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.
Vibrations
Françoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
À peine esquissées
Tous ces slaloms
M'épuisent, m'assomment
J'en ai assez
Des signaux inversés
Des portes cadenassées
Des coups
Qui gâchent
Tout
Faut que t'écartes
Tes quatre murs
Qu'on s'éclate
Sans rupture
Qu'on ait besoin
De se faire du bien
Faut qu'on parte
À l'air pur
Qu'on se colmate
Nos blessures
J'ai tant besoin
Qu'on se fasse du bien
Enfin
Je veux des vibrations
À l'unisson
Cellules grises dégrisées
Seuil limite frisé
Je me sens en cage
Comme un otage
J'en ai assez
Des citrons pressées
Et autres panacées
J'en ai ma claque
Je m'en fous
Je plaque
Tout
Pour nous
Faut qu'on abatte
Les murs
Qu'on s'éclate
Et que ça dure
Qu'on ait besoin
De créer des liens
Faut qu'on parte
Sous l'azur
Qu'on adapte
Nos pointures
J'ai tant besoin
Qu'on se fasse du bien
Enfin
Je veux des vibrations
À l'unisson
Au diapason
Entre les différences
Sources et de l'attirance
Et des problèmes de fond
Je cherche des vibrations
Pour faire le pont
Des vibrations
À l'unisson
Des vibrations
Au diapason
The lyrics to Françoise Hardy's song "Vibrations" describe feelings of confinement and frustration with the monotony and limitations of daily life. The opening lines use winter sports imagery to suggest a sense of being stuck, with "icy paths" and "slaloms" that exhaust and overwhelm the singer. This imagery is extended to include barricaded doors and games of hide-and-seek, further emphasizing the idea of being trapped and unable to escape.
The second verse introduces the idea of seeking something different, something that will free the singer from their confinement. This is conveyed through the metaphor of needing to clear away "four walls" and find ways to "have fun" without interruption or restriction. The singer then repeats the phrase "I want vibrations" several times, suggesting a need for some kind of powerful experience or connection that will break up the monotony of their life and bring them into harmony with others.
The final verse expands on this desire for connection, describing a search for "common ground" amidst differences and obstacles. The repeated use of the phrase "vibrations in unison" emphasizes the idea of unity and shared experience, and the song concludes with a sense of hope and longing for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Des pistes verglassées
I feel like I'm on slippery slopes
À peine esquissées
They barely even exist yet
Tous ces slaloms
All these twists and turns
M'épuisent, m'assomment
They exhaust and overwhelm me
J'en ai assez
I've had enough
Des signaux inversés
Mixed signals
Des portes cadenassées
Locked doors
Des jeux de cache-cache
Games of hide and seek
Des coups
Blows
Qui gâchent
That spoil everything
Tout
Completely
Faut que t'écartes
You need to let go
Tes quatre murs
Your four walls
Qu'on s'éclate
We need to have fun
Sans rupture
Without breaking apart
Qu'on ait besoin
We need to
De se faire du bien
Do good for ourselves
Faut qu'on parte
We need to go
À l'air pur
To the clean air
Qu'on se colmate
To heal
Nos blessures
Our wounds
J'ai tant besoin
I need so much
Qu'on se fasse du bien
That we do good for ourselves
Enfin
Finally
Je veux des vibrations
I want to feel the vibrations
À l'unisson
In harmony
Cellules grises dégrisées
Gray cells cleared
Seuil limite frisé
The limit is fringed
Je me sens en cage
I feel trapped
Comme un otage
Like a hostage
Des citrons pressées
Lemon juice
Et autres panacées
And other remedies
J'en ai ma claque
I've had it up to here
Je m'en fous
I don't care
Je plaque
I'm leaving everything behind
Tout
Everything
Pour nous
For us
Faut qu'on abatte
We need to tear down
Les murs
The walls
Qu'on s'éclate
We need to have fun
Et que ça dure
And that it lasts
De créer des liens
To create connections
Sous l'azur
Under the azure sky
Qu'on adapte
To adapt
Nos pointures
Our sizes
Des différences
Differences
Sources et de l'attirance
Of attraction
Et des problèmes de fond
And deep-rooted problems
Je cherche des vibrations
I'm seeking vibrations
Pour faire le pont
To bridge the gap
Au diapason
In harmony
Contributed by Ava V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.