Histoire De Melody Nelson

A French singer has sex with a minor and makes a cultural product to brag about it. La routine, quoi.

A cigarette smoker talking over a psychedelic orchestra. 4 stars

Pretty sexy - especially for the early 70s.

Not my cup of tea

2.5 for the music. As an instrumental, it wouldn't be bad in the background. 1 for the creepy guy whispering French words I don't understand in my ear. Seriously, don't listen to this with headphones (or at all). -1 for the explanation of the French I got from Wikipedia.

Not bad - interesting sounds, a bit sublimated.

Dislike even with who it influenced ie Air etc. Spoken cranky bass

brilliant

Quite annoying french music

Yes he's an absolute piece of shit and if you peak even a little under the surface it's a vile record, but if you just scrunch your ears and try not to understand the lyrics it sounds immaculate.

Phenomenal compositionally no notes

what the actual fuck. if i could give it 0 stars i would. creepy, weird and boring

Lift music. Just nothing more than that. Over rated Muzak.

Background music with a creepy whispering voice

the vocals were exclusively in french, and according to wikipedia it is a concept album about a man in a relationship with an underage girl… so there’s that. but if you can over look that, it has an interesting sound.

This was nice.

Apparently this album is about a pedophilic relationship between a middle aged man and a 14 year old girl. I didn't understand a word on the album so I'll have to take Wikipedias word for it and if that is indeed the case I have serious questions as to why this album is included on the list. Anyway, 1 star. Would give 0 stars if I could.

The underlying music is great. The subject matter in the lyrics is not. 1 star.

Exquisite

Pretty trippy! Blocked out the sounds of construction at my workplace :)

I really like the instrumentation Will I listen to again: 85%

Wtf Robert Dimnery....a gross French album about pedophilia?? Why?? Before I even understood what this album's theme was (a man falls in love with a 14 year old girl named Melody, and proceeds to seduce her), it gave me an uneasy feeling. The music is fine, but Serge whispers in your ear, and it's just gross. I feel like he is trying to bang me. Fuck off Serge. This prick should be on an FBI watch list... Favorite songs: Ballade de Melody Nelson Least favorite songs: En Melody 1/5

Gainsbourg, figura capital de la música francesa y eso, en los 60 y principios de los 70 era decir de Europa. No solo era músico sino artista en general y también personaje. Esta es su obra más reconocida, aunque criticada en su día. Con Jane Birkin desde la portada, con Lolita como referente, compone un disco calificado como sucio y sórdido, pero también como magistral. Su influencia llega hasta Beck (Sea Changes sin ir más lejos), Radiohead 8que trabajó en Moon Shaped pool con su director de orquesta aquí) y sobre todo en el ambiente de Portishead. En Francia es inabarcable, con Air como más evidente. No es poco, para muestra el homenaje en 2006: Monsieur Gainsbourg revisited. No contiene «Je t'aime... moi non plus» , grabada 3 años antes con Birkin. Pero es irrelevante: el disco no tiene relleno, a pesar de su duración. Mezcla música orquestada y embriagadora con pepinazos de 60´s-funk-rock como En Melody o psicodelia como Cargo Culte. Una delicia para escuchar no una sino varias veces.

Absolute French art school nonsense

I'm not gonna lie it sounded like a cool movie soundtrack but it kinda just was weird lol I'm not saying it was bad necessarily but it wasn't my cup of tea!

Das Album Histoire de Melody Nelson wurde in den Londoner Studios Philips und Trident aufgenommen. Serge Gainsbourg, ein französischer Musiker, arbeitete dabei eng mit dem Arrangeur Jean-Claude Vannier zusammen, dessen orchestrale Einflüsse maßgeblich den Klang prägten. Die Produktion verbindet Elemente aus Chanson, Rock und orchestraler Musik mit einem konzeptuellen Erzählrahmen. Zu den stilprägenden Stücken zählen „Melody“, „Ballade de Melody Nelson“ und „Cargo Culte“. Diese Titel sind durch eine reduzierte Instrumentierung, markante Basslinien und eine ruhige Erzählstimme charakterisiert. Der musikalische Ausdruck bleibt dabei zurückhaltend, fast lakonisch, was die erzählerische Struktur unterstreicht. Das Album ist dem Genre der Konzeptalben zuzuordnen und bewegt sich musikalisch zwischen französischem Chanson, Psychedelic Rock und orchestraler Popmusik. Die ungewöhnliche Struktur und die konsequent erzählte Geschichte heben es von anderen Veröffentlichungen der Zeit ab. Histoire de Melody Nelson wirkt wie eine durchkomponierte Klangskizze, die weniger auf Wirkung als auf Atmosphäre setzt. Die Platte lässt sich als geschlossenes Werk betrachten, das sich eher an Hörer:innen richtet, die an narrativen Konzepten und klanglicher Reduktion interessiert sind.

Wiki: "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")." WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!?!

As much as I liked the instrumentation and the music itself, it’s very hard to give this a positive review, knowing that it’s about having sex with a 14-year old. Look, I know it was done over 50 years ago, and some acceptable behavior has now been deemed unacceptable. But even so… ew. NEXT.

The beats are funky and kind of cool. Almost as cool as a Curtis Mayfield album from that time. But I wish it was set to different vocals and lyrics. Gainsbourg's whisper singing is annoying as F. His actual singing isn't much better. And then whatever those sounds are when they sneak off to the hotel - terrible. Of course, the story being told at that point and throughout the album lyrics are cringeworthy. Why is it always middle aged French men with critic-adored (or panned) scripts about someone their age getting with a barely teenage girl? The lyrics aren't for me, though I can appreciate the seamless movement of the story from song to song. He captures a concept, as depraved as it might be. I can also appreciate this album's novelty and how it set up some other music that followed (trip hop...not exactly my style either). I don't hate it (at least not the music). But I'm not sure I like it either. It might be closer to a 3 than a 2. Still...

I don't speak French - if I were to just judge based on the music, I would say it sounds like what would happen if Leonard Cohen turned French and funky. The music alone would probably bring the album to at least a 3, if not a 4. However, the album cover provides cause for caution: Jane Birkin as a young, topless girl clutching a doll over her chest. She was 25 when the album was released, so the pedophilia is suggested, not actual...until you read the translation of the lyrics. In a nutshell, while driving one night, the narrator hits a young girl who is riding a bicycle: Melody Nelson, who we learn is not quite 15. He becomes obsessed with her (and whether she's a virgin - saying "Oh! Melody / You don't know what love is / You told me that yourself / But is everything that you say true?" and then "Oh! Melody / If you lied to me I'd do / Some crazy things / I don't know what I'll do to you"). He takes her to what sounds like a pretty seedy hotel and, well, "Slowly, I embraced Melody." Ugh. Spoiler alert: she dies in a plane crash and he is left poetically pining for her. Maybe this album is shades of Lolita - you're supposed to recognize that the narrator is a horrible person. At least I hope so, because if he meant it...ugh. Double ugh. Reading up on Serge Gainsbourg, it sounds like he was a provocateur - and hopefully provocation was his aim - but it's just too hard not to think of this album as a paean to pedophilia. The seductive musical style makes it even worse. The ick is too strong, and I move on.

kinda cool at first, but got boring

Grundsätzlich isch s Thema vom Album sehr schlecht galteret. Bsunders „En Melody“ find ich drum ganz übel. Ich finds eif mega schad, will musikalisch fühl ichs recht.

I know a little bit of french and I can guarantee you this album has nothing special. It doesn't say anything, it barely tells a story. It's just a middle aged pedo telling a 15 yo how much he loves her 7 times. like bro what? create stories out of music not crime scenes dammit 🤦🏻‍♂️

The music was delightful, and you can see it's influence on so much. Interesting to have your 26 year old gf pretend to be a 15 year old girl who you love, though. That's some complicated family dynamics. I wish I could have understood the lyrics, because maybe it was like Lolita, where you are supposed to see how terrible Humbert is. I doubt it though, given the time period. I really can't give it more than :star::star::star: either.

I don't want to like this album, but I do. I hate the concept, but maybe not understanding the lyrics is an advantage here because of the weird-ass concept. I kept thinking about how captivating the instrumentals were. So subtle, so intricate, so delicate. There's enough strings to keep it interesting, the bass lines throughout are so incredible, the drums, like I described above delicate. They're played so soft and with such precision and swing that it just remains so freaking cool and interesting to listen to. My heart can't give it a 4, so 3/5

not it

Rating based on the music only. I realize it’s troubling subject matter.

asswater

Even separating the album from the subject matter, this is still horribly creepy. Serge’s perv whispering, and Jane Birkin’s nubile gasping really made this the most uncomfortable listen so far. The music on the album is far and away the best thing about it, and even it’s not that great. It’s pseudo jazz tinkerings, and menancing guitar chords hovering on the sidelines. Serge whispering and performing fellatio on the mic ruins what could be vaguely listenable. I found the whole thing nightmarish, and nearly gave up with it. Thankfully the album is short and my unease was over with a half hour. I fail to see why this should be on the list, and I definitely won’t be listening again.

