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.
Un Homme Est Mort
Françoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En parler ne sert à rien,
Le crime ignore
Tout du mal et tout du bien...
Vaincu par la peur, la faim,
Un homme est mort,
On l'enterrera demain
Un jeune homme, un enfant,
Couché pour toujours,
Les yeux fixés vers le ciel,
Hier encore vivant,
Fauché en plein jour,
Tué par la haine,
Tué par la haine...
Des cris, des pleurs,
Des discours vite oubliés,
Comme les fleurs
Qui vont bientôt se faner,
Sur la douleur
De toutes ces vies volées,
De tous ces coeurs
Que le destin a brisés...
Ma petite ou mon grand,
Couchés à jamais,
Je voudrais tant croire au ciel,
Mon ami, mon amant,
Oh, comme je voudrais
Chasser la haine,
Chasser la haine...
Un jeune homme, un enfant,
J'appelle au secours,
Les yeux tournés vers le ciel,
Qu'il nous dise comment
Retrouver l'amour,
Chasser la haine,
Chasser la haine...
The song "Un Homme Est Mort" by Françoise Hardy is a poignant commentary on the inescapable phenomenon of death and the futility of discussing it. The lyrics, translated as "A Man is Dead", expresses a sense of hopelessness that surrounds death and how it has the power to render the world defenseless against fear and hunger. The phrase "Le monde dort/Vaincu par la peur, la faim" which means "The world sleeps, Vanquished by fear, hunger" represents this sense of helplessness and despair that arises in the face of death. The verse "Des cris, des pleurs/Des discours vite oubliés/Comme les fleurs/Qui vont bientôt se faner" which means "Some screaming, mourning/Speeches forgotten/Just like flowers/That will soon wither" indicates how death is a cyclical event in the history of humanity and how it echoes throughout generations. The imagery of the flowers symbolizes the short-lived nature of our existence and serves as a reminder that death is a natural part of life.
The second verse of the song focuses on the life of a young man who was killed by hate. The lines "Un jeune homme, un enfant/Couché pour toujours/Les yeux fixés vers le ciel" which means "A young man, a child/Laid to rest forever/Eyes fixed on the sky" emphasize how death can suddenly snatch away a person from the world, leaving behind grieving loved ones. The phrase "Tué par la haine" which translates to "Killed by hate" portrays how human-made hate and violence can claim innocent lives. There is an underlying message of loss and suffering that pervades the song, yet the chorus of the song ends with a sense of hope and redemption. The repetition of the phrase "Chasser la haine" which means "Chase away hatred" shows that the singer is pleading for love and kindness to prevail over violence and hate.
Line by Line Meaning
Un homme est mort,
A man has died
En parler ne sert à rien,
Talking about it serves no purpose
Le crime ignore
Crime ignores
Tout du mal et tout du bien...
All good and all evil...
Le monde dort,
The world is sleeping
Vaincu par la peur, la faim,
Defeated by fear, hunger,
Un homme est mort,
A man has died
On l'enterrera demain
He will be buried tomorrow
Un jeune homme, un enfant,
A young man, a child
Couché pour toujours,
Laid to rest forever
Les yeux fixés vers le ciel,
Eyes fixed towards the sky
Hier encore vivant,
Alive just yesterday
Fauché en plein jour,
Cut down in broad daylight
Tué par la haine,
Killed by hatred,
Tué par la haine...
Killed by hatred...
Des cris, des pleurs,
Cries, tears,
Des discours vite oubliés,
Speeches quickly forgotten
Comme les fleurs
Like flowers
Qui vont bientôt se faner,
Which will soon wither
Sur la douleur
On the pain
De toutes ces vies volées,
Of all these stolen lives
De tous ces coeurs
Of all these broken hearts...
Que le destin a brisés...
...that destiny has shattered
Ma petite ou mon grand,
My little one or my big one,
Couchés à jamais,
Laid to rest forever
Je voudrais tant croire au ciel,
I would so much like to believe in heaven
Mon ami, mon amant,
My friend, my lover
Oh, comme je voudrais
Oh, how I would like
Chasser la haine,
To banish hatred,
Chasser la haine...
To banish hatred...
J'appelle au secours,
I call for help,
Les yeux tournés vers le ciel,
Eyes turned towards the sky
Qu'il nous dise comment
That he tells us how
Retrouver l'amour,
To find love again,
Chasser la haine,
To banish hatred,
Chasser la haine...
To banish hatred...
Contributed by Katherine L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.