Unhappy childhood

Françoise Hardy was born in Paris on January 17 1944. She had a troubled childhood, her mother, an assistant accountant, bringing up Françoise and her sister Michèle (18 months younger than Françoise) on her own. Indeed, the girls’ father only visited the family flat in Paris’s 9th arrondissement a couple of times a year. In fact, Monsieur Hardy rarely bothered to contact his daughters at all and he would contribute precious little, financially or otherwise, towards his daughters' upbringing.

Françoise’s troubled relationship with her father was not helped by the fact that the only other relatives to whom the young girl was close were her maternal grandparents, who lived in the Paris suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois. Françoise did not get on with her grandmother, whose harsh criticisms and negative comments only served to turn the already introverted child further into her shell. In a later biography Françoise would remember her grandmother as "a totally neurotic old woman with an over-bearing personality".

The young girl’s natural timidity was not helped by the fact that she was sent to La Bruyère, a rather strict convent school for girls. Young Françoise grew up to be an extremely studious and pious student who found it difficult to overcome her shyness. This tall, thin girl with long, gangly legs and a somewhat gawky silhouette probably never dreamt that one day she would become one of the most popular French music stars of the 60’s.

Young Françoise soon began writing songs in her free time, inspired by the music she heard on the radio. Françoise was a passionate music fan, listening to Georges Guétary’s operettas from an early age, before progressing to French chanson stars Paul Anka, Charles Trenet and Cora Vaucaire. Sitting alone in her bedroom, Françoise would sing along to the radio, miming to her idols’ greatest hits. The solitary adolescent was often sent to Austria during the school holidays to perfect her German and it was here that she would spend hours listening to her favourite music and composing her own work.

Francoise Hardy launches her singing career
 

After she had passed her baccalauréat with flying colours, Françoise received a visit from her father who arrived bearing a special birthday gift - a guitar. Now the young girl could really start practising her singing in earnest, and it was not long before she enrolled at the Petit Conservatoire de Mireille (a legendary 60’s singing school). Françoise’s mother pushed her daughter to continue her studies as well as attending the Conservatoire, and the young girl went on to gain a place at the Political Science Faculty.

However, politics were certainly not Françoise’s cup of tea, and the young girl soon quit the course, defecting to the Sorbonne to study literature. Meanwhile, Françoise continued to sing and write songs in her free time. The burgeoning young singer would soon spot a record company advert in the local newspaper seeking new up-and-coming artists and plucked up the courage to audition.

Françoise’s first audition did not prove a great success, however, but it did encourage her to attend others. Finally, after an intensive series of singing lessons and two further auditions, Françoise Hardy's luck changed. On November 14 1961, at the tender age of 17, the young singer was offered a recording contract with the Vogue label.

 

Françoise went on to record her début single in April 1962. This first single featured "Oh oh Chéri" (a song written by two of Johnny Hallyday’s habitual songwriters) and three of Françoise’s own compositions including "Tous les garçons et les filles". This last track greatly impressed Daniel Filipacchi, presenter of Radio Europe’s cult music show "Salut les Copains", who went on to play the song almost non-stop. "Tous les garçons et les filles" went on to become a phenomenal hit, selling an incredible two million copies, and young Françoise Hardy was catapulted to fame almost overnight (just as other 60’s idols Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Vartan, Richard Anthony and pop diva Sheila had been before her). Thus at the height of "Yé yé" (the French rock'n'roll craze), Françoise Hardy found herself at the very forefront of the French music scene.

Françoise soon began to appear on the cover of all the top music magazines of the day. It was while working on a photo shoot for the magazine "Salut les copains" that the young singer would make an encounter which would change the rest of her life. Françoise was to fall in love with photographer Jean-Marie Perier, who transformed the young singer from a shy, gauche-looking schoolgirl into a modern young trend-setter. Besides being Françoise’s lover, Perier was to become a veritable Pygmalion for the young singer.

