Song of the Day: "The Songs That We Sing," Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Gainsbourg's cool credentials are impeccable. Not only is she the daughter of legendary French pop musicians Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, but the 35-year-old has acted in films like Michel Gondry's "The Science of Sleep" and Alejandro González Iñárritu's "21 Grams." Today's song comes from "5:55," Gainsbourg's first release since 1985's ickily titled "Lemon Incest" -- recorded when she was all of 13 years old. Thankfully, there's nothing off-putting about "The Songs That We Sing," carried as it is by a rolling piano-and-bells riff and Gainsbourg's relaxed, breathy voice. Normally, I don't go for lyrics as self-reflexive as the ones in this song ("All the songs that I sing/ Do they mean anything/ To the people I'm singing them to/ People like you"), but Gainsbourg manages to get away with it. It helps to be glamorous sometimes.
-- David Marchese
The Song of the Day is also available as a podcast. (Subscribe: iTunes or RSS)
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Audiofile logo by: Aris Blevins
