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.
L'éclairage
Françoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
J'enfile ma paire de vieux blue jeans
Quand je me brosse les dents
La glace renvoie ma bonne mine
Je me pince un peu les joues
Ça manque de vitamines
L'éclairage est en d'ssous d'tout
Faudrait le changer
Je fais le lit succinctement
Et un litre de thé de Chine
Que je vais boire bien brûlant
Sucré à la saccharine
Je regarde le paysage
Toujours couleur naphtaline
Décidément l'éclairage
Faudrait le changer
In Françoise Hardy's song "L'éclairage," she describes the mundane and uneventful morning routine of the singer. The first stanza depicts the singer getting ready for the day, from struggling to get out of bed to putting on a pair of old jeans. As she brushes her teeth, she takes note of her appearance in the mirror, and realizes that she needs more vitamins to look healthier. She then observes that the lighting in the room is inadequate and needs to be changed.
In the second stanza, the singer makes her bed and prepares a cup of hot tea, which she sweetens with saccharine. As she looks at the landscape outside, she notes that everything appears dull and lifeless, like it's been painted with naphthalene. Once again, she mentions the poor lighting in the room and points out that it really should be changed.
Overall, the song captures a sense of monotony and dissatisfaction with the singer's daily routine. The repeated reference to the lighting being inadequate could symbolically represent her desire for change and a brighter, more invigorating life.
Line by Line Meaning
Je me lève péniblement
I wake up with difficulty
J'enfile ma paire de vieux blue jeans
I put on my old blue jeans
Quand je me brosse les dents
When I brush my teeth
La glace renvoie ma bonne mine
The mirror reflects my good complexion
Je me pince un peu les joues
I pinch my cheeks a little
Ça manque de vitamines
It lacks vitamins
L'éclairage est en d'ssous d'tout
The lighting is below everything
Faudrait le changer
It should be changed
Je fais le lit succinctement
I make the bed briefly
Et un litre de thé de Chine
And a liter of Chinese tea
Que je vais boire bien brûlant
That I will drink very hot
Sucré à la saccharine
Sweetened with saccharine
Je regarde le paysage
I look at the landscape
Toujours couleur naphtaline
Always the color of naphthalene
Décidément l'éclairage
Clearly the lighting
Faudrait le changer
Should be changed
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Francoise Hardy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind