{"title":"Serge Gainsbourg","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout Serge Gainsbourg\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eLucien Ginsburg, performing as Serge Gainsbourg, was born in Paris on April 2, 1928 to Russian Jewish parents who had emigrated to France in 1919 following the Russian Revolution. His family survived the Nazi occupation of France during World War II by relocating to Limoges with falsified identification documents. He launched his recording career in 1958 with the debut Du Chant à la Une!... Across his multi-decade career he evolved across multiple musical styles - beginning with chanson française traditions, evolving through pop, rock, reggae (Aux armes et caetera 1979, the controversial reggae adaptation of La Marseillaise recorded in Kingston with Sly \u0026amp; Robbie), funk, disco, and electronic. His 1971 landmark Histoire de Melody Nelson is widely cited as one of the most important French popular music albums of all time and has been influential on contemporary popular music (influence on Beck, Air, Stereolab, and many others). His controversial 1969 duet Je t'aime... moi non plus with English actress Jane Birkin (his partner from 1968-1980, mother of his daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg) - featuring sexually-explicit content - was banned by the Vatican and broadcasters across Europe. He had parallel work as a film director (Je t'aime moi non plus 1976, Stan the Flasher 1990). He died of a heart attack on March 2, 1991 at age 62 at his Paris home. His foundational influence on French popular music and broader contemporary popular music is widely cited.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSound and style\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSerge Gainsbourg's sound combines French pop, chanson française, pop, rock, reggae, funk, disco, electronic, jazz, and chamber pop with his distinctive spoken-sung vocal delivery, virtuosic compositional approaches across multiple styles, and lyrical content addressing sexuality, mortality, French politics, irony, and broader social commentary drawing on French literary traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eDiscography highlights\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDu Chant à la Une!... (1958, Philips)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGainsbourg Confidentiel (1964, Philips)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInitials B.B. (1968, Philips)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistoire de Melody Nelson (1971, Philips)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVu de l'extérieur (1973, Philips)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRock Around the Bunker (1975, Philips)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eL'Homme à tête de chou (1976, Philips)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAux armes et caetera (1979, Philips) - reggae\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMauvaises Nouvelles des Étoiles (1981, Philips)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLove on the Beat (1984, Philips)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYou're Under Arrest (1987, Philips) - final\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFor collectors\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginal Philips Records, Mercury Records, and Polygram pressings of the Serge Gainsbourg catalog are foundational items in French popular music collecting, with collector premiums on rare pressings.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhere to start\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eListeners new to Serge Gainsbourg typically start with Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971). \u003cspan class=\"related-collections\"\u003eExplore more: \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/pop-vinyl-records\"\u003ePop\/Indie-Pop\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"serge-gainsbourg-l-etonnant-vinyl-0254","title":"L'etonnant LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eL'Étonnant Serge Gainsbourg is the third studio album by French musician Serge Gainsbourg, released in 1961.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48540916580535,"sku":"210000095637","price":29.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/gainsbourg.jpg?v=1781154710"},{"product_id":"serge-gainsbourg-no-4-vinyl","title":"No. 4 LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eShips 6\/27\/25 (backordered) - This is his last to feature his original style blending chanson and jazz, with a more varied approach with Latino and rock and roll influences.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48757805023415,"sku":"210000098407","price":30.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/418453991202-500.webp?v=1782413398"},{"product_id":"serge-gainsbourg-no-2-vinyl","title":"No. 2 LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eNo. 2 is the second studio album by Serge Gainsbourg, originally released in 1959. It features Gainsbourg backed by the Alain Goraguer Orchestra. Definitely a mutant jazz-pop album with a strong chansonnier feel and a touch of French literature.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48757806334135,"sku":"210000089939","price":29.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/serge.jpg?v=1782413400"},{"product_id":"serge-gainsbourg-je-t-aime-moi-non-plus-vinyl","title":"Je T'aime Moi Non Plus 12\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eShips 7\/3\/26 - A Panthéon 12\" (45rpm) maxi that puts Serge Gainsbourg's breathy, once-scandalous 'Je T'aime Moi Non Plus' back on vinyl; intimate, provocative, and stripped to the essentials.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48757809545399,"sku":"210000106325","price":29.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/4517270-3631740.jpg?v=1782787562"},{"product_id":"serge-gainsbourg-rock-around-the-bunker-cd","title":"Rock Around the Bunker CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eSerge Gainsbourg's \"Rock Around the Bunker\" CD is a bold release from Mercury Import, featuring tracks that sparked controversy, including \"Nazi Rock\" and \"SS in Uruguay.\" This album stands as one of Gainsbourg's most provocative works, pushing the boundaries of French pop. If you're exploring Gainsbourg's catalog, this one pulls no punches.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785689706679,"sku":"210000079267","price":12.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/814980.jpg?v=1783045661"},{"product_id":"serge-gainsbourg-claude-les-chemins-de-katmandou-vinyl","title":"Claude - Les Chemins De Katmandou LP","description":"","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785725554871,"sku":"210000079831","price":18.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"serge-gainsbourg-confidentiel-vinyl","title":"Confidentiel LP","description":"","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785735024823,"sku":"210000098968","price":30.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/4432086-3422805.jpg?v=1783045764"},{"product_id":"serge-gainsbourg-l-etonnant-vinyl-3413","title":"L'Etonnant LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eSerge Gainsbourg's L'Etonnant LP crackles with a raw atmosphere reminiscent of smoky Parisian nights. Each track, including \"La Chanson De Prévert,\" twists melancholy into something haunting, while the grooves show little regard for convention. This isn't just vinyl; it's a commanding presence that will likely leave you unbothered as it spins.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785883791543,"sku":"210000098960","price":30.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/r-34339384-1750595738-1910.jpg?v=1783046189"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.waxtraxrecords.com\/collections\/serge-gainsbourg.oembed","provider":"Wax Trax Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}