The end of the album is where Nabokov’s influence can be most easily heard and felt-it is suggested that Melody dies in an airplane-related accident, and Gainsbourg’s character must cope with her sudden and permanent absence.
On the album’s climax, “Cargo Culte,” the protagonist bids farewell to Melody Nelson amidst heavy guitarwork and a full choir that hearkens back to the opening track, adding some dramatics, complete with Gainsbourg’s trademark whispered French vocals. The funk intensifies and overshadows on “En Melody” to the extent that it sounds like a score for an adult film-an instrumental account of what it’s like to be “in Melody,” complete with Birkin’s ecstatic shrieks. This is perhaps best shown in “L’hôtel particulier,” which is a song of instructions to the young English girl, Melody, as to where she should await their, um, encounter. The entire conceptual affair only spans 28 minutes, but funky ‘70s guitars create the sexual ambiance and lush arrangements, giving the album a sense of sleaze and beauty simultaneously. Her character’s naïveté and coquettishness is part of what makes the album so alluring. She breathes life into the first few moments of “Ballade de Melody Nelson,” doing nothing more than introducing herself, yet saying so much more. Gainsbourg’s then-girlfriend-turned wife, actress Jane Birkin, played the part of Melody Nelson, contributing the album’s brief spoken parts and posing on the scandalous front cover. Considering it’s one of the most important albums of the Francophone world and pop music in general, it is certainly worth your time. Even if the storyline makes you a little uncomfortable, “Histoire” is tracked with profound string arrangements and funky guitars. and Lolita played out in print, and approximately 16 years later, singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg created his own Lolita for his 1971 album, “Histoire de Melody Nelson.” The album tells the story of a young girl who, after getting hit by Gainsbourg’s Rolls Royce, gets seduced into a romance with the middle-aged protagonist. Vladimir Nabokov wrote the groundbreaking novel “Lolita” in 1955, bringing to life the aging, lustful protagonist Humbert Humbert who sought out the young Dolores Haze. Serge Gainsbourg is incredibly talented, but apparently he's a bit of a paedo as well. But that's also why I love it, it'd be nice for it to be longer but it only needs 27 minutes to do what it wants to do to you. I don't know if its length is the best thing about it or one of the worst, it comes on, hits you, you enjoy it and it ends too soon. Music does transcend language, the music definitely speaks for itself. The sleazy, sexy music says more than words ever could.
I can't lie, I love understanding albums thoroughly and because there's a language barrier I don't really understand Histoire de Melody Nelson but I love it in spite of that, plus I don't really need to. Serge Gainsbourg's mind is a warped one, or so I've heard but his eclecticism and ability to construct a song is what I'm most interested in, him taking and merging a variety of different influences is apparently more prominent on his other albums, though so far I've only listened to this one and he blends a progressive pop sound with rock, funk, psychedelia, blues and spoken word brilliantly. I don't speak a word of French, but when you're listening to the music, you can guess what the lyrical content consists of. Histoire de Melody Nelson has a really great feel to it, it feels so cool and sensual, but also kind of twisted and filthy. To Order Off Line or ask a question E-mail our sales team at or call 0844 264 0 991 quoting 991.Sexy, provocative, sleazy. However, we stock thousands of out-of-print formats and we specialise in tracking down out-of-print, deleted and hard-to-find releases.Īndy Gibb, Barry Gibb, Jimmy Stevens, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb, Samantha Sang, Saturday Night Fever (movie), Spencer Gibb, Teri DeSario, The Bill Shepherd Sound, The Tigers (Japanese), Tin Tin, Trevor Gordon, Vince Maloney The Bee Gees Original Soundtrack Recording From 'Melody' Japan vinyl LP album (LP record).Īll tracks are sung in English, unless otherwise stated in our description.ĭeleted - A deleted or out-of-print item is one that is no longer manufactured. Original Soundtrack Recording From 'Melody'