Who was the spouse of Serge Gainsbourg from 1981 to Mar 1991?
Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg ( ; born Lucien Ginsburg ; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991 ) was a French musician , singer-songwriter , author , filmmaker and actor . Regarded as the most important figure in French pop whilst alive , he was renowned for often provocative and scandalous releases which caused uproar in France , dividing its public opinion , as well as his diverse artistic output , which ranged from his early work in jazz , chanson , and yé-yé to later efforts in rock , funk , reggae , and electronica . Gainsbourgs varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize , although his legacy has been firmly established and he is often regarded as one of the worlds most influential popular musicians . His lyrical works incorporated wordplay , with humorous , bizarre , provocative , sexual , satirical or subversive overtones , including sophisticated rhymes , mondegreen , onomatopoeia , spoonerism , dysphemism , paraprosdokian , and pun . Gainsbourg wrote over 550 songs , which have been covered more than 1,000 times by a range of artists . Since his death from a second heart attack in 1991 , Gainsbourgs music has reached legendary stature in France , and he is regarded as one of Frances greatest ever musicians and one of the countrys most popular and endeared public figures . He has also gained a cult following in the English-speaking world with chart success in the United Kingdom and the United States with Je taime.. . moi non plus and Bonnie and Clyde , respectively . Biography . Born in Paris , France on 2 April 1928 , Gainsbourg was the son of Jewish Russian migrants , Joseph Ginsburg ( 27 March 1896 , in Feodosia , Russian Empire — 22 April 1971 , in Paris ) and Olga ( née Besman ; 15 January 1894 , in Odessa , Russian Empire ( now Ukraine ) – 16 March 1985 , in Paris ) , who fled to Paris via Istanbul , Ottoman Empire after the 1917 Russian Revolution . Joseph Ginsburg was a classically trained musician whose profession was playing the piano in cabarets and casinos ; he taught his children—Gainsbourg and his twin sister Liliane—to play the piano . Gainsbourgs childhood was profoundly affected by the occupation of France by Germany during World War II . The identifying yellow star that Jews were required to wear haunted Gainsbourg ; in later years he was able to transmute this memory into creative inspiration . During the occupation , the Jewish Ginsburg family was able to make their way from Paris to Limoges , traveling under false papers . Limoges was in the Zone libre under the administration of the collaborationist Vichy government and still a perilous refuge for Jews . He attended the Lycée Condorcet high school in Paris but dropped out before completing his Baccalauréat . In 1945 , Gainsbourgs ( Ginsbergs ) father enrolled him into Beaux-Arts de Paris , a prestigious art school , before switching to the Académie de Montmartre , where his professors included the likes of André Lhote and Fernand Léger . There , Gainsbourg would meet his first wife Elisabeth Lize Levitsky , daughter of Russian aristocrats who was also a part-time model . They married on 3 November 1951 and were divorced by 1957 . In 1948 , he was conscripted by the military for twelve months of service in Courbevoie . He never saw action and spent the time playing dirty songs on his guitar , visiting prostitutes and drinking , later admitting that the service made him an alcoholic . Gainsbourg obtained work teaching music and drawing in a school outside of Paris , in Le Mesnil-le-Roi . The school was set up under the auspices of local rabbis , for the orphaned children of murdered deportees . Here , Gainsbourg heard the accounts of Nazi persecution and genocide , stories that resonated for Gainsbourg far into the future . Early work . Gainsbourg was disillusioned as a painter as he lacked talent but earned his living working odd jobs and as a piano player in bars , usually as a stand-in for his father . He soon became the venue pianist at the drag cabaret club Madame Arthur . Whilst filling in a form to join the songwriting society SACEM , Gainsbourg decided to change his first name to Serge , feeling that this was representative of his Jewish background and because , as his future partner Jane Birkin relates : Lucien reminded him of a hairdressers assistant . He chose Gainsbourg as his last name , in homage to the