Histoire De Melody Nelson

There are some tinkly tunes in the background that are quite cute but everything else is deeply irritating.

Ah, a tender album about a middle-aged man and the teenage girl he seduces. I am sure that we are supposed to step back, take a drag off a cigarette, and approach this record with a sophisticated and continental worldview, seeing this as an album-length meditation about the fleeting nature of existence and the pain of lost youth. Only a narrow-minded cretin with outdated bourgeois morals would view this as being nothing more than a creepy set of songs about a sexual predator.

An interesting and unexpected sound for French pop music from 1971.

It’s another no for me, dog. Even if it’s conceptual statutory rape.

This Psychedelic Pop album drags you into a vintage cab gliding through dim Paris streets—lush, low-lit, and unsettlingly you don't understand the whispers of your captor but he keeps talking and you just want it to stop.

Incredible musicianship and great vibe.

Liked the music. Very French. Dodgy subject matter but since I couldn’t understand most of it I’m just going by the vibe which I liked. But the most disturbing aspect of this album is that he fancied a girl from Sunderland!

Nope

Happy I listened. Fascinating album. That said, I will probably never listen again.

Not a fan. He fades his music way too much and what is with the Yoko Ono screaming that occurred? Definite example of a so so musician trying to be a hipster.

Artiste connu et détesté ... Par contre je ne connais pas du tout cet album. Je n'apprécie pas du tout la voix et la narration/chant de SG. L'accompagnement est parfois pas trop mal (la basse est plutôt intéressante, mais pas l'orchestration pseudo classique sur certains morceaux) et l'album n'est pas trop long. Je suis allé au bout, mais je n'y reviendrais pas. =>2/5

French pop from the 1970s. The dolby atmos mix for this in Apple Music is top notch. This pick feels fresh compared to the dozens of British punk rock ones. Favorite track: melody other picks: ballade de melody nelson, cargo culte

It was like ASMR but I wanted to kill myself the entire time

I don't know what to say. This is chill. Favorite track: Balade de Melody Nelson

4/5

#783. It, uh... something, I guess. 2/5: ok.

The music is pretty good, but miss me with those " vocals".

I enjoyed this pretty well. I enjoyed the music. I could tell there was a story line -I love an album with a story- but I don't speak French. So when I read the album story summary on Wikipedia, I had a bit of a, "what the fuck" moment. But then I thought about how art can depict bad things and it doesn't mean said art is in support of the bad thing. In this case, Lolita is a perfect example in the case of literature. And maybe the language barrier prevents me from fully grasping if this is more on the Lolita side of things. But then I saw that this guy recorded a song called "Lemon Incest" that he recorded with his daughter. When she was 13. So I am starting to think this guy might have been a bit of a creep? I still mostly enjoyed the album though. But it would probably feel a bit icky to listen to again in hindsight.

Not feeling great now that I read about what the lyrics were about but the music is pretty good. Good enough to be ripped off by Beck

meh

Wish I spoke French cause some of these songs are prettybinteresting.

For once I can say that thank god it was in French so that I don’t have to actually understand this fuckers pedophillic rambling about how much he fancies this 15 year old. Think the story is enough to warrant a 1 star

C'est melodie

Meh, '70's French pop rock didn't do it for me. Talking in a language over music doesn't work; in any language.

Sounds like a Frenchman with a dirty mustache bellied up to a microphone with a cigarette lit between his lips while wearing a tight striped shirt. One star

This album is about a middle aged man falling in love with a 15 year old 🤢

1001 Albums Vol. 0012: Histoire De Melody Nelson ============================================================ Introduction: It's pretty weird to see albums like this, albums in which I haven't a single idea about what is being said. I recently got an album of the exact same type and it was an extremely underrated masterpiece. It had one of the lowest ratings I had seen on this site, however. I don't know if it's an issue with the language, not understanding the context surrounding the album, or some other issue that I'm not aware of, yet this is the most hated album that I've received so far. At the time of writing, it has an extremely low 2.75. That is pretty abysmal for a site in which most albums have somewhere between a three or four. I've heard that this album is pretty good too, so I don't know what it is with this site an non-English albums. Maybe this album does just actually suck, who knows? That said, this album was released by a French man named Serge Gainsbourg all the way back in 1971. Alright, I just read the Wikipedia snippet the site offers and can now see why this album is hated. Look, I'm not going to jump on the hate train right away. There might be some genuinely profound message behind all of the madness this album offers, yet I'm simply admitting why one could take a single look at it and hate it. I honestly feel like this album's story is not something for today's society. Anyway, I'll speak more on the album's story later. Like I was saying, this album was released in 1971 by Serge Gainsbourg. Now, the Wikipedia snippet doesn't offer much information about how the album was initially received, yet it is now regarded pretty highly by critics and casual listeners. This high regard originates from the album's ability to blend genres and its compelling yet dark narrative. It managed to blend cinematic sounds with soft rock to create something that is still regarded as pretty unique even to this day. With that said, I don't really want to say more as I want to leave the plot summary for the end of my review, so let's just go ahead and get into this album. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 1: Melody Score: 10/10 Track 2: Ballade de Melody Nelson Score: 8/10 Track 3: Valse de Melody Score: 7/10 Track 4: Ah Melody Score: 8/10 Track 5: L'hôtel particulier Score: 9/10 Track 6: En Melody Score: 7/10 Track 7: Cargo culte Score: 9/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Conclusion: This is an extremely weird album. I would go so far as to call it one of the weirdest things I have ever heard. It's one of the shortest albums I've ever listened to, yet it manages to have a profound impact on me within that short amount of time. So, what makes this album so weird? Well, this is a concept album about a fully-grown man who falls in a girl named Melody Nelson who I believe is fourteen years old. He accidently crashes his car into her while she's riding her bike down the road. The two then meet and fall in love with each other. The two then desire to have sex with each other. They do. Melody decides to ride to Sunderland via plane; however, the plane crashes and Melody dies. The fully-grown man then reminisces about Melody and whether she might still be alive or not. This entire story is told in the span of twenty-eight minutes. Like I said in the intro, today's culture might find this entire album to be absolutely disgusting and made for nothing more than shock value, yet there is so much more to it than that. I will admit, there were points in the album that made me genuinely feel uncomfortable. The track about the man and Melody meeting at the hotel to have sex made me especially uncomfortable, yet that's honestly kind of a good thing in this album's scenario. Anyway, shock value was not a key factor in the making of this album. It's definitely present, yet that wasn't the motivation behind this work. I would describe Gainsbourg's motivation behind this album as more of want to create a questionable of morality than to make a shocking piece of music. This album's subject matter is absolutely wrong, yet that is exactly what Gainsbourg wanted you to feel. I feel as if Gainsbourg wanted you to feel uncomfortable while listening to this tale of two lovers. The contrast between the genuinely well-written cinematic and espionage-like music that the listener should genuinely enjoy with the subject matter of the album should invoke so many feelings and questions in the listener. I mean, it feels weird to be enjoying such a perverted tale so much, yet the genius of this album simply makes it impossible not to enjoy. Now, because of this album's subject matter, there are plenty of moments throughout that I would call "tense" as well. The song I described above in which Melody and her lover go to a hotel to have sex is an especially good example of the tension this album provides the listener. More then half of the song is just detailed imagery of what the man sees while he makes his way up to the room he and Melody rented out. This sense of tension is something that I've rarely ever felt before while listening to music. It's great. It's only something that you could find in a tale that is so taboo, dark, and illegal. It's such a unique musical experience that it almost feels as if I'm listening to a movie in audio form. That's not to say the plot would be good if transferred over to a movie, I'm simply making a comparison. Now, with that all said, I'll briefly bring up both the vocals and the music. The music itself is pretty good. Like I said, it has an oddly cinematic and dark feel to it. There are definitely moments present that I would describe as having that typical "dark groove" that one would automatically envision when thinking of a smooth criminal. There's a nice blend of many genres across the album that all feel cinematic and contribute to whatever is going on in the story well. That aside, I can understand why people may not like Gainsbourg's vocals. They have a very creepy tone to them and every line being delivered in a whisper only adds to this. That being said, this delivery of lines and creepiness in the voice only adds to the overall theme of this album. It simply adds more tension to an already tense concept. His delivery is great in my opinion. In fact, I have a similar opinion about this entire album. It does what it sets out to do extremely well and feels extremely unique even to this day. As far as I'm concerned, this is a great album. Change my mind. ============================================================ Histoire De Melody Nelson Score: 9/10 Song Average: 8.3/10

its uh

this did not need to be on this list, it was just boring

The music was nice. But everything else about the album made me feel gross. 1 star, say no to pedophelia

fantastic 100%

I really liked this, just “cool”

Umm..................... So. Well. Not really sure to say. The music? Pretty cool. I like the bluesy psychy sounds of this record. Actually, really cool. It reminds me Curtis Maymield and Jeff Buckley and maybe even some Janis Joplin. But in French! I don't like the subject matter. After reading what the concept album was about, I felt pretty weird about it. Its very.. eh.. ancient greek? We could go with that, but in modern times that translates to "Epstein Island." So naturally, you can understand my aphrehension on knowing how to rate this thing.

big 3

Dejligt og fransk🥰

Virkelig fedt? God instrumental, smuk stemme :)

2,2/5

When this popped up my immediate thought was; "oh lord, what the hell is this..." So to my surprise I'm happy to report this album is kinda incredible. I 'll have to brush up on my French because I have no idea what he's saying but the spoken word flowing over the top of simple but stylish guitar work and a layer of strings is sublime. I might have to buy this on vinyl...

A little creepy. Decent music though.

Geschmacklose Verharmlosung von pädophlilen Fantasien. Es wird einem schlecht beim zuhören.

I heard this was Jeffery Epstein’s favorite album.

Typical French music experience, I guess: Musician whispering ASMR pedo topics while your brain transforming into a baguette. It's nice instrumentally, btw. 1/5 ------------ No liked songs

The strings and guitar on this are amazing I can’t understand what he is saying That’s probably for the best…

Interesting

Gotta start somewhere

A surprising and engaging listen

This humored me and was fun without knowing the lyrics.

Soft strings, jazzy percussion, and French pillow talk? Hell yeah.

I spent the entire album thinking "Who even likes this shit?" all while having to grapple with the fact that I really enjoyed the music on this album and I think that, yes, it's me. I like this shit.

I didn't like it. I mean, the music is good, sometimes great, but I just can't with his breathy, "seductive" spoken word. I don't speak French, so I just listened to it without much understanding but certainly go the gist that this guy is a major creep and there is a very young girl in the mix. I wouldn't listen to it again. The cover is also not great, it looks like a semi-professional magazine cover, like the photographer knows how to manage lighting but isn't yet very good at it. It is cleverly thematic and eye catching though, that gets it a 2/5.

So French it should come with a baguette

Interesting and worth the listen

Just creepy.

This (if you’re not a French speaker) seems to me like an album for people who want to seem intelligent without putting any of the work in. If you have a pretty basic understanding of French then you can grasp a few words that Gainsbourg has to say, mainly because in most instances he uses intonation to seriously emphasise that an important lyric is incoming. The instrumentals are rather quiet against the vocals, so I guess that means a more poetically-informed approach yields more profound results from the listener, or something. Add it to the list si tu parles Français. If not, don’t bother, unless you want to have half an hour wile away quite easily.

Four stars to the music for sure! -3 stars for the subject matter. Every time I went to check the translations I was reminded how gross it is. I might have let it slide if one track had been about a 15 year old girl, it was a different time, and he’s French. But the whole album? Too far.

Not for me, Jeff.

IT was OK mostly instrumental french casual music. Not horrible. but I don;t know why this made it to the list. It doesn;t seem to be influential or worth listening to again.

I thought the overt heterosexuality was bad but you're telling me this entire album is about statutory rape too?? Get this shit out of my face I swear to GOD

I was surprised to see this remarkable record rated so lowly. Then I read the reviews and realised that people were rating the subject matter, not the music. If you're capable of getting past the fact that sometimes art deals with uncomfortable topics, this is an amazing album. Sounds fantastic, and it's influence on others is immediately apparent - Beck, Pulp, Portishead etc. Glad to have had it brought to my attention, which is exactly what this list is all about for me.

