Serge Gainsbourg was a prolific French singer/songwriter who has come to be viewed as one of the more iconic musicians of his generation. Known as a notorious philanderer and provocateur, Gainsbourg's musical reputation was matched by his offstage behavior, his carousing nature and his love affairs with some of the more high-profile women of his time, including Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin. The child of Russian-Jewish parents, Gainsbourg learned piano at an early age from his father, who was a respective musician in his own right, and tried to make a living as a painter before realizing he was better off pursing a songwriting career. Gainsbourg released his debut album in 1958, but many failed to take notice of the French singer's unique style of music. Though he wasn't popular as a solo musician during his early career, Gainsbourg would write songs for female singers and the tracks would go on to do well on the French radio charts. Gainsbourg did eventually achieve massive commercial success later in his career, but it wasn't until he incorporated his characteristic plainspoken wordplay and symphonic instrumental orchestration, courtesy of composer Jean-Claude Vannier. His 1971 album, Histoire de Melody Nelson, is widely viewed as a masterpiece, and even though many outside of France are still somewhat ignorant of his impact on modern music, the French continue to view Gainsbourg as a national hero. He passed away in 1991 at the age of 62 from a heart attack.
