Les Sucettes
Encyclopedia
"Les Sucettes" is a French
pop song
written by Serge Gainsbourg
and recorded by France Gall
in 1966. One of Gall's biggest hits, it was an unusually risqué song for its time, but in performing it she was unaware of the fact.
"Les Sucettes" was, on the surface, a pleasant children's song about a girl who likes aniseed-flavoured lollipops. But Gainsbourg's lyric was full of playful double meanings referring to oral sex
, which Gall, aged 18, simply did not understand. She was filmed singing "Les Sucettes" for television programs, with actions and props playing on the sexual references. By Gall's account she did not realize until later why the filming attracted so many visitors to the set.
She was extremely upset upon finally learning the truth about the song's double meaning--"mortified, hiding herself away for weeks, refusing to face anyone". Gall said that she had sung Gainsbourg's songs "with an innocence of which I'm proud. I was pained to then learn that he had turned the situation to his advantage, mocking me." In a 2001 television interview, Gall said that she felt "betrayed by the adults around me."
Despite its commercial success, "Les Sucettes" led to the breakup of the successful partnership between Gainsbourg and Gall and caused Gall, throughout her later life, to turn her back on the Gainsbourg period and most of the songs he wrote for her, which included her Eurovision Song Contest 1965
hit, "Poupée de cire, poupée de son
".
Much of the song's appeal was due to the fact that it was sung, unknowingly, by a young innocent girl. Gainsbourg called it "the most daring song of the century" in an interview in the magazine Rock and Folk.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
pop song
Pop Song
Pop Song is the first single by the Drugs. It was released in 2000 and earned the Drugs some positive press. It has been described as "addictive". A live version was released on The Only Way Is Up...
written by Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
and recorded by France Gall
France Gall
France Gall is a popular French yé-yé singer.Gall was married to, and had a successful singing career in partnership with, French singer-songwriter Michel Berger....
in 1966. One of Gall's biggest hits, it was an unusually risqué song for its time, but in performing it she was unaware of the fact.
"Les Sucettes" was, on the surface, a pleasant children's song about a girl who likes aniseed-flavoured lollipops. But Gainsbourg's lyric was full of playful double meanings referring to oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
, which Gall, aged 18, simply did not understand. She was filmed singing "Les Sucettes" for television programs, with actions and props playing on the sexual references. By Gall's account she did not realize until later why the filming attracted so many visitors to the set.
She was extremely upset upon finally learning the truth about the song's double meaning--"mortified, hiding herself away for weeks, refusing to face anyone". Gall said that she had sung Gainsbourg's songs "with an innocence of which I'm proud. I was pained to then learn that he had turned the situation to his advantage, mocking me." In a 2001 television interview, Gall said that she felt "betrayed by the adults around me."
Despite its commercial success, "Les Sucettes" led to the breakup of the successful partnership between Gainsbourg and Gall and caused Gall, throughout her later life, to turn her back on the Gainsbourg period and most of the songs he wrote for her, which included her Eurovision Song Contest 1965
Eurovision Song Contest 1965
The Eurovision Song Contest 1965 was the 10th in the series. Luxembourg's win was their second. Belgium, Finland, Germany, and Spain each scored "null points" for the second time. The 1965 contest marked the debut of Ireland, a country which later went on to dominate the competition. This was also...
hit, "Poupée de cire, poupée de son
Poupée de cire, poupée de son
"Poupée de cire, poupée de son" was the winning entry in the Eurovision Song Contest of 1965. It was performed in French by French singer France Gall, representing Luxembourg....
".
Much of the song's appeal was due to the fact that it was sung, unknowingly, by a young innocent girl. Gainsbourg called it "the most daring song of the century" in an interview in the magazine Rock and Folk.
External links
- Les Sucettes at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Translation of the lyrics