''Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg'' (also known as ''Je t'aime... moi non plus'') is a 1969 collaborative studio album by

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...

and

Jane Birkin Jane Mallory Birkin, Order of British Empire, OBE (born 14 December 1946) is an English-French singer and actress. She attained international fame and notability for her decade-long musical and romantic partnership with Serge Gainsbourg. She als ...

. It was originally released by

Fontana Records Fontana Records is a record label that was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. The independent label distributor Fontana Distribution takes its name from the label. History Fontana started in the 1950s as a subs ...

. It includes " Je t'aime... moi non plus", which reached number 1 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The song ''Jane B'' is an adaptation of

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

's Fourth Prelude from Opus. 28 in E minor. The music was arranged by

Arthur Greenslade Arthur Greenslade (4 May 1923 – 27 November 2003) was a British conductor and arranger for films and television, as well as for a number of performers. He was most musically active in the 1960s and 1970s. Greenslade was born in Northfle ...

.Gilles Verlant, Loïc Picaud, L'Intégrale Gainsbourg. L'histoire de toutes ses chansons, éditions Fetjaine, 2011.

Critical reception

The album has received critical acclaim. D.M. Edwards of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' stated: "The arrangements by Arthur Greenslade are excellent and there are plenty of glimpses of the experimentation which would be a feature of Gainsbourg's music," further describing the album as "sophisticated, timeless pop music." In 2017, '' Pitchfork'' placed it at number 44 on the "200 Best Albums of the 1960s" list. Writing for ''Pitchfork'', Cameron Cook called it "a love letter read out loud by its recipient: Every note and lyric is meant to highlight a certain aspect of Birkin's persona though Gainsbourg's lens, from her breathless delivery of every line to her heavily accented, coquettish French."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. *

– vocals *

– arrangement, orchestral direction * Jean-Claude Desmarty – artistic production * Jean D'Hughes – photography

Charts

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jane Birkin Serge Gainsbourg 1969 albums Jane Birkin albums Serge Gainsbourg albums Fontana Records albums French-language albums Albums conducted by Arthur Greenslade Albums arranged by Arthur Greenslade Vocal duet albums