This article was first published on CLUAS in Jan 2006
French Letter: Gainsbourg & Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday & Serge Gainsbourg back in the news? Aidan's on the case...
Two of France's biggest rock icons
are experiencing contrasting fortunes at the moment.
Johnny Hallyday, that glorified Elvis impersonator you may have seen in your
French schoolbooks, is suffering a sustained public backlash from even his most
dedicated fans.
You see, France's number one rock star wants to become a Belgian.
The news of his citizenship application has caused
ructions here. Despite his
family ties to Belgium (his father was Belgian), most commentators have pointed
to its more generous tax system, noted Hallyday's lucrative new record deal, and
have (like Johnny's accountant, no doubt) put two and two together.
The French media, sensing weakness, are tirelessly probing his private life,
especially rape allegations which were recently thrown out of court. Meanwhile,
his PR team is relentlessly pushing his family - especially recently-adopted
Asian baby daughter - into the spotlight in a mad scramble for positive
publicity. His die-hard fans are simply upset that their idol, the self-styled
rocker-of-the-people they made into a star, is upping sticks to a country
traditionally the butt of French jokes. Tough times indeed for poor old Johnny.
The late Serge Gainsbourg, by contrast, is about to enjoy renewed exposure and
acclaim in the English-speaking pop world with the release on 27 February of
'Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited', a tribute album to mark the 15th anniversary of
the death of a true French pop/rock genius. A star-studded, eclectic and
ultra-hip line-up includes Franz Ferdinand,
Portishead, Michael Stipe, Tricky,
Jarvis Cocker and Marianne Faithfull, all singing English-language versions of
his songs. With such marquee names on board, the project is sure to generate
huge interest in the man and his work.
A cross between Sean Connery and Shane McGowan, Gainsbourg combined arrogant
sophistication, artistic sensitivity and boorish decadence. During his creative
peak in the late '60s his singles rivalled Lennon &
McCartney and Bacharach &
David for innovation and ambition. Enthralled by Latino rhythms, American pop
culture and British aristocratic sang-froid, his work is nonetheless
unmistakeably French, fun and fantastic.
Serge Gainsbourg - essential listening...
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'Comic Strip' (compilation, 1996) |
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'L'Histoire de Melody Nelson' (1971) |
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'Love On The Beat' (1984) |
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'Aux Armes Et Cetera' (1979) |
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The best of his recordings from 1966 to 1969 - 20 electrifying tracks whose
legacy (crafted arrangements, tense mood swings, playful eclecticism) can be
heard in 
His greatest album - a melancholic yet sexy mix of soulful basslines, lush
orchestrations and more sound effects from Ms Birkin. Need we say that it's
about a middle-aged man's affair with an underage English girl? Dodgy concept,
brilliant record.
Okay, admittedly this isn't classic Gainsbourg (or even classic anybody else)
but as '80s synth-rock is probably going to come back into fashion later this
year, why not start here? This New York-recorded album is famous for its iconic
cover photograph by William Klein (currently the subject of a retrospective at
the Centre Pompidou in Paris).
Gainsbourg's reggae album, recorded in Kingston with
Johnny Hallyday - essential listening...
You must be joking.
