Je T’aime Moi Non Plus Exposé
Don’t ask me why I’m
writing this, I just don’t know.
It’s long and boring, by the way. Keep in mind that I’ve spent the last two years studying literature, so this is an analysis more than anything else. If you want a straight translation of the song [which I strongly don’t advise you to do], you’ve come to the wrong place.
A.A. = Asia Argento, singer of
the new version
B.M. = Brian Molko, singer of the
new version
T.P. = Trash Palace, the project
which created the new version
S.G. = Serge Gainsbourg, singer
of the new version. He also wrote/composed the song.
Basics: Je t’aime moi non
plus is a Serge Gainsbourg song which was released a long, long time ago [ok I
will check the year with Dad, he’s obsessed by Serge Gainsbourg]. Originally,
it was sang by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin and that version sucks big
time. S.G. has the most horrible voice I’ve ever heard and J.B. can’t sing at
all. The music is very, very different, there was no electronic music used on
the song. It was more the piano sound. A fake piano sound if you ask me, a
little bit like when you play those keyboards which supposedly play piano
sounds.
S.G. was, in his time, our Eminem
or Marilyn Manson. He did everything to provoke the public, but not with anger
or hate of God but with sexual songs and women. Remember that it was before the
70s, so back then, he was considered to be extremely provocative and off the
wall. E.g. the first time Whitney Houston performed in Paris, S.G. spoke to her
[it was shown LIVE on tv] and asked her “do you want to fuck me?”. And he was
not kidding.
Trash Palace is a French project
and with the album on which “Je t’aime moi non plus” is, they’re tried to
produce a sexual album. Indeed the theme is sex, according to an article I have
read but I won’t be able to back this up cos I haven’t listened to any of the other tracks. Yet.
Now on to the song.
For those who don’t know French: this is basically a song about two lovers having sex. It is extremely ironic from the start; the title IS the mother of all ironies:
Je t’aime…moi non plus. [I love
you…me neither OR I love you…nor do I]
The right phrasing would have
been Je t’aime…moi AUSSI. [I love you…me too OR I love you..so do
I]
So from the start, S.G.
introduces irony…but this does not prevent them from not having sex. It seems
like the woman is not perturbed by the “moi non plus”. Is S.G. trying to point
out that women don’t care about love during the sexual act? That would fit
because it would go against what the society thinks –or thought at that time,
whatever-
BUT…
Trash Palace decided to make this
song the pinnacle of irony…by reversing the roles of the man and woman. Indeed,
here’s a very noteworthy difference between the original and TP’s version:
Original:
TP:
Brian Molko: je t’aime, oh oui je
t’aime
Asia Argento: moi non plus.
Role reversal. Interesting point.
Is TP trying to point out that now it’s the other way round now? That men seem
to show more feelings than women nowadays? [although he is as unperturbed by
the “moi on plus” too] This could be true in that Brian Molko was chosen to
sing this song. And Brian does not represent the typical macho man that SG
represented. I think we would all agree that Brian represents the
feminine side of a man – just like this song seems to put forward.
I don’t know who Asia Argento is
but it’s obviously a woman. [RIGHT?]. We know that Brian Molko is a bisexual
male but still…technically, the song does not make any sense except if A.A.
uses a dildo or her hand [*rolls eyes*] instead of a penis. Hence the pinnacle
of irony I was talking about:
BM: tu vas et tu viens, entre mes
reins
AA: je vais et je viens, entre
tes reins.
Now what does this mean? The
literal translation would give “you come and go between my kidneys” which is the
funniest and silliest thing I’ve ever heard. But in French? It’s one of the
most sensual things I’ve ever heard. There’s no translation for this sentence
at all.** Basically, they’re describing the movement of sex, explicitly but
poetically. The “vas et viens” is the “to and fro” movement and the “reins” –
well, ‘reins’ implies anal sex. Yes, sodomy. [we’ll come back to this later on]
[**I’m not sure…but can we
replace kidneys by thighs? I mean, it’s just an imagery there. It’s not the act
itself. You don’t fuck kidney, as far as I know. but I don’t do anatomy so.]
So, if we don’t translate it literally, if we do so crudely and if we forget #1 who are speaking those words #2 that I don’t know if it’s vaginal or anal sex, then:
Tu vas et tu viens, entre mes
reins: you are thrusting into my asshole
Je vais et je viens, entre tes
reins: I am thrusting into your asshole
So that would give
Brian Molko saying: you are
thrusting into my asshole
And Asia Argento saying: I am
thrusting into your asshole
Dildos anyone? Well I don’t have
anything against fisting either, haha.
My interpretation of
this illogical role reversal [illogical because I think dildos and fisting are
too far-fetched explanations] is as follows:
T.P. wanted to show that in
today’s world, anything can happen. They’re saying “don’t believe in
stereotypes”, “expect the unexpected” because the unexpected is there, and has
always been there. Except that it was hidden – until now. [and again, the
person Brian represents is there to prove it].
