Je t’aime Moi Non Plus Lyrics in French ( With English Translation)

Are you curious what Je t’aime Moi Non Plus lyrics in French actually means and what’s the English translation of the song?

This song is one of the best French songs of all time and considered one of the best works of Serge Gainsbourg.

RELATED READ: 24 Famous French Songs That You Must Listen To

Je t’aime Moi Non Plus Lyrics in French ( With English Translation)

About the song

One of the most controversial and undeniably famous French songs, “Je t’aime… moi non plus” (translated as “I love you… I don’t love you”) was written by Serge Gainsbourg specifically for his then-girlfriend Brigitte Bardot.

He composed “Je t’aime” and “Bonnie and Clyde” in response to her plea for the most beautiful love song he could think of at the time.

They recorded it in late 1967, within two hours in a tiny glass booth at a Paris recording studio, with arranger and conductor Michel Colombier.

However, the media along with Gunter Sachs, Bardot’s husband, discovered the recording. He got angry and demanded that the single be taken down. Bardot asked Gainsbourg not to release their recording anymore.

A few tears after, Gainsbourg and English actress Jane Birkin began dating after meeting on the set of “Slogan”. He asked her to join him in recording a song when they were done shooting.

Birkin listened to the  Bardot version and thought that it was “extremely sensual.” She explained that she agreed to sing the song since she didn’t want anyone else to.

The single was released in the early part of 1969. The simple phrase “Interdit aux moins de 21 ans” (forbidden to those under 21) adorned the single’s cover. The record label was Philips, but the company decided to change to Fontana, its subsidiary.

Despite being banned in several countries due to its overtly sexual content, the duet was the first song sung in a language other than English to reach number one in the United Kingdom and number two in Ireland.

By October of 1969, the single had sold three million copies across Europe. Around 4 million copies had been sold by 1986. Even in the States, it made the top 100, peaking at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Mercury Records, the label responsible for distributing the song in the US, received criticism that the content was “obscene.”

This resulted in the song getting minimal attention and ultimately only selling about 150,000 copies in the US. Still, six million copies of “Je t’aime… moi non plus” had been sold around the world by 1996.

Several groups, including the Hollywood 101 Strings Orchestra, have recorded versions of the disputed duet. Aside from the covers, a good number of songs have sampled “Je t’aime.” These include “A Fair Affair (Je T’Aime)” by Misty O3ldland, “Guitar Song” by Texas, and Kylie Minogue’s “Money Can’t Buy” performance at London’s Hammersmith Apollo in 2003.

Je t’aime Moi Non Plus French Lyrics

Je t’aime, je t’aime
Oh oui, je t’aime
Moi non plus
Oh, mon amour
Comme la vague irrésolue
Je vais, je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Et je me retiens

Je t’aime, je t’aime
Oh oui, je t’aime
Moi non plus
Oh, mon amour
Tu es la vague, moi l’île nue
Tu vas, tu vas et tu viens
Entre mes reins
Tu vas et tu viens
Entre mes reins
Et je te rejoins

Je t’aime, je t’aime
Oh oui, je t’aime
Moi non plus
Oh, mon amour
Comme la vague irrésolue
Je vais, je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Et je me retiens

Tu vas, tu vas et tu viens
Entre mes reins
Tu vas et tu viens
Entre mes reins
Et je te rejoins
Je t’aime, je t’aime
Oh oui, je t’aime
Moi non plus

Oh, mon amour
L’amour physique est sans issue
Je vais, je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Je vais et je viens
Je me retiens
Non, maintenant
Viens

Check out the video here.

Je t’aime Moi Non Plus English Lyrics and Translation

I love you, I love you
Oh, yes I love you!
No longer me
Oh, my love…
Like the undecided wave
I go, I go and I come
Between your back
I go and I come
Between your back
And I hold back.

I love you, I love you
Oh, yes I love you!
no longer me
Oh, my love…
You are the wave, I’m the naked island
You go, you go and you come
Between my back
You go and you come
Between my back
And I rejoin you.

I love you, I love you
Oh, yes I love you!
no longer me
Oh, my love…
Like the undecided wave
I go, I go and I come
Between your back
I go and I come
Between your back
And I hold back.

You go, you go and you come
Between my back
You go and you come
Between my back
And I rejoin you.

I love you, I love you
Oh, yes I love you!
No longer me
Oh, my love…
The physical love is without a way out
I go, I go and I come
Between your back
I go and I come back
And I hold back
No! Now come!