10/10…chanson / französischer rock-pop

I wonder how much speaking the same language would change my experience. Regardless it's a solid album. Worth listening to at least once, imo.

Creepy as expected

dont know how i feel about the pedophilic undertones! also why does it sound like he's right behind me. pretty funky instruments though! this album feels so ahead of its time (minus the pedophilia)

Музыка вроде и ничего, и стиль необычный (особенно в начале интересно слушается)... если бы не смысл песен и альбома вообще. Ну и под конец уже надоедает и некоторые моменты раздражают. 6 из 10.

Silky smooth! Didn't really light me up, but it was worthwhile.

First and last tracks are the highlights. Interesting listen and I always like a story, though this wasn't my favourite.

Shhh.... don't fight it little girl, it'll be over before you know it.

This isn't the worst thing I've ever heard, but this is certainly lacking a lot of redeeming qualities.

Dirty old man

interesting

3.5 stars. Really enjoy the instrumentals, cool string arrangements backing the guitars. At times chill and at times faster-paced. Choral backing in final track is a nice touch. Vocals (spoken word) and - though I can't understand because it's in French - lyrical content (middle-aged dude hooking up with 14 yr old), detracts from an otherwise good pop album.

The French have always had a high opinion of their food , fashion and art. Serge Gainsbourg has always struck me as an artist who makes music , rather than a musician first. This felt like it was trying to be high brow. That said , did quite enjoy it.

J’ai eu un A en français au GCSE, mais cela ne m’a servi à rien, surtout parce que j’ai oublié la plupart de ce que j’ai appris. Même si j’aime ouvrir mon esprit et mes oreilles à la musique non anglophone, celle-ci était un peu faible. Je suppose que Melody Nelson a apprécié. Elle semblait apparaître ici et là en murmurant son nom de manière séduisante. Même si elle est clairement trop jeune pour Serge. Ce qui est un autre problème avec ce disque !

Hmmm, should we ignore the concept of the album, that it is about taking the virginity of a 14 year old? I am going to say that it is artistic license, but it is a little creepy especially the track with the heavy panting. I really like the music, it is great in places, possibly best left in the 70s though.

I’ve always really liked this album, nothing else sounds quite like it. The bass lines are sweet and the guitar parts sweeping the songs along, while the vocal style and string arrangements keeping the vibe pretty moody. Cargo Culte is an epic crescendo, and a track I listen to a lot. It’s just a very effortlessly cool vibe, and Air clearly borrowed heavily from this musically, while Jarvis clearly loved the vocal style. Fortunately the dubious nature of the subject matter is obscured somewhat by the language barrier. That, plus a couple of weaker tracks in the middle stop this from being a 5*. The random fact is the guitarist on this album also played the original Bond Theme.

... just make sure you hide your lil' sister from him...

Had I not read about this album before beginning to listen to it, I would not have known he made an album with us girlfriend about the time he had an affair with a 14 year old. I still wouldn’t have liked it, but might have made it through more than 30 seconds of the first three songs without my skin crawling. Not only shouldn’t this album be celebrated, no one should ever listen to it.

meh. started off decent. wasn't paying attention by the end.

My favorite Gainsbourg experience is the video where he gets very emotional by the choir of child Gainsbourg imitators with beards and sunglasses and cigarettes. But this is good too.

The subject is contentious, to say the least. I'm not super into the talking-singing style. The second track (Ballade de Melody Nelson) is pretty catchy.

It's too bad the lyrics on this aren't just some "Prisencolinensinainciusol"-style gibberish, because I really like the instrumentation. The guitar, the strings, the drums... all of that is super cool, and I can see the influence it would have had on (according to Wikipedia) people like Beck and Portishead. Unfortunately, the lyrics aren't gibberish, and the concept of this concept album is pretty gross. So, it's getting my standardized 1 star deduction for that, and I don't disagree with people.who deduct more.

The truly gross factoid is that as late as 2011, people I thought I respected were performing a live version of this ode to a fourteen year old. While I can't *really* get my head around the whole, 'it was a different time' excuse, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Victoria Legrand and the dude from Grizzly Bear maybe should have thought twice about participating as recently as 15 years ago. But I guess Gainsbourg has pretentious, artsy-enough vibes that everyone looked past it? Track 6 with the squealing and giggles is seriously yuck.

There is absolutely no way I'm listening to this after reading the wikipedia page what on earth 1/5

85.

Understated, laid back and dreamy. The combination of funk rock and orchestration is very effective. Love, illicit sex and death in less than half an hour.

I really liked the funk sounds and production quality. Hypnotic vibe with that gravelly voice. Would like to learn more about the story and listen again.

Agréablement surpris. Si on mute le susurreur fou c'est presque 4

Même si les musiques sont vraiment bizarres, l'album a un sens

Banger.

oui oui baguette. Voulez vous coucher avec moi ? Non, je préfère coucher avec Melody Nelson XDDDDDDDDDDDDD. En vrai un peu spé mais sympa

Unfortunately I actually kind of like this but I also felt a bit queasy while listening to it. Can't, in good conscience, give this ode to pedophilia more than 1 star.

No thank you. Not only is it about a pedophile, but it sounds like he has the mic in his mouth, giving it a feeling of ASMR. I hate ASMR.

3.0 Slightly strange inclusion. First and last track are alright to have on in background. Not sure about the middle ones. Feel like this album has a backstory, otherwise why is it here?

Call me crazy, but breathy french music about statutory rape isn't my jam...

3.5/5

Kinda groovy, and considering what I read about it, kinda glad I couldn’t understand the lyrics.

Overall, a mysterious and alluring mix of rock and jazz.

The guitar player was great! Lyrics in French though.

Soft French smooth

Sounds good but it's too sleazy.

This made me le miserable.

Some of the instrumental parts were really great. When I heard first spoken words, I thought I won't make it through the whole album but after a little I didn't mind them. Overall it was good, but the whole concept and realization felt... uncomfortable. And Melody's laugh was annoying.

Someone's clearly obsessed with Melody Nelson and her natural red hair. It was interesting listening to this and trying to understand it. Honestly the French can speak nonsense into a microphone with sultry guitar and backing choir vocals and it would sound good.

Day485 - maybe being french makes it suck less but not much

Musically it was interesting, but I had a hard time not focusing on the rapey storyline. I wish I had listened to it without knowing, probably would have enjoyed it a lot more.

Music- A Vibe- A Voice- C So solid 4

прикол какой-то )) томный недоджаз про лолитку

Not really an album I liked too much, but I did like the song Melody Lit Barbar the Instrumental Version.

I loved the instrumentation but had to knock a point for it being so aggressively french

Maybe this would be more exciting if I had paid attention in French class, but it's just a guy talking over music.

Bleh

Interesting

Decent instrumental track interrupted by bad French ASMR?

My French isn't good enuf for me to appreciate the lyrical quality of this record, but the fact that Serge talks and whispers the 'historie' of Melody Nelson, a vulnerable 14 year-old muse, w/o getting on my last nerve is a testament to the effective dynamism and theatricality of the music. The strings do not detract from the funky quality of the opening track or a song like 'L'hôtel particulier,' and the album is short enuf to avoid the pitfalls of self-indulgence. W/ that said, I cannot tell if the concept is deep or the mere gazing of a male: whom does the story ultimately benefit? Moreover, while it doesn't repel me, Serge's whispering is hardly my preference, and I for sure would've dug vocals that matched the explosiveness of the music.

I really liked the instrumentation of this album. The 60s sounding guitar, interesting bass work, and at times intricate drumming. The orchestral accompaniment fit in nicely and added a little more depth to the otherwise fairly simple songs. I also didn't mind that most of the album felt like repeating riffs/ melodies for the length of the song while the vocals (probably) told a story. What I didn't like was the vocals. The first song felt like poor mixing, I was intrigued by the composition until the voice came in too loud and took over. The woman voice repeating her name in the second track and laughing later in the album really took me out of it.

This one is questionable. Probably shouldn’t be on the list, but here it is. The music is mostly ok, the theme is creepy af.

cool!

Not my taste

I quite enjoyed some of the instrumentation....but I don't like talking over music. Either sing or just leave it as instrumental music.

Nothing about this appeals to me, and I assume that if I knew French I'd like it even less. (I guess Tommy is a concept album about child abuse too, but frankly I never liked that all that much either.)

I don't really get it 2.5

Just no. I'm all about french music....but no...

Yeah? Well we invented the missionary position... You're welcome.

This album was badass!!! What a trip! Wish I spoke French. Super cool and sexy.

This was the weirdest thing to listen to but I kinda liked it a little? There were several points where I felt the drama of the story, in part because of things like the orchestra or his vocals. Ethan told me about the story behind the album, which makes the album cover make a little more sense. I don't think I would listen to this again, but I admired the creativity behind it.

