Today, I’ve been thinking about Gainsbourg. Following on from my last blog in which we fretted about the existential threat of getting cancelled affecting some of Boum’s repertoire, I wanted to focus on a controversial classic that’s been bothering me for some time now. Specifically, the song, ‘Comment trouvez vous ma soeur?’
‘All the girls are very pretty,
Some are really pretty,
Yes sir, Yes sir, but what do you think about my sister?’
‘All the girls are for the taking,
For some it’s worth the waiting,
Yes sir, yes sir – but what do you think about my sister?’
I was always disturbed by the lyrics (and so was my sister! at the suggestion she was being pimped by her brother!), but quite frankly, I thought they were laughably absurd. Gainsbourg clearly wasn’t being 100% serious in his proposal and as usual was delighting in the outrage the lyrics could cause, especially in their hilarious juxtaposition against the cheerful, uptempo fun vibe of the music. Still! As heard, delivered in his sardonic bass, as if by an evil Count, it definitely raised some uncomfortable thoughts – which in today’s moral climate, were unlikely to be considered in a generous fashion.
When we performed it in our previous incarnation of Boum, I always imagined the singer was playing the character of some objectionable wide boy – a bit of a spiv – who’d just got off his mobylette. We weren’t laughing with him – we were laughing at his outrageous sexism and the musical fun to be had, with bebop inspired, aperitif fueled buzzy, jumpy energy. This unique (musical) creation justified our inclusion of the song in our set and cancelled the potency of the dodgy message. We reduced it to a joyful laughing stock.
However, returning to it 10 years later, initially we just thought, oh no! that’s just too controversial and we must send it to the knackers yard. But then, curiosity got the better of me and I started Googling for answers as to the meaning and origins of this song. To my astonishment, Wiki revealed that the song was written for a 1964 film in which:
‘’The older sister of a schoolgirl who faces being expelled tries to extricate her from her problems by pretending to be her mother. However she then falls in love with the teacher.’’
So, it turns out that the person expressing the sentiments wasn’t a sleazy pimp at all, but instead, a teenage girl trying to promote her sister into a job, then a (wholesome? – I don’t know – I’ve not seen the film) relationship. So, no wonder I was getting tied in knots trying to make sense of such an incredibly obscure scenario.
What I find incredibly gratifying about this episode – and you’ll find this kind of thing again and again if you research Gainsbourg’s oeuvre – is that the tantalising mystery that make his songs so appealing is based on incredibly astute insight into the human soul. It really is genius that he could think his way into the mindset of this young woman, who actually has quite tender, sympathetic feelings for her sister – and turn that into a little jewel of a song.
I also discovered that there are whole websites out there dedicated to analysing the meaning of Gainsbourg songs! Here’s a quote from one of those on the meaning of Comment trouvez vous ma Soeur?
‘’a playful and satirical take on how beauty and attractiveness are subjective and can vary from person to person.’’
So….! Has anyone got a problem with that? It’s going back in the set!