I had this on CD and lent it to Marie Andree Hudon in the year 2000 or so. Does she still Have it?

Had to drive a few hours today and midway through I turned this album on without knowing anything about it. By track two I'd figured out it was a concept album but, not speaking French and not being in a position to look it up, I had no idea what it was about. Turns out I was much better off not knowing. I still would've only rated this a 2 if I'd just listened and never researched it further.

An entire album about pedophilia and the rape of a minor? How did I get so lucky to hear this? I know it was a different time and it is unfair to hold people to today's standard of, you know, not committing statutory rape. Still, this is an entire album dedicated to sleeping with a minor. I can only imagine how this would fly in today's musical world. I'll judge this album on its merits. I am not prone to enjoying artists who speak instead of sing. Serge Gainsbourg does just that. I did not find the album to be that interesting and that doesn't even include the fact I couldn't understand what he was saying because I do not speak French. I'm sure he's super-important to the French but I did not enjoy this one at all. I can't fathom a time when I would put this on.

Luckily I don't speak Fr*nch, so I was only mildly unsettled by the noises of the grown woman pretending to be a 14 year old girl. The music behind the lyrics though was pretty great. 3 Stars.

31/10/2025 This didn't sit well with me, I thought it was quite boring. Spotify listeners: 1.1 million

Creepy story, creepy songs, creepy bloke

French alt wave, not for me

First heard about this album because I was told Beck’s Paper Tiger was inspired by its sound. Which is totally correct. To be honest, I’m not sure anything else quite sounds like this. You don’t need to speak French to get the gist of Gainsbourg’s spoken vocals around love, lust and loss. And the way the first and last tracks bookend the album, building from quiet bass lines to full orchestrated arrangements is near perfect.

Was there some cool guitar in the first song? Sure. Were the strings and woodwinds cool throughout? Sure. But ultimately this is all about an old man lusting after a 14 year old and only talk about her in a sexual sleazy way. Its not that he is French and we don't understand...he seriously talks about taking her to a sleazy hotel that you have to sneak into in order to engage in sex that is wrong! Then the song En Melody...just gross, wrong, disgusting. Nope, nope, nope....the fact that people call this his opus and put this album on a pedestal makes it even more disturbing. Excuses like...oh but its beautiful, oh but its unique, oh but he's a genius, oh but but but. NO its WRONG, its inappropriate PERIOD. Let's stop normalizing or making excuses for something that is wrong. He could have written the same exact songs and album and made the women 19. He choose to make her 14, to capitalize on and attempt to normalize pedophile. WRONG PERIOD

I like the music. Too bad. Maybe next time you have a jam session, don't let yer pervy French friend talk about bad touching little kids the whole time.

My god, that was extraordinarily BORING. His right-in-your-ear style of speak singing only greatly pissed me off. It’s annoying in the way that when you’re trying to sleep, you get some asshole coming in close to you thinking they’re the most important person in the world trying to wake you up for their own selfish purposes, but manipulatively disguises it as being a sexy come-on. Only in the final song did the instrumentation get even remotely interesting. I expected way more from this considering that I’ve seen his name being glowed over throughout the years. Thank god it was under 30 minutes. Very very hard pass.

I don’t know how I would feel about this album if it wasn’t romanticizing pedophilia, but it is, so fuck that. And fuck all the critics and artists who didn’t criticize it for that. I can’t believe the amount of accolades this album has received. So disturbing.

Probably a lot better if you understand French

I found 1 or 2 good melodies in this album, but I couldn't get past the creepy storyline.

Crap

Alveg ekki minn tebolli í dag. Perralegur Serge. Búinn að reykja frá sér allt vit.

Serge getur verið töff en þetta var ekki að grípa mig og perralegt að auki.

My first listen to "Histoire De Melody Nelson" reveals a subtle, laid-back album. While the excellent orchestrations provide a lush backdrop, it's the standout guitar work of Vic Flick (famous for the James Bond theme) that truly cuts through. The use of spoken word vocals, though never tiresome, does begin to lose its novelty after the initial tracks. Even without understanding French, I thoroughly enjoyed the album, and that iconic cover perfectly sets the mood. The closing track "Cargo culte" is the highlight. I'm sure that "Histoire De Melody Nelson" is the type of album that you appreciate more with repeated listens. But, after an initial first couple of listens I rate this at three stars. No. Title 1 "Melody" (4/5) 2 "Ballade de Melody Nelson" (Gainsbourg, Jean-Claude Vannier) (3/5) 3 "Valse de Melody" (3/5) 4 "Ah ! Melody" (Gainsbourg, Vannier) (3/5) 5 "L'Hôtel particulier" (3/5) 6 "En Melody" (Gainsbourg, Vannier) (3/5) 7 "Cargo culte" (5/5) Total - 24 Average - 3.43 143/1001 73/143 albums reviewed were new to me.

This was a strange interesting album. It wasn't bad but it was enigmatic.

I remember this being popular with the art school girls which always scanned as kinda odd. Really can’t deny Serge’s ear for arrangements and atmosphere and then there’s the content of the songs themselves.

While the music sounds nice enough, I can’t in good conscience give an album that glorifies pedophilia anything other than a 1 star. This is fucking gross.

musicalmente davvero molto bello, ma porcodio devi davvero parlare di come ti scopi una quindicenne, da QUARANTENNE?

fucking gross dude, 0/5. i hate French people.

Why is this here?

The music is very cool, but the vibe is very bad. If I knew French enough to engage with the story and intent maybe I would be shifted, but alas my francais never developed beyond bonjour.

pas un grand fan

French Nick Cave

Hätte musikalisch Potenzial, bleibt aber langweilig mit seltsamen Sprechgesang. Und es ist zuemlich verstörend, wenn man versteht, um was es geht.

Gross and uncomfortable.

Instrumentals are very interesting but the french bloke wispering in my ear does get tiring. 3/5

Interesting stuff

Good album but the guys a fucking pedo. Why is it here ?

