Histoire De Melody Nelson

As far as concept albums, the concept of Histoire De Melody Nelson is pretty creepy. The dark brooding build of this album is fantastic, the pace is really exciting stuff. The guitar work is really interesting stuff, switching between frenzied and slow strumming. It’s an odd album for sure but the music is gripping. 4 stars

I loved this album so much. Did I know what they were saying? Not a bit. But it was super compelling and the music itself amazing. That’s the late-60’s early 70’s sound that still is effective today. I downloaded the album when I finished listening.

This album seems to be ahead of its time. The grooves it finds are something you might find right at home in the modern day. It’s a cool vibe that reminds me of Leonard Cohen.

This is less a music album, and more a work of art. It's a very solid album, but it's much better if you think of it as something to experience in a museum or similar venue. I think it tries to help put you in that mindset with the orchestral music and purely spoken word. I think that also helps with the topic of the album. I don't think the album wants you to take it literally, and it's definitely not encouraging you to do as its main character is doing. With all that in mind, this is really good. I honestly wish it wasn't all spoken word, but I think it would take away from the vibes of the album. I probably won't ever listen to this again, but it was good. Favorite Song(s): Melody

Histoire de Melody Nelson is a 1971 concept album by Serge Gainsbourg. The concept for this follows a middle-aged man who falls in love with an underaged girl. While recklessly driving his Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost one night, the album's unnamed narrator is distracted by the silver statue on his car's hood and collides with a young red-haired girl on a bicycle. The two exchange information after the accident, and the girl introduces herself as Melody Nelson ("Melody"). The narrator falls instantly in love with Melody, who is revealed to be only fourteen years old ("Ballade de Melody Nelson"), but who nevertheless makes the narrator happier than he could have ever imagined ("Valse de Melody"). He plans to take her virginity, knowing she has never been in love before ("Ah ! Melody"), and they travel to a secret hotel where they have sex ("L’Hôtel particulier"). Afterwards, Melody boards a cargo plane to return home to Sunderland, England, but an autopilot malfunction causes it to crash, killing her ("En Melody"). The narrator laments Melody's death and compares his misguided hope that she might return one day to the cargo cults of Melanesia, wondering if they caused the plane's crash and finding himself unable to think of anyone or anything else ("Cargo culte"). I've always heard of this record and have seen the cover around, but this is the first time I'm getting around to listening to it. I did not expect all of the lyrics to be in a spoken-word delivery style. It really adds to the creepy vibe of the whole plot. Like seriously, this is pretty weird. The instrumentals are so good, though. Funky guitar riffs and bass lines are all over this. There's also a lot of orchestration which creates a unique juxtaposition from the funky instrumentals that just works. I gotta say, this is damn creative. Despite the creepy plot, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy listening to this.

A really sexy album, damn. Yes, the uh... subject matter is a little. Mm, problematic. But the music-! Just wonderful and very moving.

Really just great. Does the old rock thing where "old guy wants a teenager" but this is genuinely great music so what can you say? Also helps that I currently happen to be learning French. Reading up on Serge Gainsbourg did not make me happy though. Best song: Cargo culte

"En Melody" was pretty good musically. The big problem with it was the Fran Drescher laugh in the middle. "Melody" was a really good song. The rest of the tracks, except for "Cargo culte" were worth the listen. I don't speak French, and couldn't give a rat's-a** the suave vocal style. However, musically, I really enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

of COURSE Gainsbourg has a concept album about diddling a 15 year old! This is so on brand and I'm disappointed I didn't know about it. I need to learn French just so I can fully appreciate how pervy this man is. Make no mistake, I love his music. Haven't listened to him much in the last 20 years but I had a real SG phase in my 20s. The guitars and drumming on this album a phenomenal. If you don't know Serge, check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHLIHrN95Vg&t=60s&ab_channel=InaFrenchStyle

Interesting Lolita-esqe concept album. As it is in French I could not follow the story and relied on the Wikipedia entry to fill in the plot. Disturbing and tragic as it is I think it is an excellent album musically and I listen to it twice before making any judgments. The subject has been used in other musical compositions, such as The Police's song, "Don't Stand So Close to Me". Which is a very good song, enjoying the music does not mean condoning or emulating the artist. That being said I enjoyed this album, the music has a cool, funky groove and the French spoken word does not detract from it.

Ignoring theme and lyrics, stunning music.

Great

о времена, о нравы - в 2020х за такой альбом артиста бы закэнселили, думаю Несмотря на тематику, музыкально альбом мне понравился, и я даже был готов поставить 5 звезд, но песня En Melody все-таки кринж (ладно бы эти звуки еще естественно звучали, но нет), поэтому одну звезду сниму

Een Franse man die over rustige beats in je oor fluistert… intens, maar ik vind het mooie muziek. Melody en Cargo Cute m’n favs

Very sexy. He might be talking about garbage collection, idk. But it's beautiful.

Weird…. but sounded cool?

Serge Gainsbourg came here to fuck and by god he got it

I quite like Gainsbourg, but I guess that's partly because my French isn't good enough to realize how incestuous most of his lyrics are.

Cargo culte, disque culte. Le sujet et certaines paroles de ce disque majeur dans la discographie de Gainsbourg n'ont pas forcément bien vieilli. La référence à Sunderland, ville natale de Jane Birkin dans l'avant-dernier titre, suggère que l'histoire dans le disque est surtout une ode érotique à la femme (et muse) de Serge, ici transformée en fantasme quelque peu crapoteux où Jane serait mineure au moment où Serge la séduit. Gainsbourg était coutumier de ce genre de provocation, et ça ne s'est pas arrangé avec l'âge... A quick aside in English about the Sunderland reference for readers living a across the Channel: didn't know that Jane Birkin, here gracing the suggestive artwork of this record, had a Geordie background, which strikes me as funny given that she was considered as a typical London fashionista in France--anyway, one cannot underestimate how Jane's presence on Gainsbourg's side, both as a wife and an artistic partner, was pivotal for the success of some of his most timeless musical endeavors, whether through her suave vocal performance on this record, or through the lustful one on the song "Je t'aime moi non plus". Sad that Jane recently passed away, she was such an endearing figure. May she rest in peace... Pour finir (en français), sur cet album, sa production, ses orchestrations novatrices et ses arrangements ont toujours une influence notable cinq décennies plus tard, et ont donc eux particulièrement bien vieilli. On ne compte plus les grands artistes qui ont pris pour référence ce disque, de Beck à Neil Hannon, de Tricky à Broadcast, ou de Jarvis Cocker à Portishead... 4/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential albums" 9/10 grade for more general purposes (5+4) Number of albums left to review: 121 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 383 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 225 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 283

This is a bit of a tricky one. On the one hand the subject matter is decidedly ... challenging, although the fact it is in French (which I don't speak well) does obscure this. On the other hand the music is really good, with a great guitar sound. Then there's the album cover which makes me think I'm not far away from going on a list somewhere. At the end of the day though, this is a really good collection of music.

Audibly very interesting. Would listen to first and last tracks again for moody chill vibes. Vocals are sometimes clacky.

I dig it

This came out 53 years ago and it sounds like the latest moby/portishead release. So far ahead of it's time it's scary a 1971 trip hop album.

Theatrical and cool in a way only the French can do

Kinda fucks

cool, mysterious, slightly off-kilter, an interesting listen and even better the second time

This is how to be cool musically and to get chicks, especially hot young ones. Could not be groovier or more sure of itself (the same thing as cool, surely). The giggly song is devastatingly effective, as much for the sizzly guitars as the hiccuping mirthfulness. Simply could not be any cooler (or loucher). Could/should be longer, maybe.

Sexy, cinematic, French! This plays out like a movie and Serge is at times the narrator, and other times the soundtrack singer. I have no idea what he's saying, but it is a seductive mood. Is this foreplay, or the entire act?

