Histoire de Melody Nelson
Histoire de Melody Nelson ([is.twaʁ də me.lɔ.di nɛl.sɔn] "Story of Melody Nelson") is a 1971 concept album by French singer and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. Produced by Jean-Claude Desmarty, the album was released on March 24, 1971 through Philips Records. Its narrative follows an illicit romance which develops between the middle-aged narrator and fourteen-year-old girl Melody Nelson, portrayed on the album and its cover art by Gainsbourg's then-partner Jane Birkin.
Histoire de Melody Nelson
24 March 1971
21 April 1970 – 4 February 1971
Studio Marble Arch, London, England; Studio des Dames, Paris, France
27:57
French
Jean-Claude Desmarty
Histoire de Melody Nelson is considered by many critics and fans to be Gainsbourg's most influential and accomplished work, as well as one of the greatest French-language albums in popular music history.[3]
Release[edit]
After the release of the album, a music video was made for each song and released all together as Melody, a short musical.
On October 18, 2011, Mercury Records through Universal Music released the album with a second CD containing alternate takes of all seven tracks as well as instrumental and vocal versions of the excised track "Melody Lit Babar". A limited edition was also released that included a DVD which featured the original album remixed in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and a 40-minute documentary on the making of the album which includes interviews with Jane Birkin, Jean-Claude Vannier, and others. This release also includes a full-color booklet of liner notes in both French and English.