💀💀💀

ESSE EH O VEIO DAS CRIANÇA FUMANDO CIGARRO E BEBENDO ENQUANTO CANTAM EM HOMENAGEM A ELE!!!!! talvez o album mais FRANCÊS do mundo. ele em si já tem um clima horrível, com a temática então... ignorando isso, nao eh ruim. mas é bem monotono. mas eh foda ignorar né...

Nah, not my thing

Wow. The lyrics are disgusting, but the music is great. Favorite song: melody.

track number 5 was my favorite

I hate whisper singing. Nope. Too much lip smacking. Even if I could understand what they were saying, I would hate this album.

It’s fr**ch

French person discovers word "melody"

Typical French album

interesting album, need to set the mood for this one

Sure, sure there's a little repulsive about the whole thing in theory. But I only understand about ten words of French, so it's pretty easy to ignore, and the genius of it all is impossible to ignore. The music blends a few layers of funk and rock with absolute mastery on all players parts, and somehow it works under whatever his vocals are. Cargo cult!

No one makes me quite as horny as the Serge.

I liked this am I fancy pants

Rating: 5/10 Meh.

I don’t get why this is on the list. Not a fan.

Forse non ero nel mood giusto

Too much whispering

Histoire De Melody Nelson is, quite frankly, an unsettling listen. Serge Gainsbourg’s whispery, sleazy vocals and the disturbing subject matter make for a deeply uncomfortable experience. The only redeeming features are the occasional flashes of great guitar work and the fact that the whole thing is mercifully short—over in under half an hour. Favourite track: I couldn’t pick one if I tried. Least favourite track: Take your pick from any of tracks 1–7. Album artwork: A cool cover, even if what’s inside doesn’t live up to it.

Lecherous, creepy, gross.. whatever your adjective, this was not good

Should be removed in the 21st century.

Struggled understanding the lyrics and the panting but very pleasant!

France has produced many great things. This is not one of them .

Wasn't initially going to rate this as a protest against the content. But felt I should express my disgust at the material, whatever the quality of the music. Not an ok topic for an album. And what on earth was Jane Birkin thinking when she posed for that cover? Shouldn't be gracing the list.

french

French vibe, more than music. Gainsbourg can definitely do better

5*

I had a conversation once with a french guy, where I joked around a bit about Serge, based on my knowledge at the time. But he was dead serious when he said that he was quite a revolutionary person in France, and very well respected. Sadly, I have to admit I don't understand that at all, at least not based on this album. My take is that he is well with words. If that is true, that part is completely missed since I don't speak french. And what remains when taking that away is not much. Sure, it would fit nicely in a french café perhaps, but that's about it. Probably won't ever be let into France after giving this a 1 star, but so be it. Someone will have to explain it to me sometime, but if that's what it takes to enjoy this, it is a problem in itself. And even without speaking french, this album oozes with pretentiousness.

“Hey, it’s that French guy who made that song that sounded like French people having sex, which subsequently got banned by the BBC. Wonder if he’s done anything else?” The answer: the worst, most French-sounding concept album ever. According to Wikipedia, it’s about a guy who has a relationship with a 14-year-old. Yep, 14. I even tried giving it the benefit of the doubt — maybe it was some Lolita-type deal where you’re meant to be disgusted by the protagonist. Nope. Just French people being French. The music wasn’t any good either. Glad it was under 30 minutes.

I hate how good this album is. I feel conflicted as to whether I should give it a 4 or maybe even a 5 solely based on music or a 1 based on lyrics. I have decided to split the difference and give a 3. Hope any readers will understand.

Artistic depiction isn't endorsement. Feels like a 70's French art film for your ears. That may not be everyone's cup of tea. It's got a consistent groove throughout, although it's erotic overtones do become unsettling even without considering the subject matter. I've listened to this album multiple times throughout the years and I haven't become Humbert Humbert.

8 I heard the other day that Serge is afraid of taking a bath which made me enjoy this album a lot more. My fave of his stuff by far.

Some nice tracks

So much here to recommend this - the influence, the great opening bassline sample, the arrangements, and the general bonkers-ness of it all. Top drawer, and definitely my favourite Beck album, by far.

You can't legitimise this shit. Even though I don't understand a word, and Sunderland is involved. Sunderland.

Álbum com swing e belos vocais na língua Francesa. Achei bom. QoA Adonis New.

no comment

Wee

Hmm

The terrible singing/spoken word vocals coupled with subject matter make this a tough listen. Definitely not an album I needed to hear before I die.

This was a nice Melody.

This guy really tapped into his muse for this one. I hope melody got some royalties for her breathy voice-overs.

Fun, in a way, and definitely weird. Interesting.

More of a good background album or dinner party music but still interesting to listen to given his status.

This is so cool! Certain parts reminded me of Beck and Air, albums I'd already listened to on this list. It's definitely interesting finding the original influences when progressing through this thing.

This album has actually made me incredibly frustrated. There is so much excellent music in there but he insists on chuntering over it all his breathy, monotone ‘singing’ turned right up in the mix, to the point where I can’t just put this on and enjoy it. There are so many great bass lines, guitar fills and instrumental wizardry I would honestly have called this a masterpiece if it was completely instrumental. It flows, swells and the orchestral arrangements are perfect. I even went in for a listen of the bonus tracks to see if there were instrumental versions to be extracted but it seems to be more of the same but with a few more cuts and a bit of studio chatter between takes. Such a missed opportunity but I guess the artist knows best.

4.5

1001 Albums Challenge (12/1001) 1. Melody (4/5) 2. Ballade De Melody Nelson (5/5) 3. Valse De Melody (5/5) 4. Ah ! Melody (5/5) 5. L'Hotel Particulier (4/5) 6. En Melody (5/5) 7. Cargo Culte (4/5) Total (5/5)

this was interesting, different sound but i would give it another listen

The subject matter is a bit icky and it definitely helps that it's a 1970s album, not a current one. Although it must be said that even back then, Gainsbourg and this album in particular were quite controversial, and he did bask on that controversy to a point. But beyond all that, it's seriously an incredible album musically.

Great band interesting to hear belongs on the list. I put a couple songs on my playlist, but saying good not great so three stars.

