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.
Soleil
Françoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
qui faisait nos réveils
chaque matin
et la mer était belle
et nous courrions vers elle
main dans la main
et puis nous marchions sur la plage
tu cherchais des coquillages
les mettant à ton oreille
pour entendre je me rappelle
l'océan dedans
soleil je t'aime
et pour toujours
tu es fidèle
mais l'amour
n'est pas souvent comme toi
pourquoi?
tu avais toujours si faim
les fruits mûrs et le vin
étaient pour toi
tu me grondais quelques fois
lorsque je ne mangeais pas
ce n'était rien
et l'eau s'allongait sur le sable
nos rêves étaient semblables
je me souviens
nous parlions de la maison
des enfants que nous aurions
et nous étions bien
soleil je t'aime
et pour toujours
tu es fidèle
mais l'amour
n'est pas souvent comme toi
pourquoi?
et c'est toujours lui le soleil
qui fera mes réveils
chaque matin
soleil d'hiver ou d'été
il voit les amours passer
et les chagrins
combien faudra-t-il de plage
combien d'autres visages
pour comme toi
oublier la maison
et l'enfant aux cheveux blonds
que nous n'avons pas
soleil je t'aime
et pour toujours
tu es fidèle
mais l'amour
n'est pas souvent comme toi
pourquoi?
soleil je t'aime
et pour toujours
tu es fidèle
mais l'amour
n'est pas souvent comme toi
pourquoi?
The lyrics to Françoise Hardy's song "Soleil" paint a nostalgic picture of a past love affair set against the backdrop of the sun, sea, and sand. The singer reminisces about their walks on the beach, collecting shells, and dreaming of a future together. The sun is personified as a faithful lover, a constant presence in their life, that they continue to cherish even after the relationship has ended. However, the singer acknowledges that not all loves are like the sun, perhaps alluding to the fact that their relationship did not work out.
The theme of time passing is also present in the lyrics. The sun symbolizes the passage of time, witnessing the joys and sorrows of countless lovers, including the singer and their former partner. The singer questions how many more beaches and faces they will have to encounter to forget the memory of the blond child they never had. The song ends with the repeated refrain of "soleil je t'aime et pour toujours", a declaration of love and gratitude towards the faithful sun, who remains a constant in the singer's ever-changing life.
Overall, the lyrics to "Soleil" capture the bittersweet feeling of looking back on a past love with nostalgia and longing, while acknowledging that all things must eventually come to an end.
Line by Line Meaning
et c'était lui le soleil
He was the sun
qui faisait nos réveils
that woke us up every morning
chaque matin
each morning
et la mer était belle
and the sea was beautiful
et nous courrions vers elle
and we ran towards it
main dans la main
hand in hand
et puis nous marchions sur la plage
and then we walked on the beach
tu cherchais des coquillages
you searched for seashells
comme un enfant
like a child
les mettant à ton oreille
putting them to your ear
pour entendre je me rappelle
to hear I remember
l'océan dedans
the ocean inside
soleil je t'aime
sun, I love you
et pour toujours
and forever
tu es fidèle
you are faithful
mais l'amour n'est pas souvent comme toi
but love is not often like you
pourquoi?
why?
tu avais toujours si faim
you were always so hungry
les fruits mûrs et le vin
the ripe fruits and the wine
étaient pour toi
were for you
tu me grondais quelques fois
you scolded me sometimes
lorsque je ne mangeais pas
when I didn't eat
ce n'était rien
it was nothing
et l'eau s'allongait sur le sable
and the water stretched out on the sand
nos rêves étaient semblables
our dreams were similar
je me souviens
I remember
nous parlions de la maison
we talked about the house
des enfants que nous aurions
the children we would have
et nous étions bien
and we were happy
et c'est toujours lui le soleil
and it's always him, the sun
qui fera mes réveils
that will wake me up
chaque matin
every morning
soleil d'hiver ou d'été
winter or summer sun
il voit les amours passer
he sees love pass by
et les chagrins
and the sorrows
combien faudra-t-il de plage
how many beaches will it take
combien d'autres visages
how many other faces
pour comme toi oublier la maison
to forget the house like you
et l'enfant aux cheveux blonds
and the blond-haired child
que nous n'avons pas
that we don't have
soleil je t'aime
sun, I love you
et pour toujours
and forever
tu es fidèle
you are faithful
mais l'amour n'est pas souvent comme toi
but love is not often like you
pourquoi?
why?
soleil je t'aime
sun, I love you
et pour toujours
and forever
tu es fidèle
you are faithful
mais l'amour n'est pas souvent comme toi
but love is not often like you
pourquoi?
why?
Contributed by Jeremiah L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.