Discover the story of the song > La Javanaise – Serge Gainsbourg

- La Javanaise is a French song written and composed by Serge Gainsbourg originally for Juliette Gréco, performed by herself and Serge Gainsbourg in 1963.
- The first recordings of the two artists are the B-sides of each of their singles.
- Serge Gainsbourg covered the song in a reggae version called Javanaise remake on his album Aux armes et caetera, released in 1979.
- The song was covered by Iggy Pop in 2012.
- The song was written in one night in 1962 and recorded in January 1963.
- The song is about a couple of lovers, the woman singing in broken French and the man answering her in broken Javanese.
- Juliette Gréco first performed the song in a Paris cabaret in 1963.
- Serge Gainsbourg said about the song: "This Javanaise, which has been so misunderstood because I speak Javanese in it, I wrote it for Juliette Gréco and I immediately gave it back to her from her trip to America (sic). I think I am a privileged author because she sang it for me and I don't think there is a single author worthy of the name or at least with some literary decency who has not wished to write for her. "
- Juliette Gréco said of the song, "It is above all a game, not a game of words, but a game with words that gives them a much stronger value and color.... "