The cover is, of course, completely wrong. The music is mediocre to passable.

Dear Robert Dimery, I get that you're British and all, but I can assure you that there are better ways to represent the music of France rather than HON HON HON I LOVA DE FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD. I felt like I was on a watchlist the whole time I was listening to this. The music itself is good though I cannot deny.

This was not something I thought I would like, but I was pleasantly surprised. At 38 minutes it was short and sweet. I just read the concept for the album...a middle aged dude pursuing a 14 year old girl; yikes. That changes things a bit for me; too bad. 2/5

Interesting album. Creepy concept, but there's a lot of good sounds. It's probably better if you don't know the subject. Some of the guitar and drum work sound really ahead of their time. Overall really good album 3.5/5

Weirdly sensual but it was a vibe.

This record is really cool sounding. The basslines, melodies, percussion, harmonic language, arrangements, motifs, are all very moving. Spoken word holds it back for me, imo. I just wish that I didn’t know what it was about. Probably won’t come back to this, but I am glad I heard it once. Awful taste, but great execution. 7-7.5/10

What if Leonard Cohen recorded an album where he spoke in French about having sex with a 14 year old girl? That would be this. I think if I didn’t know it was about sleeping with a teen I’d be more into it.

Really hated this. Musically it wasn't my thing in the slightest, but the factors that made this a giant pile of shit were the vocal performance/lyrical content. A concept album about a pedophile and a vocal performance that was quite literally the sonic equivalent to getting molested by an ugly as fuck french freak. There were a couple of interesting moments musically, but not nearly enough to soften my opinion on it. Garbage.

not a fan of the french music

** Not my music. Too slow, too much "chanson".

Cet album là, c'est un 8. Mais je lui enleve 4 étoiles parce que c'est wrong.

5 étoiles juste pour le monde dans les reviews qui continue de se faire troller par Gainsbourg.

Whisper me to sleep. 😂 who picks these albums?

I almost forgot the name of the girl mentioned in this album! Good thing I have a seductive French man whispering in my ear to remind me 57 times 😊

I don't understand French, but I still like this 7/10.

Serious, who is this for? I was going to be a little generous, because there are some enjoyable musical elements within the record, but the subject matter is too icky to ignore. “Best” Track: Melody

Quite short for an album. Overall I really like the music but the spoken vocals aren't my favor.

Some girls are smitten by a guy who speaks French. But as a guy who speaks French, this SUCKS.

One star off for the slight ick factor

This must have been Jeffery Epstein’s favorite album. Fuck pedophilia and anything that glorifies it. The album is terrible too. This needs to be removed from the list.

If I could give it a zero I would. An album about a middle aged man in a relationship with a 14 year old should not be allowed on the list - no way his estate is getting streaming royalties from me.

I only knew Gainsbourg from "je t'aime". I enjoyed the music. But the subject matter? Ick. No.

Nique ta mère Gainsbourg

Not shy of interesting ideas, apparently very influential. Maybe I missed the point but with respect to the great people of France this album is horseshit

funkable

Not really the vibe I was looking for on a monday at work

Dope

pff, sorry, maar ik versta de lovende commentaren niet... vervelend van eerste tot laatste noot

Nobody is cooler than Lou Rawls, but this guy is a close third.

Quite a french album if you ask me. I don't have anything to add 2/5

spotify didn’t allow me to play any of the album 💔

well, the whole album is about a perv so yk can’t really say too much about the lyrics, literally no rhythmic aspect to it at all, it’s a VERY french sound which yeah ik their french but it sounds like the shit their into which isn’t a good thing. didn’t have a favourite song and stopped listening after disc one, no i’m not biased coz i hate the french i just hated this

I've never listened to this album, but I knew one or two songs (2). Good production but the lyrics have aged horribly, really indulgent and creepy album concept.

Pleasant, but not exceptional

Voted on the arrangements and tunes, not the lyrics. I will not be taking questions at this time.

Too weird to me.

Strong melodies and I like the instrumentals. Unfortunately I don’t understand French, so I’m missing out on the singing. It all sounds very good

A lot of layers to cover in this review. 1. The subject matter is pretty brutal. No thanks. 2. ASMR. So many mouth noises, as the mic sounds like it's directly on the singer's tongue. No thanks. 3. Background music is pretty great. The closest thing to a redeeming feature. Overall - more bad than good.

A topless redhead clutching a plush doll, with a lustful look on her face, bell bottom patchwork jeans spread out and barefoot: this was the album cover that engulfed the minds of those who came across it, first in France and then, eventually, the rest of the world; the definition of the pixie dream girl set in the early 1970s. But what about the music? One can trace the entire lineage of sad sack, impressionistic yet aspiring romantics who fall in love with all the wrong people for all the wrong reasons to Serge Gainsbourg and his cinematic displays of illicit love, set to the structures of a short film. Serge wound up creating the blueprint of what would become an inevitability as the music worlds would converge and crater in time; varying other genres luxuriating in the influence of this baby blue landscape of lust and lament held up by lustrous, action packed orchestration. While Serge would go on and continue to upend his processes, this landscape he created has gone on to become timeless, regardless of the seedy underbelly within.

Man I wish I understood French

hustý vibe, přijemné poslouchat na pozadí

j'ai detesté, c'est soit hyper mou, soit énervant

it didn’t particularly sound captivating I guess

I understand the video with the little kids smoking now

Q ASCOOO, tiene muy buen sonido pero la letra, la PORTADA y todo la historia detras, diossss. no se si estoy tan de acuerdo con separar el arte del artista y este album lo demuestra, tiene increibles sonido, super experimental PERO EL DETRAS ES HORRIBLE NO ENTIENDO COMO ESTA EN SPOTIFY, DA ASCO EL PORQUE LA COMPUSO SOLO CON VER LA PORTADA YA ES HORRIBLE.

There are a lot of movies, books, and tv shows about bad people. This is another one. The music is great however, and I'm pretty sure that not understanding French is a plus.

Easily the greatest French concept album about the seduction, statutory rape, and subsequent murder of a teenage girl that I’ve ever heard. Honestly I can’t even think of another contender to the crown.

