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 fais des puzzles
Françoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
un sourire de juillet
il me disait des mots tendres
en hiver comme en été
le soir, le soir, je fais des puzzles
le soir, le soir, je me sens bien seule
il avait des façons Londres
de me promettre Corfou
je le suivais n'importe où
le soir, le soir, je fais des puzzles
le soir, le soir, je me sens bien seule
quand j'avais les idées noires
il les peignait tout en bleu
de ce bleu un peu bizarre
que je trouvais dans ses yeux
le soir, le soir, je fais des puzzles
le soir, le soir, je me sens bien seule
il est parti en croisière
sans me dire où il allait
dans quelques années lumière
il m'a dit qu'il reviendrait
le soir, le soir, je fais des puzzles
le soir, le soir, je me sens bien seule
The song "Je fais des puzzles" by Françoise Hardy tells a story of a woman in love with a man who has left her to go on a cruise without telling her where he is going. The lyrics describe the man's charming personality, using comparisons to different seasons and locations, and how the woman would follow him anywhere. She also reflects on his ability to paint her dark thoughts in blue, which she found strange yet comforting. The chorus repeats the phrase "le soir, le soir, je fais des puzzles" which translates to "in the evening, in the evening, I do puzzles" indicating that the woman spends her nights alone, trying to piece together the fragments of her life without him.
The lyrics of this song evoke a sense of longing, loneliness, and lost love. The woman seems to have been deeply attached to the man who has left her behind, and her attempts to distract herself through puzzles may suggest a need to fill the void that he left. The description of the man's "bizarre" blue eyes also adds a surreal touch to the song, highlighting the emotional complexity of the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
il avait des yeux décembre
He had December eyes
un sourire de juillet
A smile of July
il me disait des mots tendres
He used to say tender words to me
en hiver comme en été
In winter as well as in summer
le soir, le soir, je fais des puzzles
In the evening, I do puzzles
le soir, le soir, je me sens bien seule
In the evening, I feel very lonely
il avait des façons Londres
He had London-like ways
de me promettre Corfou
Of promising me Corfu
mais au soleil ou à l'ombre
But in the sun or in the shade
je le suivais n'importe où
I followed him anywhere
quand j'avais les idées noires
When I had dark thoughts
il les peignait tout en bleu
He painted them all in blue
de ce bleu un peu bizarre
Of this somewhat weird blue
que je trouvais dans ses yeux
That I found in his eyes
il est parti en croisière
He left for a cruise
sans me dire où il allait
Without telling me where he was going
dans quelques années lumière
In a few light years
il m'a dit qu'il reviendrait
He told me he would come back
le soir, le soir, je fais des puzzles
In the evening, I do puzzles
le soir, le soir, je me sens bien seule
In the evening, I feel very lonely
Contributed by Caleb M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.