Melody Nelson Has Red Hair, And It's Her Natural Color 1001 Albums Generator 11 (04/16/2025) Here we have an album about a man who falls in love with a fourteen/fifteen year old girl. The album has largely spoken vocals and the lyrics are in a language I don't understand. That's three potential strikes against this album that I was able to gather from only looking at Wikipedia and RateYourMusic before I had even heard a second of it. Now that I have heard the album, let's talk about it. Potential strike 1: The elephant in the room is this album's narrative. From reading translations of the lyrics, the protagonist of this story hit a young girl, Melody Nelson, with his car. He falls in love with her (despite the fact that she is only fourteen) and decides that he wants to take her virginity. They go to a hotel and consummate their relationship. On her flight home, she dies, and the narrator is left depressed and alone. I do feel like this story is better than I was expecting, as you do feel that it's a tragedy. Of course, it is tragic for Melody, who is groomed into sex as a minor and then dies, but I believe there is some tragedy for the narrator. My reading of the lyrics is that the narrator is alone in the world, starving for some sort of love. From his perspective, he has found love for the first time in his life, and it was taken away from him. Don't get me wrong, if the narrator of this album were a real person, I would certainly be calling for his jailing and/or chemical castration, but I do think this album forces you to recognize the humanity in someone that does one of the most disgusting things a human can do, and that makes it great art. VERDICT: NOT A STRIKE Potential strike 2: Spoken word vocals. This is where the album gets tough. The first song and the last three all feature spoken vocals, and the mixing is like... kind of terrible. Like, especially in the first song, the mixing of the instruments with his voice is just bad; it sounds like he is speaking directly in my ear and I can barely hear the instruments over his speaking. I also just hate how Jane Birkin just spends the whole album saying "Melody" and then laughing obnoxiously during En Melody. VERDICT: STRIKE Potential strike 3: Non-English lyrics on a story-based album. Okay, I'm not trying to get in trouble here; I obviously understand that people speak languages other that English. My (potential) gripe is more with the fact that I perceived this to be such a vocal-centric album that I would not be able to get a full appreciation for it. While I do think that may be the case, I don't think that it posed as much of an issue as I thought it would, because while the lyrics are important to understanding the album, the vocal style does honestly drag down the overall quality as mentioned above, so being able to not focus on it was probably a positive. VERDICT: NOT A STRIKE Hey 2/3 ain't bad. By the way, did you know there's actually music on this album? I know, it's hard to believe; we've already discussed so much without talking about the music itself, and the music is ultimately... fine. Looking at other reviews, I imagine this is blasphemy, but I don't know. The mixing killed it for me. There are moments, such as Melody and En Melody, where the band is jamming hard and I love it. However, in the former, his vocals overpower the mix, and in the latter, her laughing is really fucking obnoxious. Other moments, such as the two short songs Valse De Melody and Ah ! Melody show a quieter, more restrained approach to songwriting that really works, but these songs are so short that they struggle to make an impression in my opinion. It is worth noting that Jean-Claude Vannier's orchestral arrangements are at the core of this album's sound, and it is much better for it. The chamber elements throughout and the choral elements in the closer Cargo Culte were really great additions to these compositions. The orchestration and the way it's produced remind me of Umm Kulthum's Arabic style of pop music, which is interesting. Overall, this is an album that I believe is less than the sum of its parts. Instrumental compositions ranging from decent to great, an interesting, tragic story, and fantastic orchestration coalesce into a messy mix of pop, funk, and blues rock that bores me. I would say this is somewhere around a 2.5/5 for me, rounded down to a 2/5. Favs: Melody L'hotel Particulier Cargo Culte Least Fav: Valse De Melody

This album is about what now

This was partly kind of what I expected and partly not what I expected at all. Liked it more than I thought I would. 4

Assuming this isn’t straight up in praise of pedophilia (a suspect assumption), I still struggle to see much value in the music which to my ears sounds like a formulaic recipe of “seductive” French whispering on top of repetitive riffs that go nowhere. As for the creepy concept, I’d prefer the sleeze to be a bit more satirical and spicy. If anything, Gainsbourg is good at getting in and out. The 28 minute run time is the best thing about this. And to be fair, the conclusion with the concept of the “cargo cult” was pretty cool—just like the primitive people of Oceania worshipping the inconceivable material goods of the west, Gainsbourg’s character (himself) is obsessed with his impossible lover, a god-send, a…child. John Frum will never come again.

It was strange and pleasant. Content was a bit unorthodox.

I thought it was interesting and worth the listen. It clearly had a big influence on musicians that came later. Unfortunately, I found Jane Birkin's vocals too distracting to regularly revisit it. MELODY.... NELSON.

Zet een specifieke, speciale sfeer. Uniek

I needed something different today, and this fit the bill.

Albums like this that nix another great album from being on the list are really maddening to me.

If an earlier collaboration with Jane Birken, “Je t'aime moi non plus” was on this album I’d rate it higher. Still as French spoken albums go…c’est bon.

4 maybe 5

Gear: ZMF Bokeh Artwork: 😳🚩🟦 Production (40th Anniversary): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🚗💥👧🏻🏨💔✈️💀 Rating: 🚨🚨🚨/5

неплохо, мне понравилось, woke педики сасать, 4/5

I didn't enjoy this at all. Don't get it. The music is melodic enough, but his speaking/singing is not appealing.

Nope, I won't do that! No Reviews.

That was so cool I looked up the english translations. It's unfortunate that the entire concept album is about a middle-aged man seducing and f****** a 14-year-old girl. This celebrated novel that is the foundation of French Rock and trip hop is basically a celebration of pedophilia

Wow

I really wish I didn’t know what this is about because the instrumentation is very cool.

I really liked this album.

Non.

I quite like this, especially the music, but I can't work it out. Not for the usual reasons given in the reviews I've read, about the impropriety of the relationship described, but more about how implausible the whole story is, at least, as described on Wikipedia (my French is not good enough). Melody is 14, from Sunderland but talks with Jane Birkin's cut-glass London accent. She flies on a cargo plane which crashes and he hopes she'll return to the cargo cults of Melanesia (which just happens to chime with Melody)? Is the singer dreaming/fantasizing the whole thing? Is it a piss-take on Gainsbourg's part?

3/5 out of context 1/5 based on context Halfway through this album I was extremely confused as to why this album was rated so low. Music is solid, got a vibe to it, was enjoying it but not something I'd necessarily go back to. But looking up the context, yeah. Lyrics about grooming an underage girl. Fun. There's separating the art and the artist, and then there's the artist just straight up writing these lyrics. Maybe I'm missing context due to the language barrier, but my short time looking up the album doesn't seem to paint the plot of the album in negative light or some sort of cautionary tale, it's just straight up cool with it. I guess the album was vaguely based on his relationship with Jane Birken (who was thankfully 22 at the time of meeting him, but still side eyeing that relationship with him being close to 20 years her senior), but still. Hard to not feel uncomfortable listening to this album. I guess it influenced Portishead, so at least it did some good in having a part in making one of my all time favorite albums, Dummy?

The music is great. The statutory rape is not.

Well, like Huey Lewis sang back in the 80s…sometimes bad is bad. First of all, I generally don’t like records that rely on the spoken word in lieu of singing…but when this guy did sing, it was worse. I might’ve enjoyed this somewhat if it was an instrumental record. But when you add the subject matter that basically glorifies statutory rape, this album becomes a one at best, and that’s being generous. There are two good things about this record: 1.) Since it’s in French, I couldn’t understand the lyrics and 2.) At 28 minutes, it was mercifully short. If I would’ve died yesterday, I think that somehow I would not have been poorer for not having heard this album. I must ask, what’s it doing on the list?

Love French music, even the risqué stuff

3.5

Ugh, not sure how to score this. The lyrical content/story is odious, obviously. I particularly hated the squealing/giggling in one track, which gave me the creeps. But on the other hand, I really liked how the guitar sounds on this album, and the musical content overall was pretty great. Going to go down the middle.

