Hardy signed her first contract with the record label Vogue in November 1961. In April 1962, shortly after finishing school, her first album, "Oh oh Chéri", appeared, with the title song written by Johnny Hallyday's writing duo. The flip side of the record, "Tous les garçons et les filles" became a huge success, which sold 2 million copies. She had long hair and usually wore jeans with a leather jacket, while accompanying her songs on the guitar.
She sang in English, Spanish, and German occasionally. In 1963, she represented Monaco in the Grand Prix d'Eurovision de la Chanson with "L'amour s'en va" and emerged in fifth place. In 1968, she received the Grand Prix du Disque Académie Charles Cros.
In 1981, she married her long-time companion Jacques Dutronc, with whom she had already had a son (Thomas Dutronc) in 1973. In May 2000, she had a comeback with the album "Clair Obscur". Her son played the guitar, and her husband sang the duet "Puisque vous partez en voyage". Iggy Pop and Etienne Daho participated, as well. She currently lives near Paris.
In 2006 she released a new duets album entitled "Parenthèses" which included a song with her son Thomas.
In 2021, Hardy announced that her health had worsened and that she would not be able to sing again owing to the effects of cancer therapy.
Arrêtons
Françoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Les conditions
Atmosphériques changent, je
Cherche à tâtons
Les bonnes et les mauvaises raisons
De ces étranges perturbations
Qui aggravent tout: inhibitions
J'ai beau tourner des tas de boutons
Toutes ces satanées stations
Font de la désinformation
Arrêtons
Je suis au bord de la dépression
Arrêtons
Météo: temps orageux
Sautes de tension
Jusqu'où va-t-on jouer ce jeu
De destruction
J'ai beau varier les positions:
Lotus, poirier, califourchon
J'ai beau baisser, monter le ton
Arrêtons
Je suis au bord de la dépression
J'ai perdu l'inspiration
Pas géniale de toute façon
Arrêtons
Météo: temps orageux
Situation
Plutôt critique d'un moi-je
Sans réction
Je dors pas bien, j'ai des boutons
Plus mal aux reins et ganglions
Ces va-et-vient sont plus de saison
Arrêtons
Le dit rien: ni oui, ni non
Suis-je au bord de l'exécution
Le doux objet de ma passion
Me donne bien peu satisfaction
Moi qui aime pas les papillons
Je suis au bord de la démission
Arrêtons
The lyrics to Françoise Hardy's song Arrêtons express the singer's frustration with the changing atmospheric conditions that she feels are affecting her emotions and wellbeing. She speaks of the "good and bad reasons" for these strange disturbances that exacerbate her inhibitions, confusions, and illusions. Despite her efforts to turn various knobs, she finds that the stations only provide misinformation, leading her to feel on the brink of depression.
The second verse continues in a similar vein, with references to stormy weather and power surges. The singer describes her attempts to change positions, including the lotus and handstand, but finds no relief. She speaks of losing inspiration and feeling inadequate, ultimately calling for an end to the destructive game. The final verse speaks of an internal struggle, with the singer feeling trapped in a self-centered mindset that leaves her restless and uncomfortable. She mentions physical symptoms like acne and back pain, lamenting that these fluctuations are out of season and calling for an end to the cycle. Overall, the song conveys a sense of helplessness in the face of overwhelming and unpredictable changes.
Line by Line Meaning
Météo: temps nuageux
The weather is cloudy, and it reflects the uncertainty and confusion I feel.
Les conditions
The circumstances in my life
Atmosphériques changent, je
are constantly changing and I find myself constantly adapting to them.
Cherche à tâtons
I'm feeling lost and uncertain, trying to navigate through the darkness.
Les bonnes et les mauvaises raisons
There are both good and bad reasons for the strange disruptions that I'm experiencing.
De ces étranges perturbations
These disruptions are unknown and unsettling.
Qui aggravent tout: inhibitions
They make everything worse: my inhibitions, my confusion, my delusions.
Confusions, illusions...
They are causing me to feel confused and delusional.
J'ai beau tourner des tas de boutons
I've tried everything to fix things.
Toutes ces satanées stations
All these blasted radio and TV stations
Font de la désinformation
Are giving me the wrong information.
Arrêtons
We need to stop listening to them.
Je suis au bord de la dépression
I am on the verge of depression.
Météo: temps orageux
The weather is stormy, reflecting the tension and danger I feel.
Sautes de tension
My mood is unstable and constantly changing.
Jusqu'où va-t-on jouer ce jeu
How far will we go in playing this destructive game?
De destruction
Of tearing ourselves apart.
J'ai beau varier les positions:
I've tried everything to change the situation:
Lotus, poirier, califourchon
meditation, upside-down yoga, even awkward positions
J'ai beau baisser, monter le ton
I've tried being quiet, being loud
Arrêtons
But we need to stop this destructive behavior.
Je suis au bord de la dépression
I am on the verge of depression.
J'ai perdu l'inspiration
I've lost my inspiration.
Pas géniale de toute façon
It wasn't that great to begin with.
Météo: temps orageux
The weather is stormy, reflecting the danger and instability I feel.
Situation
The situation in my life
Plutôt critique d'un moi-je
Is rather critical of my selfishness.
Sans réction
I don't know how to react to it.
Je dors pas bien, j'ai des boutons
I can't sleep, I'm breaking out in a rash.
Plus mal aux reins et ganglions
My back and lymph nodes hurt.
Ces va-et-vient sont plus de saison
This constant back-and-forth is not sustainable.
Arrêtons
We need to put an end to this.
Le dit rien: ni oui, ni non
I'm not saying anything, not yes or no.
Suis-je au bord de l'exécution
Am I about to be executed?
Le doux objet de ma passion
The sweet object of my affection
Me donne bien peu satisfaction
Brings me little satisfaction.
Moi qui aime pas les papillons
I, who don't even like butterflies
Je suis au bord de la démission
Am on the verge of quitting.
Arrêtons
We need to stop this before it's too late.
Contributed by Alice B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.