If you compare the original
version with this one, you can SEE the difference. It’s more obvious than
hearing; e.g. as I’ve said, the SG version uses a more traditional sound [I’m
only speaking about the MUSIC], the TP version uses the electro sound,
contemporary music, it represents today’s world and the difference between this
world and that of SG.
SG’s aim was obviously to shock.
The sex sounds at the end were the same in the original version. He wanted to
shock his public and when the song was released, it was banned from airplay.
Was TP’s aim to shock? I can’t answer this because I already knew the song. But
I must admit that I’m amazed at the role reversal. TP is not as direct as SG
was but I think TP’s aim is more to state than to impose. [am I making any
sense?] A statement is a statement, if you want to go deeper into this
statement, it’s your choice. SG was imposing his thoughts because you just
UNDERSTOOD his purpose and his play on words and everything.
Brian’s not French but he’s
fluent in French [awwww such a cute accent, I nearly swooned the first time I
saw him on French T.V.]…as for Asia, I would be very surprised if she was
French cos she does not have a French accent. So, two non-french singers with
fans [at least the majority] that probably won’t speak or understand
French…they’re definitely not imposing. They just did not know there would be
someone sick enough [*looks around*] to dissect their work. Or they just told
themselves that if their fans cared, then they would realise what I’ve just
said.
OR I’m just a psychotic loser and
they did not even intend to prove anything by the role reversal or by choosing
foreigners to sing the song.
*Oops*
Anyway, let’s come to the sex
now. As I’ve said, it is anal sex, I am 100% sure of that because of the use of
“reins”. Why am I making a whole issue out of this? I know think “je t’aime” is
appropriate in anal sex. [sorry to any anal sex loving people reading this, I
did not mean to sound prejudiced]. Honestly, who links anal sex with love? So
then of course the “moi non plus” would be perfectly understandable. Combined
[anal sex and irony of “moi non plus”],
je t’aime moi non plus turns out to be even more ironic.
It’s supposed to be an erotic song [ye t another irony…anal sex in erotism?] because of the sensual sounds they make and oh yeah, the poetry they use before the chorus:
BM: “oh mon amour, tu es la
vague, moi l’île nue”
[I suck at translation] oh my
love, you are the wave, I, a naked island.
Do you see why I told you not to look for a literal translation? It does not make much sense and is not poetic at all in English.
Anyway, not literally,
it gives something like: I’m a desert island [although ‘naked’ is full of
sexual connotation], waiting for you, the wave to hit on me, to flood me. You get it. As I was
saying, the poetic/erotic language contrasts with the poetic but crude language
of the chorus. Is there a place for the desert island or the wave in anal sex?!
Yeah, this intrigues
me a lot. I was also thinking, this poetic sentence could be representing
foreplay while the chorus [je vais et je viens entre tes reins] could represent
the sexual act itself. Hence, we’re back to the role reversal…aren’t men not
interested at all by foreplay? No, not all of them. That’s what TP could be
wanting to say.
Now for the last
chorus:
B.M.: Je
vais je vais et je viens entre tes reins
A.A.: Je vais et je viens je me retiens
B.M: Non ! maintenant viens…
“je me retiens” means that
she is not letting herself have an orgasm, she’s holding it. And Brian says,
no, come, now. [of course, I don’t have to say that come means cum or have an
orgasm – well you never know-]. My point? [yes, I always have one]…simple. The man seems want the woman to come. I mean he’s concerned by it, it’s
not the usual cliché he comes, turns his back and falls asleep, if you see what
I mean. [nopes, I’m not talking from experience.]
Lastly,
because it’s nearly 2 a.m. and I have to end this or I could go on forever, I
would like to point out that there’s a sentence in the original version that
has been left out in this one:
“L’amour
physique est sans issue”.
Now
what the heck does it mean? Euh good question cos I don’t really know. It could
mean “there’s no point in physical love –as in sex-” but it could also mean
“there’s no way out of physical love”. I think it could be a mixture of both:
that is, physical love, sex, does not get you anywhere but still, you have to
have it to be able to live. I don’t really want to comment on it cos this
sentence is confused in my head. [I hate French you see, I tend to run away
from French as much as possible but I’m going to ask some of my friends to tell
me what they understand by this sentence and then I’ll comment]. And anyway,
it’s not said by anyone in the T.P. version. My interpretation of this deletion
is that while SG was focussing on sex, TP is focussing on the changing
attitudes of society and people towards sex, so this sentence would not be
useful.
If you’re read this till the end, well, congrats! I bet you now think
that I am an anal sex-obsessed, hormone-ridden teenager. How untrue. I’m just
crazy, that’s my only crime.
|| My LiveJournal
|| Writings Index || Home
|| Poems? || My
cats!!||