Jane Birkin in Deauville, France, in 1985. | Photo by Roland Godefroy
One half of the duo responsible for one of the sexiest songs of all time, Jane Birkin wears her intimacy on her sleeve.
Now, over forty years after recording “Je t’aime… moi non plus” with her then-lover Serge Gainsbourg, the British singer-turned-activist is getting intimate with concertgoers once again. This time, it’s not only to honor that famed former lover, but also to pay tribute to Japan, still reeling from a March earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and sparked a nuclear horror story just days after the twentieth anniversary of Gainsbourg’s death.
Having already performed Gainsbourg’s oeuvre in just about every way imaginable, Birkin says she was reluctant to do it again. “Why do another tour, another concert?” Birkin asks in the tour’s foreword, a mission statement of sorts. But the Japanese disaster was her catalyst. Wearing that heart on her sleeve, she needed to do something, and the now 64-year-old songstress turned to “the only thing I can do”: a concert.
With Gainsbourg’s formidable collection of works at her disposal, the Briton set off for Tokyo to perform the songs of Serge once again, and with the help of Japanese musicians.
That initial Tokyo performance led to the international Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Via Japan tour, which stops in D.C. on Friday
Born in London, Jane Birkin won over the heart of M. Gainsbourg — and of France — as an aspiring actress in the late sixties. The charming, bucktoothed anglaise was catapulted into fame by her relationship with the notorious Gainsbourg, who had recently broken ties with bombshell Brigitte Bardot, and their scandalous first hit, the breathy and sensual “Je t’aime… moi non plus.” She remained Gainsbourg’s muse, even after they split, right up until his death in 1991. Birkin’s a Cesar-nominated actress, mother to French star Charlotte Gainsbourg, the iconic namesake of Hermès’ signature leather bag and a humanitarian known for her work backing Burmese democracy and Amnesty International.
But Birkin’s decade-spanning career has brought her back to where she began: Singing intimate songs written for her by her hero: Serge.
Tickets are still available for “An Evening With Jane Birkin” at D.C.’s 9:30 Club on Friday (doors open at 6 p.m.).
A number of Serge Gainsbourg’s and Jane Birkin’s albums, including “Jane,” “Arabesque” and “Rendez-Vous,” are available for checkout at the Alliance Française Library. Also check out Joann Sfar’s film “Gainsbourg: Une vie héroïque” (also available at the library) for Lucy Gordon’s interpretation of a young Birkin.
By Abby