"Historie de Melody Nelson" is a concept album by French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. It was arranged and co-written by Jean-Claude Vannier and produced by Jean-Claude Desmarty. The album concept follows an illicit romance which develops between the middle-aged narrator (Serge) and a 14 year-old girl Melody Nelson (portrayed by British-French actress, singer and Serge's then-partner Jane Birkin). The music and vocals are a mix of funk-style electric guitar and bass, spoken word and Sprechgesang (talking and singing) vocal styles and lush strings and choral arrangements. Many critics consider this album as one of the greatest French-language albums in popular music history. The seven-minute "Melody" opens the album. Serge's deep, cigarette-soaked voice talking softly. The guitar, bass and drums eventually get louder. Strings are added and there's an air of suspense as the narrator collides his rolls royce into a girl, Melody, on a bike. They exchange information. A pyschedelic guitar gives this a spy movie sound. Jane Birkin vocals appear in "Ballade de Melody Nelson" as she and the narrator talk and the narrator falls in love. A thumping bass and guitar at the start with strings coming in later to accentuate the emotion. Serge is whispering throughout "L'Hôtel particulier" as he meets Melody at a secretive hotel to have sex. Lush and prancing strings. The funk and 60's style guitar really gets going in "En Melody." There's laughter of a girl and then just silence with the wind blowing as an airplane crashes with Melody in it as she is returning home to Sunderland. The narrator laments Melody's death in the closer "Cargo culte." Soft music initially that builds. A vocal choir in the background. Some nice garage, pyschedelic guitar. The narrator compares his misguided hope of Melody returning to the Cargo cults of Melanesia. Now this is a compelling album , notwithstanding the age of the female involved. Suspense, drama, romance, sadness. The string and horn arrangements and core band perfectly fit the story moments are they are told. Excellent arrangements. The band is great...pyschedelic and funky bass and guitar. Serge talks, whispering and sings. This is a great album and I see why it has influenced many and is held in such high esteem.

This felt like french asmr with some music behind it. I didn’t like this

Wtf. This sucked. Another major dud

What a triumph. An album that made me feel so gross I had to stop listening. Marvel at the experience of being in some French pervert’s tonsils. Be upset as you remember your French numbers and hear quinze and yep, this is just straight up an album about being a pedo. I like to imagine the brain trust that came up with this list sitting around asking what to put on the list. “We can’t put another shitty 90s British album on here” and some guy in the back goes, “Zut alors! How could we forget the French pedophile album!” And the room claps because this counts as one of the 1% of international albums.

Not a clue what he’s singing as I’m not fluent in French. Musically the backing is ok but the Lolitta like subject matter is a little dubious

This sounds like the French translation of a Leonard Cohen album. My language skills are a little rusty, but near as I can tell Melody is not delivering his DoorDash order. Joking aside, the music was pretty cool, but the vocals a touch creepy.

Good bass line, and it made me laugh, but who not named Melody would buy this album? I guess it’s the French answer to Barry White.

Mostly, this made me realize how much French I've forgotten. Or never really learned. Aside from that, I like it musically. Sassy little album cover, too. Would probably rate it differently if I understood more than a dozen words or so.

I listened to the original release (7 tracks), not the later expanded release. Thanks to Wikipedia for explaining the plot of the album, which is in French. I like the concept of a story being told throughout the album, but for me there was too much talking.

Hey, I like an album from the 70s! How bout that. (And it's a much more aesthetic topless lady album cover than the Pixies one... modulo the, uh, 14-yr-old cosplay.) I can't remember how I first got into Serge Gainsbourg, probably via Placebo, but of course I'm gonna like trip-pop en français. Maybe best that I don't think too hard about the lyrics on this one, though. The whole thing is like one long, chill song with pleasant string instrumentals. also, relevant tweet (from @tomwalkerisgood):: KOKO: Koko birkin bag. Practical Koko possession bag RESEARCHER: No, Koko. You can’t have a Birkin bag. KOKO: Good Birkin good Koko give beautiful Koko deserve gorilla RESEARCHER: Koko, we simply can’t afford a Birkin bag. It is an unjustifiable expense. KOKO: jealousy professor :)

For a few decades, Serge Gainsbourg was likely the most famous rock star that France had ever produced. It wouldn't be until the 90s and early 2000s that we got the likes of Daft Punk, Air, and Phoenix, and they all had to performe in English to achieve their fame. Before then Gainsbourg was it. His influence would end up being huge by the 90s, finding new life among some indie artists, and especially the emerging trip hop scene. Famous fans included Beck, Air, Portishead, R.E.M., Stereolab, and countless others. Mike Patton of Faith No More would later join Lovage, which was practically a Serge Gainsbourg tribute band. Less flattering, but the idea of a short, sort of ugly man being a 60s sex symbol would be an a model for the character of Austin Powers. "Melody Nelson" was Gainsbourg's masterpiece and his only really fully formed album. The plot concerns a very seedy narrator (who uncomfortably resembles Gainsbourg himself) hitting an underage girl with his car before trying to seduce her. The idea is repulsive but the story is vivid. Not all main characters need to be likeable and this one certainly isn't. Musically, the album is built around themes and expertly blends rock with orchestral arrangements. He certainly wasn't the first to do this but the style is something different here. Whereas other artists might inject an element of classical music to elevate the sound, here the orchestra feels dragged down by the overall seediness of it all. "Melody Nelson" set a template for all kinds of chill, sexy, and carefree music that would eventually converge with 80s hip hop and 90s indie rock for some amazing music. Sleazy as the content may be, this album is certainly noteworthy

it was definitely french

I loved this album for years, and really feel like it continues to stand out as a unique and beautiful piece of work. I don't know any French so had no idea about the Lolita-esque "ick" factors with the concept. Unfortunately this initially soured my previous appreciation of the album and I have had a tough time listening through and connecting with the vocalists as much as I used to. At the end of the day, I remind myself that these are characters in a story created by an artist who prides himself in being controversial. No children were harmed in the making of this album and the goal does not seem to be an "advocation" of the narrators egregious acts (though again I don't know French so can only read synopses and do not understand the nuisances of the language). Reflecting on what initially drew me to the album: his voice is amazing, there is so much musical variation and depth across it's short runtime, it was and continues to be cutting edge, it's funky and expressive, and it all comes full circle through masterful sequencing. For a non-french speaker like me, what is there not to love? 5/5

Comfy accompaniment, but I can't pick up any of the lyrics.

Yeah, no, I can't be bothered with that (and I listen to albums made by shitheads a lot).

This is supposedly a masterpiece but just isn't doing it for me.

Beetje matig, niet mijn smaak. 2 sterren

An extremely French record that sets an extremely French tone. Sometimes that’s a compliment– especially with regards to the gorgeous near-orchestral approach to funk and pop, as well as Gainsbourg’s evocative whispered vocals– but it’s also a criticism of the inherently gross subject matter. Thankfully, that subject matter is fictional; if you critiqued every mid-century French person for having a weird fascination with Lolita-esque escapades, you’d have no French people left to praise. Maybe that’s a good thing, truthfully [I say as someone who is second-gen Walmart French™️]. But on Histoire de Melody Nelson, it is so obvious that this is irony, like, the textbook definition of irony à la that elevator scene in Reality Bites, that it feels like a dismissible hurdle that most should be able to look past, especially since Gainsbourg himself did nothing worse than, say, Leonardo Dicaprio does today. It seems like Gainsbourg just liked to take the piss and piss people off with his subject matter, which is obnoxious, but something I can hand-wave past. Especially because again, musically, this album is very good! It’s a traditional pop record with textures of funk, and it’s one of those records that you can just throw on casually to evoke a certain mood. Sultry, slightly groovy, like the smell of cigarette smoke on a fur coat. It has a narrow vibe, but it thrives in that aesthetic and sinks you in, too. The run time helps keep it moving, so I never felt bored or like it was overstaying its welcome, even though it does feel like it’s a single song instead of a single album. I’m not saying it’s a dinner party record, but I would say it creates some similarly tinted mood lighting. Histoire de Melody Nelson is not an every day record, and very situational. It’s not the greatest record I’ve ever heard, and I won’t put it on repeat. I also do understand why the subject matter can make your eyes roll. But I do think it’s not only an important record, but an extremely engaging musical suite. It is gorgeous in a uniquely French™️ manner, and while I don’t always need that in my life, I’m open to Gainsbourg’s vibe here more often than not.

This is nasty.

So the music was interesting, but the subject matter? Woof. Personal enjoyment: 2 Relevance to this list: 4

There was some nice music on here, but by God did it get annoying with all the mentions of Melody and her crap.

Maybe I shouldn't have read the bio of Serge before listening. The music and swarthy French lyricism isn't altogether unpleasant but all I hear is a pervy Pepe Le Pew. By the time I got to the pig-like squealing of En Melody, it felt cringey and like I was listening to something that may be used in court against him.

I love the instrumentation and combo of styles that definitely launched a movement in the 70's AND later in French Disco, but I can't get over the plot. Clearly an important and influential album, but remains personally off-putting. 2.5/5

Original and confident, a bit light though 3.6

If you want a French guy whispering shit in your ear, you'll like this album. I hate that so this is one of the worst things I've ever listened to.

musically i like it a lot actually but minus 1 point for whispery voice and unforgivable mouth noises

Just some French dude musing about his chick Melody. Only saving grace was the play on words “Me La dit” but it was still lame

Sexy music. fantastic orchestra and chorus overlay on rock.

Interesantes sonidos

The music was nice but the content of the album was... illegal? Terrible concept for an album which has dated horrifically.

