to sing this song with someone else."
When the song came out in 1969, many people blushed because of the gasps in the song. The famous Philips Records label refused to release it. Not only that, except for the josé artur radio station, other music stations and television stations refused to broadcast it, and the Vatican even demanded that the dissemination of this "obscene song" be banned. However, it was widely circulated in various countries, especially in some authoritarian countries (Portugal, Spain): in the context of the "May Revolution", it gradually became a slogan. Young people confuse revolution with sex and throw themselves into a raging and untargeted revolt.
A resentful poet
The popular music of the 1950s and 1960s was heavily influenced by American jazz and rock, and Serge spent his life looking for music that was different from the United States and belonged to the French. He has composed songs in a variety of styles, including jazz, java, rock, funk and reggae.
Throughout his life, however, Seigie was subjected to constant criticism and accusations for his ugly appearance and Jewish identity. The doubts about his creative talent and works have never stopped.
In the face of people's attacks on its appearance, Seiji once joked that ugliness is better than beauty, and it will not fade with time.
In 1979, Serge adapted the French national anthem,"The Marseillaise", into the Jamaican reggae musical style song «aux armes et caetera». The self-titled album has attracted a large number of complaints, and many people have called it "insulting" the national anthem. Some far-right members even issued death threats against Seigie. One journalist wrote, "Let's pay attention to his name — it's not a French surname, how can such a person insult our national anthem?" Jane recalled, "It hurt Seigie deep inside.
In 1981, public opinion again fanned the flames, launching a continuous attack on Saiggie's Jewish identity, accusing him of being unpatriotic. In response, Seigui bought the original Marseillaise manuscript at an auction at the Palace of Versailles.
Cynical beneath the face of a fragile mind, however, Sergey cannot remain blind to public opinion attacks for long. Even if he responds to attacks from the outside world with flirtatious and rebellious language, and injects meticulous thinking about the outside world into the lyrics, his understanding of himself is much slower.
His "self" boils endlessly, bringing good music, but the poetic pen cannot relieve his depression and prevent further indulgence. Unconsciously, the shy and restless love singer Saiji, who can't leave his hand, gradually indulges in alcohol and parties, and transforms into a resentful poet who is good at provocation and playing with eroticism.
Their daughter Charlotte (second from left) recalls, "Sorrow took over our lives. Dad shows the melancholy, dark side of his work."
In 1980, Jane couldn't stand his heavy drinking day and night and left with his daughters in despair. Although souls can communicate with each other and help each other, no one but themselves can endlessly heal their bleak hearts.
A few years later, Jane sang "What? This song may be a portrayal of her mood when she left:
What the? Our love is only ashes left?
I want the earth to stop spinning so that I can sink into the ground.
You said you weren't even worth the rope you were hanging, and I either gave up or accepted.
Joy and pain are born of love. At least realize I'm going to be heartbroken.
Well, if I'm sure I know you, I can only say that I have a lot to learn
Cruel love is like a duel. We were back to back, without mercy.
You can choose weapons, or you can choose tears.
Think about it, think about it. Think about what you said. ”
"Loving you is like loving life"
With stars abounding in an effort to push themselves to the forefront of public opinion, Seggi is no longer the only musician with a "punk" spirit. When his name stopped making the entertainment headlines, he said, "That's fine."
While it can be sad and happy to reminisce about the past, Jane and Sedge may love to the point where they are not selfish. Seigie continues to compose songs for her, and when Jane offers to be Serge's godfather to her daughter Lou, she immediately accepts and greets Lou with love and gifts.
Jane once confided in her heart: "Now, the friendship with Saiji makes me feel at ease: when I leave him, I am very afraid of losing what I can't miss in this life." 」 In the past, he was my life, and he will always be. ”
At the age of 40, Jane performed on stage at the Batacran Theatre, the site of the November 2015 terrorist attack in Paris.
On March 7, 1991, when Seigie died of a fifth heart attack, Jane spent three days with her three daughters at Serge's body, and put her doll marchkey, who grew up, in a coffin to accompany Seggi buried in the Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris. Shortly thereafter, Jane's lover, who "thought she could not overcome Saigi's position in Jane's heart," chose to leave.
In 2013, Jane was interviewed at her home in Paris.
Jane recalled in 2013 that Seigie was the true poet in her mind: "He was a provocateur with a 'crazy' romantic soul. From his mother, Saige inherited a cunning, sharp, and humorous character. Like his father, Saiggie is affectionate, shy, but somewhat dramatic. He is an elusive combination of the two."
Jane would rather recall the "lightest, happiest years" they spent together: "For a long time, besides Dad, Saiji was the man who made me laugh the most. He gave me a second childhood.".
(Written by Yang Yuhan)
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(Editor: Zhang Xiaobai)