Such a lovely and enjoyable album. I don’t know if it was the French language or the music or a combo but it felt warm and calming especially with that defining bass

A puzzling and intriguing listen that I've come back to several times. Super influential.

Good

The story within this album is unsettling, but backed by the music (and with a little media literacy) you can feel that the narrator is entirely on the wrong side of the tracks and that Serge composed this music to get that point across. As an album though, it’s beautifully composed. Every song has its own distinct personality and has the ability to not only shift tonally across tracks, but also within songs themselves, as strings or guitar or even occasionally horns fall and in out of the mix behind Serge’s unnerving whisper-like vocal delivery.

Pretty good album. I know or Gainsbourg from his Bonnie and Clyde song that Luna covered.

Not knowing the language allowed me to fully focus on the musicality, and it’s fantastic really. Sets a great tone across the tracks, Serge’s soft spoken and tender vocals are really enchanting. A highlight are the creative guitar choices in the album and the orchestral choir of voices towards the end of the final track Favourites: honestly I struggle to pick individual songs, I find the entire album has a great vibe.

Pure vibes

4/5. I'm not sure what just happened, but I'm pretty sure Mr. Gainsbourg just seduced me.

Short and sweet.

A bold concept somewhat spoiled by the delivery. The vocals require emotion to convey the story when the language is not familiar and that simply isn't there. Possibly on repeated listens, subtle twists may well be found. Nevertheless the music is more than solid and often a quirky take on what was popular at the time.

je ne pas comprend mais it is very good and makes me feel like an intellectual alcoholic who smokes a lot and looks at young girls in a problematic way ziehe 1 Punkt ab für pädophilie aber sorry die musik ist gut...

Well that was certainly something. Not a fan of the concept itself, but this is the type of album I would expect to find on this list. I'm not gonna listen to this regularly, but going through it once was an interesting experience. The backing music is catchy, even if the vocals don't do much for me.

Hey man, maybe don't call children "delicious".

Melody must’ve been a good bitch.

шо-то очень необычное

ХВАТИТ МЕНЯ СОБЛАЗНЯТЬ ПРИЧМОКИВАНИЯМИ И ГОЛОСОМ Но вообще этот альбом я пожалуй сохраню полностью для уютного чтения книг в пледике. очень залипательная штука алкоальбом: какой-то вязкий и очень сладкий напиток. наверно, клубничная настойка

A very creepy topic but man did I not expect to like this as much as I did. Think I need to re-listen a few times to fully digest, but really made me think. 4/5

Interessant, origineel, grappig. Kan hier best wel een tijdje naar luisteren. Wilde eerst 3 sterren geven maar kom toch net uit op 4.

Well, first off, it's good to have a non English language record. I'm not good enough at French to follow this, so I used a lyrics translation site to read the lyrics as I played this record. This album has a really lush sound which, coupled with Gainsbourg's terrific semi-spoken, semi-sung vocal style is top-notch. The album tells a story where the narrator knocks a young (under-age) girl off her bike and then engages his desire for her. You might not expect such content in a modern record, but I guess it's in keeping with Gainsbourg's somewhat louche persona. Weirdly, Melody wants to see the skies of Sunderland and heads off to her doom. Sunderland? Does that have significance in French?

Actually really impressive what Serge does on this album. The sly spoken word (with a heavy helping of mouth sounds) is just so very French, but like in the good way. Just a really sweet and interesting listen. 7/10

Instant classic! First time hearing it but it immediately feels like discovering a key piece to a jigsaw puzzle covering late 80s/Early 90s music, from daisy age rap in the US to trip hop in the UK. I'm retroactively embarrassed to not have already been intimately familiar with it. I also feel really stupid for not knowing about his work with Jane Birkin. I was fortunate enough to listen to it on headphones and was richly rewarded - strong backing band, beautifully recorded. Great dynamic range, too, that pretty much doesn't exist anymore in this era of highly compressed tracks produced to sound good out of a speakerphone. I have no idea what they are talking and singing about but I strongly suspect that he would be cancelled if this came out now and I might not even be able to listen to this if I understood it. Funny how some things unexpectedly stay with you. I immediately recognized 'En Melody' from this minor De La Soul skit from back in the day: https://youtu.be/FTMOTsL1YIE?si=VFusrpdIM8e-QyKN

I've never heard of him/them before, but I enjoyed the whole French-narrated chill-rock-style. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if I understood the lyrics/narration storyline, as the Wikipedia plot summary makes it sound a bit creepy (at least for listening in the 21st century), and a little bizarre/pretentious, but thankfully my spoken-French comprehension is pretty abysmal. I didn't really want to hunt down "Melody, the musical", but I *did* listen to this album via YouTube Music, which very bizarrely showed a completely wrong-seeming video while playing "Ballade de Melody" (something involving some white guy trying to save a non-white kid (male) in what appeared to be riots/protests/terrorist attacks). A bit more surreal than I suspect even Serge Gainsbourg was hoping for.... (A little more digging on this video reveals that it was made in 2021 by Christopher Honore as a tribute to Gainsbourg but "updated to reflect the times", whatever that means; most of the comments seem to find it an inappropriate appropriation. You can see it here: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o165uRDuYU>) (And I found a YouTube playlist with the various original videos collated together: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AznHU0cWvz0&list=PLEB4AA81A5D349F09>) I loved seeing (on Wikipedia) all the artists and bands that have been influenced by this album, and I can totally see this influence now that I've heard this album. For that alone, I'd give it 5 stars (especially since I enjoyed listening to the album), except I still think this is all a bit creepy.

Very cool and some super chilled music

It’s tough because on one hand, this is really a close to perfect album as far as late 60s/early 70s French music goes, and that’s a genre I love. Gainsbourg’s influence on so many other legendary musicians (including Joe Dassin) is impossible to ignore. But he was also a certifiable freak who liked making songs about little girls and liked making actual real life little girls sing provocative songs whose lyrics they did not understand. So for that reason I must give it a 4. I’m glad Serge Gainsbourg is dead. But it is a very nice album. Ughhhhhhhh

Good music that I enjoyed going to sleep by.

Weird but interesting

What a trip! I wasn't familiar with this artist aside from his late 60s hit "Je t'aime", but turns out he is Charlotte Gainsbourg's father. I deeply enjoyed the vast range of musical styles. Very eclectic. Great concept album, tragic story. 4/5

Intoxicatingly weird

Dieses Album hätte ich nie aus entdeckt. Für ruhige Stunden absolut hörenswert. (4/5)

Great stuff. Don't remember my HS French, but this has a midnight cafe feel to it.

This one sounds really-really interesting

This hits a great groove and sustains it for its entire runtime. I can't not think about that viral video with all those kids singing at him. Love to the French. When this collection breaks out of English-language albums it really makes me wonder about the selection criteria for this list. Because this is French spoken word poetry you need to have the translation open in front of you to get something out of it, but there are a lot of great non-English albums that focus a lot more on the music than the language, so it's less of a barrier for casual listening.

Beautiful music, but bloody hell

Strangely compelling. Reminds me of Jah Wobble - lots of catchy bass lines, with semi-spoken vocals over the top. The subject matter is extremely dodgy - a variation on the older man/underage girl sexual liaison a la Lolita - but this is not unexpected for Serge Gainsbourg.

Cool

listened to again very artistic and modern for a 1971 album

Interesting chill album

Heerlijke 70s muziek, maar dan met sensueel Frans spoken word, gefluister, en gezang erover heen.

I figured I hadn't heard this before, but it turns out it's been so heavily sampled, that I'd actually heard almost all of it, just not in the original form. It's an interesting tale of the loss of innocence and the music is just sublime throughout, apart from the laughing in one of the tracks on side 2, which was quite horrible. Difficult to rate, but I'm going with 4 stars as I will probably listen to this again and I found nothing to dislike here, even the fact I didn't understand much of the lyrics.