English painter Thomas Gainsborough , whom he admired . Gainsbourg had a revelation when he saw Boris Vian at the Milord lArsouille club whose provocative and humorous songs would influence his own compositions . At the Milord lArsouille , Gainsbourg accompanied singer and club star Michèle Arnaud on the guitar . In 1957 , Arnaud and the clubs director Francis Claude discovered , with amazement , the compositions of Gainsbourg while visiting his house to see his paintings . The next day , Claude pushed Gainsbourg on stage . Despite suffering from stage fright , he performed his own repertoire , including Le Poinçonneur des Lilas , which describes the day in the life of a Paris Métro ticket man , whose job is to stamp holes in passengers tickets . Gainsbourg describes this chore as so monotonous , that the man eventually thinks of putting a hole into his own head and being buried in another . He was given his own show by Claude and was eventually spotted by Jacques Canetti , who helped propel his career with a spot at the Théâtre des Trois Baudets and on his tours . In 1958 , Arnaud began recording several interpretations of Gainsbourgs songs . His debut album , Du chant à la une !.. . ( 1958 ) , was recorded in the summer of 1958 , backed by arranger Alain Goraguer and his orchestra , beginning a fruitful collaboration . It was released in September , becoming a commercial and critical failure , despite winning the grand prize at LAcademie Charles Cross and the praise of Boris Vian , who compared him to Cole Porter . His next album , N° 2 ( 1959 ) , suffered the same fate . He made his film debut in 1959 with a supporting role in the French-Italian co-production Come Dance with Me , starring his future lover Brigitte Bardot . Gainsbourgs first commercial success came in 1960 with his single LEau à la bouche , the title song from the film of the same name , for which he had composed the score . LÉtonnant Serge Gainsbourg ( 1961 ) , his third LP , included what would become one his best known songs from this period , La Chanson de Prévert , which lifted lyrics from the Jacques Prévert poem Les feuilles mortes . After a night of drinking champagne and dancing with singer Juliette Gréco , Gainsbourg went home and wrote La Javanaise for her . They would both release versions of the song in 1963 , but it is Gainsbourgs rendition that has endured . His fourth album , Serge Gainsbourg N° 4 ( 1963 ) , would be his last to blend traditional chanson and modern jazz , also incorporating Latin and rock and roll influences . Eurovision and involvement in the yé-yé movement . Gainsbourg married a second time on 7 January 1964 , to Françoise-Antoinette Béatrice Pancrazzi , with whom he had two children : a daughter named Natacha ( b . 8 August 1964 ) and a son , Paul ( born in spring 1968 ) . He divorced Béatrice in February 1966 . Later , Gainsbourg began to move beyond this and experiment with a succession of musical styles : modern jazz early on , yé-yé pop in the 1960s , then funk , rock and reggae in the 1970s and electronica in the 1980s . By the time the yéyés emerged in France , Gainsbourg was 32 years old and was not feeling very comfortable : he spent much time with Jacques Brel or Juliette Gréco but the public and critics rejected him , mocking his prominent ears and nose . During this period , Gainsbourg began working with Gréco , a collaboration that lasted throughout the Left Bank period culminating in the song La Javanaise in the fall of 1962 . He performed a few duets in 1964 with the artist Philippe Clay , with whom he shared some resemblance . Around this time , Gainsbourg met Elek Bacsik , who pleased Gainsbourg , despite knowing that such a sound would not allow him access to success . The album Gainsbourg Confidentiel sold only 1,500 copies . The decision was taken right upon leaving the studio : Ill get into hack work and buy myself a Rolls . Still , his next album , Gainsbourg Percussions , inspired by the rhythms and melodies of Miriam Makeba and Babatunde Olatunji , was a world away from the yéyé wave , on the scene which was to become a key to the Gainsbourg fortune . More success began to arrive when , in 1965 , his song Poupée de cire , poupée de son was the Luxembourg entry in the Eurovision Song Contest . Performed by French teen and charming singer France Gall , it won first prize . The song was recorded in English as A Lonely Singing Doll by British teen idol Twinkle . His next song for Gall , Les