h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Serge Gainsbourg - French Singer/Songwriter - A2860454
Author: Spiff (MP) - The Alt Writing Workshop - where *you* decide what goes into the UnderGuide! - U185155


Hi there all you PRers,

this is quite a long piece on a legend of French pop/rock. It has been in the WW for some time, where Loup d'Argent has been good enough to give me some feedback, but other than that it doesn't seemed to have garnered much interest, so I figure it must be time for the deep-end.

I think all the info I wanted to get in is now here, though I'm not sure that the last few paras are as 'finished' as I'd like. It is rather lacking, too, in links to other entries or, indeed, any links at all. Not my strongpoint, I'm afraid.

Well, all comments gratefully received, so fire away! I look forward to hearing how I might improve it on it's way to the front page.

spiff

Blimey, this is a big chunck of reading material.

'La Nouvelle Vague, c'est moi', I believe him ... appearing in what? thirty-some movies. Still, I haven't got a clue what the guy looks like. Bardot, Greco, France Gall, Jane Berkin, Barbara ...

I like the entry. I think some white spaces might be added in the text where the subject changes. Otherwise, chapeau!

Ah Serge - a poet and a scoundrel

Front half of this has some contorted sentences in it. Could just do with a little polish.

You didn't include the Sucettes anecdote in the end? - apparently when she was first told the subtext to the song Gall burst into tears and disappeared into her room - she got over it afterwards...

I also have another Marseillaise anecdote - apparently one of the shows where Serge was promoting this album, he was about to go on stage when he was told that the front row was full of paras, possibly armed with petrol bombs... He promptly went on stage, sang the Marseillaise in the traditional fashion, so that the paras felt forced to join in, then gave them a 'bras d'honneur' and legged it off the stage before they could get hold of him!

Maybe mention somewhere that Charlotte G is now a moderately successful actress/singer in her own right.

You might also want to specify what kind of film Emmanuel is for those who haven't seen it... I don't think he was in the first one, was he?

Might think of more later - can't get Couleur café out of my head now!

sprout

This is a thorough one!


Comments:

Is '(soundtrack????)' intentional or do you not know the name of the soundtrack (of Emanuelle). I didn't get it.

Could you give us one or two lines with translation of 'je t'aime moi non plus'... Does he really sing 'I come and I go between your kidneys?'

Greetings,

S.A.

Hi all, and thanks for commenting,

I know that some of the sentences ended up rather awkward; the result of much umming and ahing about what to include and how to include it...

I will endeavour to clarify where I can, although if there were any specific sentences that struck you as needing a change... feel free to name and shame, .

The (soundtrack???) thing was to remind me to check it out! I read somewhere that he had done the soundtrack for an Emmanuel film, and I know for sure that he had a song of that title ("Emmanuelle, elle aime les carresses buccales, Emmanuelle")

The 'entre tes reins' line you mention, Hell, could be better translated as 'in and out of you', in my opinion. 'les reins' is quite a versatile term, indicating the lower back as much as the organs themselves...

but basically, yes, it does say that,

Couleur Café! There are worse things to have buzzing round your head, I'd say,

well, thanks again for your comments. I'll try to do an edit on it soon to smooth out some wrinkles, but in the meantime...

Venez nombreux, Messieurs Dames, venez venez... ne soyez pas farouche!

Oh, btw, Sprout, I did include a footnote about France Gall and the 'sucettes' - though the story is not quite the same...

Hi

I've just been out to lunch with our French co-worker. We talked about Gainsbourg. He said 'entre tes reins' is not a common thing to say in French. In his opinion this is typical for Serge Gaisbourg, who always wanted to shock people and break taboos. Like with his recording of 'inceste de citron' (lemon incest or something) as opposed to similar sounding 'un zeste de citron' (a basket of lemon), which he recorded with his daughter - people were shocked. I think 'entre tes reins' is then a very 'plastic' or organic description of the process taking place there... Hmm... Not that it matters for your Entry. I was just curious and talked about it... What do you think about this?

HELL

Hi Hell,

I can see that it is not a common expression in the context, but for me 'les reins' just means 'the lower back'. For instance, "J'ai mal aux reins." doesn't necessarily mean, my kidneys hurt, but rather, my back (lower back) hurts.

Having said that, ol' Gainsbarre was, as you say, ever seeking to provoke and shock his audience, and certainly did so with this particular song. Although I think it's all the erotic moaning and groaning that upset the Pope more than the wording.

The Lemon Incest scandal was more obvious, I think. The old goat!

OK, so I think I have a complete picture now!

