Thought I'd jump on Guuzbourg's bandwagon with my favourite French duet of all time:

Anna Karina & Serge Gainsbourg Jean-Claude Brialy* - Ne Dis Rien (1967)

Another stunning track from the Anna soundtrack. Last year's Gainsbourg DVD release, D'Autres Nouvelles Des Etoiles is a must-own, with the video for this track a standout for me. Extraordinarily beautiful in its simplicity, it features Anna & Serge casually slowdancing whilst gazing into each other's eyes.

And for Roar, the wonderful cover by Bambou and her and Gainsbourg's son Lulu:
Lulu et Bambou - Ne Dis Rien (2001)

Bambou's sensual, breathy vocals, as well as the lyrics seeming more suitable for lovers, does give this a bit of a Nancy & Frank vibe. Nonetheless, it's not much of a stretch to forget that and find it a sweet expression of mother/son closeness (that still sounds a bit off, doesn't it? I give up). A lovely update, tastefully arranged and the type of cover I'm always happy to hear. It does justice to the original, never stomping all over the original feel and thus taking away from it. A fresh take, lovingly executed like this one, can both renew your ears to the finer points you love in the original, and make you glad to hear another version of a favourite.

Buy: Anna Film & Soundtrack

*Originally mistakenly credited as Anna Karina & Serge Gainsbourg. Jean-Claude Brialy performs the duet with Anna Karina in the film and on the soundtrack, while the version in the video described is performed by Karina and Gainsbourg.

Comments (12)

  • Guuzbourg  
    Hey, great stuff!!
    #1 Reply
  • Roar  
    Many many thanks for this post It's a stunning version and it's just lovely to be able to hear the entire song and not a 30 secs snippet in poor audio. I think there's a lot to learn from the warm simplicity with which Lulu & Bambou perform the song. Again thanks
    #2 Reply
  • Guuzbourg  
    Can I just say that I find it a bit disturbing that Bambou, while duetting with her son, sounds like she's in heat? It's the same awkwardness I felt when I heard Turn Your Lights Down Low by Lauryn Hill & Bob Marley - where's she tried to, let's say, revive the dad of her husband. Eew.
    #3 Reply
    • Christine  
      "while duetting with her son, sounds like she's in heat" haha, yes it is fairly disturbing, all i can conclude is that bambou must just talk and sing like that all the time. i saw a webpage once on slightly creepy parent/child duets, i think the one where natalie cole added herself to her dad's song got a mention. even with lyrics that could be platonic, it can be a bit weird when they were intended for a lover. i still cannot understand 'somethin' stupid' though, there's no ambiguity with those lyrics. i can only think they're meant to be singing about separate experiences to each other? no it's still creepy.
      #3.1 Reply
  • skunkeye  
    The Anna soundtrack is one my all time favorites! I've been searching for that Bambou single - ompossible to find in the US - merci! Keep em coming, Congrats on 100,000!!!
    #4 Reply
  • Roar  
    Oh, shoot me folks! I like "Lemon incest" too. Find it hard not to, what with all those "wrong things." So there
    #5 Reply
    • Guuzbourg  
      Creepy = good.
      #5.1 Reply
    • Christine  
      Don't worry, roar, I love the lulu/bambou one, I did post it after all!
      I love 'Lemon Incest' too, it is the most brilliant bad taste thing ever! Quite a difference though between something that blatant and deliberate, and some of these more puzzling duets that don't seem to know they cross the line.
      #5.2 Reply
    • Roar  
      Guuzbourg and Spiked Candy (actually, do I use you nick or your real name? I never know:), I agree. But I had to tease you...
      #5.3 Reply
  • Tim  
    God I luuuurrrrrve Anna Karina in Bande a part. When she does the Madison I go all unnecessary.
    Sadly she looks like Margaret Hamilton now.
    #6 Reply
  • Rosa Klebb  
    Speaking of "Lemon Incest" and dodgy duets between Serge and Charlotte, does anyone know where someone can get a copy of "Charlotte Forever"? I love the song and the film clip and am really keen to see the film.
    #7 Reply
    • Christine  
      I'm not sure if they're all bootlegs, but here a couple of places I found selling it: http://www.dvd.it/page/dett/froms/Y/arti/226798/nv/DVD/charlotte_forever.ht ml http://www.priceminister.com/offer/buy/16277234/Charlotte-For-Ever-Equat eur-DVD-Zone-2.html
      Try searching for it spelt "Charlotte For Ever" +DVD and a few sites come up.
      #7.1 Reply

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