Brigitte Bardot often referred to by her initials B.B., is a French animal rights activist and former actress, singer, and model. Famous for portraying sexually emancipated characters, often with hedonistic lifestyles, she was one of the best known sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s. She had acted in 47 films, performed in several musicals, and recorded more than 60 songs. Although she withdrew from the entertainment industry in 1973, she remains a major popular culture icon.
She was the subject of philosopher Simone de Beauvoir’s 1959 essay The Lolita Syndrome, which described her as a “locomotive of women’s history” and built upon existentialist themes to declare her the first and most liberated woman of post-war France. She was awarded the Legion of Honour in 1985. After retiring, she became an animal rights activist and created the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. She is known for her strong personality, outspokenness, and speeches on animal defence; she has been fined twice for public insults.
She participated in several musical shows and recorded many popular songs in the 1960s and 1970s, mostly in collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg, Bob Zagury and Sacha Distel, including “Harley Davidson”; “Je Me Donne À Qui Me Plaît”; “Bubble gum”; “Contact”; “Je Reviendrai Toujours Vers Toi”; “L’Appareil À Sous”; “La Madrague”; “On Déménage”; “Sidonie”; “Tu Veux, Ou Tu Veux Pas?”; “Le Soleil De Ma Vie” (a cover of Steve Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”).
She recorded “Je t’aime… moi non-plus” with Gainsbourg. After the recording Bardot pleaded with Gainsbourg not to release this duet and he complied with her wish; the following year, he re-recorded a version with British-born model and actress Jane Birkin that became a massive hit all over Europe. The version with Bardot was issued in 1986 and became a download hit in 2006 when Univeral Music made its back catalogue available to purchase online, with this version of the song ranking as the third most popular download.
