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.
Des ronds dans l'eau
Françoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tout au bord d'un ruisseau
Tu vécus de ces bruits
Qui courent dans les roseaux
Qui montent des chemins
Que filtrent les taillis
Les ailes du moulin
Les cloches de midi
La chanson d'un oiseau
Tu prenais du plaisir
A faire des ronds dans l'eau
Aujourd'hui tu ballottes
Dans des eaux moins tranquilles
Tu t'acharnes et tu flottes
Mais l'amour, où est-il ?
L'ambition a des lois
L'ambition est un culte
Tu voudrais que ta voix
Domine le tumulte
Tu voudrais que l'on t'aime
Un peu comme un héros
Mais qui saurait quand même
Faire des ronds dans l'eau
S'il y a tous ces témoins
Que tu veux dans ton dos
Dis-toi qu'ils pourraient bien
Devant tes ronds dans l'eau
Te prendre pour l'idiot
L'idiot de ton village
Qui lui est resté là
Pour faire des ronds dans l'eau
Pour faire des ronds dans l'eau
The song "Des ronds dans l'eau" by Françoise Hardy tells the story of a person who started their life by a stream and found joy in the simple pleasures of listening to the sounds of nature and making ripples in the water. However, as they grew older, they became more ambitious and sought-after love and success, leading them to become caught up in the chaos of life, and losing touch with their earlier, more peaceful existence.
The first verse of the song sets the scene, describing the idyllic childhood of the singer by the stream. They found pleasure in the sounds of the natural world, such as the wings of the windmill and the bells ringing at noon, and spent their time making ripples in the water. This imagery of circles expanding in the water becomes a metaphor for the simplicity and joy of life.
The second verse contrasts the singer's earlier existence with their current struggles. They now find themselves tossed around in turbulent waters, trying to achieve their ambitions and find love, but unable to. The repetition of the phrase "making circles in the water" emphasizes the contrast between their current life and their previous peaceful existence, and suggests that the simplicity they once enjoyed would be a refuge in the frantic world they now find themselves in.
Overall, "Des ronds dans l'eau" is a wistful reflection on the simplicity and beauty of life before the pressures of achieving success and finding love dominate. The song encourages listeners to cherish the small moments of joy and to find peace in the beauty of nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Tu commenças ta vie
You began your life
Tout au bord d'un ruisseau
Right beside a stream
Tu vécus de ces bruits
You lived off of the sounds
Qui courent dans les roseaux
That rustle through the reeds
Qui montent des chemins
That rise from the paths
Que filtrent les taillis
Filtered by the thickets
Les ailes du moulin
The wings of the mill
Les cloches de midi
The bells at noon
Soulignant d'un sourire
Emphasizing with a smile
La chanson d'un oiseau
The song of a bird
Tu prenais du plaisir
You found pleasure
A faire des ronds dans l'eau
In making circles in the water
Aujourd'hui tu ballottes
Today you are tossed
Dans des eaux moins tranquilles
In less peaceful waters
Tu t'acharnes et tu flottes
You struggle and you float
Mais l'amour, où est-il ?
But where is love?
L'ambition a des lois
Ambition has its own rules
L'ambition est un culte
Ambition is a cult
Tu voudrais que ta voix
You wish your voice
Domine le tumulte
Dominates the chaos
Tu voudrais que l'on t'aime
You want to be loved
Un peu comme un héros
Like a hero
Mais qui saurait quand même
But who would still
Faire des ronds dans l'eau
Make circles in the water
S'il y a tous ces témoins
If there are all these witnesses
Que tu veux dans ton dos
That you want behind your back
Dis-toi qu'ils pourraient bien
Just know they could easily
Devant tes ronds dans l'eau
View you as stupid
Te prendre pour l'idiot
As the village idiot
L'idiot de ton village
The idiot of your village
Qui lui est resté là
Who stayed there
Pour faire des ronds dans l'eau
To make circles in the water
Contributed by Makayla T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.