Editing Serge Gainsbourg (section)

===1957–1963: Early work as a pianist and chanson singer===
Gainsbourg was disillusioned with his school painting gig and instead moved on to working odd jobs playing the piano in bars, usually as a stand-in for his father.<ref name="Salon" /> He soon became the venue pianist at the drag cabaret club [[Madame Arthur]].<ref name="Coggle">{{cite web |title=Discovering Serge Gainsbourg's Paris |date=March 2018 |url=https://www.coggles.com/life/culture/discovering-serge-gainsbourgs-paris/ |publisher=[[Coggle]] |access-date=22 January 2021|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128034839/https://www.coggles.com/life/culture/discovering-serge-gainsbourgs-paris/ |archive-date=28 January 2021}}</ref> Whilst filling in a form to join the songwriting society [[SACEM]], Gainsbourg decided to change his first name to Serge. According to his future partner [[Jane Birkin]], "Lucien reminded him of a hairdresser's assistant."<ref name="vanityfair.com" /> He chose Gainsbourg as his last name, an homage to the English painter [[Thomas Gainsborough]], whom he admired.

Gainsbourg had a revelation when he saw [[Boris Vian]] performing at the Milord l'Arsouille club, whose provocative and humorous songs would influence Serge's own compositions.<ref>''L'Arc'' Journal (#90) special issue devoted to Boris Vian, 1984</ref> At the Milord l'Arsouille, Gainsbourg accompanied singer and club star [[Michèle Arnaud]] on the guitar.<ref name="RTL" /> In 1957, Arnaud and the club's director Francis Claude discovered Gainsbourg's compositions while visiting his home to see his paintings. The next day, Claude urged Gainsbourg to perform on stage on his own. Despite his stage fright, Gainsbourg performed his own repertoire, including "Le Poinçonneur des Lilas,"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rollet |first1=Thierry |title=Léo Ferré an artist's life |date=26 July 2018 |page=196}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Verlant |first1=Gilles |title=Gainsbourg |date=15 November 2000 |publisher=Albin Michel |pages=132 to 134}}</ref> which describes a day in the life of a [[Paris Métro]] ticket man, whose job is to validate passenger tickets by stamping holes in them. In the song, the job is described as so monotonous, that the ticket man eventually thinks of putting a hole through his head and being buried in another hole.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grabar |first1=Henry |date=12 April 2013 |title=Could Paris End Up With a Metro Station Named After Serge Gainsbourg? |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-04-12/could-paris-end-up-with-a-metro-station-named-after-serge-gainsbourg |publisher=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg CityLab]] |access-date=22 January 2021}}</ref> After the debut, Serge was given a steady performance segment at the club, where he was eventually spotted by talent agent [[Jacques Canetti]], who helped advance Gainsbourg's career with a regular performance segment at the Théâtre des Trois Baudets, as well as by touring.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kirkup |first1=James |title=Obituary: Jacques Canetti |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/obituary-jacques-canetti-5563624.html |website=[[The Independent]] |access-date=4 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504005907/https://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/obituary-jacques-canetti-5563624.html |archive-date=4 May 2021 |date=10 June 1997 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1958, Arnaud began recording several interpretations of Gainsbourg's songs.