Melody and Cargo Culte are excellent - sampled by David Holmes (Don’t Just Die Yet)

I did really love a lot of this. When you read the back story and the concept behind the album it's a bit ick. But you can feel the influence on bands like Air, especially the bass.

apart from the ephebophilia, this album explores interesting avenues sonically (i don't know french so i can't really critique the songwriting) and is a really nice listen. again, forgetting about the lyrics, it feels artful yet fitting to listen to drinking a glass of wine or something.

Faszinierend. Funk, Trip-hop, Folk .... Wurzel von so vielem, was ich mag.

Of course...

Wow i really liked this. The strings were magnificent - I felt as though I were transported to another era, Paris in the 60s, traipsing around the Latin quarter w my bohemian friends discussing the revolution, love, and the modern novel. Classy album, sometimes there would be some weird sounds in the middle of songs that I was not a fan of.

It goes hard. The instrumentals are very engaging and match the lyrics well. It is similarly adept as Lolita at handling its subject matter. It’s a very captivating listen. I like how the beginning and end sort of mirror each other. En Melody did a great job of instrumentally capturing what is left to the mind of the listener.

Listen this albums content is problematique. But the music so so my vibe! Guitar riffing over an orchestra! Sounds a lot like Beck.

4.3/5 Was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. Best track: Melody

Essential Tracks L’hôtel particulier All tracks are essential to understand this album fully.

I liked it more than I thought I would. Even though it was all in french, I thought it had a great sound. Subject matter threw me off though. I can see where Portishead got some of their inspiration from.

Amazing, super loved the vibe, sound, lyrics, keep listening!!! And check out more of his music too

I couldn't decide whether to give this a 5 or a 1. The bluesy background music is quite pleasing to the ear, but the microphone placement seemingly inside his larynx is unnecessary. The cohesiveness of the story and album as a whole is wonderful, but the subject matter is quite unsavoury, talking of a "delightful young child" whose "skirt is pulled up on her white pants". Overall, I like blues, I like spoken word, I dislike hearing the inside of someone's throat, I dislike paedophilia. 4/5.

Questionable concept for an album but great vocals and arrangement - 4 stars

Absolutely brilliant. I’ve missed out on Serge and it’s good to have an introduction. This will go into rotation.

Sexy. 4/5

Great sound. Where Beck got Sea Change

Mér finnst þetta voða töff tónlist, það verður bara að segjast.

The musical equivalent of drinking wine and having a mistress. This album is unequivocally French. Also; did Serge Gainsbourg somehow invent trip hop in 1971?

Creates trip hop 20 years early and uses it to fantasise about shagging children. So very French.

never been more glad not to understand the lyrics the music was dope though

i love the music. really don't vibe with the concept part of the "concept album."

I know Serge Gainsbourg via his daughter, Charlotte, and his popular song Bonnie and Clyde. He's definitely a French staple, but the nature of this album is creepy & pedophilic. There's something about European men in the 70s that got away with A LOT of grooming of young women (read how Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones married & took custody of a teenager). Back to the album...I liked it. Maybe it's because I studied French for seven years & sometimes enjoy spoken word concept albums. I like the tone of Serge's voice & it made me want to revisit French (something I put back on my to-do list last week). I would listen again. 3.5 stars

Nasally French voice that exudes a heavy passion for the storytelling. I catch words here and there, which is neat. Some cool background music too.

Interesting and captivating music with spoken words nicely draped over it. (Reading about the content of the story I guess this could not be produced in the 2020s anymore.)

Questionable concept but the guitar and arrangements on this are wonderful.

Fantastique

I think I'm pregnant. Serge Gainsbourg's Histoire De Melody Nelson is an interesting spoken word album backed by period compositions for orchestras and electronic music. I never really wondered what a French Leonard Cohen would sound like, but I like it. 4/5

sure

I think this is mostly a really strong album, though reading the wikipedia page on it made me bummed out about the subject matter/concept. Aside from the premise, the music is pretty great. There are a few short tracks in the middle of the album that don't do much for me but the strength of the standout tracks is enough to lift this one up. I was excited to get this one today because I definitely recognized the album cover and had a passing knowledge of Serge Gainsbourg but this gave me a welcome excuse to dig deeper. I ended up listening to the album a couple of times through. Standout Tracks: Melody, Ballade de Melody Nelson, En Melody, Cargo culte

The music, as some commentators have said, is very proto-trip-hop. Orchestral funk, like Isaac Hayes was doing at the same time, except with a breathy Frenchman speaking over it instead of an anguished black American. Music - five out of five, album concept 1/5. It has not aged well, and sits along Maurice Chevalier in the French musical nonce list of shame. I have to give it a four ultimately. Yes a different time, but hard to think that even in the early seventies having a whole album based around a middle-aged man having sex with a fourteen-year old was pretty unpalatable.

Well this was a surprise. I think this could be one of the coolest records ever made! Love the guitar work and you can hear the influences the record has had on other acts. The obvious French pop of Air, but Jarvis Cocker probably owes his delivery to Serge Gainsbourg.

Cool French rock. 7.5/10.

This is an exquisitely made concept album for an absolutely horrifying concept. Musically, it works brilliantly in what it communicates--passion, intensity, the very "French" first love. The instrumentation and the spoken word is magnificent. It's an artwork. But dear God does it instill horror. Perhaps it is not as vile for the pedophile-friendly intelligentsia of France, but for a modern audience, it's... disgusting. It's disgusting in its earnestness and the energy and passion that underlines its conveyance. It's disgusting! This is hideous! Oh, and it did send me into a rabbithole of France's beautifully appalling history with pedo tolerance, so there's that... 4* for the musicality and 1* for the pedophilic (not-really-under)tones. Enjoyment? I don't know. You ever watch something that's absolute straight horror in how earnest it does some stuff? I mean, it made me FEEL, I guess? Maybe I'll give it a 4* for how effectively it creeped me out, eh? Sound about right.

Utterly louche-tastic – "gloriously seedy" is dead on. Could not groove more swingingly, putting one in mind of a French Rat Pack, but with more continental flair, plus some dark shadows to boot.

Very cool stuff ! Drumming was fantastic, brilliant guitar choices, & the STRINGS ! Didn’t understand what blud was waffling bout but shoutout Melody Nelson ig 😹💯

Gainsbourg can't be disliked. This works in the background and in the foreground. I don't really know any of his songs, but I've never disliked one.

I've moaned a bit about how some of the albums thrown up by this app are little characterless - can't complain about this one, right? Sadly, despite surviving the British educational system I don't speak a lick of French (Latin though, anyone?) so the lyrics pass me by. Gainsbourg snuffles and moans over the top of far-out psych rock to a story, if Wikipedia is to be believed, about an ageing pervert's lust for a teenage girl he's knocked down in a car accident. All feels terribly European. I can't tell if this is a work of genius or the most chronic thing ever committed to tape, but it held my (sometimes bemused) attention throughout, so let's shake hands on four stars.

An overused word, but it feels like it applies perfectly here: vibes. The vibes are good. I've done some exploring of Gainsbourg and haven't come away enjoying each song or sound, but there's unison and mood on this record that worked for me from start to finish. Hoping we'll see some more on the list.

Wow. Didn’t know what to expect here but it wasn’t the awesomeness I was just exposed to. Happy to listen to again and explore the back catalogue.

Interesting. I had no idea what to expect, but on the whole I enjoyed this. The funky bass groove that starts pretty much straight away is addictive, and the drums and pretty - and that's appropriate in this case. Add to that grungy blue guitar riffing away and sonically this is right up my street. The orchestration is fine, although so much of it isn't necessarily my thing. I understand why spoken word lyrics can be divisive, but it works here for me. Most of my French comes from the kitchen and bar, so I don't understand enough of it, but I, unlike others it seems, have no issue with this being in French. And, hey, put your view of the record in context eh. Love the cover photography and design as well - from the backdrop, the shadow, the typography, the angle of that right foot, the way Birkin focuses her gaze right down the lens. Striking. I started the day thinking 3 or 4 stars. I'll end with a solid 4 - I don't think this is 5 and I'm not sure quite how often I'll listen to it again, but it gets up to 4 just by not being in English - we need less anglophone rock music on this list (I mean, really: no Pirates Choice or Night in Club Baobab? No Bhundu Boys?). Some of the reviews ("French!" etc...) suggest that 30p Lee's doing the project. Very interesting.

