I mentioned Serge Gainsbourg recently in connection with Jane Birkin. You may, or may not, have heard of him.
French singers tend only be appreciated in France; rarely do they have hit records abroad. Gainsbourg was hugely popular in France, and he did write a few good songs.
He was mostly known, however, for being an unshaven sex-mad chain-smoker and alcoholic, which the French seemed to love about him.
Here are a group of schoolchildren paying homage to the great man, by singing one of his songs. They all have five-o-clock shadows, a cigarette, and a glass of Whisky. Gainsbourg himself seems 'tired and emotional'; mostly emotional.
He died in 1991 at the age of 62, unsurprisingly from the effects of all that tobacco and alcohol.
How clever. And how sad that he should do that to himself and die young. (-ish).
ReplyDeleteHe seemed to make a career out of it. It became his trademark.
DeleteThey're voices are nice, though I don't understand any words beyond cigarette and whisky.
ReplyDeleteOops, my mistake, should be "their" voices
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice song, and well sung; but still rather tragic.
DeleteHow very French.
ReplyDeleteIndeed.
DeleteOnly on France? Ive never heard of him or Birkin but they were obviously loved by the French
ReplyDeleteWhat blossoms in France, stays in France.
DeleteGainsbourg painted "The Blue Boy". Gainsbourg is also a town by The River Trent in Lincolnshire.
ReplyDeleteAh, I'm so pleased that you know of him. Yes, a darned good painter!
DeleteI can hear the modern parent's screaming about the kids with cigarettes and whisky, nice tribute to an artist they loved.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful and moving video. He was actually a very talented musician. I recently bought a vinyl LP of his featuring the soundtrack and score of 'Goodbye Emmanuel' a movie that featured the beautiful Sylvia Kristel.
ReplyDeleteSad that we also lost Jane Birkin.
Yes he certainly wrote a few good songs, but most were pretty dire.
DeleteAnother singer who made it "out" of France was Sacha Distell (or Sacha Distillery to quote one UK disc jockey). Maurice Chevalier and Charles Trenet ? Before my time, but I have heard of them!
ReplyDeleteI think Sacha had a hit with 'Raindrops keep falling on my head', Maurice Chevalier had 'Thank heaven for little girls', but I can't think of a hit that Charles Trenet had outside of France. Of those three the only one I have an album by is Trenet. He wrote some beautiful songs, but was a 'naughty boy'!!!
DeleteLa Mer?
DeleteHe had good talent but the bad boy seemed to rule. Choosing lifestyle over health made for a shortened life.
ReplyDeleteHe was a grown man, he made his own choices. Probably the wrong ones.
DeleteI've been too busy to interweb today and I switch on and see this!!
ReplyDeleteCro, that's the best thing you've posted in ages....
talk about onion fairies.... Serge was probably unable to see the singers properly for tears.
Very emotional, and a wonderful tribute to him.
I am now going to share it on FaceMuncher as there are a couple of friends who will like it.... like it a lot!
It's almost an historic document, and as you say a great tribute. I've always liked Gainsbourg, but not always his persona.
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