Jane Birkin (1946 - 2023)

When you see a name like Jane Birkin pop up on Twitter, you usually know what the time of day is. Unfortunately for her family she had been found dead in her apartment. I saw dozens of pictures come by of a beautiful young girl/woman and a few showing that she did not lose her looks later on in life. I realised I had no idea what she really looked like, she was the voice in that one song.

A voice that, so I've read several times through the decades, was not meant to be hers at all. The part was meant for Brigitte Bardot, France's number one sexbomb of the day. Although she recorded the song with Serge Gainsbourg, it was not released at the time. Even BB did not dare to go this far. Then 22 year old Jane Birkin, already in a relationship with Gainsbourg did and the rest is history as they said.

I was in elementary school at the time and had no clue what the song was about. All I knew, was that it was forbidden to be played on the radio, but that my station, the pirate Veronica, did play it, broadcasting just outside the territorial waters. Totally predictable the song became a huge hit. Most likely because of that national ban.

In 1969 the song stayed in the top 40 for 28 weeks, peaking at number 2 and re-entered in 1974 for another 10 weeks, making the 'Je t'Aime ... Moi Non Plus' the number 7 biggest hit in the Top 40 of all time.

For me the song got its bigger attraction when in high school, slow dancing with the girls at parties at school, hockey or elsewhere. There weren't much better songs for it to be honest. Jane Birkin is the über French sigh girl ... from the U.K. of all places.

Listening to the song through all the years gone by since, what I notice most is that bass and how that has influenced so many players. In general though how good the song is, without the scandal it wouldn't have been such a big hit but this song is a hit no matter what the lyrics and heavy sighing would have been substituted for. That organ, the guitars, the strings, the melody are all top and Jane Birkin sings the song home. This is love, desire, longing, lust, and who knows what else to do with innocent curiosity incarnated. All that is caught in the voice of Jane Birkin and as such one of the best vocal performances ever. The music matches this all as well. In between is Gainsbourg, dirty man of French pop.

This is all I know of Jane Birkin's music. Since, I've learned that she has two very successful daughters, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon, who both do feature in my record collection. Who look like her, but she had the better looks, once upon a time.

It is possible for someone to be more famous for her voice than for her looks. It happened to me with Jane Birkin. 54 years after the scandal, it is the merit of her biggest hit that remains standing. 'Je t'Aime .. Moi Non Plus' is a classic hit and one of the biggest ever. And, would it have faired better with Brigitte Bardot singing? I'm 100% certain it would have not. This Jane Birkin's song and no one else's.

Wout de Natris