Françoise Madeleine Hardy (; 17 January 1944 – 11 June 2024) was a French singer-songwriter, actress, and author. She was known for singing melancholic, sentimental ballads. Hardy rose to prominence in the early 1960s as a leading figure in French

yé-yé ''Yé-yé'' () or ''yeyé'' () was a style of pop music that emerged in Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe in the early 1960s. The French term ''yé-yé'' was derived from the English "yeah! yeah!", popularized by British beat music ban ...

music and became a

cultural icon A cultural icon is a person or an cultural artifact, artifact that is identified by members of a culture as representative of that culture. The process of identification is subjective, and "icons" are judged by the extent to which they can be seen ...

in France and internationally. In addition to her native French, she also sang in English, Italian, and German. Her musical career spanned more than 50 years, with over 30

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

s released. She also represented

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

at the

Eurovision Song Contest 1963 The Eurovision Song Contest 1963 was the eighth edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and took place in London, United Kingdom. It was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation ...

. Born and raised in the

9th arrondissement of Paris The 9th arrondissement of Paris (''IXe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as (; "ninth"). The arrondissement, called Opéra, is located on the right bank of th ...

, Hardy made her musical debut in 1962 on French label

Disques Vogue Disques Vogue was a jazz record company founded in France by Léon Cabat and Charles Delaunay in 1947, the year after the American Vogue label ceased. They originally specialized in jazz, featuring American performers such as Sidney Bechet, ...

and found immediate success through the song " Tous les garçons et les filles". Drifting away from her early

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

influences, she began to record in London in 1964, which allowed her to broaden her sound with albums such as '' Mon amie la rose'', '' L'amitié'', '' La maison où j'ai grandi'', and '' Ma jeunesse fout le camp....'' In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she released '' Comment te dire adieu'', ''

La question ''La Question'' ( French for "The question") is a book by Henri Alleg, published in 1958. It is famous for precisely describing the methods of torture used by French paratroopers during the Algerian War from the point of view of a victim. ''La ...

'', and '' Message personnel''. During this period, she worked with songwriters such as

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...

Patrick Modiano Jean Patrick Modiano (; born 30 July 1945), generally known as Patrick Modiano, is a French novelist and recipient of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is a noted writer of autofiction, the blend of autobiography and historical fiction. I ...

Michel Berger Michel Jean Hamburger (28 November 1947 – 2 August 1992), known professionally as Michel Berger, was a French singer and songwriter. He was a figure of France's pop music scene for two decades as a singer. As a songwriter he wrote for artists ...

, and

Catherine Lara Catherine Lara (; born Catherine Bodet; 29 May 1945) is a French violinist, composer, singer, and author. Over a career spanning more than five decades, she has established herself as an icon in French pop/rock music as well as the neo-classical ...

. Between 1977 and 1988, she worked with producer

Gabriel Yared Gabriel Yared (; born 7 October 1949) is a Lebanese-French composer, best known for his work in French and American cinema. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Yared scored the French films '' Betty Blue'' and ''Camille Claudel''. He later worked on Eng ...

on the albums ''Star'', ''Musique saoûle'', ''Gin Tonic'', and ''À suivre''. Her 1988 record ''Décalages'' was publicized as her final album, although she returned eight years later with ''Le danger'', which reinvented her sound as harsher

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

. Her following albums of the 2000s — '' Clair-obscur'', ''Tant de belles choses'', and ''(Parenthèses...)'' — saw a return to her mellow style. In the 2010s, Hardy released her final three albums: '' La pluie sans parapluie'', '' L'amour fou'', and '' Personne d'autre''. In addition to music, Hardy landed film roles as a

supporting actress A supporting actor or supporting actress is an actor who performs a role in a play or film below that of the leading actor(s), and above that of a bit part. In recognition of important nature of this work, the theater and film industries give s ...

in '' Château en Suède'', '' Une balle au cœur'', and the American production ''

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

''. She became a muse for fashion designers such as André Courrèges, Yves Saint Laurent, and

Paco Rabanne Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo (18 February 1934 – 3 February 2023), more commonly known under the pseudonym of Paco Rabanne (; ), was a Spanish-born naturalised-French fashion designer. Rabanne rose to prominence as an ''enfant terrible'' of ...