Very cool album. Good to relax too. Never heard of this artist

Merde - c’est tres bon! Would've been even better if I could understand the lyrics. Really enjoyed En Melody, her laugh just made me smile. (Added it to my playlist.) Ca roule - merci, Serge.(3.9*s)

Here was my train of thoughts and how they played out through this listen: French is not a beautiful language at all, this sounds like Pepé Le Pew with instruments, am I missing something here, the cover art is totally weird, do I need to understand the lyrics to like this because I don't to either. That prompted me to dig further and I'm 100% sorry I did: This album is about an older man crashing his Rolls Royce into a 14 year old girl on her bike who he then promptly seduces and takes advantage of. Right after that she dies in a plane crash. I can't think of anything that could ever redeem this and I regret even giving it one more play on Spotify. Apparently this is also pseudo-autobiographical so just so cringey. Rating only the music, I guess a 0.5 for the funk-style electric guitar over orchestra backing. Avoid all further reading into how this influenced Beck on Paper Tiger and inspired Portishead.

French creeper seducing a child...WTF? I was going to look up the lyrics translation but pulled back after reading the subject matter. I get that music knows no bounds but when artists start dabbling in pedophilia and don't immediately condemn it, red flag. Gainesbourg looks like he would find himself in this very situation and it bothers me that he has beautiful women all over him on his album covers. This Chief Didier rat drools all over Melody and if he wasn't a famous "artiste" he would be a probably be an aqualung hanging around middle schools eyeing little girls with bad intent. Drop the lyrical content (particularly the cringeworthy kid giggles? on "En Melody") and you have some good background...can I get the instrumental version? I can't believe I have found something from the list that is steering me to Beyoncé but for the string and drum play...0.75 etoiles de merde.

Hard one to review. Musically it is relatively minimalist with a simple back beat, some light guitar and miscellaneous orchestration over spoken word vocals. There are a couple upbeat sections that were pretty good. I was initially intrigued by what I was listening to. Unfortunately I don't speak French so any impact of the lyrics and storyline are completely lost on me. While I read the synopsis, I think a big part of this is being on the ride with the narrator. I'd love to hear an equivalent English version just to get a sense of it. 1.60 stars

Boring!

Way too weird and esoteric for me. Not enjoyable, especially the fact that it's spoken word rather than singing.

0/10. Nuh uh😔. Haven’t use this in a while and first album made me wanna die☝🏼😬🕊️.

I fins the instrumentation very interesting, but I cannot surpass this uncomfortable feeling about the vocals and concept. The whispering voice makes it feel more intimate, which is very uneasing with the context.

Frenchie would love this album, but I didn’t :(

Interesting! Not sure I'd listen to this record normally, but on a relaxing day I certainly would!

Sounds as if it was created by a Belgian child abuser.

A French hippy

Decent.

I know better Gainsbourg records. This one was only ok.

Enjoyed more than I expected, sonically very interesting.

Not a huge fan of concept albums. We got to know Serge quite well in the 70s. Len lived in France for quite a few years. Worked through marriages 6-8 and actually ended up writing his own concept album with the help of Serge….’Le Chateau De Vaches’ It was largely about his failed marriages (which would become a theme of Lens writing). it was actually so good Serge asked us not to release it! Foolishly we listened! 3.7

Some really good music composition on this album. The voice parts turn me off to it though. And then there is the content....

I'm sorry what?

Very cool. Theatric. In the same ballpark as some Tom waits things.

Kinda interesting. Not sure what he's saying, but it sounds sinister, sexy and dangerous.

its so quiet that i mostly cant hear shit. 1/5

For most albums and new music genres I’m introduced to, I can usually find something I liked. This was not the case. In fact, it was so bad I noticed that there was a new editing feature on this website and almost a year later am now changing my rating from a 2 to a 1. Nothing in this album made me enjoy it nor at the very least appreciate it.

C'est merde. Incredibly French, and trying embarrassingly hard to be cool and sexy. Maybe groundbreaking and interesting in it's time?

I’ve never heard of Serge Gainsbourg before, but I’ve seen this album on the visual checklist, and its cover is certainly eye-catching. Oh wait, the woman on the cover is supposed to be a fifteen-year-old girl? Oh, woof, that’s certainly a choice. It kinda tracks with what I imagine a French musician would churn out around this time though, so good on Serge for meeting expectations. However, I’ve enjoyed the French artists that I’ve reviewed so far, so maybe I’ll be able to appreciate this album as a piece of art. Despite the Lolita vibes of this album’s lyrics, I enjoyed listening to it, and I thought it was really well made. The overall sound was really well crafted, and I particularly enjoyed the string arrangements. The sound of the album did a great job of crafting the story, and since I don’t understand French, this really enhanced my enjoyment of the album. I loved how the narrative of the story was told and how it unfolded across the album. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to an album that had such a straightforward approach to storytelling like this, and I thought it worked splendidly. This album felt like a French arthouse film from the same period, and it oozed a sort of debonair atmosphere (just for clarity, there’s nothing cool or debonair about having sex with underage girls). The most fun part of listening to this album was hearing the influence it would have on trip hop and electronic music in the nineties. It blows my mind that someone was crafting sounds like this in the early seventies. I wouldn’t be opposed to checking out more music from Serge Gainsbourg or his contemporaries, but I’d prefer some different subject matter in the future.

Another album which would have scored higher if it was an instrumental

Nopers. Mostly spoken word and the music isn't really even intriguing.

Ok!

Histoire De Melody Nelson isn't good, he mumbles into the mic in an attempt to be seductive but a) he's often unintelliglble even if you speak some French and b) don't look up the theme or content of this record if you don't want to be creeped out. A few tidy basslines and some nice guitar work doesn't mask an album that is mostly a bunch of stuff you'd heard a snippet of in a fragrance ad and that only finds a saving grace in how short it is. Struggling to find reasons not to give it 1/5.

It's quite nicely put together - I do quite like the spoken word/singing hybrid stuff, he's like a less weird French Tom Waits from the sound. Fortunately, my French isn't good enough to detect quite how noncey this album is, that was a disappointment to read afterwards. 2/5.

Soft-spoken, sexy, beautiful. The harmonies and instrumentation is so nice and easy to listen to - I'm such a huge fan of strings so this one sings to me. Reminds me of Danger Mouse's "Rome" soundtrack. Very soft and gentle, with such lovely sounds emanating throughout. Exquisite record.

It’s kind of a strange album. Very chill musically, but the near spoken word delivery of the lyrics gets kind of repetitive. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again

<sigh>

I’m not sure I understood this one. I’m not even sure if knowing French would’ve helped me understand it much more. Musically it was decent, but spoken word French vocals didn’t leave much for me to work with.

This shit is ass

Somewhere within my last 100 albums, I had Let's Get Killed by David Holmes, which underwhelmed me except for one song - Don't Die Just Yet. That song stood out so much I had to figure out why, and I discovered it samples this album. So after that I listened to this Serge Gainsbourg album. I really enjoyed it and have listened to it a couple times since then before generating it today. (And now I know why it already sounded familiar because I listen to a lot of Beck as well.) Anyway, I'm going to rate this a 5 because that's how I felt about the music - which is fantastic - before learning the content of the lyrics just now. I genuinely hope the point is to be disturbed by the character on this album, but...to what end? I've given low ratings to several albums because of creepy or downright misogynistic lyrics. But was that easier because I didn't really like the music that much either? Why should this album get a pass? I can't answer that right now. I will reflect and read some think pieces. Maybe I will change my rating.

i love hearing albums that were influential/ripped off by other artists/albums i love.. beck n’ sea change im lookin at you…

Didn't enjoy this one much, very strange time

Good background music, nice and chill. Wish I knew french so I could understand it. The album was fairly short, and its more of an ambience soundtrack in my humble opinion.

The track that is just riffs with someone laughing over the top is annoying as fuck. Why on earth would you do that

Some albums are better off without lyrics. Who knew such a controversial album could be on the list? That comes from a guy who liked "MMLP". It could be argued that "History de Melody Nelson" is an attempt at shock value or something, but Serge Gainsbourg made a song called "Lemon Incest," making this less likely. The background music prevents this album from getting a single star. 2 stars for "Histoire de Melody Nelson".

When you take the time to translate the French you realize this whole album is about a guy trying to bang a 14 year old girl.

I don’t speak French but this was pretty cool

Klassikko syntyessään. Onhan tämä aika hienoa ranska-ähinää. Teema toki tämän päivän standardeilla vähän niin ja näin mutta joo… 4/5

Lyhyt ja ytimekäs, ilman mitään turhaa. Levyn tarina flirttailee aika arveluttavalla alueella olematta kuitenkaan sietämätön. Tykkäsin erityisesti avaus- ja lopetusraidoista. 4/5

Day 22 Yeah I enjoyed this. I would make a French joke about how they aren't so bad after all, but legit, Idk why people meme that so hard into the ground. Probably an 8, maybe a 9

I don't understand French, but I like the sound of this. Read the back story after listening. More than a little creepy.

I can’t ignore the creepy old man vibes.

