"Je t'aime... moi non plus"(Frenchfor 'I love you... me neither') is a 1967 song written bySerge GainsbourgforBrigitte Bardot.In 1969, Gainsbourg recorded the best-known version as a duet with English actressJane Birkin.Although this version reached number one in the UK—the first foreign-language song to do so—and number two in Ireland, it was banned in several countries due to its overtly sexual content.
| "Je t'aime… moi non plus" | |
|---|---|
 Fontana variant of original French release (the image was also used for some other continental European releases and some re-releases). | |
| SinglebySerge GainsbourgandJane Birkin | |
| from the albumJane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg | |
| B-side |
|
| Released | February 1969 |
| Recorded | 1968 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:22[1] |
| Label | UK:Fontana,Major Minor,Antic US: Fontana |
| Songwriter(s) | Serge Gainsbourg |
| Producer(s) | Jack Baverstock |
In 1976, Gainsbourg directed Birkin in an erotic film of thesame name.
History
editThe song was written and recorded in late 1967 for Gainsbourg's then-girlfriend,Brigitte Bardot.After a disappointing, witless date with Bardot, she "phoned and demanded as a penance" the following day[2][3]that he write, for her, "the most beautiful love song he could imagine"; that night, he wrote "Je t'aime" and "Bonnie and Clyde".[4]They recorded an arrangement of "Je t'aime" byMichel Colombierat a Paris studio in a two-hour session in a small glass booth; the engineer William Flageollet said there was "heavy petting".[5]However, news of the recording reached the press, and Bardot's husband, German businessmanGunter Sachs,angrily called for the single to be withdrawn. Bardot pleaded with Gainsbourg not to release it. He complied, but was not pleased: "The music is very pure. For the first time in my life, I write a love song and it's taken badly."[5][6][7]: 92
In 1968, Gainsbourg and the English actressJane Birkinbegan a relationship on the set of the filmSlogan.After the end of filming, he asked her to record "Je t'aime" with him.[5]Birkin had heard the Bardot version and considered it "so hot".[8]Birkin has stated that "I only sang it because I didn't want anybody else to sing it", jealous at the thought of Gainsbourg sharing intimacy in the recording studio with someone else. Gainsbourg asked her to sing an octave higher than Bardot, "so [she'd] sound like a little boy".[9]This version was recorded in an arrangement byArthur Greensladein a studio atMarble Arch Records.[5]Birkin said that she "got a bit carried away with the heavy breathing – so much so, in fact, that I was told to calm down, which meant that at one point I stopped breathing altogether. If you listen to the record now, you can still hear that little gap."[8]
There was media speculation, as with the Bardot version, that the recording documented unsimulated sex, to which Gainsbourg told Birkin, "Thank goodness it wasn't, otherwise I hope it would have been along-playing record."[5]The recording featuring Birkin was released as a single in February 1969.[4]The single, whichPhilipsrelegated to its subsidiaryFontana,[4]had a plain cover, with the words "forbidden to those under 21" ( "Interdit aux moins de 21 ans").[10]
Gainsbourg also askedMarianne Faithfullto record the song with him; she later recalled, "Hah! He asked everybody".[11]Others whom Gainsbourg approached includedValérie LagrangeandMireille Darc.[5]Bardot later regretted not releasing her version, and her friend Jean-Louis Remilleux persuaded her to contact Gainsbourg. They released it in 1986.[7]: 147
Lyrics and music
editThe title was inspired by aSalvador Dalícomment: "Picasso is Spanish, me too. Picasso is a genius, me too. Picasso is a communist, me neither".[10][12]Gainsbourg described "Je t'aime" as an "anti-fuck" song about the desperation and impossibility of physical love.[5]The lyrics are written as a dialogue between two lovers during sex. Phrases include:
"Je vais et je viens, entre tes reins"(" I go and I come, between your loins ")
"Tu es la vague, moi l'île nue"(" You are the wave, me the naked island ")
"L'amour physique est sans issue"(" Physical love is hopeless "[Gainsbourg sings 'sensationnel' in another version])
"Je t'aime, moi non plus"is translated as" I love you – me not anymore "inthe Pet Shop Boys' version.The lyrics are sung, spoken and whispered overbaroque pop-styled organ and guitar tracks[10][13]in the key of C major,[4]with a "languid, almost over-pretty, chocolate-box melody".[5]
Reception
editThe lyrical subtleties were lost on late-1960s Brits. What they heard was an expertly stroked organ, orgasmic groans and a soft-focus melody, the musical equivalent of a Vaseline-smeared Emmanuelle movie. It was confirmation that life across the Channel was one of unchecked lubriciousness, and Je t'aime became as essential a part of any successful seduction as a chilled bottle ofBlue Nun.