Sucettes ( Lollipops ) , caused a scandal in France : Gainsbourg had written the song with double meanings and strong sexual innuendo , of which the singer was apparently unaware when she recorded it . Whereas Gall thought that the song was about a girl enjoying lollipops , it was actually about oral sex . The controversy arising from the song , although a big hit for Gall , threw her career off-track in France for several years . Gainsbourg arranged other Gall songs and LPs that were characteristic of the late 1960s psychedelic styles , among them her 1968 album . Another Gainsbourg song , Boum Bada Boum , was entered by Monaco in the 1967 contest , sung by Minouche Barelli ; it came fifth . He also wrote hit songs for other artists , such as Françoise Hardy ( Comment te dire adieu , based on a complex scheme of rare rhymes ) , Anna Karina ( Sous le soleil exactement , Ne dis rien ) , and his lifelong friend and muse-égérie , Michèle Arnaud ( Les Papillons Noirs ) . In 1967 , Gainsbourg appeared as a dancer along with Jean Yanne and Sacha Distel in the Sacha Show with Marie Laforet singing Ivan , Boris & Moi . In late 1967 he had a brief but ardent love affair with Brigitte Bardot , to whom he dedicated the song and album Initials B.B. . He initially composed the song Je taime.. . moi non plus as a duet with her , but Bardot , married at the time , pleaded with Gainsbourg not to release it . His relationship with Brigitte Bardot led to a series of prominent pop duets , such as Ford Mustang and Bonnie and Clyde . In mid-1968 Gainsbourg fell in love with the younger English singer and actress Jane Birkin , whom he met during the shooting of the film Slogan . Their relationship lasted over a decade . In 1971 they had a daughter , the actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg . Although many sources state that they were married , according to their daughter Charlotte this was not the case . In 1969 , he released Je taime.. . moi non-plus , which featured explicit lyrics and simulated sounds of female orgasm . The song appeared that year on an LP , Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg . Originally recorded with Brigitte Bardot , it was released with his future girlfriend Birkin when Bardot backed out . While Gainsbourg declared it the ultimate love song , it was considered too hot ; the song was censored or banned from public broadcast in numerous countries and in France even the toned-down version was suppressed . The Vatican made a public statement citing the song as offensive . Despite ( or perhaps because of ) the controversy , it sold well and charted within the top ten in many European countries . The 1970s . Histoire de Melody Nelson was released in 1971 . This concept album , produced and arranged by Jean-Claude Vannier , tells the story of a Lolita-esque affair , with Gainsbourg as the narrator . It features prominent string arrangements and even a massed choir at its tragic climax . The album has proven influential with artists such as Air , David Holmes , Jarvis Cocker , Beck and Dan the Automator . He had a heart attack in May 1973 , but refused to cut back on smoking and drinking . In 1975 , he released the album Rock Around the Bunker , an album written entirely on the subject of National Socialism . Gainsbourg used black comedy , as he and his family had suffered during World War II , being forced to wear the yellow star as the mark of a Jew . Rock Around the Bunker belonged to the mid-1970s retro trend . The next year saw the release of another major work , LHomme à tête de chou ( Cabbage-Head Man ) , featuring the new character Marilou and sumptuous orchestral themes . Cabbage-Head Man is one of his nicknames , as it refers to his ears . Musically , Lhomme à tête de chou turned out to be Gainsbourgs last LP in the English rock style he had favoured since the late 1960s . He would go on to produce two reggae albums recorded in Jamaica ( 1979 and 1981 ) and two electronic funk albums recorded in New York ( 1984 and 1987 ) . In Jamaica in 1979 , he recorded Aux Armes et cætera , a reggae version of the French national anthem La Marseillaise , with Robbie Shakespeare , Sly Dunbar and Rita Marley . Following harsh and anti-semitic criticism in right-wing newspaper Le Figaro by Charles de Gaulle biographer Michel Droit , his song earned him death threats from right-wing veteran soldiers of the Algerian War of Independence , who were opposed to their national anthem being