Serge Gainsbourg (born Lucien Ginsburg 2 April 1928 - 2 March
1991) was a French singer, songwriter, pianist, film composer, poet,
painter, screenwriter, writer, actor and director. Regarded as the most
important figure in French pop whilst alive, he was renowned for often
provocative and scandalous releases which caused uproar in France,
dividing its public opinion; as well as his diverse artistic output,
which ranged from his early work in jazz, chanson, and yé-yé to later
efforts in rock, funk, reggae, and electronica. Gainsbourg's varied
musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize,
although his legacy has been firmly established and he is often regarded
as one of the world's most influential popular musicians.
His lyrical works incorporated wordplay, with humorous, bizarre,
provocative, sexual, satirical or subversive overtones, including
sophisticated rhymes, mondegreen, onomatopoeia, spoonerism, dysphemism,
paraprosdokian and pun. Gainsbourg wrote over 550 songs, which have been
covered more than 1,000 times by a range of artists.
Since his death from a second heart attack in 1991, Gainsbourg's music
has reached legendary stature in France, and he is regarded as France's
greatest ever musician and one of the country's most popular and
endeared public figures.
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