Serge Gainsbourg N° 4 is the fourth studio album by French musician and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. It was released in 1962 by the label Philips. The album was a big shift from his earlier works as he began to move away from the cabaret and jazzy style that marked his initial music. Instead, Gainsbourg ventured into a more orchestral pop sound, a transition which was quite groundbreaking at the time.
This collection had a 17-piece orchestral arrangement by Alain Goraguer, one of his regular collaborators, and consisted of ten tracks. In comparison to his previous releases, N° 4 demonstrated more consistency in style and mood. Consequently, this allowed Gainsbourg to explore mature themes, complex melodies, and sophisticated orchestral arrangements.
The album includes some of Gainsbourg's notable tracks, like "La Javanaise" and "La Femme Des Uns Sous Le Corps Des Autres", which became classics in the French pop music repertoire. Though it was not a huge commercial success when it first came out, N° 4 stands as an important album in Gainsbourg's discography, as it marked a significant turning point in his musical evolution.
The tracks cover a range of topics from love and tales of daily life to biting social commentaries. Gainsbourg's incisive lyrics, combined with the fresh and innovative sound, make N° 4 an influential work in the French music sphere. It set the stage for the diversity, audacity, and creativity that would characterize Serge Gainsbourg's future career.
