Serge Gainsbourg 4

Je t'aime... moi non plus
1969, written by Serge Gainsbourg

L'amour physique est sans issue

Physical love is a dead end

Je t'aime... moi non plus is most famous song, with long term partner Jane Birkin, was a scandal. Originally he had recorded this song with Brigitte Bardot, who he was having an affair with, but she begged him not to release it as she was married and did not wish to upset her husband. The Bardot version surfaced again after Serges death.

Jane recalls, "Serge thought it was vulgar that people said 'I love you' all the time. Either he didn't believe it or because he was pudique he didn't want to say, 'Moi aussi.' Or he didn't believe the girl would really love him. [In 1969] he asked me if I wanted to sing 'Je T'Aime … Moi Non Plus' with him, and given that all the pretty actresses in Paris wanted to do it, I said, 'Yes, but don't play me Bardot's version because I'd be embarrassed as hers was so wonderful.'" (In 1986, Bardot gave permission to release the original version to benefit her animal charities and Greenpeace. Today, Bardot says, "He was a lord, and 'Je T'Aime … Moi Non Plus' is a hymn to love, a unique homage for me. I only want to keep the best and forget the worst … if it's possible. I will love him forever, me neither.")

Gainsbourg declared it the "ultimate love song," it was considered too "hot"; the song was censored in various countries, and in France even the toned-down version was suppressed. The Vatican made a public statement citing the song as offensive. It reached no. 1 in the UK singles chart.

Compare:

Bardot





vs

Birkin