Hardy had had her breakthrough as an 18 year old in late 1962 with the yé-yé hit "Tous les garçons et les filles", which sold some 700.000 copies in France alone, and she would go on to become one of the francophone world's most successful and popular artists of the 1960s - as well as an influential fashion icon.
"L'amour s'en va", with lyrics by Hardy herself, is based on the music of "se telefonando", a song sung by the Italian singer Mina. It is in the chanson style, popular in the early years of the Contest. Hardy sings about a relationship which is conducted in the knowledge that love is a fleeting thing - however this does not seem to matter to either of the lovers involved, as they "chase after it". Hardy also recorded the song in Italian and German, as "L'amore va" and "Die Liebe geht" respectively.
The song was performed fifteenth on the night (following Belgium's Jacques Raymond with "Waarom?" and preceding Luxembourg's Nana Mouskouri with "À force de prier"). At the close of voting, it had received 25 points, placing 5th in a field of 16. "L'amour s'en va" however went on to win Hardy the prestigious French award Grand Prix du Disque in 1963 and some forty years after its original release the song still counts as one of her signature tunes.
It was succeeded as Monegasque representative at the 1964 Contest by Romuald with "Où sont-elles passées".
L'amour s'en va
Francoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comme les autres, un beau jour tu vas me quitter
Si ce n'est toi, ce sera moi qui m'en irai
L'amour s'en va, et nous n'y pourrons rien changer
Car toi aussi, tu vas me dire mille toujours
Et moi aussi, je les redirai à mon tour
Ou bien c'est moi qui refuse de croire tout fini
Et chaque fois, toujours on doit se l'avouer
L'amour s'en va, mais sans cesse, nous courons après
The song L'amour s'en va by Françoise Hardy reflects on the inevitable end of love. The lyrics express the idea that no matter how strong a love may seem, it will eventually fade away. The first two lines of the song specifically state that love will end and that the person who the lyrics are directed towards will eventually leave. The song goes on to reflect that either the person being sung to or Françoise herself will be the one to leave. This emphasizes the idea that love is fleeting and both parties may experience it in different ways.
The lyrics also express the idea that people will often say they love each other forever, but these promises will inevitably be broken. The lyrics reflect the cyclical nature of love and the fact that it will eventually end for all those who experience it. Furthermore, the lyrics suggest that people try to hold onto love and ignore the idea that it will end, but they must ultimately acknowledge that it will.
Overall, L'amour s'en va is a song that explores the fleeting nature of love and the fact that it will end for all those who experience it. The lyrics suggest that people often try to hold onto love, but they must ultimately accept that it will end.
Line by Line Meaning
L'amour s'en va, et le tien ne saurait durer
Love fades away, and yours cannot last forever
Comme les autres, un beau jour tu vas me quitter
Just like everyone else, one day you will leave me
Si ce n'est toi, ce sera moi qui m'en irai
If it's not you, then it will be me who leaves
L'amour s'en va, et nous n'y pourrons rien changer
Love fades away, and we cannot change it
Car toi aussi, tu vas me dire mille toujours
Because you too will tell me a thousand forevers
Et moi aussi, je les redirai à mon tour
And I too will repeat them back to you
L'amour s'en va, je t'échappe quand tu me poursuis
Love fades away, I escape from you when you pursue me
Ou bien c'est moi qui refuse de croire tout fini
Or maybe it's me who refuses to believe it's all over
Et chaque fois, toujours on doit se l'avouer
And every time, we always have to admit it to ourselves
L'amour s'en va, mais sans cesse, nous courons après
Love fades away, but endlessly, we chase after it
Contributed by Alex N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alchiby
She may not have won, but she won many fans and the song became a hit later,she will forever stay in our hearts she epitomised the 60s culture.Her beauty after so many decades is still there,she has aged well but sadly illness is taking its toll.
Nighty-night
+destinys child You're correct.
Euroviking (formerly setheurovision94)
@ESCsince1968 She is a wonderful singer, and this represents one of those rare occasions where a performance sparked my interest in an artist. To date, I have managed to get hold of one of her albums, "Soleil", which is a fabulous listen that I find very inspiring (in particular the songs "Le Crabe" and "Je Fais de Puzzles"). Eurovision CAN be an excellent ground for artists getting wider recognition. I'd never even heard of her before I first heard of this song.
Brandon Gregory
Magnifique chanson et merveilleuse interprète ! Une figure de légende de la chanson fra nçaise. Carrière fantastique !
Un regret elle ne fait plus de scène !
Abrahán Sáez Sánchez
una de las mejores canciones de la historia del Festival
Coat field 19
Having the contest in the UK, was a blessing ,film and studios , model agencies in the swinging 60s loved her stylish hairstyles, clothing,
Abrahán Sáez Sánchez
Bellísima interpretación.
Tadeusz Sochanik
Just found this - its lovely. Thank you for posting!
Layol Dominique
Her beauty, her voice :(. All of them are really perfect. I hope i can live in that time.
Brayden Hayes
Bruh, they literally had no wi fi in 1963 and, if you wanted to listen to a song, you would listen to what is currently on the radio, you didn't get to choose what you listened to, and the only way to do that would be to go to a record to buy physical disks to burn at home if you were lucky enough to have a record player