Wish I hadn’t read what this was about before I listened. Vocal delivery (no singing here) is not for me even if I did understand what was being said. Actually, it’s a blessing I didn’t in this case. Background music was ok in fairness and it was mercifully short at 30 mins

Pretty groovy and enjoyable. I wonder what the subject matter is….. *reads the wiki*…… Yikes.

Really good album if you like French movie soundtracks. The artist was very prolific as there were about 20 albums listed under his name. Not my genre but it looks like it was very popular in the sixties.

Creepy and gross. A celebration of child rape. Did Epstein or Trump write this? We need less of this in the world.

This was in French but I still bopped along? Impressive!

As a non-French speaker, I’ve heard a few French albums that I liked a lot. This one is okay, it has some interesting musical moments, but the spoken word segments were more distracting to me than pleasing (maybe that’s the point, but I’ll have to learn French to understand what he’s saying). It’s a shorter album, which I often like, but it blew by me both times I listened to it and faded to the background very easily. I enjoyed it overall, but it’s not one I plan to come back to.

If you are going to make albums about having sex with 15 year olds, you need to avoid being sleazy. This gains miserably

jag vet inte. för rapeig stämning för mig.

Odd, troublesome (she’s 14), but a great listen and after reading about it, you can absolutely feel the influence on later music.

My first album on this site. Going in blind as I haven't heard of this album before. Personal rating 7/10 Belongs on the list? Yes Not a fan of the backstory but as an album it sounds great and the bass is fun

obviously difficult to fully sanction but the tonal and aesthetic unity just about pulls it together for me. its so tense and repressed and fucked-up-sounding that i cant say the accusations of full romanticization hold up for me (at least without actually knowing the lyrics). more than that tho, it still manages to convey How and Why the protagonist feels , entirely through musical expression, and if its a classic just for its ability to replace ur own heart with that of a fucked up person, its well deserved for being so instantly readably understandable without knowing any french. its construction as a holistic piece is detailed, precise, and rly grabs u by the throat. still, id probably be better off just reading lolita yk...russians outsold the french

★★★½

I liked this a lot and listened to it twice, you can hear all types of music that was likely influenced by it later

Why?

An interesting album. Not really into the subject matter, but it being in French definitely helped to minimize the ick factor. Still kinda gross though, would be higher if it wasn't about a middle aged dude having sex with a 14 yo.

The story is fucked up, and the music really isn’t that good. Just some soft guitar with whispering over it. This is some bullshit that only the French could cook up.

the person in the reviews who said "there are more pedophiles on this list than women" was BANG on

boring and creepy music for french pedophiles. HARD pass. favorites: i guess valse de melody if i have to pick one

Totally essential hipster listening here. After reading the brief wiki blurb, happy not to be able to understand the actual text of the songs. But sonically it’s excellent. Serge may be the best thing that comes out of this project for me.

𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘕𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘰𝘯 remains one of Serge Gainsbourg’s most distinctive works — a compact concept album blending smoky spoken vocals, Jean-Claude Vannier’s lush string arrangements, and deep, funky bass lines. Musically, it feels timeless, influencing artists from Beck to Portishead, yet it’s still very much a product of Gainsbourg’s provocative imagination. Here’s a quick plot summary, which you can find almost anywhere online: an unnamed man (played by Gainsbourg) drives through town in a Rolls-Royce, spots a 14-year-old girl named Melody (played by Jane Birkin), falls in love with her, spends intimate moments with her in a hotel, and eventually loses her in a plane crash. Gainsbourg’s lyrics here would, in a #MeToo era, likely be condemned as sexist or exploitative — and that was, at the time, very much his intent: to shock. It was a strategy he had already used successfully with 𝘗𝘰𝘶𝘱é𝘦 𝘥𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘦, 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘱é𝘦 𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘯 — the France Gall song that won the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest — whose playful yet suggestive lyrics she famously did not fully understand at the time — and the scandalous 𝘑𝘦 𝘵’𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦… 𝘮𝘰𝘪 𝘯𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘴. Problematic by design, but musically exquisite, 𝘔𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘕𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘰𝘯 remains a fascinating example of art deliberately walking the line between beauty and provocation.

i liked the music and the voice but pedo concept isn't cool

8.5. - Subject matter is rather concerning, but the music itself is very solid. Can see why so many people like the style so much.

This is clearly a really impressive work of art but it made me exceptionally uncomfortable

Yup, nope

Je n'en ai pas compris un mot, mais la musique était agréable

Some of the music was pretty, but I found the whisper singing offputting

weirdly fun album

It was nice background music but very creepy story (but I don’t speak French so…)

I understand Birkin Bags now

I liked it. Subject matter iffy, but that's what a concept album is all about. It IS still fiction, people.

Not all that interesting a listen, but on the plus side it really flew by.

- war sehr kurz (ohne CD 2) und soweit ganz entspannt, aber nix Dolles für mich 2 – Respektiere ich, aber nicht meins 🤷‍♂️ Ich sehe, warum das Album wichtig ist oder geschätzt wird, aber es hat mich nicht gepackt.

Well this was a great experience. This guy manages to stay on the good side of that fine line between clever and stupid only occasionally drifting over the line like a drunken, horny frenchman who probably needs a bath. The guitars and arrangements are exceptional on this wierd masterpiece. Might have been a five if not for the cringe worthy subject matter. Once again, I am pleased I don't understand French - the language or the people.

It was alright

rigghhhht so we're including albums about pedophilia and rape now are we?

Really don't understand why I needed to hear the same musical theme played for an hour.

I don’t know, man. Sounds cool, feel like without knowing French I really can’t experience this. This dude is soooo French.

Is this another CHANSON album!? After Jacques Brel I’ll be honest I’ve kinda been craving another. This is pretty nice stuff. Instrumentals are beautiful and it’s artistic without feeling arty (maybe it’s a little arty but I’m into it). I know Gainsbourg became a super controversial figure (was he a pedo or am I slandering him?) but if this is his early stuff I’m into it.

Really cool vibe, pretty dark plot based on the wiki summary.

Pedo vibes

Air, Slint/For Carnation and many more owe a debt to this. Crazy. Really interesting and low-key groovy.

