Singer, actress, and fashion icon Jane Birkin passed away at the age of 76.
“It’s like unrolling a rolled-up carpet… but everyone on that rolled-up carpet is leaving. They’re drifting away. I’m afraid of forgetting their facial features, afraid of not being able to remember their scents, and afraid of this growing distance between us.”
Jane Mallory Birkin was born on December 14, 1946, in London. She started her career as a model and then ventured into the world of cinema. Particularly, during the 1960s and 1970s, she shone brightly as a significant figure in French cinema and the music scene. She gained international recognition with her performance in Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Blow-Up,” released in 1966.
From 1965 to 1968, she was married to John Barry, the composer of James Bond film soundtracks. Their daughter, Kate Barry, was born in 1967.
With the film “Slogan” (1969), she moved to Paris and became one of the most iconic names in French culture. This film, which showcased the chemistry between Gainsbourg and Birkin, went beyond the silver screen and became a pivotal work in Birkin’s life.
Jane Birkin met Serge Gainsbourg, often referred to as her greatest love, on the set of “Slogan.” They both starred in the film, directed by Pierre Grimblat. Throughout the years, Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg collaborated on various music and film projects, creating significant partnerships.
Birkin describes the beginning of her relationship with Gainsbourg with the following words:
“I told the director, ‘This man is terribly self-centered, arrogant, I have no idea how I’ll be able to act alongside him.’ The first scene was in the bathroom. I felt so shaken. Maybe it would be a good idea to have dinner together, I thought. We went out for dinner. Then we went dancing. He drank a lot, and I did too. He asked me to dance, but I realized he didn’t know how to dance; he kept stepping on my feet. I found this adorable. Then we went to another nightclub, and then another, and another. Around 6 in the morning, he took me to the Hilton. He asked for a room. I said, ‘Oh la la la.’ Oh my god, how terrible. ‘No, no, I should say no. It’s too scary.’ We went up to the room. I went into the bathroom, thinking, ‘What am I going to do now? Everything is happening too fast.’ When I returned to the room, Serge was already asleep. I was so relieved that I left and went to the drugstore at 7 in the morning. I bought a funny 45 rpm record with the lyrics ‘Yami yami! yami…’ I went back to the room and wedged the record between his two toes. That way, I had saved my honor. Later, we acted together in the film. We fell in love with each other instantly. We went to Venice together for the film. It was destiny.”
Entering the world of music
In the late 1960s, her encounter with Serge Gainsbourg became a turning point in her music career. They collaborated on many projects, and particularly their song “Je t’aime… moi non plus,” which they recorded months after meeting on the set of the film “Slogan” and released in 1969, achieved great success.
The song was banned on radio stations in several countries and condemned by the Vatican due to its explicit content, but it introduced the duo to a new international audience.
In 1975, Jane Birkin won the Cesar Award for Best Actress for her performance in Serge Gainsbourg’s first directed film, “Je t’aime… moi non plus.”
The couple had a daughter named Charlotte Gainsbourg, who became an award-winning actress and singer herself.
Birkin and Gainsbourg were together for 12 years, but after their separation, they remained friends, and Gainsbourg, who was 18 years older than Birkin, continued writing songs about her for years.
Their relationship was often described as “turbulent,” and in her diaries published in 2020, Birkin addressed the violence between them and the problems caused by Gainsbourg’s alcoholism.
Their intense fights often attracted media attention. In fact, Gainsbourg once threw a cake at Birkin’s face, which led her to jump into the Seine River. Nonetheless, in a 2006 interview, Birkin said, “He and I, somehow, due to this song and, of course, our 13-year relationship, oddly became the most famous couple. And then he remained my friend until he died. Who could ask for more?”
In an interview, Birkin expressed regret for leaving Gainsbourg with the following words:
“I felt regret for daring to leave Serge. I believed that my life was as valuable as his. However, what was important was to gain my independence. I think I was punished because of this arrogance. My life wasn’t as precious as his. I shouldn’t have left him; I shouldn’t have entertained such thoughts. It’s a regret that I still punish myself for.”
In 1973, Jane Birkin recorded her first solo studio album titled “Di doo dah.” She continued her solo career with albums like “Baby Alone in Babylone” in 1983, “Amour des Feintes” in 1990, and finally “Enfants d’Hiver” in 2008.
From her relationship with French film director Jacques Doillon in the 1980s, Birkin had her third daughter, musician, model, and actress Lou Doillon.
It is said that Birkin never forgot her one and only Serge. After Serge Gainsbourg passed away, Jane Birkin gave an unforgettable performance in her first concert, where she said to the audience in the finale, “I think I’m going to quit music because I no longer know whose songs I’ll be singing.” A few weeks later, she divorced her new husband, Jacques Doillon, who stated that he couldn’t bear her mourning for Serge and shedding tears constantly.
A fashion icon
Jane Birkin was known as a beloved figure in the world of fashion, recognized for her elegant and bohemian style. She held an important place in French culture and was considered a fashion icon. In fact, she served as the inspiration for Hermès’ iconic Birkin bag.
During a flight, Jane Birkin sat next to Jean-Louis Dumas, who was the chairman and creative director of Hermès at that time. As Birkin placed her bag in the overhead compartment, its contents spilled out, prompting her to mention to Dumas how difficult it was to find a convenient-sized leather bag for short trips. This incident served as the inspiration for Jean-Louis Dumas to design a new bag.
Consequently, the famous French fashion brand Hermès introduced the Birkin bag in 1984. The bag quickly gained fame and became a symbol of wealth due to its high price and popularity.
Harmonizing passion and purpose
Apart from her music and film career, Jane Birkin engaged in activism, particularly on issues related to refugee rights and AIDS. She worked with various associations, visited places like Sarajevo, Rwanda, and Palestine to support children in need.
She gave concerts for Amnesty International, made films to raise awareness about AIDS, protested against injustices happening in Sarajevo and many other parts of the world. She collaborated with many prominent musicians, including Beth Gibbons, Rufus Wainwright, Bryan Ferry, Franz Ferdinand, Yann Tiersen, and Goran Bregoviç. Throughout all her endeavors, her motto, as she often expressed, was to “carefully be restless.”
In 2001, she was awarded the Order of the British Empire.
In the late 1990s, she underwent leukemia treatment, and in September 2021, she suffered a stroke. Her daughter Kate Barry tragically passed away in December 2013 after falling from the fourth floor of an apartment building in Paris.
