Serge Gainsbourg "La Javanaise"

I've had this song sitting on my computer desktop, waiting to post for about two months. So, here it is...one of my favorite early Serge songs. A great mix of chanson and a early 60's girl group, doo-wop sound.

Lyrically the song seems to be about Serge's of the letter "V." The letter, and it's sound, dominate the song. I did a bit a Googling and found one reference to the song being about a trend amongst French teenagers to add additional v's to words. A bit like a few years back when everyone was adding "-izza" to everything.

Watch serge sing the song, hold the cigarette, but never smoke it. Amazing. I'm pretty anti-smoking, but I'll be damned if he doesn't make it look so fucking cool.



Download Serge Gainsbourg "La Javanaise"

New Genre Alert: French-Vanity-Dub

Well, okay, maybe there's only one French-Vanity-Dub album, but it's a doozy. In 1979, probably wacked out of his mind on a little more than just fame, Serge Gainsbourg hopped a plane to Jamaica to make a reggae album.

He enlisted the services of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, probably the greatest reggae rhythm section of all time, and the I-Threes, Bob Marley's female back-up trio. Gainsbourg thoroughly offended right-wingers by snarling and moaning his way through his country's national anthem, with the non-French-speaking I-Threes piping an offhand "Aux armes--et cetera" at the chorus.

The whole affair sounds pretty much as confounding as you'd imagine it. It's reggae, but with Serge piping his slightly unnerving, nicotine stained croak on top. I, personally, find the entire record kinda hard to listen to in one sitting. But one track at a time it's a perfect audio nightmare.

Download the song "Aux armes et caetera" here