Serge Gainsbourg

Brief notes:. For the Democratic candidate for District 25 in Texas and the former head of the Houston NAACP, please see Al Green (politician). In 2003, she wrote and recorded "La Chanson de Gainsbourg" as a tribute to the composer of some of her biggest hits.
. One of the most frequent interpreters of Gainsbourg's songs was British singer Petula Clark, whose success in France was propelled by her recordings of his tunes. The next year, Green was inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame. His home at the well-known address 5bis rue de Verneuil is still totally covered by grafitti and poems. Green released in 2003 a non-religious (secular) album entitled I Can't Stop, his first collaboration with Willie Mitchell since 1985's He is the Light.

Gainsbourg died on March 2, 1991 of a heart-attack and was buried in Montparnasse Cemetery, in Paris. The Grammys presented Green with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. The title of the latter demonstrates Gainsbourg's love of word play, which could sometimes be painful "Bowie, Bah Oui". In 2000, Green published Take Me to the River, a book discussing his career. His songs became increasingly eccentric, ranging from the anti-drug "Les Enfants de la Chance" to the questionable duet with Charlotte "Lemon Incest". Green's first secular album in some time was Your Heart's In Good Hands (1995), released to positive reviews but disappointing sales, the same year Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Towards the end of his life, Gainsbourg became a regular feature on French talk shows, with perhaps the most famous outburst coming when he told Whitney Houston "I want to fuck you". His 1994 duet with country music singer Lyle Lovett blended country with R&B, garnering him ninth Grammy, this time in a pop music category.

During this period he released Love On The Beat and his last studio album You're Under Arrest, as well as two live recordings. First, he released a duet with Annie Lennox, "Put A Little Love In Your Heart" for Scrooged, a Bill Murray film. During this last decade he made a lot of TV appearances devoted to his controversial sense of humour and provocation. After spending several years exclusively performing gospel, Green began to return to R&B. Next year saw him in the new look of Gainsbarre officially introduced in the song "Ecce Homo". In 1984 director Robert Mugge released a documentary film, The Gospel According to Al Green, including interviews about his life and footage from his church. He was able to reply to his critics that his version was in fact closer to the original as the manuscript clearly shows the words "Aux armes et cætera..." for the chorus. From 1981 to 1989 Green recorded a series of gospel recordings, garnering eight "soul gospel performance" Grammys in that period.

Shortly afterwards, Gainsbourg bought the original manuscript of La Marseillaise. His first gospel album was The Lord Will Make a Way. This song earned him death threats from right wing veterans of the Algerian War of Independence. He then concentrated his energies towards pastoring his church and gospel singing, also appearing in 1982 with Patti Labelle in the musical Your Arms Too Short to Box With God. In 1978 he recorded a reggae version of the French national anthem "La Marseillaise", "Aux Armes et cetera" in Jamaica, with Bob Marley's band, The Wailers. In 1979, Green was injured while performing and interpreted this accident as a message from God. Next year saw the release of another major work L'Homme à la Tête de Chou (Cabbage-Head Man) featuring Marilou as a new character and somptuous orchestral themes. 1977's The Belle Album was critically acclaimed but did not regain his former mass audience.

Serge had worn the yellow star as a child in Paris. Continuing to record R&B, Green saw his sales start to slip and the critics grew steadily harsher. In 1975, he released the album Rock Around the Bunker the only rock album entirely written on the subject of the Nazis, recalling with black humour of how he and his family suffered during World War II. Green converted to Christianity after recovering from the assault and in 1976 became an ordained pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Memphis. It has proven exceptionally influential with artists such as Air, David Holmes and Beck. She then killed herself in an adjacent bedroom. This concept-album arranged by Jean-Claude Vannier was mainly based on Nabokov's novel Lolita. On October 18, 1974, Green's girlfriend, Mary Woodson, poured boiling grits on him as he was showering, causing second-degree burns on his back, stomach and arm.

His most influential work Histoire de Melody Nelson was released in 1971. Call Me was a critical sensation, and was also just as popular at the time; it is one of his most fondly remembered albums today. 1 in the UK chart. Let's Stay Together (1972) was an even bigger success, as was I'm Still In Love With You (1972). Its notoriety led to it reaching no. The next LP, though, Al Green Gets Next To You (1970), was a massive success that included four gold singles as Green developed his vocal and songwriting talents. Considered too "hot", the song was censored in various countries and in France even the toned-down version was suppressed. The album was a moderate success.

Originally recorded with Brigitte Bardot, it was released with a different female singer, future girlfriend Jane Birkin, when Bardot backed out. Green's debut album with Hi Records was Green is Blue, a slow, horn-driven album that allowed Green to show off his powerful and expressive voice, with Mitchell arranging, engineering, and producing. moi non plus, was vocally very erotic. Mitchell predicted stardom for Green, coaching him to find his own, unique voice at a time when Green had previously been trying to sing like his heroes Jackie Wilson, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, and Sam Cooke. His most famous song, Je t'aime.. Al Green met bandleader Willie Mitchell of Memphis' Hi Records in 1969, when Mitchell had hired him as a vocalist for a Texas show with Mitchell's band and then asked him to sign with the label. moi non plus, Equateur, Charlotte For Ever and Stan The Flasher. The Soul Mates' subsequent singles did not sell as well.

He directed himself four movies : Je t'aime.. The band, now known as the Soul Mates, recorded "Back Up Train" and released it on Hot Line Music; the song was an R&B chart hit. During his career, he wrote the soundtracks for more than 40 movies. Curtis Rogers and Palmer James, two members of the Creations, formed an independent label called Hot Line Music Journal. Gainsbourg wanted to break free from old-fashioned chanson and explore new musical grounds, influenced by British and American pop. Green formed a group called Al Greene & the Creations in high school. His early songs were influenced by Boris Vian. He was kicked out of the group by his father because he was caught listening to Jackie Wilson.

moi non plus. Al Green) #38 UK. Je t'aime.. 1989 "The Message is Love" (Arthur Baker and The Backbeat Disciples feat. Lemon Incest. 1988 "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" (with Annie Lennox) #9 US, #28 UK. Les Sucettes. 1977 "Keep Me Cryin'" #37 US.