— Sylvie Simmons, Serge Gainsbourg: A Fistful of Gitanes, 2001[5]
Some deemed the song'seroticismoffensive. The lyrics are commonly thought to refer to the taboo of sex without love, and were delivered in a breathy, suggestive style.The ObserverMonthly Music magazine later called "Je t'aime" "the pop equivalent of anEmmanuellemovie ".[13]
When the version with Bardot was recorded, the French press reported that it was an "unedited recording" of physical intimacy ( "audio vérité").France Dimanchesaid the "groans, sighs, and Bardot's little cries of pleasure [give] the impression you're listening to two people making love".[5]The first time Gainsbourg played the song in public was in a Paris restaurant immediately after he and Birkin recorded their version. Birkin said that "as it began to play all you could hear were the knives and forks being put down. 'I think we have a hit record', [Gainsbourg] said."[5][8]
The sounds made by Birkin caused the song to be banned from radio in Spain, Sweden, Brazil, the United Kingdom,[13]and Italy,[14]banned from radio play before11 pmin France, and not played by many radio stations in the United States.[4]The song was officially denounced by theVaticanand its newspaper,L'Osservatore Romano;[13][14]one report even claimed that the Vatican had excommunicated the record executive who released it in Italy.[10]Birkin said that Gainsbourg had called the Pope "our greatest PR man".[8]In Italy, the head of their record label was jailed for offending public morality.[15]
Birkin said in 2004 that, "It wasn't a rude song at all. I don't know what all the fuss was about. The English just didn't understand it. I'm still not sure they know what it means."[16]When Gainsbourg later went toJamaicato record withSly and Robbie,they initially did not get on well with Gainsbourg, but their mood changed immediately upon learning that "Je t'aime" was his work.[5]
Commercial success
editThe song was a commercial success throughout Europe, selling three million copies by October 1969.[17]By 1986, it had sold four million copies. In the United Kingdom, it was released on theFontanalabel, but, after reaching number two, it was withdrawn from sale. Gainsbourg then arranged a deal withMajor Minor Records,and on re-release it reached number one, making it the first banned number one single in the UK[13]and the first single in a foreign language to top the charts. It stayed on the UK chart for 31 weeks.[18]In the United States, it peaked at number 58 on theBillboard Hot 100chart.[19]Mercury Records,the single's US distributor, faced criticism that the song was "obscene" and it received limited airplay, limiting US sales to around 150,000 copies.[20]
The single was re-released in the UK in late 1974 on theAtlantic Recordssubsidiary Antic Records, peaking at No. 31 and charting for nine weeks. By August 1969, the single had sold 300,000 copies in Italy,[21]while in France in 1969 alone sold 400,000 copies.[22]In UK sales were over 250,000.[23]By 1996, it had sold 6 million copies worldwide.[24]
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 91[25] |
| Ö3 Austria Top 40 | 1 |
| German Musikmarkt/Media Control Charts | 3[26] |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[27] | 2 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 2 |
| Mexico (Radio Mil) | 5[28] |
| NorwegianVG-listaChart | 1 |
| SwissTop 100 SinglesChart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| USBillboardHot 100 | 58[29] |
Cover versions
editThe song has been frequently covered in the years since its release. In 1969, the Hollywood 101 Strings Orchestra released a 7-inch record single (on A/S Records label) with two versions: the A-side featured a fully instrumental recording while the B-side had sexually suggestive vocalizations done by Bebe Bardon.[30]The first covers were instrumentals, "Love at first sight", after the original was banned;[30]the first version by a British group named Sounds Nice (featuring Tim Mycroft on keyboard) became a top 20 hit.[31](The group's name "sounds nice" represents the two wordsPaul McCartneysaid when he heard this instrumental cover of the song.)