Thanks!

HELL

No butter involved?

I don't think I want to go down that particular, er... avenue.

Meanwhile, looking at IMDB it appears that he never acted in an Emmanuelle movie, only provided some music for 'Goodbye Emmanuelle', the (I think) second in the series.

will update that, but not *right* now...

hmm, on further investigation it appears that 'Goodbye...' was the third Emmanuelle film.

oh, and regarding providing a translation of 'Je t'aime, moi non plus' - I'm not sure that would be of much value, . They mean little enough in French, but lose even that in translation (as you have already discovered, to some extent, Hell)

I could be convinced, but am not yet, let's say.

OK, so let me tray to convince you. I have two arguments:

1) The passage and the translation would illustrate how the 'old goat' was trying to be disgusting, or provoking. It would also give the reader a taste of Gainsbourg's composition, since we are not able to hear the music on h2g2.

2) People like me who heard the song(*), but actually don't spek enough French to understand it, keep thinking: 'Well, OK, the song is obvious. But *what* is he actually whispering into the woman's ears?'. If I read an Entry on Gainsbourg on h2g2, my favourite site for assorted knowledge, I would be happy if I found this information.

Whaddaya say?

HELL

(*) I heard the song somewhere and kept it in my mind as a paragon example of the kind of music that would be totally, absolutely, unsuitable for the moment anyone (my boss, his secretary etc.) enters my office. I wish I had a button on my mp3 player and a sensor in the hallway, so that when people approach my door, I could start the music out loud. (It's the kind of music where I imagine pink goo squirting out of the speakers. The music is *highly* indecent - And I think this is a great achievement!) I think people entering an office to that music are at first totally ... I don't find a suitable word ... shaken. So. I knew the song, and thought it had an enormous comic value. But I didn't know whose song this is, or who sings it, until I started asking some French people. I honestly don't know much more about Gainsbourg, but I was constantly thinking about *what the f*ck (I think this expression is apropriate here) is that guy groaning into that woman's ears. What kind of sick text is this. SO I googled, and bablefished the text. I couldn't believe it: Between your *kidneys*!!! The rest you know from this thread. (I originally thought 'between your kidneys' is some kind of weird, but otherwise well-known French slag term for screwing. I had no idea it is even in French an absolutely strange picture.) Whewwww... HELL

hmm, well, I'm not sure we're looking at this from the same perspective, but I'm coming around to the idea of including some lyrics...

or maybe even a separate entry on the notorious song!

As an aside, I just followed the link I've include under banned, to see what the Beeb said about it, and they have a diabolical translation!

Translating 'Maintenant, viens' as 'Handholding comes' is downright pathetic! hmph

Well, perhaps a separate, brief entry is in order. I'll give it some thought.

Yes, this is quite funny really.

When I was a youngster at the end of every party after having heard 'Angie', 'Je t'aime moi non plus'(?) was definitely the last record to be heard. It was standard procedure ... the lights went out and you either held your own hand in the dark or you were on the dancefloor in a tight embrace with someone you liked.

A whole generation grew up with this song. Everywhere in Europe I gather. I haven't heard the song for years.

I wonder is this song still in use? On which occassions is it played, when and where?

I have an mp3 of it liked to from my desktop. I put it on when I want to keep people out of my office! (I like to think they hear it from the outside and think: 'Umm, better not disturb!')

HELL

ok, I have just done a quick read through the first half and done some editing on a few awkward sentences,

No lyrics to Je t'aime yet... still undecided on that one.

In the meantime, anyone feeling brave enough to read this?

Is it just too darned long and detailed? Is French pop music just too much of a no-no for the English-speaking world? Has anyone here except Sprout and myself ever heard any of Gainsbourg's material other than the Je t'aime?

Answers on a postcard,

Well, I finally have since we have a Frenchman in our office

HELL

A very thorough, informative entry about a fascinating guy, who is under-appreciated in Britain.

You seem to have got a bit confused over some of the Edited Guide style requirements as regards titles. Song titles don't need italics but do need capital letters and single quote marks, like this: 'Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus'. Album, film and book titles don't need quote marks but do need italics. Finally, decades are done like this: 1870s, 1920s, 1960s (without an apostrophe). The Subs could fix those things, but you might as well save 'em the job, because this is most definitely destined for the Edited Guide.

Ta, Ormondroyd,

much appreciated endorsement.

I knew when writing it that I ought to have checked the formalities for those things, but italics suited me to make it clear for editing. I'm quite happy to make the necessary adjustments, just maybe not tonight,

ta for the feedback
spiff