Thirty years after his death on March 2, 1991, Serge Gainsbourg still remains an essential reference in French song.

Europe 1 invites you to listen to five emblematic titles of "The man with the head of cabbage". 

It's a day to listen to Serge Gainsbourg.

This Tuesday March 2 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the death of "The man with the head of cabbage", essential singer of the French repertoire.

On this occasion, Europe 1 invites you to listen to five hits from its incredible catalog of songs, between jazz, pop, rock, funk and even rap.

1. The puncher of Lilacs

Le Poinçonneur des Lilas

 is the song that opens Serge Gainsbourg's very first album in 1958: 

Du Chant à la Une

.

At the time, he was 30 years old, the voice of a kid, and what is fantastic about this song is that it gives life to this gentleman who can no longer put holes in subway tickets. .

As we can see, we all have a mental image of the puncher.

Serge Gainsbourg sings for less than three minutes and we all have a film in our heads… Magic!

2. At the yé-yé

In 1963, the great Serge was still jazz and had not yet made his pop change.

But he didn't pout when he listened to the yé-yé.

He swung sternly, as they said in the cellars of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, while imploring a Lolita probably borrowed from Nabokov.

In short, the Gainsbourg-style yé-yé is 

hi buddies

... For those who love jazz!

A whole era, all of Europe 1, or almost, in one song.

3. Initials BB

Serge Gainsbourg is more touching when he lowers his arms in front of a woman.

BB, of course, is Brigitte Bardot, with whom he has formed a fascinating couple.

He's way too smart for her, but she's way too good-looking for him.

So she wins and when she leaves him, instead of taking revenge in a mocking song, Gainsbourg makes Bardot an icon.

And he's so afraid of not being good enough for her that he's going to draw the music 

 from Dvorak's

New World

Symphony, and some of the lyrics from Edgar Allan Poe. 

4. Requiem for a con

In 1968, for George Lautner's film, 

Le Pacha

, Serge Gainsbourg improvised himself as a rapper before his time by composing a requiem ... for an idiot.

On its release, the film in which Jean Gabin plays the title role and Serge Gainsbourg makes an appearance, does not go unnoticed, just like the

Requiem

, considered obscene.

It will even be banned from broadcasting on the radio.

5. SS In Uruguay 

Gainsbourg's supreme subversion is not the 500-franc note burnt on TV, but the album 

Rock around the bunker

, released thirty years after the end of the war.

At a time when many still do not dare to talk about the Nazis, Serge Gainsbourg sings them!

He who had worn the yellow star in 1942.