It’s moody and kind of smoky, but it feels more style than substance. The strings are pretty, but they don’t hit hard. It just doesn’t land. It’s cool until you know the concept, but not much else.

I saw runtime and got a little excited, but this somehow feels like a real journey to get through. Like when you're on a road trip and you get a flat tire. It feels really romantic, nice string section, but just a little too boring for me.

Normally I’d be psyched to get an album like this but honestly this album was just boring.

Why?

Very questionable aesthetic. Dodgy, dirty old man slurs his sleazy story over a laid-back rock/funk/jazz/big-band/choral backing and it somehow sounds cool as hell. I feel extremely conflicted.

Didn't listen cause child rape

I like the mic of genre and all the different elements that where mixed. He didn't stick himself to one genre and was riding through it all... But Since this woman on the cover should represent a 14 year old girl that's involved sexually in the storytelling of this album i really don't like it in any fashion. Its art and just a story in this case, but its sooo weird to think about it. Sex Noises and sexually intended moaning on music are always negative points in my books.

Ignoring completely the whole theme and story that goes into this concept album, I found it more enoyable than I'd have thought. The music and orchestral arrangements are exceptional, and were it an instrumental I might have this more frequently in my rotation. The singing (speaking, really) less so - adding that in was interesting to a point, but in the end I found a breathy French man's heavy talking to wear a bit thin, even given how short this album is. I'm glad I listened to it as part of this project, however I probably wouldn't pick this up again.

This a French album with a sexy beat and sounds very French.

A fun little avant French pop album. Serge is always great.

It is beautifully done. I love the arrangements and the variations, umm it's hard to describe but I enjoyed it it's like a 3.5 overall.

*Takes a long draw of a Gauloises cigarette* It is, how you say, a tale as old as time... An older man seducing and deflowering a young teenage girl after running her down in his car. But this one has at least some badass basslines and funky riffs.

The music was actually somewhat interesting (especially the first 2 songs), but the lyrical content is beyond fucked. So French.

I couldn't stand this for the most part. The intermittent ramblings in French distracted me from any instrumentation I may have liked otherwise

Alternative rock about the young woman Melody Nelson. All French. Spicy

A fascinating piece of work. As soon as it started I recognised the trip hop influences. Really enjoyed this, will definitely listen again. Hey, it's not the most modern storyline but lots of people here don't realise France didn't have an age of consent "at all" until recently and only then set it at 15 in 2001.

Interesting blend of guitar, choral singing, and some more orchestral elements

what even is this

Quoi?

fuck the pedophiles

please look up French Kids Paying Tribute to Serge Gainsbourg (1988) on youtube

Interesting, moving at times, good to have on the 1001, not necessarily something I'd listen to with any frequency, though.

Really nice to listen to. I don't speak French, so I didn't understand most of the spoken word/sung lyrics, but I'm sure it was all very innocent and wholesome, right? Right?

In french. But Melody est anglaise. Not a fan of the context.

Nok det definitive franske album, og det er jo for better or for worse kan man sige. Ingen vej udenom at det lyder fucking godt, creepy tekster besides

Kæft det lyder fed, jeg tænker at Serge nok synger om en sexet, romantisk og totalt uproblematisk forelskelse med en jævnaldrende kvinde. (Glad for at jeg ikke kan fransk!)

The music was nice, but the theme of this album is bonkers.

wth?!

Musically, Histoire de Melody Nelson is lush, atmospheric, and mostly enjoyable, with its mix of orchestral arrangements and groovy bass lines. However, not understanding the French lyrics might be a blessing, knowing it’s about a man’s relationship with a 15-year-old girl makes it hard to fully appreciate. Beautiful sound, deeply uncomfortable subject matter.

Whenever I listen to Gainsbourg, I have to remind myself that it was consensual on my part so I don't feel violated by his raspy too close to the microphone voice (J/K). At any rate, I think it's fair to say that the reason he escaped France unlike countless others is the overall sexiness of his vocals paired with similarly hot French female vocals. You don't need to speak French to know that this is seduction and the instruments are just garnirs to the singing. I think this album is cool, cool, cool. Bet it would have been amazing AF to be at some underground live show of Gainsbourg's back in the day. Unabashedly sexual music without a bunch of hangups or inhibitions and I'm basically here for it.

Am I allowed to say that I liked this album ... ? Pepe Le Pew / Jeffrey Epstein meets Beck and Stereolab...? One so vile and evil that should be relegated to the outskirts of music, while the others bring creativity, beauty and unique artistry that should be celebrated. I could claim ignorance ... I mean, this is all in French and besides, this was way back in the 1970s ... and, and things were different back then right? I mean it's so, so good but all so terribly wrong ...

If I didn’t read the backstory, I’d be oblivious to the words of the sultry French spoken word. But since I know that it’s a concept album about taking advantage of a teenager, it’s all creepy.

The music is so boring that I wouldn’t want to learn French to know what he is saying.

Well, it's a new year, and it seems the Randomizer figured the best way to kick it off would be to have my group listen to an album entirely in **French**! Ah, yes, finally, a chance to put my mandatory French classes to good use! Except not really! 'Cuz, for one, I never actually retained anything from those classes, despite taking them for most of my schooling career... And, two, well, from everything I've read about this album, maybe I don't **want** to know what this thing's actually about? I kinda don't wanna get myself too worked up over an album that came out over 50 years ago, but, f'woof, boy, if finding out this thing's plot didn't make me a little biased against it from the start. It's... A **little** gross, to put it mildly? "A middle-aged man falls in love with, lusts after and has sex with a 14 year-old before she dies in a plane crash." Eee-yuck-o. But whatever. I've never been lyrics-first anyway, as I've stated multiple times, and that goes double for albums that aren't in English. Is that me being ignorant or whatever? Oh, probably, absolutely. But I always figure, music is its melody, so if this thing is lyrically gross, at least it won't be **as** notable. So, how does this thing stand up melodically, then? Uhm... I'm finding it hard to be impressed by it. Like, the instrumental work is all well and good, but... I'unno. Nothing about it strikes me with any particular "Wow!" factor. No kind of "Oh, that's cool" or "Oh, that was clearly the inspiration for [artist]." Mostly just, "Huh. Well, OK." It was pretty easy for this stuff to breeze by me, not helped by the fact that this thing doesn't even run 28 minutes. Which, to be clear, I don't think is necessarily a bad thing. I'd rather this thing get in, do its thing, and then get out in a succinct, tight package than drag itself on for another ten or twelve minutes. It just doesn't terribly help first impressions sometimes. Then there's this guy's voice, where all I feel like I really hafta say is that it's a bit too, y'know, ASMR at times? I don't like how often I heard his spittle. It's a bit off-putting. And it's not like the woman playing the 14 year-old girl does much to distract from that. I swear, all she says on this album is her character's name; she may as well be a Pokémon. That's probably something that makes sense in the context of the story, but I'd rather **not** consider the story, so... Blehh, I'unno. For most of the album I was willing to give it a 3 because, again, the instrumentation was nice enough. Honestly, as I'm sitting here writing this review, I'm feeling so unenthusiastic about it that... Aw, heck — it's a 2. I really didn't get much of it besides "Eh, sure" and "Ecch, ew." So that's not a great way to start up the year. But, hey, on the bright side, there's more than enough room to go up from here. Plus, at least now I can treat this thing like my French classes and forget I ever partook in them. If that ain't a positive for this kind of album, zut alors, I swear.

At least the instrumentation is nice and funky, otherwise you're not getting anything of note. 2.5 bumped up to 3.

I’m at a 4 if it’s not as autobiographical as it seems, and if the main protagonist here is intentionally meant to sound & feel really, really creepy. I’m at a 1 if it’s as autobiographical as it seems, and if the main protagonist here is intentionally meant to sound romantic & feel really, really seductive. I’m going to give the full benefit of the doubt, split the difference, and go with a 2.5 that I’ll bump up to a 3. From a purely musical standpoint, this album nails the tone it’s going for, which is a cinematic runthrough of a relationship caused by chance (i.e., him hitting this 15-year-old with his Rolls Royce & immediately being smitten), and ending in a tragedy of sorts (a plane crash). The orchestration, the choir, the percussion, his vocal stylings, her spoken dialogue – the cinematic feel of it all is really well done, it feels around 30 years ahead of its time (some of this felt like late 90s / early 2000s movie trailer music to me) and it’s a decently engaging 28 minutes with really strong production, and I did like the core of the album. The big difference maker comes in Serge Gainsbourg himself, and I really can’t get a read on the guy. He was out here having relationships with significant age differences, but never as young & as disgusting as a relationship with a 15-year-old would be – I want to say he was more of a DiCaprio type – girls in their twenties, and all that. Everything about this, at least musically, suggests to me that he knows this behavior, at least with THIS big of an age gap, is deeply inappropriate, and I don’t think our protagonist here is meant to be endearing to me as a listener. However, to engage in behavior that’s so close to it in real life, without the underaged stigma, makes this album a bit of a strange enigma, and I just don’t want to go down the rabbit hole even deeper into his own personal life. So, I’m at a 3, because I just can’t tell (and don’t really want to tell) either way. I don’t think this is an album that romanticizes pedophilia, but I can’t say it explicitly condemns it either. I’m giving a rather heavy benefit of the doubt here, and it would not surprise me to see this go down to a 1 with further research. However, if he’s relatively cleared of my suspicions, it could go up to a 4. It’s not within the range of a 5 at all for me, just based on the subject matter in general. For now, based on the effectiveness of the music at hand, I’m going to stay at a 3. Certainly a strange pull for the first album of 2025.

one of my exes was obsessed with gainsbourg and that was only one of his many red flags. I get ptsd whenever i hear gainsbourg's voice. Fuck that guy. it's a 0 stars btw

Some OK parts to the album, but not good enough

I was very excited about this album because one of my favorite artists frequently references Serge Gainsbourg. I came away a little disappointed. It’s basically French Leonard Cohen, talking over some repetitive but admittedly pretty kickass backing instrumentals

Listened Before? N French. Concept Album. Must hear before I die? Lol. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Ballade... whatever.