Covergirl

Françoise soon went on to become the new French 60’s covergirl, her image splashed across the top magazines and newspapers of the day. Indeed, her incredible popularity appeared to know no bounds. Impressed by the young singing star’s quiet beauty, the famous French director Roger Vadim would offer Françoise Hardy a leading role in his film "Château en Suède". Françoise’s role in the film earnt her much acclaim, and many critics declared that a great acting career lay ahead of the young teenager. But Françoise was not really interested in anything other than her singing career.

This career reached new heights at the end of 1963 when the young singer was booked to appear at the legendary Paris music-hall, L'Olympia. Performing as a support act to 60’s Yé yé star Richard Anthony, Françoise Hardy brought the house down. Françoise soon followed this first concert success with countless others, when she embarked upon an extensive national tour.

In 1963 Françoise Hardy’s début album was released to general critical acclaim. The album, basically a compilation of all the singer’s hit singles up to that point, went on to prove phenomenally successful. Indeed, it would go on to win the prestigious "Prix de l'Académie Charles-Cros" as well as the "Trophée de la télévision française". Later that year Françoise Hardy would take part in the Eurovision Song Contest (where, bizarrely enough, she represented not France but Monaco with the song "L'amour s'en va").

The following year Françoise Hardy set off on an extensive European tour which included an appearance in Italy at the famous San Remo Song Contest. Here, the young French singer conquered the hearts of the Italian public with her memorable performance in Italian, performing the song "Parla mi di te". In spite of the fact that Hardy's voice was neither extremely powerful nor strikingly unusual, the singer would continue to woo audiences throughout her career with her exceptional lyrics and the sheer force of the emotion which she put into her performances.

Francoise Hardy, fashion model

In spite of her new star status Françoise remained a very private person, who was never totally at ease with the flamboyant trappings of the showbiz world. Yet, overcoming Françoise’s initial reluctance, Jean-Marie Perier soon persuaded the singer to begin modelling the creations of top French designers (such as Courrèges, Paco Rabanne, Chanel and Yves Saint-Laurent). "Mademoiselle Hardy" soon became a star of the international fashion world as well as the French music scene.

In 1965 Françoise Hardy ventured into the movie world again, landing a role in Jean-Daniel Pollet’s film "Une balle au cœur". Although the shoot proved to be long and arduous, Françoise’s performance in the film was showered with rave reviews from the critics when the film went on general release in February of the following year.

At the end of 1965 Françoise Hardy returned to the legendary Olympia, this time performing as a support act for traditional French chanson stars, Les Compagnons de la Chanson. The music press was incredulous that an ultra-modern star such as Françoise Hardy could perform with a group whom many critics considered to be utterly old-fashioned - and many others had forgotten altogether! (Françoise herself interpreted these comments as an unforgivable snub on the part of the press).

Meanwhile Mademoiselle Hardy’s fame continued to spread beyond French borders and, through the intermediary of her photographer boyfriend Jean-Marie Perier, the young French singer soon began rubbing shoulders with the top names of the day. Hardy would soon be hanging out with The Beatles, Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones.

Francoise Hardy, France's most exportable female singing star

Françoise soon turned her attention to her acting career once more, starring alongside Yves Montand and James Garner in the American director John Frankenheimer’s film "Grand Prix". The film was not exactly a box office smash, but it was successful in launching Françoise Hardy in the United States. Indeed, shortly after the film's release, the American company Warner Bros would go on to contact Françoise Hardy’s French record label, Vogue, to sign a distribution deal for the singer’s records in the States. After a long and extremely successful promotional campaign, Françoise Hardy became a star in the U.S. The young French star's image would soon be splashed across all the top magazine covers and her presence sought on America's leading TV chat shows.

Françoise soon became France’s most "exportable" female singing star. In fact, before conquering the States, Françoise Hardy had already soared to fame in Britain, where she had been recording from the very beginning of her career. Her album "In English" (recorded entirely in English of course!) proved a great hit in Britain and the young French star would bring the house down in London, appearing on stage at ultra-chic venues such as the prestigious Savoy Hotel, dressed in avant-garde creations by French designers Courrèges and Paco Rabanne.

