Not Fade Away
Fondly remembered this month...
FRANÇOISE HARDY
French cultural icon
(1944–2024)
I NOctober 1962, Françoise Hardy’s promo video for “Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles” was screened during the interlude of a live telecast of the French presidential referendum. The exposure turned the 18-year-old into a national sensation, the single topping the French charts and selling two-and-a-half million copies. Written by Hardy (with music co-credited to Roger Samyn), it established her reputation as purveyor of melancholy ballads, while its parent album made her the cosmopolitan face of yé-yé, a Gallic variant of British and American rock’n’roll.
Isolation, heartache and despair were recurring themes in Hardy’s work, echoing her disillusionment with fame and her lifelong issues with anxiety and self-doubt. She found songwriting transformative, attempting to make something beautiful and uplifting from “slow, sad melodies that stir the knife in the wound”. Adored by the likes of Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan (who dedicated a poem to her on the sleeve of Another Side Of…), Hardy’s hits included “Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour” and the English-language “All Over The World”, which cracked the UK Top 20 in 1965. The latter was one of a number of recordings made at London’s Pye Studios – sometimes under the supervision of arranger John Paul Jones and featuring a young Jimmy Page.
Hardy’s music evolved over time, peaking with 1971’s exquisite La Question, a collaboration with Brazilian musician Tuca that showcased bossa nova influences and subtle orchestration. As her output gradually slowed, 1988’s Décalages was slated as her farewell album. But she returned eight years later on Virgin with LeDanger, informed by the prevailing alt.rock climate. She also recorded with Blur, Malcolm McLaren, Air and Iggy Pop, all of whom recognised her as a pioneering spirit.