His debut album, ''[[Du chant à la une !...]]'' (1958), was recorded in the summer of 1958, backed by arranger [[Alain Goraguer]] and his orchestra, beginning a fruitful collaboration. It was released in September, becoming a commercial and critical failure, despite winning the grand prize at [[Académie Charles Cros|L'Academie Charles Cross]] and the praise of Boris Vian, who compared him to [[Cole Porter]].<ref name="Encyclopedia.com">{{cite web |title=Serge Gainsbourg |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/serge-gainsbourg |publisher=[[Encyclopedia.com]] |access-date=4 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419135626/https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/serge-gainsbourg |archive-date=19 April 2021 |date=29 May 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> His next album, ''[[N° 2]]'' (1959), suffered a similar fate. He made his film debut in 1959 with a supporting role in the French-Italian co-production ''[[Come Dance with Me (1959 film)|Come Dance with Me]]'', starring his future lover [[Brigitte Bardot]].{{sfn|Simmons|2001|p=31}} In the following year, he featured as a Roman officer in the Italian [[sword-and-sandal]]s epic-film ''[[The Revolt of the Slaves]]''.<ref name="ActingRoles">{{cite web |last1=Morain |first1=Jean-Baptiste |title=Gainsbourg et le cinéma : je t'aime, moi non plus... |url=https://www.lesinrocks.com/musique/gainsbourg-et-le-cinema-je-taime-moi-non-plus-157608-22-02-2021/ |website=[[Les Inrockuptibles]] |access-date=3 June 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603223026/https://www.lesinrocks.com/musique/gainsbourg-et-le-cinema-je-taime-moi-non-plus-157608-22-02-2021/ |archive-date=3 June 2021 |date=23 February 2021}}</ref> He would continue playing "nasty characters" in similar productions, including ''[[Samson (1961 Italian film)|Samson]]'' (1961) and ''[[The Fury of Hercules]]'' (1962).{{sfn|Simmons|2001|p=34}} Gainsbourg's first commercial success came in 1960 with his single "L'Eau à la bouche", the title song from the [[L'eau a la bouche|film of the same name]], for which he had composed the score.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dale |first1=Paul |title=Five Great Serge Gainsbourg film soundtracks |url=https://www.list.co.uk/article/27331-five-great-serge-gainsbourg-film-soundtracks/ |website=[[The List (magazine)|The List]] |access-date=3 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308140051/https://www.list.co.uk/article/27331-five-great-serge-gainsbourg-film-soundtracks/ |archive-date=8 March 2021 |date=23 July 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[L'Étonnant Serge Gainsbourg]]'' (1961), his third LP, included what would become one of his best known songs from this period, "La Chanson de Prévert", which lifted lyrics from the [[Jacques Prévert]] poem "Les feuilles mortes".<ref name="10ofBest">{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Jeremy |date=15 January 2014 |title=10 of the best: Serge Gainsbourg |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/jan/15/10-of-the-best-serge-gainsbourg |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=22 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210401002645/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/jan/15/10-of-the-best-serge-gainsbourg |archive-date=1 April 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> After a night of drinking champagne and dancing with singer [[Juliette Gréco]], Gainsbourg went home and wrote "[[La Javanaise]]" for her.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Guyard |first1=Bertrand |date=24 September 2020 |title=Ne vous déplaise, Serge Gainsbourg a écrit La Javanaise pour Juliette Gréco |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/musique/ne-vous-deplaise-serge-gainsbourg-a-ecrit-la-javanaise-pour-juliette-greco-20200924 |website=[[Le Figaro]] |access-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126062120/https://www.lefigaro.fr/musique/ne-vous-deplaise-serge-gainsbourg-a-ecrit-la-javanaise-pour-juliette-greco-20200924 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> They would both release versions of the song in 1962, but it is Gainsbourg's rendition that has endured.<ref name="10ofBest" /> His fourth album, ''[[Serge Gainsbourg N° 4]]'' was released in 1962, incorporating Latin and rock and roll influences whilst his next, ''[[Gainsbourg Confidentiel]]'' (1963), featured a more minimalistic jazz approach, accompanied only by a double bass and electric guitar.<ref>{{cite web |title=Serge Gainsbourg No. 4 |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-4-mw0000739762 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=3 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="Spectrum">{{cite web |last1=Bromfield |first1=Daniel |title=Serge Gainsbourg: Gainsbourg Confidentiel |url=https://spectrumculture.com/2019/01/06/serge-gainsbourg-gainsbourg-confidentiel-review/ |website=Spectrum Culture |access-date=3 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603231714/https://spectrumculture.com/2019/01/06/serge-gainsbourg-gainsbourg-confidentiel-review/ |archive-date=3 June 2021 |date=6 January 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>