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.
Je Te Cherche
Françoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
peut-être
ça me donne envie de vivre
peut-être
ça me fait déformer tout
peut-être
après tout je m'en fou
ça me fait déformer tout
et je te cherche partout
peut-être
dans ces jeux que l'on se joue
peut-être
est-ce toi? est-ce nous?
dans des mots et dans des gestes
je te cherche
je t'aime et je déteste
je te cherche
dans ces jeux où l'on se blesse
je te cherche
toi toujours, toi sans cesse
dans des nuits sans lendemain
je te cherche
je suis mal ou je suis bien
je te cherche
je ne trouve presque rien
je te cherche
toi jamais tu ne viens...
In Françoise Hardy's song Je Te Cherche, the lyrics express a feeling of uncertainty and longing for a person that is being looked for everywhere, in words and actions. The opening verses "Yes, maybe I'm drunk / Maybe / That makes me want to live / Maybe / That distorts everything / Maybe / After all, I don't care about it all" set the tone for the rest of the song: the singer is in a state of confusion and doesn't know where to find the object of their affection.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "I'm looking for you" in different contexts and emotions: in playful games that hurt, in love and hate, in nights without consequence, in states of wellness or illness. The person being searched for is always present in the singer's mind, but they never seem to find them. The lines "You never come" at the end of the song give the impression that the search is ongoing and may never be complete.
The lyrics in Je Te Cherche capture the desire to find someone and the anxiety of not knowing where they are, while also depicting the idea that the search itself may be fulfilling in some way.
Line by Line Meaning
oui peut-être je suis ivre
Yes, maybe I am drunk
peut-être ça me donne envie de vivre
Maybe it makes me want to live
peut-être ça me fait déformer tout
Maybe it distorts everything for me
après tout je m'en fou
After all, I don't care
ça me fait déformer tout peut-être
Maybe it distorts everything for me
et je te cherche partout
And I search for you everywhere
dans ces jeux que l'on se joue peut-être
In these games we play, maybe
est-ce toi? est-ce nous?
Is it you? Is it us?
dans des mots et dans des gestes je te cherche
In words and in gestures, I search for you
je t'aime et je déteste
I love you and I hate you
dans ces jeux où l'on se blesse je te cherche
In these games where we hurt each other, I search for you
toi toujours, toi sans cesse
You always, you constantly
dans des nuits sans lendemain je te cherche
In nights without a future, I search for you
je suis mal ou je suis bien je te cherche
Whether I am well or unwell, I search for you
je ne trouve presque rien je te cherche
I find almost nothing, I search for you
toi jamais tu ne viens...
You never come...
Contributed by Jordan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.