Yet Françoise’s incredibly hectic touring schedule was gradually beginning to wear her out, and her relationship with Jean-Marie Périer soon began to suffer. The couple would eventually split up in 1967. However, the void in Françoise’s love life was quickly filled by Jacques Dutronc, a sexy new singing star who had recently arrived on the scene and become the idol of thousands of teenage French girls.

However, Françoise was unable to spend much time with her new lover in the early days of their relationship as both singers had extremely hectic touring and recording schedules to keep to. (Françoise was just about to embark upon an intensive 73-date tour!) And when she finally returned to Paris in the autumn of 67, she had to go straight into the studio to record 12 new tracks for her next album "Ma jeunesse fout l'camp". January 1968 proved to be another hectic month in Françoise's career. After appearing on numerous European TV shows, Françoise was then whisked off on another tour, which included numerous dates at British universities. In the spring of 67, Françoise then flew out to South Africa for another series of concerts.

In 1968 Françoise Hardy, thoroughly exhausted by her globe-trotting lifestyle, decided to call a halt to her concert tours. The singer performed one last farewell concert at the Savoy in London, then quit the live arena to concentrate on her recording career. However, with the Yé yé wave finally drawing to an end in the late 60’s, Françoise must have already been wondering what was to become of her singing career. What’s more in 1969 the singer became involved in a lengthy legal battle with her record label, Vogue. Later that year Françoise Hardy's own production company (Productions Aspargus) closed down.

Yet, in spite of these obstacles, Françoise Hardy would continue her singing career, reinventing herself completely in the 1970’s. She began by casting off the image of ‘fashionable young girl about town’ that her former boyfriend Jean-Marie Périer had created for her. A more mature Françoise Hardy would emerge from the ashes, demanding to perform songs that reflected her inner self rather than cute pop tunes that would do well in the charts.

In 1971 the new-look Françoise Hardy teamed up with a female Brazilian musician named Tuca to record an album on the Sonopresse label. This untitled work, which featured a number of Hardy’s most famous songs including "Chanson d'O" and "La Question" (one of the singer’s favourite texts) was to become a cult album. Despite the fact that this album failed to make any major commercial impact, the press hailed it as an absolute masterpiece. Hardy appeared to be completely unperturbed by poor album sales, preferring to find an audience who respected her true self rather than millions of adoring fans who were seduced by a superficial image.

Françoise develops an interest in astrology

The 70’s also marked the beginning of Françoise Hardy’s increasing involvement with astrology, a subject which had fascinated the singer since she was 18 years old. Convinced that "people can change the world on an individual level, before they do so on a collective level", Françoise Hardy went on to become a specialist of astrological birth charts,.

Meanwhile, Françoise Hardy’s relationship with Jacques Dutronc was still very much a feature of her personal life, although the couple continued to live apart and were beginning to lead increasingly separate lives by this point. Dutronc was not only pursuing a successful singing career, he had also launched an acting career and was rapidly becoming a major French film star. The fact that he scarcely ever had time to spend with Françoise soon began to put an increasing strain on the pair’s relationship. Yet, the celebrity couple managed to survive and on June 16 1973, Françoise gave birth to a son named Thomas. Following the birth of his son, Jacques would move in with Françoise and the couple began spending a little more time together.

Having left the Sonopresse label, Françoise Hardy went on to sign a new recording deal with the American firm Warner Bros. The singer was soon back at work in the studio, recording a new album "Message personnel" under the direction of Michel Berger. Despite several artistic differences between the pair during the increasingly fraught recording sessions, the album proved to be a huge commercial and critical success. Indeed, the album’s title track, "Message personnel", went on to become one of Françoise Hardy’s best-known songs. Yet, fans had to be content to listen to their idol on the airwaves - there was still no question of Françoise resuming her live performances.

Françoise was more than happy to continue her recording work, however. In 1974 she returned to the studio with the singer Catherine Lara (a close friend of Hardy’s) and a string section, to begin work on her new album entitled "Entracte". Françoise Hardy also enlisted the services of the English producer Del Newman (renowned for his work with British pop star Elton John). Jean-Marie Perier was also involved in preparations for the new album, designing the cover just as he had for all Françoise Hardy’s previous works. (This would be the last occasion on which Périer designed for his ex-lover however). Although "Entracte" is nowadays considered as one of the finest albums of Françoise Hardy’s career, at the time the album’s sales were reasonable but never spectacular.

