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.
Les Madeleines
Françoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Il sent déjà le lait le caramel
Mais s'il prend les vessies pour des lanternes
Il sera saigné très vite aux quatre veines
Doucement
Gentiment
Comme un enfant
Boit-il du jus d'orange
Ou fume-t-il des mélanges
Qui lui font voir la mer
En plein désert?
Quand il s'en va chérir sa Madeleine
Quand je le vois courir à perdre haleine
Ouvrir ses bras charmants à la vilaine
Qui cassera ses dents de porcelaine
Nez au vent,
En rêvant
Comme un enfant
Innocent
A quinze pieds du sol
Il pare d'une auréole
Les guêpes pas du tout folles
Qu'il trouve en solde
Quand il s'en va chercher sa Madeleine
Je me mets à pleurer comme une madeleine
Il connaît pas vraiment les stratagèmes
Qui datent pourtant d'avant Mathusalem...
Et il s'en va croquer sa madeleine
Puisqu'il la croit dorée sucrée au miel
Et les gens rient de lui comme des baleines
But don't you take all this too personnel
Nez au vent
En rêvant
Comme un enfant
Innocent
La tête dans les nuages
Il part dans des voyages
Où tous les marécages
Sont transparents...
The lyrics of Françoise Hardy's song Les Madeleines convey the story of a man who is in love with a woman named Madeleine. The song starts by describing the man's eagerness to reach his lover and savour the sweet sensations of milk and caramel. However, the singer warns her lover about becoming too naive and not seeing through the deceptions in life. The line "Mais s'il prend les vessies pour des lanternes, il sera saigné très vite aux quatre veines," translates to "but if he takes bladders for lanterns, he will soon be bled dry." The singer is trying to caution him as she has seen him rush towards Madeleine without being aware of the possible consequences.
The second stanza of the song brings up some interesting questions that show the man's lack of self-awareness. The singer wonders if he drinks orange juice or smokes herbs that make him hallucinate and see the sea in the desert. The chorus repeats the image of the man running towards Madeleine with his arms open like a child, free-spirited and innocent, but the singer keeps drawing attention to his obliviousness to the world around him.
In conclusion, Les Madeleines is a beautiful and thoughtful song that expresses the singer's concerns about her lover's naivety and his unconditional love for Madeleine.
Line by Line Meaning
Quand il s'en va chercher sa madeleine
When he goes to find his Madeleine
Il sent déjà le lait le caramel
He already smells the milk and caramel
Mais s'il prend les vessies pour des lanternes
But if he mistakes bladders for lanterns
Il sera saigné très vite aux quatre veines
He will soon be bled dry
Doucement
Gently
Gentiment
Nicely
Comme un enfant
Like a child
Innocent
Innocent
Boit-il du jus d'orange
Does he drink orange juice
Ou fume-t-il des mélanges
Or smoke mixtures
Qui lui font voir la mer
That make him see the sea
En plein désert?
In the middle of the desert?
Quand il s'en va chérir sa Madeleine
When he goes to cherish his Madeleine
Quand je le vois courir à perdre haleine
When I see him running out of breath
Ouvrir ses bras charmants à la vilaine
Opening his charming arms to the ugly one
Qui cassera ses dents de porcelaine
Who will break his porcelain teeth
Nez au vent,
Nose in the wind,
En rêvant
Dreaming,
Comme un enfant
Like a child
Innocent
Innocent
A quinze pieds du sol
Fifteen feet off the ground
Il pare d'une auréole
He's surrounded by an aura
Les guêpes pas du tout folles
The not at all crazy wasps
Qu'il trouve en solde
That he finds on sale
Je me mets à pleurer comme une madeleine
I start crying like a Madeleine
Il connaît pas vraiment les stratagèmes
He doesn't really know the schemes
Qui datent pourtant d'avant Mathusalem...
That date back to before Methuselah...
Et il s'en va croquer sa madeleine
And he goes to bite his Madeleine
Puisqu'il la croit dorée sucrée au miel
Since he believes it's golden, sweet honey
Et les gens rient de lui comme des baleines
And people laugh at him like whales
But don't you take all this too personnel
But don't take it too personally
La tête dans les nuages
Head in the clouds
Il part dans des voyages
He goes on trips
Où tous les marécages
Where all the swamps
Sont transparents...
Are transparent...
Contributed by Matthew C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.