"Initials B.B." | |
---|---|
Single by Serge Gainsbourg | |
from the album Initials B.B. | |
Released | June 1968 |
Recorded | May 1968, Chappell Studios, London |
Genre | Chanson, baroque pop |
Length | 3:36 |
Label | Phillips |
Songwriter(s) | Serge Gainsbourg |
Initials B.B. is a 1968 song by Serge Gainsbourg. It was the opening single of his album Initials B.B. and is about French actress and sex symbol Brigitte Bardot, [1] who was so famous at the time that her initials were enough to know whom people referred to. [2] Gainsbourg once had an affair with her and this was his way of expressing how he felt about it. [3]
The song is a poetic evocation of Gainsbourg's relationship with Bardot in 1967. The song quotes from the first movement of Antonin Dvorak's Ninth Symphony, better known as From the New World [4] [5] [6] [7] and lyrically quotes from Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven in its opening lines. The song also mentions the book L'Amour monstre by Louis Pauwels, which was recommended to Gainsbourg by Bardot. [8] It was recorded between February and April 1968.
A music video was made, featuring various clips of Bardot during photo shoots and recording sessions.
The song was once used for a TV commercial of the perfume Shalimar by Guerlain. [9] [10]
English singer and songwriter Charli XCX named it as one of her five favourite songs of all time in 2013 [11]
Mick Harvey covered it on his album Intoxicated Man (1995) as the final track on that record.
In 2012 it was also covered by Therion on their album Les Fleurs du Mal .
In 2022, it was released as a single by Boz Boorer and James Maker on Fabrique Records.
Serge Gainsbourg 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 provocative and scandalous releases which caused uproar in France, dividing public opinion. His artistic output ranged from his early work in jazz, chanson, and yé-yé to later efforts in rock, zouk, funk, reggae, and electronica. Gainsbourg's varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorise, although his legacy has been firmly established and he is often regarded as one of the world's most influential popular musicians.
Jane Mallory Birkin, OBE 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 also had a prolific career as an actress in British and French cinema.
Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall, known professionally as France Gall, was a French yé-yé singer. In 1965, aged 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg. Between 1973 and 1992, she collaborated with singer-songwriter Michel Berger.
"Je t'aime… moi non plus" is a 1967 song written by Serge Gainsbourg for Brigitte Bardot. In 1969, Gainsbourg recorded the best known version with Jane Birkin. The duet reached number one in the UK, the first foreign language song to do so, and number two in Ireland, but was banned in several countries due to its overtly sexual content.
"Bonnie and Clyde" is a French-language song written by Serge Gainsbourg, and performed by Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot. The song tells the story of the outlaw couple Bonnie and Clyde. It is based on an English language poem written by Bonnie Parker herself a few weeks before she and Clyde Barrow were shot, entitled "The Trail's End". It was released on two albums in 1968: Gainsbourg's album Initials B.B., and Gainsbourg and Bardot's album Bonnie and Clyde.
Shalimar is a perfume originally created by Jacques Guerlain in 1921 for French perfume and cosmetics house Guerlain. In production continuously since 1925, Shalimar is currently a flagship product for Guerlain.
Bonnie and Clyde is a compilation album by Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot. It was originally released by Fontana Records in 1968.
Charlotte Emma Aitchison, known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery by a promoter who invited her to perform at warehouse raves. In 2010, she signed a recording contract with Asylum Records, releasing a series of singles and mixtapes throughout 2011 and 2012.
"Nuclear Seasons" is a song by British singer and songwriter Charli XCX taken from her debut extended play (EP), You're the One (2012), and was later included on her debut studio album, True Romance (2013). It was released as the EP's second single on 21 October 2011 through This Is Music, Atlantic, and Warner Music UK. "Nuclear Seasons" was written by Charli, Justin Raisen, and Ariel Rechtshaid, while the latter produced the song.
Jacques Edouard Guerlain was a French perfumer, the third and most famous of the Guerlain family. One of the most prolific and influential perfumers of the 20th century, over eighty of Guerlain's perfumes remain known, though certain estimates suggest he composed some four hundred. Among his greatest fragrances are L’Heure Bleue (1912), Mitsouko (1919) and Shalimar (1925). Though his work earned him universal renown, a considerable fortune and honours such as that of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, Guerlain avoided public attention, never once granting an interview. As a result, relatively little is known of his creative process or personal life.
Initials B.B is a 1968 studio album by Serge Gainsbourg. It was originally released by Philips Records.
True Romance is the debut studio album by English singer Charli XCX. It was released on 12 April 2013 by Asylum and Atlantic Records. Originally scheduled for release in April 2012, the album's release was delayed for a full year and had been in the making since early 2010 when Charli met with producer Ariel Rechtshaid in Los Angeles. To promote the album's release, Charli embarked on a three-date UK promotional tour in April 2013.
Sucker is the second studio album by English singer Charli XCX, released on 15 December 2014 by Asylum and Atlantic Records. The album was met with positive reviews from critics, praising its throwback style, and ended up being included on many year-end lists for best albums of 2014. Sucker spawned the singles "Boom Clap", "Break the Rules", "Doing It" and "Famous".
Vroom Vroom is the second extended play by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX, released on 26 February 2016 by Vroom Vroom Recordings. It features production work from Scottish producer Sophie.
"Boys" is a single by English singer Charli XCX, released on 26 July 2017 by Asylum Records and Atlantic Records UK. The song was originally intended to be the second single from her then-upcoming third studio album. However, the song became a stand-alone single when the projected third album was leaked on the internet and cancelled. The song makes use of a sample from the Nintendo video game Super Mario Bros.
Pop 2 is the fourth mixtape by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX, released on 15 December 2017 by Asylum Records. Executive produced by A.G. Cook of PC Music, sessions for the mixtape began just several months before its release and featured a wide variety of guest contributions. The project received acclaim from music critics, and was backed by the single "Out of My Head" featuring Alma and Tove Lo.
"Gone" is a song by British singer Charli XCX and French singer Christine and the Queens. It was released on 17 July 2019 as the third single from Charli XCX's third studio album Charli. The music video was released alongside the track.
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Crash is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Charli XCX, released on 18 March 2022. It was her last album to be released under her record contract with Atlantic Records. Charli announced the album title, release date, and artwork on 4 November 2021. Her website was also updated with information about the album's 2022 tour. The album was preceded by the four singles "Good Ones", "New Shapes" featuring Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek, "Beg for You" featuring Rina Sawayama, "Baby" and two promotional singles, "Every Rule" and "Used to Know Me", the latter released as the fifth single in April 2022.