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.
Le Soir
Françoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
du soir calme
le parfum des fleurs
qui se fanent
se fond dans le vent
te grise doucement
et tu ne sais pas si tu t'ennuies
tu peux compter
tu peux écouter
la cigale
l'eau de la fontaine
à son chant se mêle
mais tu te demandes si tu t'ennuies
tu te balances entre tes rêves
tes habitudes et ta folie
tu voudrais savoir où s'achève
et où commence ta nostalgie
la nuit attend
tu reposes
l'odeur de l'encens
des lis, des roses
se fond dans le vent
te grise doucement
tu sais maintenent que tu t'ennuies
The lyrics to Françoise Hardy's "Le Soir" convey the melancholy and introspective feelings associated with the calmness of an evening. The scent of fading flowers, carried by the soft breeze, intoxicates the singer as she struggles with emotions she cannot quite decipher. She finds herself counting stars and listening to the sound of a cicada and a nearby fountain, but her mind remains unsettled as she tries to make sense of her own restlessness.
The chorus of the song speaks to the singer's internal conflict as she swings between her dreams, habits, and madness, searching for where her nostalgia begins and where it ends. As the night approaches, she continues to contemplate her emotions, feeling the scent of incense and flowers overwhelm her senses. Finally, she comes to the realization that she is, in fact, bored – as much as she may have tried to convince herself otherwise.
Overall, "Le Soir" is a beautifully introspective song that captures the complexities of emotions that often come with the quietness of our surroundings.
Line by Line Meaning
dans la tiédeur
In the warmth
du soir calme
Of the calm evening
le parfum des fleurs
The scent of the flowers
qui se fanent
That are wilting
se fond dans le vent
Blending into the wind
te grise doucement
Intoxicates you gently
et tu ne sais pas si tu t'ennuies
And you're not sure if you're bored
tu peux compter
You can count
les étoiles
The stars
tu peux écouter
You can listen
la cigale
To the cicada
l'eau de la fontaine
The water from the fountain
à son chant se mêle
Blending with its song
mais tu te demandes si tu t'ennuies
But you wonder if you're bored
tu te balances entre tes rêves
You sway between your dreams
tes habitudes et ta folie
Your habits and your madness
tu voudrais savoir où s'achève
You would like to know where it ends
et où commence ta nostalgie
And where your nostalgia begins
la nuit attend
The night awaits
tu reposes
You rest
l'odeur de l'encens
The scent of incense
des lis, des roses
Of lilies, of roses
se fond dans le vent
Blending into the wind
te grise doucement
Intoxicates you gently
tu sais maintenent que tu t'ennuies
You now know that you're bored
Contributed by Jordyn S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.