arranged in reggae style . In 1979 , a show had to be cancelled , because an angry mob of French Army parachutists came to demonstrate in the audience . Alone onstage , Gainsbourg raised his fist and answered : The true meaning of our national anthem is revolutionary and sang it a capella with the audience . The soldiers joined them , a scene enjoyed by millions as French TV news broadcast it , creating more publicity . Shortly afterward , Gainsbourg purchased the original manuscript of La Marseillaise . He replied to his critics that his version was closer to the original as the manuscript actually features the words Aux armes et cætera.. . for the chorus . This album , described by legendary drummer Sly Dunbar as Perhaps the best record he ever played on , was his biggest commercial success , including major hits Lola Rastaquouère , Aux armes et cætera , and a French version of Sam Theards jazz classic You Rascal You entitled Vieille canaille . Rita Marley and the I-Three would record another controversial reggae album with him in 1981 , Mauvaises nouvelles des étoiles . Bob Marley was furious , when he discovered that Gainsbourg made his wife Rita sing erotic lyrics . Posthumous new mixes , including dub versions by Soljie Hamilton and versions of both albums by Jamaican artists , were released as double Dub Style albums in 2003 , to critical praise in France as well as abroad and to international commercial success . Although belatedly , Aux Armes Et Cætera – Dub Style and Mauvaises Nouvelles Des Étoiles – Dub Style further established Gainsbourg , posthumously , as an influential icon in European pop music . Final years . In 1982 , Gainsbourg wrote an album for French rocker Alain Bashung , Play blessures . The album , although now considered a masterpiece by French critics , was a commercial failure . After a turbulent 13-year relationship , Jane Birkin left Gainsbourg . He still went on to write and produce three more albums for her : Baby Alone in Babylone ( 1983 ) , Lost Song ( 1987 ) , Amour des feintes ( 1990 ) , with many songs being about their relationship ( including Fuir le bonheur de peur quil ne se sauve , which would be read by Catherine Deneuve during Gainsbourgs funeral in 1991 ) . In the 1980s , near the end of his life , Gainsbourg became a regular figure on French TV . His appearances were increasingly devoted to his controversial sense of humour and provocation . In March 1984 , he burned three-quarters of a 500-French-franc bill on television to protest against taxes rising up to 74% of income . He would show up drunk and unshaven on stage : in April 1986 , on Michel Druckers live Saturday evening television show Champs-Élysées , with the American singer Whitney Houston , he objected to Druckers translating his comments to Houston and in English stated : I said , I want to fuck her—Drucker , utterly embarrassed , insisted that this meant He says you are great.. . That same year , in another talk show interview , he appeared alongside Catherine Ringer , the well-known singer from Les Rita Mitsouko . Gainsbourg spat out at her , Youre nothing but a filthy whore to which Ringer replied , look at you , youre just a bitter old alcoholic...youve become a disgusting old parasite . For many in France , this incident was the last straw , and much of his later work was overlooked since it was often done and performed while he was inebriated . After Gainsbourgs passing , Eddy Mitchell reported that their duet of You Rascal You had far fewer sales than would have normally been expected because of this . Michel Drucker , also , reported that he had a difficult time apologizing to Whitney Houston . After that particular incident , Gainsbourg was never again really clean in public , almost always having a drink in his hand and a lit cigarette between his lips , thus disgusting many with his behavior and demeanor in all he said and did . Famous humorist Pierre Desproges , who commented the incident with Catherine Ringer , said that he had admired Gainsbourg when he was alive ( meaning to say that he was currently as good as dead ) , and that he was the only genius looking like a garbage can ( le seul génie qui ressemble à une poubelle ) . His songs became increasingly eccentric during this period , ranging from the anti-drug Aux Enfants de la Chance , to the highly controversial duet with his daughter Charlotte named Lemon Incest . Yet he continued to produce albums and songs for women—typically women with a frail voice—some of them highly successful , like the aforementioned Baby Alone in Babylone ( 1983 ) and Amour des feintes ( 1990 ) for Jane Birkin , Variations sur le même taime ( 1990 ) for Vanessa Paradis , Pull marine ( 1983 ) for Isabelle Adjani , White and Black Blues for Joëlle Ursull ( which came second at the 1990 Eurovision ) . His last official partner was Bambou . In 1986 , they had a son , Lucien , known as Lulu . In 2010 , Lise Lévitzky published a book called Lise et Lulu which raises the possibility of Gainsbourg being bisexual . In 2017 , Constance Meyer published a book titled La jeune fille et Gainsbourg , in which she reveals that she had a love affair with the musician during his last years , which began in 1985 when , then aged 16 , she sent him a love letter . In December 1988 , while a judge at a film festival in Val dIsère , he was extremely intoxicated at a local theatre where he was to do a presentation . While on stage he began to tell an obscene story about Brigitte Bardot and a champagne bottle , only to stagger offstage and collapse in a nearby seat . Subsequent years saw his health deteriorate . He had to undergo liver surgery but denied any connection to cancer or cirrhosis . His appearances and releases became sparser as he had to rest and recover in Vezelay . During these final years , he released Love on the Beat , a controversial electronic album with mostly sexual themes ( examplified by the titular song , for which he sampled actual sexual screams from Bambou ) , and his last studio album , Youre Under Arrest , which presented more synth-driven songs , as well as two live albums . Film work . - Acting Gainsbourg appeared in nearly 50 film and television roles . In 1960 , he co-starred with Rhonda Fleming in the Italian film La rivolta degli schiavi ( The Revolt of the Slaves ) as Corvino , the Roman Emperor Massimianos evil henchman . In 1968 he wrote music for and appeared as himself in Le Pacha directed by Georges Lautner . In 1969 , he appeared in William Kleins pop art satire Mr . Freedom , and in the same year he co-starred alongside Jane Birkin in The Pleasure Pit as well as in Slogan , for which he wrote the title song La Chanson de Slogan . Also with Birkin , he acted in the French-Yugoslav film ( 19 girls and one sailor ) where he played a role of a partisan . They acted together again in Cannabis the following year , and again in Seven Deaths in the Cats Eye in 1973 . He also made a brief appearance with Birkin in Herbert Veselys 1980 film Egon Schiele – Exzess und Bestrafung . - Directing Gainsbourg wrote and directed four feature films : Je taime moi non plus , Équateur , Charlotte for Ever , and Stan the Flasher . He also made a short film , Le Physique et le Figuré , and co-wrote the first color film made for French television Anna . He directed a few music videos , including the controversial Morgane de toi for his friend Renaud , featuring a group of naked children running on a beach . - Composing Throughout his career , Gainsbourg wrote the soundtracks for nearly 60 films and television programs . In 1996 , he received a posthumous César Award for Best Music Written for a Film for Élisa , along with Zbigniew Preisner and Michel Colombier . Writing . Gainsbourg wrote a short novel entitled Evguénie Sokolov , a first person narrative where the titular protagonist recounts how he became a famous avant-garde painter by exploiting his uncontrollable and violent farts , generating the trademark shaky graphic style of his works which he calls gazogrammes . Death and legacy . Gainsbourg , who smoked five packs of unfiltered Gitane cigarettes a day , died on 2 March 1991 of a heart attack , a month shy of his 63rd birthday . He was buried in the Jewish section of the Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris . French President François Mitterrand said of him , He was our Baudelaire , our Apollinaire .. . He elevated the song to the level of art . Since his death , Gainsbourgs music has reached legendary stature in France . He has also gained a following in the English-speaking world , with numerous artists influenced by his arrangements . One of the most frequent interpreters of Gainsbourgs songs was British singer Petula Clark , whose success in France was propelled by her recordings of his tunes . In 2003 , she wrote and recorded La Chanson de Gainsbourg as a tribute to the composer of some of her biggest hits . The majority of Gainsbourgs lyrics are