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.
Laisse Moi Rêver
Françoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qui filtre
À travers les cils
Je me sens mal
Verdict:
Le coeur trop fragile
Ne plus trembler
Regard bleu pâle
Qui teste
Intense, immobile
Pression brutale
Du geste
Audacieux, habile
Ne plus jouer
Mais se laisser séduire
N'être plus que désir
Et objet
Se laisser, se laisser aimer
Le laisser, le laisser m'aimer
Laisse-moi, laisse-moi rêver
Douceur spéciale
Du grain
De peau sous les doigts
Moment crucial
Comme un
Éclair qui foudroie
Ne plus parler
Issue fatale
Déjà
Je vole en éclats
Ne plus penser
Brûler du même désir
Se fondre et s'évanouir
En fumée
Se laisser, se laisser aimer
Le laisser, le laisser m'aimer
Laisse-moi, laisse-moi rêver
In Françoise Hardy's song "Laisse Moi Rêver," the lyrics center around the desire to be loved and succumb to passion. The opening lines describe a pale blue gaze that filters through the eyelashes, making the singer feel unwell due to her fragile heart. She commands herself to stop trembling and not play games with love. The lines "But to let myself be seduced / To be just desire / And object / To let myself, let myself be loved / Leave me, leave me dreaming” highlight the importance of allowing oneself to be vulnerable and open to love.
The song then progresses to describe a specific moment of physical touch, where the grain of skin under the fingers is a special sweetness. The singer acknowledges that this moment is crucial, like a sudden lightning strike. She implores herself not to speak or think, for fear of ruining the moment or letting it escape. Rather, she wants to burn with desire and disappear into smoke. The final lines repeat the refrain of letting herself be loved and left to dream.
Line by Line Meaning
Regard bleu pâle
Qui filtre
À travers les cils
Je me sens mal
Verdict:
Le coeur trop fragile
With a pale blue gaze
That filters
Through the lashes
I feel unwell
Diagnosis:
A fragile heart
Ne plus trembler
No longer trembling
Regard bleu pâle
Qui teste
Intense, immobile
Pression brutale
Du geste
Audacieux, habile
With a pale blue gaze
That tests
Intense, immobile
Brutal pressure
From the gesture
Audacious, skillful
Ne plus jouer
No longer playing
Mais se laisser séduire
N'être plus que désir
Et objet
But to let oneself be seduced
To be nothing more than desire
And object
Se laisser, se laisser aimer
Le laisser, le laisser m'aimer
Laisse-moi, laisse-moi rêver
To let oneself be loved
To let him love me
Let me, let me dream
Douceur spéciale
Du grain
De peau sous les doigts
Moment crucial
Comme un
Éclair qui foudroie
Special sweetness
Of the skin's texture
Under the fingers
Critical moment
Like a
Lightning strike
Ne plus parler
No longer speaking
Issue fatale
Déjà
Je vole en éclats
Fatal outcome
Already
I am falling apart
Ne plus penser
No longer thinking
Brûler du même désir
Se fondre et s'évanouir
En fumée
Burning with the same desire
Merging and evaporating
In smoke
Se laisser, se laisser aimer
Le laisser, le laisser m'aimer
Laisse-moi, laisse-moi rêver
To let oneself be loved
To let him love me
Let me, let me dream
Contributed by Oliver T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.