Je t’Aime Moi Non Plus - Serge Gainsbourg
Related: French music - French cinema - Jane Birkin - 1969 - 1976 - Serge Gainsbourg
Jane Birkin on the cover of the seven inch to "Je t'aime... Moi non plus" (1969)
Je t'aime, moi non plus (soundtrack, 1976) - Serge Gainsbourg [FR] [DE] [UK]
Late one night in the winter of 1967
Late one night in the winter of 1967, Gainsbourg and Bardot went into a dimly lit studio in Paris and recorded Michel Colombier's arrangement of Je T'Aime in an intimate two-hour session. The two singers were squashed into a small, steamy glass booth; engineer William Flageollet witnessed what he described as "heavy petting". Word leaked to the press that it was an "audio vérité" recording, with the Sunday paper France-Dimanche reporting that the four minutes and 35 seconds of "groans, sighs, and Bardot's little cries of pleasure" set to almost churchlike organ music gave "the impression you're listening to two people making love". --http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4128684,00.html [Aug 2005]
Je t'aime... moi non plus is the title of a controversial song written by Serge Gainsbourg, arranged by Michel Colombier and sung by Gainsbourg and his soon-to-be girlfriend, Jane Birkin who replaced actress Brigitte Bardot after the latter's then husband's protest.
The song was known much for its racey undertones and the simple repitition of the phrase "I love you" detailed by Birkin's breathy moans. The song debuted at #1 on the UK charts and ironically at #69 within the US. The tune would go on to be the influence for the disco classic "Love To Love You Baby" by singer Donna Summer and legendary producer Giorgio Moroder, both of whom would later duet "Je t'aime" in its original form.
Je t'aime... moi non plus is also the name of a 1976 feature film, directed by Serge Gainsbourg, starring Jane Birkin, Patrick Dewaere and Joe Dallesandro. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Je_t'aime..._moi_non_plus [Aug 2005]
See also: 1967 - 1969 - Serge Gainsbourg - Brigitte Bardot - Jane Birkin - Je t'aime... moi non plus
Trivia
The song was first recorded by Brigitte Bardot and Serge Gainsbourg in October 1967 and should have been released at the end of 1967. On demand of Brigitte Bardot the song was not released until 1986.
The second version, sung by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, was released in February 1969 and became an international hit. Nowadays it is an Eurosleaze classic.
One of Gainsbourg's biographers has pointed out that Bardot sounds too lascivious and experienced on the song, whereas Jane Birkin's voice gives the impression of someone far younger and more virginal, which gives her version a more erotic appeal.
The arrangement was by Michel Colombier. --http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Musee/1489/gainsbourg/texts/jetaimemoinonplus.html [Dec 2004]
Je t’Aime Moi Non Plus (1976 film)
Je t'aime, moi non plus (1976) - Serge Gainsbourg
Hot, Hard Cocks and Tight, Tight Unlubricated Assholes: Transgression, Sexual Ambiguity and “Perverse” Pleasures in Serge Gainsbourg’s Je t’aime moi non plus by Jack Sargeant
If certain body parts and functions are coded as normal and acceptable, Sargeant examines a film that turns these presuppositions on their head. --http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/04/30/je_taime_moi_non_plus.html
Je t'aime, moi non plus (soundtrack, 1976) - Serge Gainsbourg
I remember seeing this one for the first time on May 7, 1988. If they ever awarded a film for being the best in bad taste, here's your winner. Joe Dallesandro plays Krassky, a gay man who's had a spat with his lover (Hughes Quester). While at a bar, he meets up with a boyish (and I mean boyish) female bartender named Johnny (Jane Birkin). They have an affair while Krassky's male lover Padovan tries to make amends.
While the story is intriguing, the ugliness of the film is quite strong. Johnny's boss is a flatulating old man who occasionally brings in some unattractive women to do a striptease for the men. We see Padovan eating spaghetti with his hands and Johnny eating what looks like cucumbers dipped in milk. There's a scene where Padovan is answering nature's call in an open field. All the sex between Krassky and Johnny is anal, which forces Birkin to scream in agony in every one of those scenes. While I respect Jane Birkin's talents, I wonder if anyone would be turned on by her "lack of rack" or her very short haircut?
Bottom line: A movie only for a certain group. I haven't seen this one for a while, but I'll bet Showcase (a cable channel in Canada) will someday show this one, due to their reputation of showing a lot of gay product. --bluethunder35 for imdb.com, http://us.imdb.com/Title?0073196 [Dec 2004]