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]
Ma Vie Intérieure
Francoise Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
comme votre œil vert à votre œil gris
elle me mine et il me semble
qu'elle me coupe l'appétit
elle me fait l'esprit absent
et attentif à autre chose
qu'à ce qui se passe vraiment
j'ai l'œil fixe et l'air morose
votre nez, votre bouche, vos mains
on a la vie intérieure qu'on peut
mais la mienne ne m'advance à rien
qu'à me faire blanchir trois cheveux
à tout me faire prendre en horreur
je ne dors plus comme je veux
malgrè mon acupuncteur
j'aime bien les voyages
qu'on fait à deux chez soi
alors ouvrez ma cage
si ça ne vous plait pas
ma vie intérieure vous ressemble
comme votre œil gris à votre œil vert
elle me mine et il me semble
qu'elle me met le cœur à l'envers
elle me fait tant de nuits blanches
qui ne laissent éveillée que moi
que plus ça va et plus je flanche
malgré les cours de yoga
In Françoise Hardy's "Ma Vie Intérieure," she compares her inner life to the physical features of her lover. She states that her inner life resembles her lover's eye, as her own grey eye mirrors his green. Her inner life is draining and seems to sap her appetite. She also notes that her inner life makes her absent-minded and less focused on reality, causing her to be fixated on certain things while ignoring others. She feels that her inner life doesn't contribute to her advancement in any way, instead it only causes her to have sleepless nights and take what seems like an irrational disgust towards everything.
Hardy finishes the song by speaking of her love for the journeys that can be made while staying home with her lover while also acknowledging that her inner life is causing her more harm than good, despite attempts to counteract it with activities like yoga. By using the metaphor of the physical features of her lover to describe her inner life, Hardy exemplifies the way the human mind and soul can be intertwined with our physical being. She expresses that sometimes, despite the comfort of a romantic partner, internal struggles can still persist, and perhaps even be intensified by the presence of another.
Line by Line Meaning
ma vie intérieure vous ressemble
My inner life is akin to you
comme votre œil vert à votre œil gris
Just as your green eye matches your gray eye
elle me mine et il me semble
It wears me down and it seems to me
qu'elle me coupe l'appétit
That it takes away my appetite
elle me fait l'esprit absent
It makes me absent-minded
et attentif à autre chose
And attuned to other things
qu'à ce qui se passe vraiment
Rather than what is really happening
j'ai l'œil fixe et l'air morose
I have a fixed stare and a gloomy look
ma vie intérieure a vos yeux
My inner life is in your eyes
votre nez, votre bouche, vos mains
Your nose, your mouth, your hands
on a la vie intérieure qu'on peut
We have the inner life that we are capable of
mais la mienne ne m'advance à rien
But mine doesn't do me any good
qu'à me faire blanchir trois cheveux
Except making three of my hairs turn white
à tout me faire prendre en horreur
Making me hate everything
je ne dors plus comme je veux
I can't sleep the way I want to
malgrè mon acupuncteur
Despite my acupuncturist
j'aime bien les voyages
I like journeys
qu'on fait à deux chez soi
That two people can take within a home
alors ouvrez ma cage
So open my cage
si ça ne vous plait pas
If that doesn't please you
ma vie intérieure vous ressemble
My inner life is akin to you
comme votre œil gris à votre œil vert
Just as your gray eye matches your green eye
elle me mine et il me semble
It wears me down and it seems to me
qu'elle me met le cœur à l'envers
That it turns my heart upside down
elle me fait tant de nuits blanches
It causes me so many sleepless nights
qui ne laissent éveillée que moi
That leave only me awake
que plus ça va et plus je flanche
That the more it goes, the more I falter
malgré les cours de yoga
Despite yoga classes
Contributed by Allison I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.