Wow very interesting French album, subject matter maybe a bit off, but musically this is brilliant wouldn’t believe this came out in 1971 way ahead of it’s time. Fact I don’t understand any of the lyrics probably helps with the enjoyment here.

It's icky/provocative sure, but it's also a pretty incredible piece that has inspired much further greatness.

I have heard the name before, but have no idea what to expect. This bassline is great, and speaking French over things usually makes them at least 37% cooler. Breathy French female vocals are hot. The orchestration elements are excellent. I could listen to this for 2 hrs 52 mins. That was incredible! I have never listened to Serge Gainsbourg before and I have to say I am know looking at his disography for more! 4 / 5 stars.

It’s really a shame that the subject matter and cover photo are so revolting because musically I fucking loved this record.

Serge Gainsbourg is never dull. He’s also often quite challenging. This story that starts with a bike accident and ends with a plane crash by way of a statutory rape is no exception. Maybe I shouldn’t have listened a second time and followed along with the translations… If I remind myself that Serge is telling a story - creating a character, then squint my eyes, this is a pretty incredible musical piece. It would clearly have been a 5 after my first listen. After the second - when I followed along to the translation - I was quite put off and tempted to go to the other end of the scale. I guess this might be somewhat akin to listening to Don’t Stand So Close To Me or reading that famous book by Nabokov. Yet I still have to knock this a point since I will have to revisit these struggles if I listen to this again and talk myself through the creepy factor.

I hadn’t heard of Serge Gainsbourg before today, but when I mentioned to my partner that this is who I’ll be listening to, she said he was some fancy French fella. I like some French pop (Yelle are fantastic) but she said that this music is likely very different. Let’s listen and find out! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Melody I’ve never understood why people found the French language to be sexy. It always sounded a little too phlegmy for me. However, holy guacamole Serge has a nice voice! His deep, rich, half singing half talking had me transfixed throughout. The only bits of French I understood was that Melody has red hair. I’m at a loss beyond that. Wikipedia says it’s about running someone over in a Rolls Royce and then falling in love with her. What a wacky adventure. I really liked it.

So French.

jetaime who

Les arrangemebts et la voix comme un recit est tres bien fait. 1ere ecoute mais j'ai adoré 4.75

Wow - I don't know what he's saying but it feels like a very sexy intimate view into something I shouldn't be allowed to see.

I really enjoyed this and i’m a little shocked by how much. Definitely an evocation of a time and place.

The coolest album ever...the spoken word portions are perfectly executed, and I love the smooth blues-y instrumentation -french chef kiss-

I'd seen the name Gainsbourg thrown around before and maybe heard a song or two but I never listened to a full album of his before. Not bad at all. Definite 70s vibes. I took a crash course in French to prep for a trip there but I'm certainly listening without picking up on the spoken content. I can only go by feel in that respect.

je ne parle pas français

I have a couple of 60s-70s Gainsbourg albums. They sound very different from each other and very different than this. He’s a diverse artist, I used to think of him as a French Leonard Cohen, but he’s more esoteric and ambitious, and of course his voice is better, though that’s not setting the bar high. My bilingual co-judge says his lyrics are as clever and full of double entendres, which shouldn’t be surprising, for a French guy.. I love the baroque pop orchestrations contrasting that scratchy electric guitar. The “Ballade” and “Valse” de Melody are my favourites. This is one super-short album and it seems to me that the 7+minute first song and the 7+minute last song are more or less the same, though, as a 1001 reviewer, I’d be last person to claim that an album’s too short.

It's crazy to hear where so many samples came from. Great vibe to this album.

Another artist I've been hearing about forever but never really listened to. I liked the music a lot: the vocals (predominantly somewhat oily French murmuring) did considerably less for me. Of course I couldn't understand a word, other than the repetition of the name Melody Nelson five hundred times - each one a little jarring in this context as it's a name that would fit perfectly in the context of my rural central U.S. childhood. Does this anglicized Scandanavian surname sound exotic to the French ear? Anyway I gather these lyrics I couldn't understand are about an old French lecher creeping on a 15 year old girl? The whole thing is very, very French, but I can't deny I enjoyed listening to it and it gets a bonus point for its aggressive wierdness.

very nice discovery

Never knew this existed - very pleased to find it, sleazy groovy fun

It's probably a mercy that I don't understand the lyrics, eh? No doubt they're creepy AF. I'm glad one of the other reviewers commented on the fact Beck's "Paper Tiger" samples this extensively - I love that track, but couldn't pin down why this album sounded so familiar when I started it. That woulda bugged me! Fave track - "Melody" and "Cargo Culte" - they sound lovely to my uncomprehending ear! 🙉

Firstly, is there any significant record from the 50's/60's/70's Big Jim Sullivan didn't play on? He pops even more than Al Kooper and Ry Cooder, though he appears to have had the good sense to steer clear of Stephen Stills. Secondly I'm surprised this record hasn't been sampled, or has it? Send me a fax if you know. The soundtrack is fantastic, this would be brilliant as an instrumental record. I like Serge, but then I've always liked all that Johnny Halladay/France Gall/Francoise Hardy (sigh...) stuff from the 60's/70's. There is no doubt not being conversant with French beyond the Foux de Fa Fa song (supermarche!) you don't have to dwell on the Uncle Pervy elements of him chasing down a 15 year old, mais il est français donc... This is a beautifully crafted record, gorgeous production and wonderful arrangements.

Really, until the early 2000’s, the only Gainsbourg track I would have recognised was the infamous Je T’aime Moi Non Plus, a worldwide chart-topper in 1969. Then I received a visit one night from friends Liam & Lauren of Sydney indie band, Belles Will Ring. They had just returned from an American trip & wanted to regale me with the goodies they had picked up there, including a Gainsbourg cd. I thought this was strange until we played the disc. Belles played quite a psychedelic brand of rock & that night I realised that Serge also didn’t mind a bit of that., which surprised me. From then on, I collected quite a few of his old records, including Histoire De Melody Nelson. It’s brief, more like an ep, but it’s a knockout. When I first listened to it, I was amazed at the music & not all that interested in what the French-language lyrics were about. I now realise the story he was telling was, not surprisingly, quite controversial. Nevertheless, this is a terrific listen.

This has been on my want-to-buy list for a while, and an album I occasionally spin on streaming. Creepy concept aside, I really enjoy this album, with it's laid-back funky feel, terrific string arrangements and crack session band (including Vic Flick, Big Jim Sullivan, Herbie Flowers), with Gainsbourg's gallic cool vocals over the top. It is atmospheric and sexy. This was clearly a massive influence on trip-hop, hip-hop and certain branches of 90s indie (Belle and Sebastian, Stereolab, etc), and was widely sampled or imitated in the 1990s. There is a singular vision to this album, and it almost plays like a suite, book-ended by Melody and Cargo Culte, which are the outstanding tracks. This is an album that takes its time, but doesn't waste your time. Unique and influential, hard to describe. Listening again, this has worked its way up my vinyl want-list priorities.

Could they stop being French for FIVE MINUTES and make good music?

So cool and unique. I can definitely see how a lot of artists I dig would have taken inspiration from this. I'm a sucker for spoken word pieces so this is right up my alley on that front. I also like the mix of rock and orchestral elements.

Something different, pretty cool, and I didn't have to understand the lyrics to like it. The whole melody nelson got a little too repetitive but its a very decent album. It's also short so it doesn't overstay its welcome.

This was very enjoyable. I wish I could have understood the story.

I kinda dig it

Yikes French. But just 28 mins. The first/last track is ripped onto a David Holmes album so I know and it works well. Ok I was a bit sneery but I think this is pretty awesome. The lyrics are a bit creepy...but the Cool as fuck background guitar. Those jazzy drums/bass The strings/choir when they come in!. 4

I like this. I know this artist for the Bonnie and Clyde song, which unfortunately isn't on here. This is a quick trip, apparently a concept album about a man in love with a young teen....Lolita vibes. That part of it is creepy and off-putting, but considering it's in French, I can listen without hearing that part. The music is great though, and Serge's style of talk-singing is cool too. Quite an enjoyable listen. Favorite tracks: Melody, Ballade de Melody Nelson, L'hotel Particulier, Cargo Culte. Album art: It's the artist's partner, Jane Birkin, posing as this young teen/girl that the album is about, clutching a teddy bear over her bare chest. Pretty weird stuff, I wouldn't exactly say she or he were in their "bag" with this one. Get it? The Birkin bag? 4/5

me gustó

4-5, interesting concept

This album stinks of Gitanes and sex.

still gotta listen

интересная вещь, концептуальный альбом, отсылки к набокову, все дела (лучше почитать про альбомчик перед прослушиванием). плюс сама музыка хороша (первый трек ваще кайфс), но тут уж простое человеческое "не вставило"...

The music is strangely compelling.

4.75

I've been listening to a lot of French music from the 60's and early 70's lately, so I was happy to see this on the list. Serge Gainsbourg always seemed to have that creepy, older( French)man-vibe happening, similarly to Canada's Leonard Cohen, but you can't deny the talent and importance this music has to offer. I bought the old 45 of "Je t'aime… moi non plus", a couple years ago and have been intrigued with Serge and Jane Birkin ever since. The music is cool and if you can get past Gainsbourg's talking/singing style, it's an essential listen.

Serge Gainsbourg is a noted super-weirdo so I am very excited for this. Though he's also, I believe, a terrible pervert and creep, so also a little frightened. Melody starts pretty cool... Ok yea, this was musically everything I hoped for: weird jazziness, cool guitar, low muttered lyrics, a general cool lush vibe that was totally awesome.. And it was also everything I feared: according to Wiki this is indeed a concept album about him having sex with a 15-year-old. Oh Serge, why can't you just make good music without being a creepo? Still, gotta judge it on the music alone, I think. So high marks, but with an asterisk

Well, that was an adventure. I don't know what in the name of French classical funk that was supposed to be, but I enjoyed it. This artist is either le Leonard Cohen or le William Shatnère, depending on whom you ask. Lots of dramatic talking and strange musical interludes. If you enjoy weird fusions of musical styles, you might like this one. I liked it pretty well and found it creative but didn't fully five-star adore it. Fave track: The opening track, "Melody," by far.

Wow, Beck et Jean Leloup et Martin Léon ont écouté ça certain. L’ambiance de l’album est malade. Les cordes sont dépouillées et simples, mais super efficaces.

Bon, la thématique qui serait inspirée du roman Lolita de Vladimir Nobokov (que je n'ai pas lu) est malaisante. Bien que le roman serait considéré comme un chef d'oeuvre, je n'ai pas les clés pour comprendre l'intérêt de raconter ce sujet. Le qualité littéraire de ce livre devait donc plaire à Gainsbourg et il cherchait peut-être à provoquer comme il l'a déjà fait par le passé, mais le fait que ça semble effectivement cadrer avec l'homme soulève une ambiguïté qui ruine un peu mon écoute. Si on passe par dessus ça, en terme de qualité d'album, il y a du travail là! Un album concept court, avec une musique qui vient soutenir superbement une histoire racontée tout au long de l'album, ça fonctionne vraiment bien. La façon de livrer le texte qui peut être agaçante pour certains sert bien l'histoire. La basse sur l'album est superbe et les orchestrations ont définitivement influencées plusieurs artistes par la suite. La pièce En Melody est fantastique. L'ambiance dans la pièce Melody qui est reprise sur la dernière pièce, Cargo Culte, a sûrement influencée Jean Leloup pour quelques pièces sur Le Dôme (en plus de ressembler beaucoup à la mélodie d'Edgar). La basse de cette même pièce qui ferme l'album de Gainsbourg a été utilisée sur la pièce Paper Tiger de Beck. Bref, musicalement un album fantastique qui a influencé pleins d'artistes et qui se mériterait un 5 étoiles si ce n'était de la thématique. Pièce préférée: En Melody

I have no idea what it was about. But it was good.

De fana

Sprawling, funky tracks in a satisfyingly short package. Also not the least bit suprised about the subject of the story considering it was made by a frenchman.

Så lit...

Obviously I can’t understand the lyrics, but they’re delivered well and the music underneath them is great. Good stuff.

My high-school level French is failing me here, but the funky beats speak to me.

4/5. Sounds good, but why’d he have to do Lolita bruh, I can’t endorse that

Kolejny dowod na potege matrixa listowego, wczoraj pisze o wyzszosci francuzkiego popu nad hamerykanskim, a dzisiaj dostaje jeden z najbaradziej eksperymentalnych, a nadal popowych albumow listy, bo takim wlasnie krazkiem jest histoire de melody nelson, plyte ciezko zaklasyfikowac gatunkowo, bo o takie kombo psychodelii, orkiesty i funku naprawde ciezko, pan Serge Gainsbourg na 28 minutach krazka opowiada historie zwiazku tytulowej lolity z panem wieku sredniego, oczywiscie autobiograficzne watki, jak przystalo na francuza, pan Serge opowiada historie swego zycia z lolita, nie jestem pewien czy na okladce jest akurat jego lolita, ale guglowanie albumu zwraca fotki pana Serga z podobnie loliciarska lolita, lecz nie sam motyw przewodni jakim jest tak francuski zwiazek stanowi o eksperymentalnosci tego albumu, ale muzyka, ktora latwiej zrozumiec niz francuzkie liryki naszpikowane grami slownymi z ktorymi translacja przegrywa nierowna walke, bo muzycznie jest to unikalne polaczenie funkowego rockowania z harmoniami muzyki synfornicznej, najlepiej te polaczenia graja na najdluzszych kawalkach epka, czyli otwierajacym i zamykjacym kompozycje melody i cargo culte, zwlaszcza ten drugi swietnie buduje napiecie przez stopniowe wprowadzanie kolejnych brzmien, zaczynajac od pojedynczych fristrajlowych brzdakniec elektryka, rytmicznego drumienia, zeby w polowie traku dojsc do czesci chorkowo symfonicznej i zamknac z przytupem wszystkim co fabryka dala, kompozycje z tej plyty sa dzielem pracy w duecie z Jean-Claudem Vannierem, dosc popularne imie tej plyty, bo jeszcze trzy osoby o takim imieniu sa featurowane na liscie personelu w tym jako producent pan Jean-Claude Desmarty, ktoremu trzeba pogratulowac tak swietnie brzmiacego nagrania, zwlaszcza jak na rok 71, wiec pomimo tego, ze lirycznie album pozostaje dla mnie engima, to jednak sluchalo sie go swietnie, w mysl zasady z poprzedniego pika, im mniej sie cos rozumie tym przyjemniej sie tego slucha, ciekawe ile swojej zaslugi w nagraniach mial sam pan Serge jako muzyk, bo tez jest zlistowany jako pianino, ktore sie troche przewija oraz gitara, chociaz tutaj tych gitar jest zdecydowanie wiecej niz jedna, tak czy inaczej album krotki, ale zostawiajacy wrazenie ktorego sie latwo nie zapomni, na plejke leci endingowy utwor, a cala plyta na poleczke spotifajowa, dajac kolejny powod do nadrobienia lolity nabokova

Despite not knowing the name Serge Gainsbourg, I kind of knew what to expect. This was a perfectly chill way to start the day.

