Serge Gainsbourg

In 1989, a survey of French cultural taste revealed that Serge Gainsbourg was both one of the most popular and most reviled singers in his native country. Sampled by Beck, De La Soul, Massive Attack and Fatboy Slim, remixed by Howie B. and David Holmes, translated by Mick Harvey and covered by Iggy Pop, Donna Summer, Portishead, Madeleine Peyroux, the Pet Shop Boys and Franz Ferdinand, Serge Gainsboourg remains the Francophone songwriter whose contribution to the international appeal of French popular music has been the most significant in the post-war era.

Bringing together a large selection of established scholars from across the world Serge G.: An International Perspective on Serge Gainsbourg emphasizes his unique position in French popular culture. The 27 chapters address issues such as his musical influences and collaborations, esthetics and form, his experimentations with disciplines other than music (mainly film and literature) and his multifaceted identity, not to mention the relationship between highbrow and lowbrow culture in the French context.The interdisciplinary approach of the volume engages in a dialogue between musicology, film and media studies, literature, cultural studies, gender studies, and more, revealing the broad scope of Gainsbourg's impact in and outside of France, from the early 1960s through today.