Françoise Hardy signed her first contract with the record label Vogue in November 1961. In April 1962, shortly after finishing school, her first record Oh Oh Chéri appeared, written by Johnny Hallyday's writing duo. Her own flip side of the record, "Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles" became a success, riding the wave of Yé-yé music in France, with two million sales.
Hardy sang in French, English, Italian, Spanish, and German. In 1963 she came fifth for Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest with "L'amour s'en va". In 1963, she was awarded the Grand Prix Du Disque of the Charles Cros Academy.
In 1981, she married her long-time companion Jacques Dutronc, with whom she had had a son, Thomas Dutronc, in 1973. In 1994, she collaborated with the British pop group Blur for their "La Comedie" version of To The End. In May 2000, she made a comeback with the album Clair Obscur. Her son played guitar and her husband sang the duet "Puisque Vous Partez En Voyage." Iggy Pop and Étienne Daho also took part. Hardy lives near Paris and Dutronc lives in Monticello, Corsica, although they remain a couple.[citation needed]
Gin Tonic
Francoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
quellle heure est-il? ça va et vous?
air de blues sur piano triste
je n'entends pas ce que vous dites...
aller-retours cosmopolites
dans ce bar de grand hôtel
raybans foncées qui vous évitent
et nos discours superficiels
même si les mots sonnent un peu faux
les dire quand même
lui dire une fois "je t'aime"
boire un peu trop
rêver tout haut
plus rien qui nous retienne
mais je perds le fil
que disiez-vous?
à qui pense-t-il?
où sommes-nous?
deux gin tonics... merci beaucoup...
Londres, Paris, Berlin, Bruxelles
dans quel pays vous cachez-vous?
quels paradis artificiels?
The lyrics of Françoise Hardy's Gin Tonic speak of two people sharing a moment in a fancy hotel bar. The setting is one of escapism, with the two exchanging superficial conversations as they nurse their gin and tonics. The singer oscillates between being present in the moment and losing track of the conversation, lost in thought about the person they are with and the places they have been or could go. There is a sense of melancholy that underlies the scene, emphasized by the sad piano playing in the background.
The refrain of the song speaks to the desire to tell the other person "I love you," even if the words may feel forced or insincere. The implication being that sometimes we say things just for the thrill of saying them, or as a way to escape the emptiness of the moment. The final lines of the song ask the other person where they are from and where they have been hiding, hinting at the transience and anonymity of the hotel/bar setting.
Overall, Gin Tonic captures a bittersweet sense of longing and fleetingness that comes with transient moments of connection. It is a song that speaks to the desire for human connection and the way we use escapism to forget the realities of our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
deux gin tonics... merci beaucoup...
We ordered two glasses of gin and tonic, thank you very much.
quellle heure est-il? ça va et vous?
What time is it? How are you doing?
air de blues sur piano triste
There is a sad piano playing the blues in the background.
je n'entends pas ce que vous dites...
I can't hear what you're saying.
aller-retours cosmopolites
We're travelling frequently to different countries.
dans ce bar de grand hôtel
We're in a fancy hotel bar.
raybans foncées qui vous évitent
Dark Ray-Ban glasses avoid eye contact.
et nos discours superficiels
Our conversations are shallow and superficial.
se dire une fois "je t'aime"
Let's say 'I love you' to each other once, even if it sounds insincere.
même si les mots sonnent un peu faux
Even if the words don't sound quite right.
les dire quand même
Let's say them anyway.
lui dire une fois "je t'aime"
Let me say 'I love you' to him once.
boire un peu trop
We're drinking a bit too much.
rêver tout haut
We're daydreaming out loud.
plus rien qui nous retienne
We have nothing holding us back.
mais je perds le fil
I'm losing track.
que disiez-vous?
What were you saying?
à qui pense-t-il?
Who is he thinking about?
où sommes-nous?
Where are we?
deux gin tonics... merci beaucoup...
We ordered two glasses of gin and tonic, thank you very much.
Londres, Paris, Berlin, Bruxelles
We've been to London, Paris, Berlin, and Brussels.
dans quel pays vous cachez-vous?
In which country are you hiding?
quels paradis artificiels?
What are the artificial paradises you're chasing?
Contributed by Emma J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.