Francoise Hardy.
So who is this woman Graham likes so much, and who Blur recorded "To the end (La commédie)" with? Well, one of France's best and most famous singers for a start!
I wrote this project for French in 1997 and have translated it into English.
Francoise Hardy was born on the 17th of January 1944 in Paris. She is a singer but she has also appeared in several films, been a model and a TV-presenter. She plays the guitar and speaks several languages.
She started auditioning for French record companies in 1960, but most of them wanted to turn her into a product and she wanted to sing her own songs. Eventually Vogue signed her. She had been playing songs by the Everly Brothers and Petula Clark on her guitar for several years. Her first single was "Tous les garcons et les filles" ("All the girls and boys") in 1962 which was a big hit in most of Europe. She was only 18 and the lyrics about never having had a boyfriend were autobiographical. One year later, she represented Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest and came 5th with the song "L'amour s'en va". By 1966 she was the biggest singer in France. The Italians and the British also loved her.
On the back of one of her records it says (translated from the French) "The success of Francoise Hardy's first songs is unprecedented in the history of recording".
Before her, most of the music being made in France was American or English songs, translated into French. The biggest artists were people like Johnny Hallyday and the so-called "Yeh-yeh girls", for example Sylvie Vartan and France Gall. Francoise Hardy was very different, mainly because she wrote 80% of her songs herself.
The French press had this to say about her first song:
"Francoise Hardy: 18 years old - one single - two million fans" - H. Bostel "Paris Match"Her songs are mainly about love. Some of them have been translated into English, Italian, German and Spanish. She had a big influence over fashion in Europe during the 1960's, for example she was one of the first women to wear her hair long and straight.
"In three dazzling minutes, Francoise Hardy threatens the reign of Bardot" - H. Gault "Candide"
"Francoise Hardy - Very, very talented" - J. Dupuy "Week-end Courses"
In 1967 she started a production company called "Productions Asparagus" to gain more control over her work. The first record was called "Ma jeunesse fout le camp" and the lyrics were very different from those on her previous releases. She had been working with Charles Blackwell and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin.
Before Madonna, Francoise was the most photographed international female pop star.
She lives with Jacques Dutronc, a combined actor-musician, who wrote "Le temps de l'amour" for her, and with whom she also has a child.
She still releases records but she is now much less well-known in Europe, partly thanks to stage-fright. In 1995 she co-recorded a bi-lingual version of Blur's "To the End" entitled "To the end (La commédie)" which is on the b-side of the French version of "Country House" and on one of her compilations. She also recorded "Revenge of the flowers" with Malcolm McLaren (the former manager of the Sex Pistols). In 1996 she released a record called "Le danger" and in August 1997 she released a duet with Iggy Pop entitled "I'll be seeing you".
I personally like her a lot, she has a good voice and, though a bit banal, most of her lyrics are pretty beautiful. This may be because they're in French, of course... Some of the songs are catchy and cheerful, while others are sad but beautiful. My favourites are "Et même", "La nuit est sur la ville", "Le temps de l'amour" and "Fleur du lune". Her newer stuff is good too, although completely different - influenced by Blur and Oasis and other modern bands I think. Her everpresent French class is still very much in evidence. So, if the words "banal", "pop" and "French" don't put you off, give her a listen!
A page about Francoise Hardy.
Another page about Francoise Hardy.