No idea what he’s whispering, but it sounds great. Really cool vibe, but I think it would benefit from having the band and music closer to the mic, it feels so far away! 4/5 - Who IS Melody Nelson?

A short groovy little album, with a bit of a Lolita theme to it. Worth listening to for some funky basslines mashed up with orchestral strings. It almost sounds like a sort of proto trip-hop album.

Ons melodieken hé. Leuk verhaal dat nu niet meer gemaakt zou worden. Gainsbourg altijd goed

Nice to have non US/UK choice. I loved this one, very funky, and due to minimal french, can avoid alleged paedo overtones to lyrics as noted in other reviews.

11/11 Sultry French vocals, soft rock soundscape. Standout Tracks: Melody, L'hôtel particulier, Cargo culte

4.4 + France’s pervie uncle can swing. The epitome of cool and composed. First came upon this via Beck’s “Paper Tiger.”

Interesting album! Need to listen to the whole thing later.

Rockier than I expected, like a Gallic Zappa.

Good stuff… probably didn’t give this enough attention, but always enjoy a bit of serge!

It’s great. Not quite a 5. The cover art is a 6.

I love this album. So sensual...so sexy. Never really heard anything else quite like it. A near 5, but 4.5 🌟 seems more accurate.

Wish my a French was better

Musically great. Overall very cool vibe to the record

Paper tiger by beck was inspired by this

Different from what I'm used, really like the guitars. I need a mieux français though!

It's obviously beautiful, Serge's voice is very smooth and I like it musically. I'm just afraid I'm losing some of it because mon francais est tres mal.

instrumentals are groovy as all hell wow

Heavily sampled by David Holmes, hard to hear it without that context - bit hit & miss but extra star for Don't Die Just Yet

.

Really Cool. Epic opening track and was short and sweet. An eclectic mix of sounds - really liked the strings. Vocals very loud!

een beetje donker en een beetje warm. you want it darker vibes

Very enjoyable. Something a bit different but very easy on the ears. 3.5

Groovy late 60s/early 70s psychedelic/blues jam vibe with some awesome bass work. Jean-Claude Vannier knows his to write some lovely melodies (pun not intended)

So sexy and cool

If Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson made a movie together, this would be the soundtrack.

Wow. What a surprise. Particularly loved the first and last one. Excellent psychedelic. Can't believe wiki told me this was pop

Cool as hell. 7/10

I don't speak French so I have no clue what was being sung, but I could listen to this all the time

This couldn’t be more stereotypically French if it hit you over the head with a baguette while smoking a Gauloises. I need to revisit this. That was pretty damn fun to listen to. I felt like I could almost understand it at parts too.

Strange French man says melody a lot then sings a song and then says melody a lot again. Pretty good though

great bass + really well orchestrated. almost cinematic with a narrative. reminded me of portishead. this grew on me.

soothing and nice and cool and short and cute

Definite headphone album, love how forward the vocals and bass are. Wish I spoke french. Girl on the cover reminds me of Lor. Melody - Prise Complete is my highlight.

got into the guitar riffs on some of the track, also following along with the english translation was an interesting story

This was pretty good. Definitely a different kind of album for the time it was released.

Very sultry music about an underage romance. Very evocative.

quite nice even if i cant understand the lyrics much nothing much like it

I don't know French so I can't comment on the lyrics or subject matter but the instrumentals are quite good at least Fav tracks: En Melody, Melody

This might be the most French thing I’ve ever experienced, and the fact it’s sung in French isn’t the most French thing about it. But let’s address the elephants in the room first. Gainsbourg is a hugely questionable man and the concept of this album is absolutely problematic. Idle fantasy or not it’s uneasy listening But let’s not lose the thread, musically this is genuinely an important album. Either directly sampled like on David Holmes brilliant ‘Don’t die just yet’ or as a clear template for the music of air, portishead or pulp. Choppy guitar, drums nearly on the point of collapse, bass at once funky and angular and grand string arrangements which often stray into the unsettling. Genuinely impressive stuff So to summarise problematic man narrates the plot of a 70’ sex ‘comedy’ over some of the coolest music you’ll hear

girl idk i liked it

So on first listen, I thought: ok, this is in French so I won't understand the lyrics, I'll just treat the vocals as another instrument and see how I like it. And the album sounds really good — I love the jazzy, laid back guitar playing and the moody ambience of the whole thing. The singer's voice is really rich and has a languorous quality that suits the vibe of the instrumentals perfectly. And the album is short and sweet, not overstaying its welcome. Then I looked it up on Wikipedia and found out that the lyrics basically tell a story about a middle-aged man falling in love with and sleeping with a 14 year old girl, who then dies in a plane crash, leaving him heartbroken. Yuck I can't tell if the lyrics are meant to be deliberately subversive and would have been shocking to the audience at the time it came out, or if this is a classic case of pedo shit being weirdly normalised back in the day and the singer genuinely thinking this nonsense is romantic. The whole thing definitely grossed me out and retrospectively affects my overall enjoyment of the album, but I have to concede I liked the music a lot purely on sound. All that makes this kind of tricky to give a rating to. I'm gonna go down the middle and stick with a 3

Need to try later

Zou bisou bisou is that you?

3.5⭐️/5 06.09.2026

Un album tres différente, l'homme qui parle dans mon oreille est un peut tros bruyant. Je ne sais pas ce que je pense a ces doux chuchotements... Parfois, la musique resemble a un livre d'audio.. Les instruments sonnent très bien, mais j'aurais juste souhaité pouvoir les entendais mieux... 6.5 baguettes / 10 baguettes

I liked the sound of thr music, but knowing the subject matter and hearing the sultry tone of it all, it was hard to enjoy it totally! 2.75

Rounding up from 2.5. Better than I expected from the description.

Oli hyvälaatuinen levy soundien puolesta. Musiikillisesti ihan menettelevä, muttei iskenyt kunnolla. 3/5.

French, smooth. Theme seemed to be about seducing a woman?

Gainsbourg is in full force for this album that has his typical style. You either like it or not. I think it's all right.

Groovy but French

Okay. The album that spawned 1000 stereotypes about French men.

Enjoyed this, good grooves throughout

Very cute! I would love to give this one 3.5 stars.

Interesting to listen to, but thematically disgusting

Det er SÅ gennemført 70’er og FRANSK. Det er måske pga af en svaghed for det frankofile og intellektuelle 60’er miljø som han voksede ud af, men jeg lader tvivlen komme ham til gode om hvorvidt han kun provokerede og italesætte tabuer i hans ret hidsige persona-konstruktion og forholder mig til det kunstneriske. Tror ikke jeg har hørt noget som det før, og det er ment som et kompliment, og musikalsk og kunstnerisk er jeg ret vild med det, men kan alligevel ikke helt se de det mesterværk som andre ser - måske er det fordi jeg ikke kan fransk; måske er det trods alt Gainsbourgs eftermæle der trækker skygger…

If I spoke French it probably would have hit better

Musically, this is 4 stars. And as long as I don't think about the concept album's plot, it stays 4 stars. Since it's in French and I remember very little of the 1 semester of French I took in college, it's easy to ignore. But man, regardless of how "different" the 70s, French culture, and 70s French culture may have been, that concept album plot is creepy as hell. Knocked down a point for that. 3 stars.

Review before reading Wikipedia: I couldn’t really follow the narrative with Gainsbourg’s free-associating provocateur lyrics, but the production is excellent, especially the bass overture and the vocal arrangements on the last track. 3.5 stars. Upon further reading: ok the narrative is bad bad bad. I don’t really understand the unqualified praise for the album. Musically it’s beautiful but lyrically it’s very disturbing. Perhaps some nuance is lost in translation, but again, I think Gainsbourg enjoyed being provocative. It makes it hard to give a simple rating, which can obscure the fine distinction between what’s “enjoyable” versus “historically significant” versus “I like the music but the album is fucked up.”

Favorite Track: Cargo Culte

This was alright. The music was decent, but the French people whispering over it were just a little off-putting. Three stars.

This is the 36th album I've gotten off this list and the first not from the anglosphere which speaks a bit to some of the flaws of this type of list-making. I can see why the music is extremely innovative, but listening to it made me feel like I need to disinfect myself.

A good break from the British finally. OK album tho

Reallllly interesting album, this. On the one hand, you have a pretty compelling musical style that was hugely influential and still holds up. And on the other hand, you have what appears to be a celebration of pedophilia. And maybe you could get away with that kind off thing in the 70s, but right now..... that's not gonna fly, boss. My issue here is that I don't speak French. So I can't really tell if he's pulling a Nabokov and trying to show us how insane the narrator is, or if he's just straight up romanticizing having sex with a 14 year old. For all the things that don't have to do with the main themes of this album - I'd give it a 4. For the themes, again, because I can't properly evaluate this myself, I'd give it a 2. That leaves us with an average of - THREE STARS

ignorance is bliss? i don't know that much french

instrumentals are nice. vocals are weird. the waltz was the best song. also glad it was only 28 minutes. i appreciate this list having something other than english and american music. but i didn't actually love this album. 2 or 3/5. i'll do 3 as props for expanding outside the anglosphere.

Ik was wat huiverig voor dit album. Mij was verteld dat Serge de man achter Je t'aime moi non plus is. Nou ben ik niet zo gevoelig voor zogenaamd ontwrichtende muziek. Maar muziek krijgt van mij hiervoor ook zeker geen waardering. Toch moet ik bekennen dat in dit geval het zoeken naar anti-kudo's samengaat met muzikale aandacht. Dat ik afknap op het Franse gewauwel van meneer zal mensen die mij kennen niet zo verbazen. Maar muzikaal klinkt het verrassend prettig en vrij origineel. Ik moet zeggen: toch weer een aanvulling aan het einde van de lijst.

почему педофилии в этом списке больше, чем женщин

# Playlist Track - Melody # Notes - I enjoyed the orchestra! The opening really reminds me of Beck's "Sea Change". - The tail end of the album is kind of a downer. It loses steam on the second half and it's a bit boring on the end.

The feel of this album should be the soundtrack of a 1970s film.

Subject matter indefensible: I'm glad I don't know French. Maybe it approaches the psychosexual complexity of Nabokov? Seems unlikely. Musically excellent, but the sexy spoken word stuff can't overcome later decades of parody. The electric guitar is fantastic. All this talent, resting on such gross foundations.

Sonically, not too bad. I don't know much French so lyrically this did nothing for me (though I am aware of it's controversial story). I can't say much about this. It was fine.

I see what he’s going for. And I see the influence on trip hop. 1971 is an early period for concept albums, and making it spoken word is a different use of the medium- basically storytelling with a light musical background. It’s creative. Points for that. I don’t think it’s super great or would recommend it, but probably one of those “important” albums with an outsized influence. And, it’s short ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Moody, in a very stereotypically French way. I don't love the fact that the whole album conveys a relationship between a middle-aged man and a 14 year old girl... but thankfully I don't speak French so I couldn't fully immerse myself in the lyrics

Didn't understand French but it was a nice listen

Jane Berkin hopping on the track wasn't expected. Never heard of Serge but hes cool. The instrumentation was great and I need to go through this again with translated lyrics. I enjoyed it for what it was!

Had no idea who this was but I ended up enjoying the album. The language is beautiful and I liked the organic sounds of the three piece. Each instrument had some pretty great moments. Love the orchestral strings, parts of which sounded like they were lifted by NERD.

The actual music was interesting. I loved it when the cinematic strings appeared. Felt more like a soundtrack than an album.

Like it, very art house music

I have and like this ablum, but never actually knew what it was about until now. Yuck. Still though, sounds great, but any longer would be pushing it. En Melody, what a banger! 3.5 rounded down Heard before? Yes Owned: No 61/251 (24%) Will I get: Already have

I enjoyed this, but the meat of the discussion around this album is so tied up in things I know very little about that I'm pretty sure I'm not the right person for the job here. I don't speak a lick of French, and I'm only now hearing about Serge Gainsbourg for starters. Basically, in a nutshell, Serge Gainsbourg was most famous for being a provocateur, and I guess he's kind of a French national treasure in a weird way. This album is about an affluent man hitting a child with his car and becoming sexually obsessed with her. Then I think she dies in a plane crash? I'm not sure. Anyways, the subject matter here is pretty fucked. Given this summary, I kind of listened to this with the lens one should approach Lolita with. I had the assumption that the intent of this album was to use the soft spoken affluence of the narrator to highlight the grotesque nature of his obsessions and get to a point about the manipulation of abuse. And, regardless of the artist's intent, this lens works. The funky, nocturnal, slightly ominous music also plays into this very well. But, seeing discussion about this album, I'm not completely sure that this was the intent. I've also seen a lot of arguing over Serge Gainsbourg in regards to this album. I've seen people accuse him of being a misogynistic creep. I've seen people defend him as a misunderstood l, daring figure. And frankly, I don't know enough to get to the bottom. Frankly, I do think that the interpretation of this album that works for me would be cheapened if the stuff on here was completely earnest. But despite this doubt, the sound alone here is enough to at least get a few points. It really is a cool sounding album, even if it's creepy as hell. But I really can't go above a 3 here. Its not just the above concerns that cap it though. There are songs here that I don't really like, and at 28 minutes, I think it ends up a little low impact. Basically, it's a cool experience with a couple of *big* warnings.

Lolita leanings and language barrier aside, this sounds like cool French cafe vibes. The actual instrumentals are solid. I just doubt I'll ever find my way back to this record. Kudos for the rad cover art though.

I came into this album knowing nothing about it - don’t speak French, never heard of Sage Gainsbourg nor did I read about what the album before hand. Just based on the music and the singing I thought it was fantastic, moody with a really interesting base and guitar lines. Was going to give it a 4 then read about what the album was about so knocked off a star but still a really interesting sounding album.

The guitar is the Saving grace of this album as I did not like the spoken French lyricism straight to my ear

About as cool, louche and bizarre as you would expect from Le Vieux Pervers himself

I thought that the album was interesting, very experimental and innovative. It was in French, which made for a more unique listening experience

Har hela panelen blivit Siewert Öholm och börjat moralisera låttexter? Det är en konstform vi pratar om, självklart kan man uttrycka vilka moraliskt tveksamma saker som helst utan att någon ska komma med pekpinnar. Morrissey avrättar Thatcher, Ebba Grön hänger Gud, Depech Mode har BDSM-sex, death metalband beskriver avancerade lustmord ingående och Serge förför fjortonåringar. Det är helt i sin ordning. Det är konst och skall betraktas som sådan, punkt. Den här skivan är alldeles utmärkt även om min franska är mer än begränsad. I synnerhet gillar jag det balladaktiga som påminner mig en hel del om Tindersticks, lufter dallrar liksom där. Duetten med Jane är ren dynamit. Dom är ett dödligt duettpar, det sprakar om dom när dom hörs tillsammans och då är det inte damm på min nål som är orsaken. Även det mer svängiga och elektriska är bra, får mig att tänka på Dorisplatran med Loffe på trummor, lite samma swingstuk. Generellt sett musikaliskt väldigt kul hade gärna hört en eller två låtar till för det känns lite kort. Stark trea

This was a weird one. I didn’t realise the content so I don’t think it’s really aged that well. I did however think that these were the types of French songs in films that make a scene feel great.

Very much Melody Nelson based this one. Think I'm a fan cos it's a bit weird. Just read the Wikipedia and it's about falling in love with a 15 year old which is not ideal.

The music is kinda interesting. The creepiness of it all comes through very strongly.

One of the more interesting conceptual albums about pederasty in existence. I don't speak French so I didn't know that until later.

I feel like I’m in a cool French cafe…I wish I knew what the lyrics are.

The instrumentals were awesome but I didn’t appreciate the middle-aged French man yapping about wanting to sleep with a child

Perché?

