A Brief History Lesson in French Icons: The Birkin+Gainsbourg Clan
Visual by Natasha Arnowitz
Despite rising to fame as a couple in 1969, French music icons and controversy collectors Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg continue to influence the artistic landscapes they once reigned over: music, fashion, and film. Birkin’s influence alone can be seen in places such as the relaxed, boyish silhouettes of Alexa Chung’s latest clothing collection, and even the Hermes Birkin bag—which bears her name. Her late partner, Gainsbourg, has also left an indelible mark on French culture by serving as a source of musical inspiration for artists such as Yo La Tengo, Beck, and even Kylie Minogue.
Birkin met Gainsbourg while auditioning for his film in 1968. Although the English actress did not speak French, Birkin won over the established artist and Eurovision winner, Gainsbourg, with the way she cried, spurring the start of their relationship as artistic collaborators and romantic partners. The next year, they became huge stars with the success of their first record, Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg, and its controversial single “Je t’aime moi non plus.” The song was originally written for Gainsbourg’s former partner, Brigette Bardot, and includes the sound of a woman (Birkin) simulating an orgasm. While the song was condemned by the Vatican and outlawed on airwaves in many countries including the UK, it paved the way for other sexy songs, such as Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby” and Madonna’s “Justify My Love.”
“Je t’aime moi non plus” bolstered the two as an iconic couple. Birkin continued to collaborate with Gainsbourg and star in many films, building her career and adding to her stardom. Approaching the peak of their fame, Birkin and Gainsbourg had their daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg in 1971. Charlotte made her screen debut at thirteen years old in the film Paroles et musique, playing Catherine Deneuve’s daughter. In the same year, she recorded a controversial yet infamous song with her father called “Lemon Incest,” with the music video depicting the father and daughter lying in bed together. While everyone involved resolve that they were just playing parts, the controversy of the song’s implications remained, pushing the Gainsbourg duo to the top of the charts once again.
By then, Gainsbourg and Birkin had ended their twelve-year relationship but continued to collaborate with their daughter Charlotte. Birkin appeared in two Agnes Varda films with her daughter throughout her career, and in 2016, the Lincoln Center Film Society held a retrospective on the mother and daughter’s filmography, proving their importance and influence in the cinematic world.
As Charlotte reached adulthood, she continued to appear in films and make records, fueled by her experiences with creating art in her childhood. She released a solo album in 2006, 5:55, which topped the charts in France. The record’s sound carries influence, whether intentional or not, from her parents. The almost whispered vocals, complete with the audible British accent, are reminiscent of her mother, while the casual delivery suggests enduring influence from her father. Despite the similarities, Charlotte Gainsbourg decided to sing in English in order to distance herself from her parents, which she explained to RFI Musique. Her next record, the Beck-produced IRM, has a sound that elicits a sense of mystery that is a more curious, casual wonder than erie fright. Its title was inspired by the French name for “MRI” after suffering a head injury. Even though the record was inspired by her own experiences, it was Beck who wrote the songs.
It wouldn’t be until 2017 that Charlotte writes her own lyrics, which resulted in the album Rest. Instead of resisting her first language in fear of unavoidable comparison to her parents’ work, she embraces her strengths and comes into her own by blurring the language boundary between English and French. In 2013, photographer Kate Berry, who was Charlotte’s half-sister through her mother, died in an apparent suicide. This prompted Charlotte to reflect and write about her reaction to the deaths of both her father in 1991 and her sister. While grief surmounts this record, anger and sadness interplay with one another; her persistence against the everpressing losses work to conquer it.
Jane Birkin’s daughter and Charlotte’s half-sister, Lou Doillon, also began acting as a child and eventually dropped out of high school at fifteen to pursue acting full-time. The playful darkness of her first album, Places, set the stage for her discography, which would round out to be a folk rock, jazz-infused lineup of three records to date. Her latest release, the 2019 album Soliloquy, blends upbeat anthems with meditative reflections. The tender, raspy vocals recall a mellowed Janis Joplin, similar to singers such as Karen Dalton and Sybille Baeir’s artistic styles.
Jane Birkin’s legacy lives on through her children: Lou Doillon, whom she had with French film director Jacques Doillon, and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Both women have successfully ventured into acting, music, and modeling. Their careers as adults rarely intermingle, but are consistently triumphant. They’ve each created spaces for themselves with their respective voices, pushing boundaries while using the foundations their parents laid for them.