Garbage…

Dirge, not Serge

I wish I could understand this.

1,5

I don't understand french, but it's a decent album musically.

französische friedrich lichtenstein creepy dude aber gute musik

Enjoyable listen. All in French. Apparently the album is about a middle aged man in love with a 14 year old girl? Probably doesn’t land as hard today lol. The sound of the album is great and singer has an entertaining delivery. Parts of the album felt like they could be a Radiohead song even. I enjoyed the whole album, would have to listen through it again to pick any particular songs, but they do all flow easily into each other.

-well this was certainly an interesting one… kinda like if Lolita was made into an album methinks -though i loved the concept and a lot of the instrumentation, it was a bit hard for me to get into the spoken word stuff. i would probably enjoy it much more if i understood French. but alas i do not. -Favorites are Melody and En Melody

01) Melody - 8,0 02) Ballade de Melody Nelson - 8,5 03) Valse de Melody - 7,0 04) Ah ! Melody - 7,5 05) L'Hôtel particulier - 7,5 06) En Melody - 7,0 07) Cargo culte - 7,5 TOTAL: 7,57 (76/100)

Very groovy, doesn't overstay its welcome. Still, I don't love hearing a Frenchman grumble-half-singing for half an hour, especially upon learning it's about an underage girl.

I get what they are trying to do. It's innovative and groovy at times, especially for being 50+ years old. I don't think it's fantastic though... Just creative. I like Cargo Culte.

Not bad

I don’t speak French so I looked it up. Fuck this asshole.

Not too bad

The subject matter combined with the guy's voice creeped me out so much that I couldn't even get through the first song.

Cool atmospheric sexy little album

at least it's only 27 minutes long

Its narrative follows an illicit romance which develops between the middle-aged narrator and fourteen-year-old girl Melody Nelson, portrayed on the album and its cover art by Gainsbourg's then-partner Jane Birkin. what the actual fuck is this doing on the list!

Good, not great

shit.

Musically actually pretty solid & well-produced. Would probably help if I understood French. Although maybe not, considering the subject matter.

In a nutshell: the Lolita album. How come can one describe Serge Gainsbourg and his work to a new listener? Let’s see… Subversive. Hypnotic. An enigma. Creepy. Horny. Constantly evolving. Creative. Witty. Lost in translation. Confusing. “Oh no, he went there”. “Wait, did he just…?” Insouciant. Questionable. An absolute dick. The History of Melody Nelson is a concept album about an older man falling in love with a 14 (or is it 15?) year old female after his Rolls-Royce hit her bicycle. My first thought: Lolita. This is a Lolita situation. Then I thought: "wait. French New Wave films are known to push the envelope (hell, even Jules et Jim was about a throuple). Maybe music from that era is the same. Perhaps relationship norms are different in France? Could I be missing some context here?” I'm not French. I don't know what the cultural norms of sex and relationships in France, nor the laws associated with it. So I looked it up. The age of consent in France is 15 for heterosexual people and has been since 1945. Today I learned. Melody is about to turn 15 in this story ("14 autumns, 15 summers"). There are no lyrics indicating forced coercion. I didn't pick up any signs of grooming in the lyrics either. The songs imply that Melody's feelings are mutual. The lyrics, on paper, indicate that statutory rape occurred in "L'Hôtel Particulier" (as pointed by reviewers here and some music critics). To me, the sex sounded enthusiastically consensual. So despite the ick factor, it's legal in France for an adult to have a relationship with someone who is 15 years old or is about to turn 15. This also raises the argument of if Serge is playing a character or not. I think he is playing a character and is running with it. Does that make me a pedophile apologist? No. I felt the need to educate myself first before making a conclusion. What is considered illegal in my country is fair dues in another culture. And music is art. Despite the creepy lyrical content, I had to see if I could separate the art from the artist. I could with Eminem... and I managed to with Gainsbourg. Also, if Melody Nelson wasn't recorded by a French artist, this might be an interpreted differently. I mean, how would listeners react if Melody Nelson was covered by Jarvis Cocker singing in French (he does speak French by the way) or written and performed in English by artists like Nick Cave? As for the music, I dig it. Funk guitar, choir, strings. Great combo. This combination will pop up repeatedly throughout the generator project. Overall: 5/10

Love the musical arrangements on this album. Not so fussed on the vocals. It's not one I'd want in my collection, but I'd certainly seek it out for further listening in the future.

Just looking at the cover/track titles I knew I wouldn’t like this I genuinely can’t do this anymore, 3 1s in a row!

Would be 3*, but -1 for paedophilia

Docking a star for the whole pedo thing

Without understanding the lyrics, it sounds like I’m sitting at a French cafe on the street, smoking a cigarette and downing wine and espresso on an empty stomach. The sun is low and I’m peering off into the distance imagining my life as I fall in love with every (adult) French girl that walks by. After reading the synopsis, it makes sense it’s a controversial lolita album. The album makes you feel, regardless of the context. With the context brings more feelings of disgust and taboo intrigue. It’s art, it does its job of making you feel shit. Enjoyable music for sure, if the music wasn’t so good this would be shit by content alone.

CREEPY ASS ALBUM AND FOR WHAT 🤮

Instrumental was great, vocals were awful

Haunting melody nelson in a bunch of songs, imagine it appeals to some people not my jam

Yeah nah, an album about the statutory rape of a child and then the death of said child in a plane crash, it’s not for me. I would have thought this album would have perhaps fallen out of favour due to its themes, but turns out every one from Pulp to Beck to the Arctic Monkeys have been inspired by this one, creepy

Weirdly French, hard to listen to, but it didnt suck

i've heard great things about this one for years but never listened to it. i have to say, it's really not my thing. i took french in high school but have lost most of it so the narrative is a little lost on me (admittedly). musically, it's interesting and there are some really cool segments ('en melody' is particularly funky and cool) but a lot of it just didn't really grab me. all of the 'melody' vocals are kind of jarring every time they pop up. the plot, as i understand it (once again, not getting this firsthand) seems kind of creepy and in a modern context i'm not sure how to take it. at the end of the day, i think it probably just isn't for me.