Heerlijke muziek voor de achtergrond. Lekker rustig. ***

Ew, ew ew ew nope. First album on the list I couldn’t get through, even without the…. context… I don’t want two French people whispering in my ears rock plays in the background. Ew. Maybe it belongs on the list. I dunno, ask the French. It doesn’t belong on my list, that’s for sure.

Sounds like the soundtrack to a movie that you’re expected to have watched, although most people haven’t.

Too much talk singing and melodrama I think the concept of the album was a bit off off putting. I usually like this genre

Mid as hell

Ennui

first track was very nice, it really carried the album.

Nonce.

Leaving aside the sleaze, it’s a nice chill out listen…But you absolutely cannot leave aside the sleaze and that’s not something to chill to.

Musically pretty good. Horrific lyrics but I don't speak very good French so I don't know. In conclusion, France is a land of contrasts

God the plot of this is so fucking French. Since its a spoken word piece more than an album, its hard to rate. I personally enjoy French language but the story being about some asshole hitting a 14 year old with his car, taking her to bed, and her dying in a plane accident is just.......weird and gross. its one saving grace is that it's fiction?

This made me feel unsettling. I didn't like it.

I listened to this album while reading the english translated lyrics. The album is a story about a forbidden relationship between the narrator and a juvenile girl after the narrator had hit her with his Rolls Royce. While the topic of the story is not good, it is a story, and the music is made rather well.

• 3/5 • Love the arrangement and photo-trip hop sound • Not a big fan of the spoken word vs. singing component • If I could understand the French, the subject matter would make me like it a lot less . . .

Kinda sounds interesting but I won't be listening to this again. Je n'ai pas compris ce qu'il a dit et je me suis inquiété de ce qu'il pouvait vouloir dire.

Fav song: Melody - Prise Complète VERY difficult vocals to listen to if you’re like me and have misophonia. Also quite the disturbing subject matter lyrically - but a concept album is just that, a concept (and I’d just finished listened to NIN, so talk about weird disturbing lyrics lmfao). BEAUTIFUL strings, guitar and drum work all over this album. And I love the deep cut Beck connections too.

I'll admit this was a difficult album to digest. For context, Serge Gainsbourg was a renowned French singer-songwriter known for provocative releases across numerous styles. He became the artist's favorite, and countless musicians consider him an influence—Beck, Pulp, R.E.M., Arctic Monkeys, Massive Attack, Portishead, and the list goes on. For this list of albums to listen to before you die, it does make sense to include at least one from this guy, especially if it is an album that has become one of the most critically acclaimed in French pop music. Also, to this album's credit, the style and production are top-notch. The avant-funk compositions where the rollicking guitar and complementing rhythm sections, complete with Serge and Jane Birkin's sultry hushed vocal deliveries made for such a delectable listen that transcends its time. Sonically, this album slaps, and it almost made me wish the runtime was longer than 28 minutes to continue further in this soundscape. I say almost because now we get to dive into the "fun" part of Histoire de Melody Nelson - the lyrical content... I had to check the English translation of these lyrics after reading the synopsis of this album's concept because it was shocking. This is the story of a man who nearly kills a teenage girl - the titular Melody Nelson - by hitting her with his car, is enamored with her to the point where he decides to take her virginity, and then said girl dies in a plane crash the next morning. The man can't accept what happened and proceeds to search for whatever remains of her body. The only saving grace for this kind of twisted tragic love story is that it is well-established that the male protagonist is a narcissist - he had no care for his reckless driving, he possessed an uncontrolled desire for this girl, and then later after she dies he compares his loss to that of the cargo cults of Melanesia as a self-centered justification to go off and find her remains. In that respect, Serge understood how to make a provocative piece that doesn't misconstrue what is considered morally acceptable. Though that does put this album at odds with the replayability - how willing is one to go through this story again knowing the circumstances and what's to come? I will say this - Histoire de Melody Nelson is an album that belongs on this list for its significance in the pantheon of French music and its large influence across the board. It does deserve to be listened through at least once to appreciate technically and understand the complex nature of its story. Whether you choose to keep coming back to this album is your decision. I don't see myself coming back anytime soon, but I can walk away and acknowledge its importance. Make of that what you will.

My French isn’t strong enough to know if this is a song about a Rolls Royce running over a 13 year old and then having sex with her (as one listener suggested) or if it is about a French fella having a glass of Burgundy sitting in front of a fire. Either way the music was good

walk about 2 feet away from the mic lil bro

Musically this is quite decent, nothing mind blowing but for 1971 it was probably quite fresh. The drummer performs some nice fills and that weird, off kilter thing he does on En Melody is interesting. I like the bass too, some fun, prominent bass parts and the tone is good too. The strings add a bit of variety and dynamism so I'll give it that as well My main issue is the spoken word vocals whispering right inside my ear. I don't mind them when he actually sings but when he's just talking it sounds like a French car advert. It's also pretty annoying hearing 'Melody Nelson' every minute or so. Like I mentioned, I liked the instrumental of En Melody quite a bit (the drumming and bass are great) but the laughing and squealing halfway nearly ruin it I see why people really like this but I can't rate it very highly because of the incredibly distracting vocals Highlights: En Melody

This might be the most uncomfortable I've ever felt listening to an album. Here we have the acclaimed 1971 album Histoire de Melody Nelson by French musician Serge Gainsbourg. This album is freaking weird. This is most obvious in the album's premise. See, this is a concept album. Okay. I like those. What's the concept? It's about a man who hits a 14 year old girl with his car and then falls in love with her before her eventual death. Okay. What the fuck? Of course, I'm not one to complain about a piece of media being batshit insane. As a JoJo fan, I don't think I'm allowed to do that, as that would make me a hypocrite. However, I can complain about the glorification of pedophilia, and I will. The writing in this album is kind of gross. I don't like it. And yes, I checked the translations from French to English. I'm not one of those people who gives albums low scores because they're not in English. No, I give albums low scores for having songs that imply statutory rape. My other main complaint with the album is that I don't like Serge's singing, if you can call it that. Well, you can call it that... in some songs. It's fine when he actually sings, however there are other moments when he's doing a spoken word type thing that makes me more uncomfortable. Of course, this album isn't entirely bad. There's a reason why this album is acclaimed and on this list. While I don't like the story, it's at least interesting, so it has that going for it. My main source of praise for this album has to be the instrumentation, which I actually really like. There's good variety between the songs, and the way the songs are composed adds to the progression of the story. I like that. So, overall, while this album kind of grosses me out, I can see good things here. Given the influence of the album, I can understand why this album is on the list. I just don't really like the album myself. Maybe I'm missing something. I don't know. But hey, at least the album's short. Still, given the positive elements here, I can't say I'm entirely upset to have listened to the album. Low 2/5.

It’s interesting enough to listen to, wish I could understand it, but the style carries most of its meaning.

12/10/24. Didn't know what to expect from this, and glad I was exposed to this artist! French pop avant-garde, each song I was curious what would be next. Really enjoyed it although it was brief.

weird but good

Nonce rock. I'm happy to separate art from artist but when the art itself is a celebration of noncery, it's not for me Clive

What the fuck

Omelette du fromage

I just had the weirdest dream that a Frenchman whispered nonsense in my ear over the soundtrack to the less exciting parts of a James Bond film for 30 minutes

Beautiful album, somewhat haunting at times too. Love the orchestra that plays throughout the album and the really funky guitar playing on En Melody. Gainsbourgs voice is beautiful too.

Very French. This is a fact and not a loaded statement. Sometimes, the man could have spoken less and the song would have been better.

