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.
However Much
Françoise Hardy Lyrics
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However much you say you love me now
I could be wrong and all you tell me could be true
But things are not the same with us somehow
However much you say, she wasn't meant to last
And I'm the only one that you adore
However much I know with her it ended fast
Oh, why did this change have to be?
Oh, why did you do this to me?
I was sure of your love
And suddenly you're a stranger to me
However much I know this happens everyday
And I'm a fool to go on thinking of
That short affair that you've forgotten yesterday
I'll always see your arms around another love
These lyrics are about a woman who is deeply hurt and confused by the changes in her lover's behavior towards her. She is grappling with the fact that even though he may say he loves her and that nothing has changed, she senses that something is different. She acknowledges the possibility that she could be wrong and that he may be telling the truth, but ultimately, she knows that their relationship is not the same as it once was. The lyrics convey a feeling of powerlessness and frustration, with the singer wondering why her lover has acted the way he has, and struggling to come to terms with the fact that their love is different now.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of longing and loss, with the singer lamenting that things have changed between her and her lover. She is unwilling to accept that their love has been tarnished by his affair with someone else, and is holding out hope that they can return to the way things were before. However, despite her efforts, she knows deep down that she will always see her lover with another woman and that this will forever change their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
However much you say that nothing's changed for you
No matter how much you insist that everything's the same for you
However much you say you love me now
No matter how much you declare your love to me at present
I could be wrong and all you tell me could be true
Maybe I'm mistaken and all that you're saying is accurate
But things are not the same with us somehow
But something's different between us in some way
However much you say, she wasn't meant to last
No matter how much you insist that your previous relationship was short-lived
And I'm the only one that you adore
And you claim that I'm the only one you truly love
However much I know with her it ended fast
Even though I know that your previous romance ended quickly
I know there's something lost for us forever more
I can't help but feel like something precious is gone forever between us
Oh, why did this change have to be?
Why did our situation have to change like this?
Oh, why did you do this to me?
Why did you have to hurt me like this?
I was sure of your love
I used to be absolutely certain of your love
And suddenly you're a stranger to me
But now you feel like a complete stranger to me
However much I know this happens everyday
Even though I understand that this happens to many people on a regular basis
And I'm a fool to go on thinking of
And I'm foolish for holding onto
That short affair that you've forgotten yesterday
Those brief moments you shared with someone else and seem to have put behind you already
I'll always see your arms around another love
I can't help but picture you holding someone else in your embrace
Contributed by Xavier K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.