Vu de l'extérieur

1973 studio album by Serge Gainsbourg

Vu de l'extérieur

Studio album by

Serge Gainsbourg

Released

November 16, 1973 (1973-11-16)

Recorded

March–May 1973

Studio

Phonogram Studios, London, United Kingdom^[1]

Genre

Rock, pop

Length

28:29

Label

Philips

Producer

Peter Olliff

Serge Gainsbourg chronology

Histoire de Melody Nelson
(1971)

Vu de l'extérieur
(1973)

Rock Around the Bunker
(1975)

Vu de l'extérieur is a studio album by French musician Serge Gainsbourg, released in 1973.

Overview

1971's Histoire de Melody Nelson, a first-person concept album depicting the meeting and eventual seduction of doomed English teenager Melody Nelson, was Gainsbourg's first major success in the LP market and helped form his reputation as a controversial figure. Not one to shy away from controversy, Gainsbourg had formed the nucleus of what would become Vu de l'extérieur when he suffered a heart attack at the age of 45. By the time he was back to health, he resumed composing the songs for the new album, among them one of his biggest hits, "Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais".

While not quite a concept album, especially when compared to other Gainsbourg albums such as Histoire de Melody Nelson, Rock Around the Bunker and L'Homme à tête de chou, certain thematic elements–such as scatology and childishness–do run through the album.^[2]

The album sold approximately 20,000 copies upon release in France.^[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Serge Gainsbourg

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais"	3:23
2.	"Vu de l'extérieur"	3:40
3.	"Panpan cucul"	2:41
4.	"Par hasard et pas rasé"	2:28
5.	"Des vents des pets des poums"	2:55
6.	"Titicaca"	2:57
7.	"Pamela Popo"	2:24
8.	"La poupée qui fait"	3:01
9.	"L'Hippopodame"	1:45
10.	"Sensuelle et sans suite"	3:01

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Serge Gainsbourg – arrangement
Alan Parker – acoustic guitar
Judd Proctor – acoustic guitar
Brian Odgers – bass guitar
David Richmond – bass guitar
Dougie Wright – drums
Alan Parker – lead guitar
Alan Hawkshaw – keyboards, electric piano, organ
Chris Karan – percussion

References

^ "Site d'Universal Music consacré à Serge Gainsbourg Biographie de 1972 à 1978. Retrieved on 2010-07-02". Sergegainsbourg.artistes.universalmusic.fr. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
^ Thompson, Dave. Vu de l'extérieur at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
^ "Site officiel de Serge Gainsbourg - Universal Music". Sergegainsbourg.artistes.universalmusic.fr. Archived from the original on 2005-01-09. Retrieved 2011-09-02.