Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop , he was renowned for often provocative releases which caused uproar in France, dividing public opinion. His lyrical works incorporated wordplay , with humorous, bizarre, provocative, sexual, satirical or subversive overtones.
Gainsbourg wrote over songs, [ 4 ] [ 5 ] which have been covered more than 1, times by diverse artists. While controversial in his lifetime, he has become one of France's best-loved public figures. Serge Gainsbourg was born in Paris on 2 April Joseph Ginsburg was a classically trained musician whose profession was playing the piano in cabarets and casinos; he taught his childrenβGainsbourg and his twin sister Lilianeβto play the piano.
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. Limoges was in the Zone libre under the administration of the collaborationist Vichy government and it became even more dangerous after Germany occupied it in 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. 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.
Gainsbourg was disillusioned as a painter, as he lacked talent. He was able to earn a living working odd jobs and as a piano player in bars, usually as a stand-in for his father.