collected in the volume Dernières nouvelles des étoiles . The Parisian house in which Gainsbourg lived from 1969 until 1991 , at 5 bis Rue de Verneuil , remains a celebrated shrine , with his ashtrays and collections of various items , such as police badges and bullets , intact . The outside of the house is covered in graffiti dedicated to Gainsbourg , as well as with photographs of significant figures in his life , including Bardot and Birkin . The French rock band BB Brunes was named after his song Initials B.B. . Film biopic . Comics artist Joann Sfar wrote and directed a feature film titled Gainsbourg ( Vie héroïque ) , which was released in France in 2010 . Gainsbourg is portrayed by Eric Elmosnino as an adult and Kacey Mottet Klein as a child . The film won three César Awards , including Best Actor for Elmosnino , and nominated for an additional eight . Exhibitions . In 2008 , Paris Cité de la Musique held the Gainsbourg 2008 exhibition , curated by sound artist Frédéric Sanchez . Discography . Live albums . - 1980 : Enregistrement public au Théâtre Le Palace ( re-released in 2006 as Gainsbourg.. . et cætera – Enregistrement public au Théâtre Le Palace in an expanded edition ) - 1986 : Gainsbourg Live ( Casino de Paris ) - 1989 : Le Zénith de Gainsbourg - 2009 : 1963 Théâtre des Capucines Compilation albums . - 2021 : LALbum de sa vie ( 100 titles ) ( Peak FR : #19 , BEL ( Wa ) : #89 ) Selected film scores . - 1967 : Anna - 1968 : Le Pacha - 1969 : Slogan - 1970 : Cannabis ( instrumental ) - 1976 : Je taime moi non plus – Ballade de Johnny-Jane ( instrumental ) - 1977 : Madame Claude ( instrumental ) - 1977 : Goodbye Emmanuelle ( instrumental ) - 1980 : Je vous aime - 1986 : Putain de film ! – B.O.F . Tenue de soirée Singles and EPs . The majority of his EPs ( represented in italics ) were also released as 7-inch promo jukebox singles . Notes Editions . - De Gainsbourg à Gainsbarre ( 1989 , 1994 , Philips ) - Gainsbourg Forever ( 2001 , Mercury ) - Serge Gainsbourg Intégrale ( 2011 , Philips ) Albums written for other artists . - 1973 : Di doo dah – Jane Birkin - 1975 : Lolita Go Home – Jane Birkin ( about half of the album ) - 1977 : Rockn rose – Alain Chamfort - 1978 : Ex fan des sixties – Jane Birkin - 1980 : Guerre et pets – Jacques Dutronc ( about two-thirds of the album ) - 1981 : Amour année zéro – Alain Chamfort - 1981 : Souviens-toi de moublier – Catherine Deneuve - 1982 : Play blessures – Alain Bashung - 1983 : Isabelle Adjani ( or Pull marine ) – Isabelle Adjani - 1983 : Baby Alone in Babylone – Jane Birkin - 1986 : Charlotte for Ever – Charlotte Gainsbourg - 1987 : Lost Song – Jane Birkin - 1989 : Made in China – Bambou - 1990 : Amours des feintes – Jane Birkin - 1990 : Variations sur le même taime – Vanessa Paradis Singles written for other artists . - Laisse tomber les filles ( 1964 ) – France Gall - N’écoute pas les idoles ( 1964 ) – France Gall - Les Incorruptibles ( 1965 ) – Petula Clark - La Gadoue ( 1965 ) – Petula Clark - Poupée de cire , poupée de son ( 1965 ) – France Gall - Attends ou va-ten ( 1965 ) – France Gall - Nous ne sommes pas des anges ( 1965 ) – France Gall - Baby Pop ( 1966 ) – France Gall - Les Sucettes ( 1966 ) – France Gall - Les Papillons Noirs ( 1966 ) – Michèle Arnaud - Teenie Weenie Boppie ( 1967 ) – France Gall - Ne dis rien ( 1967 ) – Anna Karina - Comment te dire adieu ? ( 1968 ) – Françoise Hardy ( lyrics ) - Betty Jane Rose ( 1978 ) – Bijou - Joujou à la casse ( 1979 ) – Alain Chamfort - Manureva ( 1979 ) – Alain Chamfort - Amour Puissance Six ( 1989 ) – Viktor Lazlo - Dis-lui toi que je taime ( 1990 ) – Vanessa Paradis - White and Black Blues ( 1990 ) – Joëlle Ursull ( lyrics by Gainsbourg ) Selected tribute albums and posthumous releases . - 1995 : Intoxicated Man ( tribute album by Mick Harvey ) - 1997 : Pink Elephants ( tribute album by Mick Harvey ) - 1997 : ( tribute album ) - 1997 : Comic Strip ( collection of songs recorded between 1966 and 1969 ) - 2001 : I Love Serge : Electronicagainsbourg ( remix album ) - 2005 : Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited ( tribute album ) - 2008 : Classé X ( compilation ) - 2008 : Gainsbourg Gainbegiratuz ( tribute ) - 2011 : Best of Gainsbourg : Comme Un Boomerang ( compilation ) - 2016 : Delirium Tremens ( tribute album by Mick Harvey ) - 2017 : Intoxicated Women ( tribute album by Mick Harvey ) - 2020 Serge Vie Heroique ( tribute tape by Serge Nikos ) External links . - Serge Gainsbourg official site