Lemon Incest

Composition

The song's name twists the French phrase un zeste de citron, which translates to lemon zest. Serge penned the words, which depict an incestuous bond between him and his daughter; Charlotte delivers the line, "The love we will never make together is the most beautiful, the most violent, the purest." The tune comes from Chopin's Étude Op. 10, No. 3 in E major. Critics have characterized Charlotte's singing as "wobbly," "shrill," "breathy," and a "cracking whisper." The arrangement includes a disco beat, synthesizers, keyboards, and a backing chorus that repeats the title.

Music video and controversy

In the video, Serge appears shirtless in jeans while Charlotte wears a blue dress shirt and panties; they recline side by side on a large white double bed. Serge touches Charlotte as cracked rocks and smoke surround them. French audiences heavily criticized the clip for supposedly making pedophilia and incest look appealing, a charge Serge rejected. Charlotte later insisted the song wasn't about incest, explaining it dealt with "the infinite love of a father for his daughter." The Guardian described it as "one of the biggest scandals of [Serge] Gainsbourg's career."

Sylvie Simmons's biography gave the video a "10 on the scandalometer." The New York Times remarked it "nearly outdid the scandal caused by her parents' explicit duet, 'Je t'aime... moi non plus.'" The Telegraph ranked it among the most controversial music videos ever. Charlotte, then a student at a Swiss boarding school, didn't know about the uproar at the time. As an adult, she called both the song and her bond with Serge "very innocent" and "very pure," though she said of the video, "But that video—ack."

Her mother, Jane Birkin, labeled the song "a bit dodgy" but added it "never came as a shock" given Serge's deep affection for Charlotte.

Critical reception

: Later assessments have leaned negative. James Wignall of The Guardian admitted he "actually quite like[d]" the track and found its words "quite benign." Alison Nastasi of Flavorwire deemed it "pretty damn catchy" yet "totally bizarre." Thom Jurek of AllMusic called it "one of a kind," "sick, cheap, and somehow strangely compelling," but musically "nothing special."

Liza Lentini of Spin praised Charlotte's "beautiful" voice but said the subject "never, ever sat quite right." Derrick Clifton of Mic labeled it "perhaps one of the most disturbing songs and music videos ever recorded," viewing it as an example of "rape culture." Clash and Vice both used the word "creepy." The Village Voice noted it "provoke[s] a certain unease," while The Forward called it "salacious," "bizarre," and "icky." VH1 included it on a list of the creepiest father-daughter duets. The Financial Times compared it to "Je t'aime... moi non plus," observing that Charlotte "disturbingly reprised the erotic role her mother played."

Legacy and aftermath

The Oregonian referred to "Lemon Incest" as Charlotte's only hit. A short excerpt appeared on Serge's live album Gainsbourg Live, where he cuts off the song to inform the crowd, "Charlotte has to go to school tomorrow, she has homework to do." Two years later, Serge directed the film Charlotte for Ever, starring himself as a screenwriter who develops a sexual attraction to his daughter, played by Charlotte. The controversy flared again when Serge kissed Charlotte on the lips after she won the César Award for Most Promising Actress in 1986.

Serge produced Charlotte's debut album, which featured two more duets; on the title track she sings, "Daddy, daddy, I'm afraid to taste your flavor." Charlotte took a break from music for more than ten years, putting out her second album in 2006. As of 2019, she often ends her concerts with a rendition of "Lemon Incest." The song appeared in the 2009 film Genova and was covered by Alex Beaupain in 2021.