Françoise Madeleine Hardy pronounced [fʁɑ̃swaz aʁˈdi]) (born 17 January 194… Read Full Bio ↴Françoise Madeleine Hardy pronounced [fʁɑ̃swaz aʁˈdi]) (born 17 January 1944 in Paris) is a French singer, actress and astrologer. Hardy is an iconic figure in fashion, music style and personality in the Francophile world.

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]

Tard dans la nuit
Francoise Hardy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

elle n'est pas celle qu'il faut blâmer
tant de rêves partent en fumée...
mieux vaut raser les murs
les rues ne sont pas sûres
derrière les portes blindées
des chiens aboient sans pitié...
nul n'a pu dire
d'où les coups sont partis

tard dans la nuit...

mieux vaut presser l'allure
déjouer les forces obscures
qui rôdent ici ou là
pour se jeter sur leur proie...
nul n'aura su
nul n'aura pu
empêcher la folie
tard dans la nuit...

elle a peut-être pipé les dès
tant de signes non décodés...
les liens ne sont pas sûrs
rien n'est encore élucidé
tant de notes mal accordées...
personne n'avoue
qui parmi vous
a vu venir les coups?
les murs ne parlent pas
mieux vaut hâter le pas
derrière les glaces teintées
un tueur masqué va tirer
les murs ne parlent pas...

tant de rêves partent en fumée...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Françoise Hardy's song Tard dans la nuit speaks about the dangers of exploring the unfamiliar territory in the middle of the night. The song is a cautionary tale about wandering around the streets when it is dark out. The opening lyrics suggest that the person who did something wrong is not to blame. Instead, it is the environment that is dangerous, causing people's dreams to go up in smoke.

In the second stanza, the lyrics advise people to hurry and avoid the dark forces that are lurking around waiting to pounce on innocent passersby. The person advising in the song sings of how no one will be able to help those who fall prey to the madness that ensues late into the night. The setting is a scary place where danger is rampant, and the only way to survive is to keep moving forward without looking back.

The final stanza speaks about a mysterious woman who is surrounded by secrets. The lyrics suggest that everything is uncertain, and nobody can be trusted. The winds of paranoia are blowing, and nobody can escape the sense of foreboding. The walls have ears, and somebody is lurking in the background, waiting to strike. The song ends with a reminder that dreams start and end in smoke, meaning that people's goals and aspirations disappear without warning.

Line by Line Meaning

elle n'est pas celle qu'il faut blâmer
She is not the one to blame

tant de rêves partent en fumée...
So many dreams go up in smoke…

mieux vaut raser les murs
It's better to hug the walls

les rues ne sont pas sûres
The streets are not safe

derrière les portes blindées
Behind the armored doors

des chiens aboient sans pitié...
Dogs bark mercilessly…

nul n'a pu dire
No one could say

d'où les coups sont partis
Where the blows came from

tard dans la nuit...
Late into the night...

mieux vaut presser l'allure
It's better to pick up the pace

déjouer les forces obscures
Thwart the dark forces