doug and gene meyer: Brother Beats: Je t'aime...moi non plus

February 28, 2012

Brother Beats: Je t'aime...moi non plus

Today's Brother Beats...

Je t'aime... moi non plus by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg.

We absolutely ADORE this song – we stumbled across the original video from 1968 while prepping for our Spring 2012 photo shoot.

Serge Gainsbourg originally wrote this song for Bridgitte Bardot in 1967 (they were having a brief affair). In 1968 Gainsbourg and Birken released Je t'aime... moi non plus where it became a number one hit in the UK – however was banned in several countries due to the orgasmic moans Birkin injects into the recording. In 1968 Gainsbourg and Birkin began their 12 year relationship that ended in 1980. In 1971 they had a daughter – the actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg (who is in one of our new favorite films – MELANCHOLIA by Lars von Trier).

In 1981 a year after their separation Birkin was on a flight from Paris to London. She was seated next to Louis Dumas chief executive at Hermès. She had just placed her straw bag in the overhead compartment, but the contents fell to the ground, leaving her to scramble to replace the contents. Birkin explained to Dumas that it had been difficult to find a leather weekend bag she liked. In 1984, Dumas created a supple black leather bag for her, based on an 1892 design. And so the famous BIRKIN bag was born.

1. Album cover for Je t'aime... moi non plus. 2. Jane and Serge dressed as twins, 1970. 3. Jane and Serge on French TV singing Note: the glass of booze and her fabulous cape (possibly Andre Courreges or Paco Rabanne). 4. The classic Hermés Birken bag named after and designed for Jane Birkin. (Prices for a Birken bag range from $9,000 - $150,000).