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'heure Bleue
Françoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
on l'appelle l'heure bleue
où tout devient plus beau, plus doux, plus lumineux
c'et comme un voile de rêve
qu'elle mettrait devant les yeux
cette heure bien trop brève
et qui s'appelle l'heure bleue
c'est une heure incertaine, c'est une heure entre deux
je n'aime pas bien le jour:
le jour s'évanouit peu à peu
la nuit attend son tour
cela s'appelle l'heure bleue
le jour t'avait pris
et tu te promènes
dans le soir de Paris
l'heure bleue te ramène
c'est l'heure de l'attente quand on est amoureux
attendre celui qu'on aime, il n y a rien de mieux
quand on sait qu'il va venir
c'est le moment le plus heureux
et laissez-moi vous dire
que ça s'appelle l'heure bleue
oui laissez-moi vous dire
comme j'aime l'heure bleue
The song "L'heure Bleue" by Françoise Hardy is a beautiful tribute to the magical time between day and night known as the "blue hour." The singer expresses her fondness for this hour, which she describes as making everything more beautiful, softer, and more luminous. She sees it as a dreamlike veil that falls over her eyes, enhancing her perceptions of the world. Although she feels that this hour is too brief, she cherishes it for its uncertainty and its position between day and night.
The lyrics suggest that the blue hour is a transitional time, when the sky is not quite gray even when it's raining. The singer prefers it to the day or the night, which fade away or arrive respectively. For her, the blue hour is a time of waiting, especially when one is in love. The anticipation of meeting a loved one during this hour is the happiest moment one can experience. The song evokes a romantic atmosphere, enhanced by the reference to Paris, a city famous for its romantic charm.
Line by Line Meaning
c'est l'heure que je préfère,
This is the time that I prefer,
on l'appelle l'heure bleue
It is called the blue hour
où tout devient plus beau, plus doux, plus lumineux
Where everything becomes more beautiful, sweet and bright
c'et comme un voile de rêve
It's like a veil of dream
qu'elle mettrait devant les yeux
That she would put in front of the eyes
cette heure bien trop brève
This hour is too short
et qui s'appelle l'heure bleue
And it's called the blue hour
c'est une heure incertaine, c'est une heure entre deux
It's an uncertain time, a time in between
où le ciel n'est pas gris même quand le ciel pleut
Where the sky is not gray even when it rains
je n'aime pas bien le jour:
I don't really like the day
le jour s'évanouit peu à peu
The day fades away little by little
la nuit attend son tour
The night is waiting for its turn
cela s'appelle l'heure bleue
That's when we have the blue hour
le jour t'avait pris
The day had taken you
et tu te promènes
And you are walking
dans le soir de Paris
In the evening of Paris
l'heure bleue te ramène
The blue hour brings you back
c'est l'heure de l'attente quand on est amoureux
It's the time of waiting when you're in love
attendre celui qu'on aime, il n y a rien de mieux
Waiting for the one you love, there is nothing better
quand on sait qu'il va venir
When you know that he is going to come
c'est le moment le plus heureux
It's the happiest moment
et laissez-moi vous dire
And let me tell you
que ça s'appelle l'heure bleue
That's what we call the blue hour
oui laissez-moi vous dire
Yes, let me tell you
comme j'aime l'heure bleue
How much I love the blue hour
Contributed by Leo G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.