My French is pretty weak, but hearing French songs makes me feel giddy. Now the concept of this album isn't that great. Huge age gap and with a minor?? Big yikes, but this is technically art. Still, the girl isn't even an adult...

They got this guy on here and no Edith Piaf?

à réécouter plus attentivement, éclectique et étrange !

This did not spark joy.

Don't understand French, but I liked the music behind the words. More psychedelic rock than I expected. That said, when I read an album blurb, the subject is kind of creepy -- older man seduces 15 year old girl. Clearly made In a different time.

Musically pretty good. I don’t speak French, so it loses something, I’m sure.

First listen

Thoroughly enjoyed this, though it seriously tested my French. I also wonder, if Serge had come from Sheffield would he have sounded more like Jarvis Cocker? Once I'd felt a connection between them I found it hard to ignore...

My inner monologue is a creepy French man...

I dont really know how to rate this. I researched what the concept of this album was and hmmmm problematic. But it was interesting to listen to even though I couldnt understand the words. Albums like this are one of the main reasons Im enjoying the 1001 journey, it's sooooo different to anything I would choose to listen to myself.

To be reviewed, sick

Sentí que estaba en una película pretenciosa pero la verdad lo disfruté un montón

Aaaah l’Serge, bon nuit sur le tete mon copain, mon…. Babeeeeh

it's okay i like his 50s stuff a bit more

Actually interesting instrumentals, although the French crooning got old kinda fast. Unique as I would want a concept album to be, at the cost of being off-putting sometimes

This album has elicited everything it was designed to elicit. It's whole frame is to make you want to retreat into the safety of moral offense or intellectual superiority, neither of which takes on the album as a whole. Though trying to be the sophisticated person who understands how to be both morally disturbed and aesthetically pleased may be yet another temptation. But even if I grant that it dies everything it wants to do well, one of the things it wants to do is dare me to like it despite its subject matter, and that feels crummy. So, I'll thread the needle on it, I guess.

And now, a running diary of listening to Histoire De Melody Nelson for the first time in February of 2026 in the United States: [Track 1, 4:10] Oh wow, this is hitting all my sweet spots. Is this one of my new favorite albums? It's so lush and moody. That bass guitar belongs in a museum. [5:29] I wonder what he's talking about. Knowing Gainsbourg, it's probably scandalous. [6:18] This album is about what now? Oh wow. Big yikes. [Track 2, 1:02] Am I a terrible person for loving this? Do I need to turn this off right this minute? Not an hour ago, I was infuriated by the latest Epstein file stuff. This is beyond the pale … right? [Track 3, 0:30] I'm really curious what people make of this album. [Track 4, 0:46] 1001 listeners are all the way out, which is justified and righteous. Critics and musicians seem to totally embrace this, though admittedly not recently. Oh, wait, here's a 2020 article. Nope, still on board. Apparently, it's embraced musically and is what it is. Also, this (obviously, in hindsight) influenced a lot of my favorite bands. [Track 5, 1:02] It appears that the woman on the cover / providing some of the vocals was 24 when they recorded this. Thank goodness. [Track 6, 0:18] Goodness this music rules. Should I buy this on vinyl? Should I clear my browsing history? [1:32] Wait, what are these shrieking and laughing sounds? [2:04] Oh I see. Uh... what the actual f*ck? [Track 7, 2:05] If this were in English, I would likely have turned it off. But since it’s in French, I’m mostly just riding on vibes. And my goodness the vibes... [6:41] I feel dirty. But also, I want to listen to this many times. What kind of rating am I giving this? Five stars? In this political climate? On an internet site that will be archived under my own name? You have to do an awful lot of caveating and twisting yourself in knots to give this a bunch of stars. It'd be easy to pretend this is some artistic cautionary tale ala Lolita, but (as far as I know) Nabokov and Kubrick weren’t writing a fantasy story of something they demonstrably wanted, as evidenced in their life stories. Then again, docking it down to virtue signal also feels antithetical to my whole schtick (though, admittedly, I am morally repulsed by it, so I’d at least be signaling something based in reality). I can't deny that musically, this was one of my favorite 30 minutes of this whole project. I also can't deny that I feel icky.

***an easy listening album

Mey

concept album français : ok alors imagine un pointeur

No. 359/1001 Melody (2x) 3/5 Ballade de Melody Nelson 3/5 Valse de Melody 3/5 Ah Melody 4/5 L'hotel paritculier 3/5 En Melody 2/5 Cargo culte (2x) 3/5 Average: 3,0 Concept albums are always interesting. This one didn't fully click with me.

He sounds like a French Leonard Cohen.

This one is tough to rate after about who Melody Nelson is meant to be. I'm almost glad I don't understand French.

Franchement bon album pour rentrer dans la discographie de Serge Gainsbourg, je trouve que le coté album à thème lui réussi très bien en plus alors c'était très agréable à écouter

The music was great but the album being a story about a middle aged man in a relationship with a 14 year old girl ain't it

ok French! quite beautiful and took me back to all the years I took French in high school. Might become one of my study albums!

Slam poetry before his time. Somewhat interesting, but I think Melody should get a restraining order!!

Not sure what to make of this. His voice is seductive, the music okay....

long songs. i don’t speak french

THE FRENCHMAN

Não me agradou.

It makes me uncomfortable but I can see the appeal.

this was an interesting listen, but i would never listen to this again. however, my top three songs were: - valse de melody - ah melody - l’hotel particulier

i really like the instrumentation on this. its a shame the best songs are either super short or backed by a french guy whispering sweet nothings into my ear. i don't mind sexy music but this jus making me uncomfortable. good album but its not for me

Super cool, loved the vibes, no idea what they were really on about although I know enough French to recognise a few words and keep the intrigue up.

Who doesn't love an album about child sexual abuse? Fortunately, I don't remember enough French to know the lyrics. So my rating is based just on the music and melody. Which was engaging enough. I'm not likely to revisit this, but it had its groove.

what an opening track! Musically I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was great listening from start to finish. I am a music first, lyrics second person, so the fact that lyrics were in French did not really matter to me, I found the music captivating with a lovely contrast between slow and melodic and then the frantic guitars thrown in. en Melody was the standout track. I do not necessarily have a desire to own this record but it was captivating enough for me to say 3, maybe 4 stars.....Then I looked at the reviews and discovered what the lyrics are about. sigh. Rating the music 3.5 stars. rating the person 0 stars. on a side note, there is a lot of hypocrisy here from reviewers who will overlook popular artists who have had historically raped girls under 18 and dismissed it in the name of "it was the 70s" or any other such excuses. Every scenario is despicable. If you want to stand on a high horse then be consistent

Kinda classic, fun to try to understand my french!

5.7/10

A french language album on here? Unexpected This one plays more like an EP than a full album. Groovy instrumentation, no clue what he's saying (though I have some guesses and I'd assume he's pretty horny). I can see how this had a big impact on French music going forward because I can hear it in the work of Air, etc.

It was fine. I see the vision, and I can appreciate the significance Serge Gainsbourg has in the artistic community as a whole. mighta just caught me on an off day

Very interesting and pleasant music

lmao. Amusing thanks. Also not bad? French ASMR but at least his voice is ok. Valse de Melody is ok? Will we have Supergeil by Der Tourist on the list.

This album is weird as fuck. The premise is gross, and it’s so odd that someone would create a concept album about falling in love with a child. That said, the composition of this album is really beautiful. I think going into this album without any knowledge of the artist, subject matter, or lyrics would be a huge benefit. There are some really beautiful parts, but the singing/talking can severely detract at some points.

Ouh ouh ouh, rather listenablé oui oui baguette viva la revelucion

I thought my French comprehension skills were decent. Apparently, my French comprehension skills are not decent. And so the pedo content went in one ear and out the other. Fine by me. The music was fun but the vocals were not my thing.

I liked this once, but I would never listen again.