The Current

Great Music Lives Here ®
Listener-Supported Music
Donate Now
Coffee Break

Coffee Break: A little French for Serge

Serge Gainsbourg, November 24 1981.
Serge Gainsbourg, November 24 1981.Claude Truong-Ngoc / Wikimedia Commons - cc-by-sa-3.0

by Jill Riley and Anna Weggel

March 02, 2021

French singer Serge Gainsbourg -- famous for his saucy 1969 duet with Jane Birkin, "Je t'aime... Moi non plus" -- died on this day in 1991.

Gainsbourg wrote over 550 songs across his career which have been covered more than 1,000 times by a range of artists. Since his death, his music has reached legendary status in France.

So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that feature at least a little bit of French?

Respond with your song ideas in the comments below.

Have an idea for a Coffee Break topic? Submit your idea for a future theme and browse past Coffee Breaks in our archive.

Songs played

Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg - je taime... moi non plus
Christine And The Queens - People, I've been sad
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
Plastic Bertrand - Ca Plane Pour Moi
Edith Piaf - La Vie En Rose
Arcade Fire - Reflektor
Chic - Le Freak