Near-perfect if you just ignore the lyrics.

What is this? Maybe it needs to be nostalgic to be good?

7/10 Some great sounds, although at times it is a bit weak and I'm not a fan of those Beatles style strings that really date the music. But the general feels is sooo cool. Just a shame about the subject matter...

Grimy

French concept album 1971. Pedophilic tripe.

Oh no. An album length anthem to paedophilia. Serge Gainsbourg’s appearance and vocal style are the dictionary definition of louche, and the vocalisations in track 6 are nauseating, but the music is really good :-( Without the album concept and perv vocals it could be a 4, but no. At least Jane Birkin was 22 when she met him.

not really my thing. kind of reminds me of a french Leonard cohen.

Music for vacation after parties, drinking Calvados and couch-locked, zooted out of your mind.

Light funk. He talk- sings the whole thing. If you heard one track that’s enough they are all the same. No need to ever listen again.

First two tracks were not pleasant to listen to, to much whispering and not enough music, but it definitely picked up from that point to where I enjoyed the album as a whole.

The music is good. I wish I had not read that it is about a romantic fling between a middle aged man and a 14 year old girl. Kind of sours the vibe, and I would have had no idea since I don't speak french.

Orchestra was boring, dude doesnt even sing, and also *gag*

omg jane birkin.... this makes sense..cool

Personally do not enjoy hearing some crusty 40-something art guy whisper about pedophilia, I feel like I am forced to see relationships like this daily and don't need to absorb it more often than that. Has the air of trying desperately to be supremely cool but I just find it utterly distasteful to listen to, but hey that's just me Fav song: En Melody

French spoken word jazz might not be for me?

I was more distracted by the Frenchman whispering sexily at me during my morning commute, than anything...

Would be a low key, chill out instrumental album if this French dude wasn’t whispering at me. Read some translated lyrics & it was fine, they added nothing to the tracks. That said, every time the lady dropped a “Melody Nelson” it made me laugh. Like some 1970 producer tag lol Wes Anderson probably busts a nut when he listens to this. More like put this guy in a full (Melody) Nelson amirite?

You know, Serge, you're what the French call "les incompetents"

Melody Nelson. Got it. Instrumentally speaking, this album is a masterpiece, but yeesh with the constant repeating of the name.

Were this an instrumental album, it would've been a 5/5 for me. However... The whispery, "I wanna fuck you" voice ruins it for me. Also, when he actually sings, it's bad. I don't speak french, but I get this is a sexual story (later I read the premise and it's fucked up). All in all a 3/5

Beautiful album swinging between pop and rock

One star for the style. Subtracting four for pedophilia.

Since this started off in French, I decided to look up what this album might be about since I wasn't going to understand anything and it definitely ruined the vibe when you find out that: "Its Lolita-esque pseudo-autobiographical narrative follows the illicit romance that develops between the middle-aged Gainsbourg and 15-year old girl Melody Nelson." OOF... Kept listening until you get to En Melody and well...yeesh. Without context, this might've been like a low 3 maybe. But I got no problem throwing this down to 1 status after knowing the creepiness of this album's premise.

A little quirky with the sensual spoken word throughout, but overall I found a lot to like here in the compact 28 minute playtime. Bookeneded by two thematic atmospheric jams with spoken word that start stripped down and build with strings and choral support respectively; effortlessly cool sounding. Otherwise, Valse de Melody is really very pretty, En Melody is a jam (though the cackling is a bizarre inclusion), and L'hotel particulier is an interestingly groovy interplay between the strings and guitar. Quite better than I expected going in. This is a solid to high 4 in my book.

Get out of my ear, Frenchie!

So much whispering and breathing in my ears in seductive French. The instruments were pretty great though that it helped in making the uncomfortableness of the whispering at least bearable.

This is so strange. It's apparently a whole story about this Melody broad. Unfortunately I don't speak French so I can't understand that, but I do love the instrumentals and seems to flow well. Also nice and short which I love. En Melody is a JAM. Last song really reminds me of Air. This had to have been an influence on them. This isn't the highest of 4's but hard for me to not like that. Pretty unique and fun sounding.

# Album Name: Histoire De Melody Nelson # Artist: Serge Gainsbourg # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: The opening track is interesting. Musically this album is very good. Lots of different uses and styles. Sadly, the attempted sexy french accent and lyrics bring this right down. I wonder if you can get an instrumental only version of the album. That would be much better. The undertone of the album regarding the 15 year old is quite frankly disgusting. # Top Tunes: Melody / Ah melody / Cargo # Would I listen to it again? No - due to the undertone.

I'm too lazy to look up the age of consent in France (I can't believe I had to type that for a review), but I am going to assume that album isn't him admitting to a crime. So I am just going to ignore that aspect of the album. Anyways, this album is fine, a little boring, but it has a couple good moments. Not good enough to admit you are a pedophile though. Low 3.

Bollocks

this gets zero stars from my 11 and 9 year olds. But I thought it was incredible. I love an album where I don’t know what to expect. The music was all over the place. It sounded a bit chaotic. Then I read what the story was and holy ballsack. That’s fucked up. I’m rating this based on my initial feelings and not knowing French. I’m glad I don’t know French.

Samn, I really enjoyed this album, why did I have to read a little more about it. A concept album of a guy falling in love and documenting that journey, and it's inevitable end as she dies, is fine. But 14? Wtf, why? Without that detail this is a borderline masterpiece, and instead I feel dirty having liked it.

I don’t speak that French stuff, but he seemed to speak it very well. I really like how all the instruments complement each other as well as his voice. Writing is fantastic, production is crystal clear, lyrics are probably cool. I don’t know. I really enjoy this album. Good stuff. 4/5

Nope

The music is funky, and the voice will make even the oldest of women swoon. But can’t understand a word of French. 1001 album worthy: nah - 99/181

Honestly, all the French kinda ruined it. Super cool otherwise...until I read the synopsis, hella creepy.

I like the music, but it doesn’t make up for the theme of the album

Really interesting production-wise. Serge’s character can annoy me in the long run, but since there’s so many instrumental parts it gives me the space I need to enjoy this.