About two weeks ago, we already posted a live version of Zaz’s splendid Piaf cover Dans la rue here. Since she with the husky voice is a dedicated Gainsbourg aficionado as well, she also played a sparse, and highly intense manouche-style version of Serge’s Ces petits riens during the same gig, backed by bassist Mathieu Verlot and guitarist Guillaume Juhel. You will find this cover neither on her recent no. 1 album nor anywhere on the net. The song was recorded during an intimate live performance at MDR radio station, Halle, Germany, with an audience of ten (!) handpicked and damn lucky guests.
Ces petits riens, written in 1964, may not be among the most popular Gainsbourg chansons, but has been covered by several high-class artists. Serge’s own version, using a typewriter as rhythm instrument, is surely the coolest; he’s on the Deneuve version as well. Here’s both, along with a bunch of other adaptations, including Carla’s English language version … and Guuz might have a few other ones up his sleeve.
Serge Gainsbourg – Ces petits riens
Catherine Deneuve – Ces petits riens
Christiane Canavese – Ces petits riens
Pierre-Alain Goualch – Ces petits riens
Jane Birkin – Ces petits riens
Stacey Kent – Ces petits riens
Zizi Jeanmaire – Ces petits riens
Angélique Kidjo – Ces petits riens
Francoise Hardy – Ces petits riens
Carla Bruni – Those Little Things