Francoise Hardy, devoted mother

By this stage in her career, Françoise was spending an increasing amount of time bringing up her young son. She had put her days of being a fashion model well and truly behind her and began dressing in a more comfortable, laid-back style, sporting jeans and baseball boots. Françoise also began distancing herself from the hectic world of showbiz, only making rare media appearances to coincide with her album releases. Between 1974 and 1976, Françoise also began to reduce her busy work schedule, recording only one song in this period (for the soundtrack of Claude Lelouch’s film "Si c'était à refaire"). The only song she wrote during this period was "Que vas-tu faire" (a song for which Jean-Michel Jarre composed the musical arrangements).

In 1977 Françoise Hardy was to make a major comeback, however, after meeting the musician Gabriel Yared through an editor friend. Yared, a great fan of the singer’s work, offered to work on a new album with Hardy, looking after all the musical arrangements. Once again the recording sessions for the new album were somewhat strained, Hardy’s legendary "ice queen" behaviour doing nothing to improve relations between her and Yared.

Yet the album "Star", which featured excellent material by prestigious songwriters such as Michel Jonasz, Serge Gainsbourg, William Sheller and Catherine Lara, proved a great success. Released on the Pathé-Marconi label (with whom Françoise had just signed a 3-year recording deal), "Star" revealed a whole new side to the singer. And Françoise Hardy soon found herself extremely popular with a whole generation of teenagers who had never even heard of her work in the 60’s. In fact "Star" would catapult Françoise Hardy back into the media spotlight and the singer’s record sales soon began to take off in a major way. Despite their squabbles in the studio, Françoise and Gabriel Yared continued to work together up until 1982, their collaboration producing a further four albums.

1978: "Musique saoule"

Following the release of "Star" Françoise began spending an increasing amount of time with her son Thomas. Meanwhile, the singer also continued to devote a great deal of time and energy to her new passion, astrology. Music was left to take second, even third, place in her life.

Yet, in spite of having renounced her live performances, Françoise continued her recording career, returning to the studio in 1978 to begin work on her new album, entitled "Musique saoule". This album (on which the musical arrangements were almost all composed by Gabriel Yared and the lyrics written by Michel Jonasz and Alain Goldstein) marked another change of musical direction. Françoise appeared to have some difficulty with her new musical style, complaining that she found the rhythm of the song "J'écoute de la musique saoule" practically impossible to follow. Yet the single received rave reviews in the French press and massive airplay on national radio. (This was not the first time that Hardy’s fans dared to disagree with her over what constituted her finest work).

Françoise Hardy would continue her recording career at a steady pace, releasing on average one new album a year. 1980’s offering, entitled "Gin Tonic", featured excellent contributions from Hardy’s loyal trio of collaborators as well as the renowned songwriter Jean Claude Vannier. The single release, "Jazzy retro Satanas", was not a unanimous hit with the critics. Indeed, many French critics began to express doubts about the new direction Françoise Hardy’s career was taking and some even started implying that the singer’s work was much better when she herself was in charge of the songwriting. (However, Françoise Hardy would remain convinced that her songwriting talent was far inferior to other people’s).

In 1981 Françoise returned to the studio to put the finishing touches to a new album, "A suivre". As her habitual songwriters Jonasz and Goldstein were both busy working on other musical projects, Françoise enlisted the services of Pierre Groscolas, Jean Claude Vannier and Louis Chédid. Gabriel Yared assured the musical arrangements once again. The album "A suivre" would soon spawn two immensely successful hit singles, "Tamalou" and "Villégiature". Yet, in spite of this new success, Françoise Hardy continued to steer clear of the media spotlight, her public appearances remaining extremely rare.