The first parody was written in 1970 by Gainsbourg himself andMarcel Mithois.Titled "Ça", it was recorded byBourvilandJacqueline Maillan,Bourvil's last release before his death.[30][32]Other comedy versions were made byFrankie HowerdandJune Whitfield,Judge Dread,andGorden KayeandVicki Michelle,stars of the BBC TV comedy'Allo 'Allo!in character.[30]
"Je t'aime" has also been widely sampled, including on the 1994 single "A Fair Affair (Je T'Aime)"byMisty Oldland.[33]
Zvonimir Levačić 'Ševa' and Ivica Lako 'Laky', members of the Croatian antitelevision late night talk showNightmare Stage,performed a live version of the song as part of aspoofsinging competition during the show's airing. This version was later named the weirdest cover of the song ever.[34]
Legacy
editThe song influenced the 1975discotrack "Love to Love You Baby"by singerDonna Summerand producerGiorgio Moroder.[35][36]In a note toNeil Bogart,producer A. J. Cervantes (son of politicianAlfonso J. Cervantes), who previously worked forCasablanca Records,suggested an idea ofDonna Summerrecording the song. Bogart initially rejected the idea.[37][38]
Cervantes' record label Butterfly Records released the disco rendition as "Je t'aime" by an all-female disco group Saint Tropez in August 1977,[37][38]the first disco rendition of the song,[39]as part of the album of the same name,Je T'aime(1977). Prompted by the minor success of Saint Tropez, a year later in 1978, Casablanca Records released[37][38]the Summer and Moroder duet rendition of "Je t'aime" in a 15-minute version for the filmThank God It's Friday.[36]The Summer–Moroder rendition was produced by Moroder andPete Bellotte.
A non-lyrical rendition of the song was played at the tail end of the2024 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^1969 Album on the AMG.Retrieved 15 February 2007
- ^Simmons, Sylvie (2 February 2001)."An extract from Serge Gainsbourg: A Fistful of Gitanes by Sylvie Simmons".the Guardian.Retrieved21 November2022.
- ^Simmons, Sylvie (19 September 2002).Serge Gainsbourg: A Fistful Of Gitanes.Da Capo Press.ISBN978-0-306-81183-8.
- ^abcdeDurand, Mathieu (February 2009)."Chanson cul(te) Je t'aime moi non plus".Evene.Retrieved4 August2010.
- ^abcdefghijklSimmons, Sylvie (2 February 2001)."The eyes have it".The Guardian.London.Retrieved4 August2010.
- ^"RFI Musique - - Serge Gainsbourg".Archived fromthe originalon 28 May 2009.Retrieved8 May2009.
- ^abSinger, Barnett (2006).Brigitte Bardot: a biography.McFarland.ISBN0-7864-2515-6.
- ^abcdWalden, Celia (13 October 2009)."Jane Birkin interview".The Daily Telegraph.London.Retrieved3 August2010.
- ^Lloyd, Albertina (17 October 2009)."Birkin: Much more than a bag".Kidderminster Shuttle.Retrieved4 August2010.
- ^abcdZwerin, Mike (29 January 2003)."Music's laureate of the outrageous".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon 18 September 2012.Retrieved4 August2010.
- ^Simmons, Sylvie (2 February 2001)."An extract from Serge Gainsbourg: A Fistful of Gitanes by Sylvie Simmons | Books".The Guardian.London.Retrieved27 March2014.
- ^"Je t'aime moi non plus,Gainsbourg Birkin ".Evene.fr.13 February 2009.Retrieved2 October2016.
- ^abcdeSpencer, Neil (22 May 2005)."The 10 most x-rated records".Observer Music Monthly.London: Guardian Newspapers.Retrieved3 August2010.