## In-Depth Review of *Histoire De Melody Nelson* by Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg's *Histoire De Melody Nelson*, released in 1971, stands as a seminal work in the landscape of French music. This concept album is a daring exploration of themes such as desire, obsession, and the complexities of illicit love, all wrapped in a lush musical tapestry. The album's narrative follows a middle-aged man's infatuation with a young girl named Melody Nelson, echoing the controversial themes found in Nabokov's *Lolita*. This review delves into the album's lyrics, music, production, themes, and its lasting influence while also weighing its pros and cons. ### Lyrics The lyrics of *Histoire De Melody Nelson* are both provocative and poetic, showcasing Gainsbourg's mastery of language. The narrative unfolds through a series of vignettes that depict the narrator's obsession with Melody. The opening track, "Melody," introduces her character with an almost dreamlike quality: > "A little animal / That Melody Nelson / An adorable tomboy / And such a delightful child / Who I only knew for a moment." These lines set the tone for the album’s exploration of fleeting beauty and tragic desire. Gainsbourg's use of imagery is striking; he paints vivid scenes that oscillate between romantic and unsettling. In "L’hôtel Particulier," he describes a sordid hotel room where their relationship unfolds: > "If it’s available, say that you want room forty-four / They call it here the Cleopatra room..." This juxtaposition of lush descriptions against morally ambiguous actions creates a tension that permeates the entire album. Gainsbourg’s delivery—part spoken word, part singing—adds to the raw intimacy of the lyrics, allowing listeners to feel the weight of his words even if they do not understand French. ### Music Musically, *Histoire De Melody Nelson* is groundbreaking. The album features a blend of rock, funk, and orchestral arrangements that was innovative for its time. Collaborating with composer Jean-Claude Vannier, Gainsbourg crafted a sound that is both lush and minimalist. The prominent use of bass guitar by Herbie Flowers drives many tracks, providing a sensual groove that complements the lyrical content. The opening track "Melody" features a hypnotic bassline and sparse instrumentation that gradually builds tension. This is contrasted by "Cargo Culte," which closes the album with sweeping orchestral arrangements that evoke a sense of melancholy and reflection. The production is meticulous; every element—from the strings to the background vocals—serves to enhance the narrative and emotional depth of the songs. ### Production The production quality of *Histoire De Melody Nelson* is exceptional. Jean-Claude Vannier's arrangements are integral to the album’s success, blending elements from various genres to create a cohesive soundscape. Vannier’s orchestration elevates Gainsbourg’s provocative lyrics into something resembling high art rather than mere pop music. The album's short runtime (approximately 28 minutes) is another notable aspect; it delivers its narrative efficiently without overstaying its welcome. This brevity contributes to its impact, leaving listeners wanting more while also providing a complete story arc. ### Themes Thematically, *Histoire De Melody Nelson* grapples with complex issues surrounding desire and morality. The relationship between the narrator and Melody raises uncomfortable questions about age, consent, and obsession. Critics have noted that while Gainsbourg's portrayal can be seen as an exploration of forbidden love, it also risks romanticizing predatory behavior. The album’s exploration of innocence lost is poignant; it reflects on fleeting moments of beauty and desire against a backdrop of societal taboos. Gainsbourg himself described his work as surrealistic and fantastical, distancing it from reality while simultaneously engaging deeply with human emotions. ### Influence The influence of *Histoire De Melody Nelson* extends far beyond its initial release. It has been cited as an inspiration by numerous artists across genres—from Beck to Portishead—who have drawn on its innovative blend of orchestration and lyrical boldness. The album has been credited with laying groundwork for genres such as trip-hop and has influenced modern cinematic scoring. Critics have hailed it as one of the greatest French-language albums in history, often placing it alongside other masterpieces in popular music. Its unique sound continues to resonate with contemporary musicians who admire Gainsbourg’s fearless approach to songwriting. ### Pros and Cons **Pros:** - **Innovative Sound:** The combination of rock, funk, and orchestral elements creates a unique listening experience. - **Lyrical Depth:** Gainsbourg’s lyrics are rich in imagery and emotion, prompting deep reflection on complex themes. - **Cultural Impact:** The album has influenced countless artists and remains relevant in discussions about music history. **Cons:** - **Controversial Themes:** The subject matter may alienate some listeners due to its portrayal of an inappropriate relationship. - **Accessibility:** Non-French speakers may miss nuances in the lyrics without translations. - **Short Runtime:** While some appreciate its brevity, others may feel that it leaves too much unsaid. ### Conclusion Serge Gainsbourg's *Histoire De Melody Nelson* is an audacious work that challenges listeners both musically and thematically. Its blend of provocative lyrics and innovative sound has solidified its place in music history as a landmark album that continues to inspire artists today. While its controversial subject matter may provoke discomfort or criticism, there is no denying its artistic merit and lasting influence on popular music. This masterpiece invites listeners into a world where beauty and darkness coexist—a testament to Gainsbourg's genius as both a songwriter and provocateur.

Pretty boring. I have an open mind for European music but this wasn't in my q zone.

cela ressemblait à la bande originale d'un film pornographique des années 80. c'était un peu nouveau et pas trop long, donc c'était tolérable. marqué pour être pédophile

I am on a 109 day Duolingo streak, so I feel qualified to help translate some of the words in this album: vélo means bike content means happy cheveux rouges means red hair Gainsbourg means ephebophile If you ever needed the phrase 'Aimable petite conne' in referring to a 14 year old girl, then you should probably go to prison. Interesting music, and I did enjoy the french, but still - qui donne la chair de poule!

General impression: cool 70s frenchness Detailed review: I’m into it. The composition, minimalism, spoken-word vocals which I’m a sucker for in almost any situation, the tonality of the instruments, the whole concept, the influence it’s had on various musical genres and approaches. But I have to ding it for a few things. One, I’m not a prude about the subject matter but it’s the kind of story (older man falling for teenage girl because she makes him feel things again) that’s been played out in better, more interesting ways. Two, the mixing is god-awful. The vocals are way louder than the instruments. They need to be incorporated better. I kept wanting to turn up the volume to hear the music better but then his vocals were too loud. So yeah, that part sucks. If it was mixed better I’d give it a 4. Alas. Deeper thoughts (context): seriously, the impact this album had on so much of the 90s music I love is crazy. Score: 3 Number of albums left to review: 942 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 36 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 23

Instrumentally it's alright. I don't appreciate the spoken word and I'm uncomfortable dispite not understanding French.

No. And please, don’t do that again.

Take away the vocals and this would be a far better album. Some interesting instrumentals but can’t get the singing.

i love the sound of this album!!! i wonder what the lyrics are about

I listened to this on my work computer am I going to get fired? But also, "Melody" is incredible in its squirminess; song that goes just about everywhere and soars and evolves dramatically. And I never realised just how directly David Holmes ripped it off for "Don't Die Just Yet."

Très Français. Chilled.

Album 599 of 1001 Serge Gainsbourg -Histoire De Melody Nelson (1971) Rating : 2 / 5 The music was meh and I don't speak French, so it didn't really hit for me. Research found that this album is about a man hitting a 15 year old girl on her bike with his Rolls Royce, who he seduces and falls in love with. Those silly French.

This has a great feel to it. Five and a half minutes in when the instrumental started to build and then ebbed in not the vocals and a more somber and subdued background, I knew this was going to be a cool listen. Great example of why to listen to this list. I'll come back to this one. I listened to it three times and liked it more each time. Looking into what the lyrics are saying took a star off

The instrumentation is fine but the vocals are corny. The concept seems to be creepy also. I liked that this was a short album.

2/5. I dig the instrumentation but the deep, French voice throughout the album really throws me off and does not add anything positive. The album is short so it is not overbearing and I do want to enjoy the funk and rock vibes throughout, it's just not doing it for me all the way. I think language does not have to inhibit enjoyment of music but this time it does. Only not a 1 due to the music part of it. Best Song: En Melody, Cargo Culte, Ballade de Melody Nelson

Smooth, sexy and sensual! Rather enjoyed this! Could have done without the lassie doing her best dolphin impression on one of the tracks but other than that this was an excellent way to spend half an hour!

Probably the most pretentious, least enjoyable pile of absolute shit I've ever heard. Who the hell is this for besides music students who need to pretend that awful music is good to feel smart?

The music was good, but I really could have done without the French man simply speaking over the top of it.

The sexy 60‘s needed some sexy crooners like Serge. This should not be called chanson but parlons.

OH COME ON SERGE GAINSBOURG! Histoire De Melody Nelson would have been a good album with good background music which consisted of interesting guitar playing, some well done basslines and interesting orchestral elements but then you just had to ruin it by making the lyrical material about this 40 year old man falling in love and trying to seduce a 14-15 year old girl. Legit, everything about this subject matter is absolutely disgusting and just sours my taste of this album. The only thing saving this album from a full blown 1 star review is the fact that the lyrics are in French meaning i can't understand them. If the lyrics were in a language i could understand(English and some Spanish), then regardless of how good the music sounds, it would get a 1 but because they are not, this album is getting a 1.5 Best Song: En Melody Worst Song: L'Hotel particulier