After signing a new recording deal with the label Flarenash, Françoise Hardy went back into the studio in 1982 to begin work on a new album, entitled "Quelqu'un qui s'en va". This album featured material by a host of prestigious songwriters (Carole Coudray’s "Tirez pas sur l'ambulance", Michel Fugain’s "Tabou" and the song "C'est bien moi" written by Alain Souchon). Needless to say, the musical arrangements were courtesy of Gabriel Yared.

In the spring of 1984 Françoise Hardy went on to record a new single "Moi vouloir toi", which she had co-written with Louis Chédid. Fans were excited by this new release, believing that it heralded the arrival of a new album. In fact, the singer was devoting an increasing amount of time and energy to her astrological charts and music seemed once again to be taking second place in her life. Fans would have to wait another two years for Françoise Hardy’s next single release, "V.I.P." This single, written by Françoise Hardy and set to music by the singer’s new collaborator Jean Noël Chaléat, received a massive amount of airplay over the next few months and went on to prove a major hit.

Françoise Hardy announces her last album

Since the very height of her fame in the 60’s, Françoise Hardy had always vowed that she would stop singing before the age of 50. In fact, the singer began preparing her farewell album "Décalage" at the age of 44. On this album - announced as the singer’s final recording - Hardy's own lyrics were set to music by a host of prestigious names including William Sheller, pop star Etienne Daho (one of Hardy’s most loyal fans) and her husband Jacques Dutronc (who composed the excellent "Partir quand même", a song which he had been originally going to record himself). Despite the evident quality of the album, Hardy fans appeared disappointed by this final work, obviously expecting a grander finale than "Décalage".

In fact, Françoise Hardy’s farewell would not prove as final all that. In 1993 the star made a quiet comeback, recording a duet with Alain Lubrano, a young up-and-coming singer/songwriter from Pau in the South of France. The couple’s duet "Si ça fait mal", a song about love, sex and AIDS, was originally recorded on a fund-raising compilation album entitled "Urgence". (All the proceeds from "Urgence", the brainchild of pop star Etienne Daho, were donated to AIDS research). But the song was later re-recorded as a single, Hardy inviting Lubrano - who had composed the music for the song - into the studio with her and helping him launch his singing career.

Two years later Françoise Hardy went on to make a major comeback, signing a new recording deal with the British label Virgin in 1995. The singer’s new album, "Le Danger", was released in April 1996 to general critical acclaim and Françoise Hardy soon found herself a pop idol on the British music scene. Indeed, shortly after the album's release, the French singer would be invited to work with the crème de la crème of the British music scene, performing on Malcolm Mc Laren’s album and recording a duet with the hip group Blur entitled "To the End".

Encouraged by a group of close friends to get her singing career up and running again, Françoise Hardy would go on to enlist the aid of her protégé Alain Lubrano, and Rodolphe Burger (lead singer of the up-and-coming French group Kat Onoma) who wrote three new songs for her. Listening to the hippest new groups on the Anglo-Saxon music scene such as Portishead and Garbage, Hardy invented a totally modern pop sound for herself, proving that the old 60’s idol was more than capable of adapting to the 90’s music scene.

Still Going Strong

Françoise Hardy made a major comeback in the spring of 2000, releasing a new album entitled "Clair-obscur" on May 3rd. Hailed as an "essential" Hardy album, "Clair-obscur" received rave reviews from the critics who praised Hardy's performance and the superb arrangements on the album. Hardy invited a whole host of guest stars into the studio with her and the new album included a brilliant duet with the singer's partner Jacques Dutronc - whom she had not teamed up with on record since "Brouillard dans la rue Corvisart" in 1978.

The duet, a cover of an old French classic, "Puisque vous partez en voyage", was chosen as the first single release from the album. "Clair-obscur" also featured a duet with Hardy's old friend Etienne Daho (a cover of the Everly Brothers' hit "So Sad"), a double act with young up-and-coming African singer Ol (on Hardy's favourite track on the album, "Celui que tu veux") and a duet with Iggy Pop on the tender ballad "I'll Be Seeing You". Hardy's new album also featured contributions from Rodolphe Burger, Alain Lubrano and Jose Maria Cano (lead singer from the Spanish supergroup Mecano).

