Word and music. Author, composer and performer, singer Françoise Hardy, who died at the age of 80, as announced by her son Thomas this Tuesday evening, leaves behind titles imbued with nostalgia which have marked generations and unforgettable collaborations with Jacques Dutronc, Serge Gainsbourg, Michel Berger or Louis Chedid… A look back at seven cult songs.
1962: “All the boys and girls”
The anthem of a generation! It was his first recording for Vogue records, in April 1962. And his first success. However, no one but her believes it. She was inspired by “Lonely Boy”, a song by Paul Anka, to write and compose this romantic and melancholy ballad very much for her age – 18 years old. It first appeared on the B side of “Oh Oh Chéri”, but the public and the radio preferred it and it accompanied its success with a Scopitone (the clip of the time) filmed with Claude Lelouch at the Foire du Trône.
1964: “My friend the rose”
For once, it’s not a song by Françoise Hardy, but by a young unknown: Cécile Caulier. The two artists meet at Mireille’s small conservatory. This is where the singer heard “My friend the rose” for the first time. A priori, his friend already has an interpreter who will record him. Françoise Hardy forgets it and then meets the author-composer again some time later. She then learns that the title is still sleeping in a drawer.
The star seized it and recorded this melancholy ballad, a tribute to Sylvia Lopez, actress of the time, wife of operetta composer Francis Lopez, who died suddenly of leukemia at the age of 26. “My friend the rose” was successfully covered in an oriental atmosphere by Natacha Atlas in 1999.
1968: “How to say goodbye”
“How to Say Goodbye” is a cover of an American song, “It Hurts To Say Goodbye”, sung in 1966 by the obscure Margaret Whiting. Françoise Hardy discovered it in an instrumental version and asked Serge Gainsbourg to write a French version for her. This is their first collaboration. She will record an Italian version and a German one. “How to say goodbye” will in turn be often covered, notably by Jane Birkin, Amanda Lear, Jimmy Somerville and Daniel Darc. On side B there is a cover of “Suzanne” by Leonard Cohen, of which she has always been a fan.
1973: “Personal message”
In 1973, the muse of the yé-yé years sought a second wind. She signed with Warner and asked Michel Berger – who had just produced Véronique Sanson’s first album – to work with her. “Message personnel” is an instrumental composition by Michel Berger, who suggested adding a spoken introduction. “But if one day you believe that you love me/Don’t think that your memories bother me/And run, run until you lose your breath, come find me. »
She later admitted that these words were addressed to Jacques Dutronc, who made her suffer through his absences. This song gives its title to the album, which she recorded a month after the birth of their son Thomas, in July 1973, and which will be one of her greatest successes.
1984: “Me Want You”
This is the period that fans don’t always agree on. And yet, at the beginning of the 1980s, Françoise Hardy returned to success thanks to her titles like “Tamalou”, “Tirez pas sur l’ambulance” or “VIP”. Dispensable according to some, but undeniably popular. It is in this context that she wrote “Me Want You” illustrated by a composition by Louis Chedid. The song was only released on 45 rpm, carried by its chorus as simple as it is catchy: “Me wanting you, from top to bottom. »
1988: “Leave anyway”
In 1988, Françoise Hardy recorded the album “Décalages” and declared that it would be her final album. She includes “Partir nevertheless”, a song composed by Jacques Dutronc, which, initially, was intended for the latter’s album. He asked her to write the lyrics and assist with the recording. But in the studio, she considers the version disastrous. She even insults the musician! Jacques Dutronc did not record it, but she did, two years later. Is right. “Leave nevertheless” will remain ranked in the top 50 for two months.
2000: “Since you are going on a trip”
One of the successes of summer 2000 after a decade without hits for the singer, but with great collaborations with Julien Clerc, Damon Albarn and Rodolphe Burger. “Since you are going on a journey” was written by Jean Nohain in 1935 and created by Mireille, whose Petit Conservatoire Françoise Hardy had attended in her early days.
Forty years later, she recorded this separation song with Jacques Dutronc when they were really separating, reversing the roles of the original song, Jacques took the train and Françoise remained on the station platform. This is one of their rare duets in thirty years of living together.
