Aside from its wonderful humour, the song itself bounced around in my head every time I saw the commercial air here in Canada. The beat, and its sort of slinky suggestiveness kept me thinking in the back of my head that I had heard it somewhere before. Returning to it after many years, I read in YouTube comments that the tune was based on a song by Serge Gainsbourg - and it all made sense. It's taken from a song called L'anamour.
Serge's louche presence as a cultural bad boy, his hooking up with Jane Birkin (yes, reader, that Birkin, the feminine eponym of the famous handbag), ever-present cigarette, and public drunkeness, endeared him to my heart. Back in the early 70s he had a big hit in Europe and French Canada called Je t'aime. Even as a ten year old I was pretty shocked by Birkin's orgasmic cooing. That opening bass riff, the sliding finger, uff love it. If you want to see him drunk and messy just type 'Gainsbourg Whitney Houston' into your browser and watch him proposition and paw poor 'Witley live on air. "Are you sure you're not drunk?" she asks, incredulous. I can bet he was an absolute PIG in bed. Oh my wonderful pig.
With Birkin. Trouser snake.
Toned-down Paul Mauriat version (whole album included here). Still wonderfully hummable ..
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