Françoise Hardy did not follow her album with a promotional tour, however, preferring instead to stay out of the media spotlight and protect her private life. Later that year Hardy and Dutronc decided to move from their home in the city's 14th arrondissement (where they had lived since the 60s) and buy a new flat together near the Etoile where they became the perfect modern couple, each living on their own floor.

Throughout her successful 30-year career Françoise Hardy has been renowned for her romantically nostalgic songs and her rather melancholy lyrics. These lyrics and the fact that the French star has tended to shun the glare of the media spotlight may lead music fans to conclude that Françoise Hardy is a rather moody person. In fact nothing could be further from the truth! It’s true that the French singer is an extremely private person, but Françoise Hardy’s rare interview appearances also reveal her to be an extremely passionate person, especially when it comes to her double raison d’être : music and astrology. 

Towards the end of 2000, Françoise Hardy made a guest appearance on Henri Salvador's album "Chambre avec vue", performing a duet with the popular crooner entitled "Le Fou de la reine." A few months later, she reappeared on Marc Lavoine's new album, guesting on the duet "Chère amie."

In 2002, fans were treated to "Message personnel", a boxed set of three CDs featuring 74 songs from Ms. Hardy's extensive career.

2004: "Tant de belles choses"

Françoise Hardy returned to the studio in September 2004 to record a new album, "Tant de belles choses" (released in November that year). The songs on this new album were contributed by a crack team of songwriters and composers including the singer's loyal collaborator Alain Lubrano, Benjamin Biolay, Thierry Stremler and Jacno. Françoise also put her feelers out across the Channel and enlisted the services of the English singer-songwriter Ben Christophers and Irish songwriter Perry Blake, who penned two songs in English. Françoise managed to keep things in the family, too, inviting her son, Thomas Dutronc, to produce four tracks on the album. Thomas also played guitar on several tracks.

In 2006, Françoise Hardy delved into her back catalogue and picked out twelve of her favourite songs to record as duets. Gathered together on a new album, "Parenthèses…", released in November of that year, the duets featured collaborations with many of Françoise's personal idols including Alain Bashung, Benjamin Biolay, Rodolphe Burger, Maurane, Arthur H and French film star Alain Delon. "Parenthèses…" was also a landmark occasion in that it brought together Françoise Hardy, Jacques Dutronc and Thomas Dutronc, all recording together as a family for the first time. The first song heard on the French airwaves was "Partir quand même", a surprise duet with Julio Iglesias.

In 2008, Editions Robert Laffont published Françoise Hardy’s autobiography, entitled  "Le désespoir des singes et autres bagatelles" (the monkeys’ despair and other trifles). The book sold extremely well.

2010: "la Pluie sans parapluie"

Early the following year, Françoise Hardy started to plan her next album. She wrote the lyrics herself, and for the music called on the talents of composers such as Alain Lubrano, with whom she had previously worked, as well as Ben Christophers, Pascale Daniel and Thierry Stremler. In addition, La Grande Sophie wrote the track "Mister", Arthur H was responsible for "Les mots s'envolent" and Jean-Louis Murat came up with "Memory divine", which Hardy sang in English. This new album of original material was entitled “La Pluie sans parapluie” (rain without an umbrella), and revealed the sensitive, modest side of the singer. It was produced by Edith Fambuena, Bénédicte Schmitt, Khalil Chahine and Peter Van Poehl, and was released in March 2010. 

In 2012, Françoise Hardy celebrated fifty years in the trade, marked by the simultaneous release of a novel and a new album, both entitled, "L'amour fou".

The singer once again wrote most of the lyrics on the album, which centres on the eternal theme of love and its torments. The tunes were composed by Thierry Stremler, Calogero, Benoît Carré (Lilicub) and Julien Doré, who also wrote the lyrics for the superb track "Normandia". Dominique Blanc-Francard and Bénédicte Schmitt assured production.

The book published at the same time was Hardy’s first novel, written at different periods over the last thirty years. The tale depicts a young woman consumed by her passion for a man, and inevitably invites a parallel with the Hardy/Dutronc couple.

March 2013

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