- ^abCheles, Luciano; Sponza, Lucio (2001).The art of persuasion: political communication in Italy from 1945 to the 1990s.Manchester University Press. p. 331.ISBN0-7190-4170-8.
- ^"The Times Register: obituary Jane Birkin, English-born singer and actress".The Times.17 July 2023.Retrieved28 October2024.
- ^Solomons, Jason (15 August 2004)."Serge needed all the love he could get".The Observer.London.Retrieved3 August2010.
- ^"Money Music"(PDF).Record World.25 October 1969. p. 20.Retrieved8 April2022.
- ^Chrisafis, Angelique (14 April 2006)."Gainsbourg, je t'aime".The Guardian.London.Retrieved4 August2010.
- ^Top Pop Singles(8th edition) by Joel Whitburn
- ^"Steinberg: Obscenity is Relative".Billboard.7 November 1970.Retrieved5 August2010.
- ^"Il disco della Birkin venduto alla borsa nera".la Stampa.30 August 1969. p. 11.Retrieved8 April2022.
- ^Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique(SNEP). Fabrice Ferment (ed.)."TOP – 1969".40 ans de tubes: 1960–2000: les meilleures ventes de 45 tours & CD singles(in French).OCLC469523661.Archived fromthe originalon 15 May 2021.Retrieved8 April2022– via Top-France.fr.
- ^Murrells, Joseph (1985).Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s: an illustrated directory.Arco Pub. p. 277.ISBN0668064595.
In Britain, the disc was eventually handed over to the major minor label. Sales went over 250,000 there.
- ^LeGrande, Emmanuel (27 July 1991)."Cracking Global Language Barrier Is Tough For French Megastars"(PDF).Billboard.p. F-6.ISSN0006-2510.Retrieved8 April2022.
- ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 35.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
- ^"Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts".Musicline.de.Archived fromthe originalon 30 May 2012.Retrieved2 October2016.
- ^"Jane Birkin avec Serge Gainsbourg – Je t'aime... moi non plus "(in Dutch).Single Top 100.Retrieved 2017-12-31.
- ^March 14, 1970 issue of Billboard Magazine; page 61 (Retrieved 2016-10-05).
- ^"Artist Search for 'jane birkin'".AllMusic.Retrieved2 October2016.
- ^abcdWeaver, Julian (14 February 2003)."je t'aime moi non plus: a maintes reprises transcript".hypo.io.Resonance FM.Retrieved4 August2010.
- ^Larkin, Colin (1998).The encyclopedia of popular music.Vol. 7 (3 ed.). Macmillan. p. 5049.ISBN0-333-74134-X.
- ^Way, Michael (5 September 1970)."Paris".Billboard.Retrieved5 August2010.
- ^"Misty Oldland et Brand New Heavies".L'Express(in French). 16 June 1994.Retrieved31 July2011.
- ^"THE WORST/BEST COVER VERSION OF SERGE GAINSBOURG'S INFAMOUS 'JE T'AIME…' THAT YOU'LL EVER HEAR (Dangerous Minds)".21 April 2017.
- ^Robinson, Lisa (15 October 2007)."The Secret World of Serge Gainsbourg".VanityFair.com.Retrieved21 November2022.
- ^abSpencer, Kristopher (2008).Film and television scores, 1950–1979: a critical survey by genre.McFarland. p. 122.ISBN978-0-7864-3682-8.
- ^abcA. J. Cervantes (15 May 2003)."A. J. Cervantes".DiscoMusic.com(Interview). Interviewed by Bernard F. Lopez.
- ^abcMcGuire, John M. (21 May 1978)."A. J. Jr.: Disco King"(PDF).St. Louis Post-Dispatch.Read by RepresentativeJonathan B. Binghamon 23 May 1978. pp. 15152–3.
- ^Jones, Alan; Kantonen, Jussi (2000)."Hot Shots".Saturday Night Forever: The Story of Disco.Chicago Review Press. p.93.ISBN1-55652-411-0.LCCN00-038065.