, and collaborated with photographer

Jean-Marie Périer Jean-Marie Périer (; born 1 February 1940) is a French photographer and film director. On 22 June 1963, the magazine '' Salut les copains'' organised a concert on Place de la Nation in Paris, with singers such as Johnny Hallyday, Richard Anth ...

. Hardy developed a career as an

astrologer Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

, having written extensively on the subject from the 1970s onwards. She was also an author of fiction and non-fiction books from the 2000s. Her autobiography, ''Le désespoir des singes...et autres bagatelles'', was a best-seller in France. As a public figure, Hardy was known for her shyness, disenchantment with celebrity life, and self-deprecatory attitude, which were attributed to her lifelong struggles with

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner wikt:turmoil, turmoil and includes feelings of dread over Anticipation, anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response ...

and insecurity. She married French singer-songwriter

Jacques Dutronc Jacques Dutronc (; born 28 April 1943) is a French singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, and actor. Some of Dutronc's best-known hits include " Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille" (which AllMusic has called "his finest hour"), "Le Responsa ...

in 1981. Their son,

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, also became a musician. Hardy remains one of the best-selling singers in French history and continues to be regarded as an important and influential figure in both

French pop French pop music is pop music sung in the French language. It is usually performed by singers from France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, or any of the other francophone areas of the world. The target audience is the francophone market (primari ...

music and fashion. In 2006 she was awarded the '' Grande médaille de la chanson française'', an honorary award given by the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, in recognition of her career in music. Hardy died of cancer in Paris in June 2024, aged 80.

Early life and education

Françoise Madeleine Hardy was born on 17 January 1944 at the Marie-Louise Clinic in the 9th arrondissement of Paris in

German-occupied France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Hardy, 2018

008 008, OO8, O08, or 0O8 may refer to: * "008", a fictional 00 Agent In Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and the derived films, the 00 Section of MI6 is considered the secret service's elite. A 00 (pronounced "Double O") is a field agent who ho ...

"One" She was born during an air raid and the windows of the clinic exploded. She related being born in this violent context to her "abnormally anxious temperament" as an adult. Her younger sister, Michèle, was born eighteen months later and their mother, Madeleine Hardy (1921–1991), who came from an ordinary background, raised Françoise and Michèle as a

single parent A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include death, divorce, break-up, abandonment, bec ...

.Quinonero, 2017, "«C'est ton enfance / Qui se promène à cloche-pied / Dans ta mémoire..." Her father, Étienne Dillard, was a married man who came from a wealthy family. He did little to help them financially and was an absent figure in their upbringing, only visiting the children a couple of times a year. Hardy's mother raised her daughters strictly in a modest apartment on the 9th arrondissement's Rue d'Aumale. Hardy had an unhappy and troubled childhood and mostly engaged in solitary activities like reading, playing with dolls, or listening to the radio.Quinonero, 2017, "«Dans mon lit / Je dors, je rêve ou je lis»" At the insistence of their father, the girls went to a

Catholic school Catholic schools are Parochial school, parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest parochial schools, religious, no ...

called Institution La Bruyère, under the tutelage of

Trinitarian The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...

nuns. The socio-economic gap between Hardy and her classmates was a source of lifelong insecurity. Her mental health was worsened by her maternal grandmother, who "told errepeatedly that hewas unattractive and a very bad person". Between 1952 and 1960, Hardy and her sister were sent every summer to Austria to learn German, encouraged by her mother's new lover, an Austrian baron.Quinonero, 2017, "Les étés autrichiens" Her father played piano and Hardy was introduced to piano lessons as a very young child, which she dropped after experiencing stage fright when she was required to perform on stage at the

Salle Gaveau The Salle Gaveau, named after the French piano maker Gaveau, is a classical concert hall in Paris, located at 45-47 rue La Boétie, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It is particularly intended for chamber music. Construction The plans for t ...

. At age 16, Hardy finished her secondary education and passed her ''

baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

''.Hardy, 2018

"Two" To mark the occasion her father asked her what gift she would like and she chose a guitar, with which she began to sing her own songs. Following her mother's orders, she enrolled in the

Paris Institute of Political Studies Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

while still a teenager, but finding it too challenging she left the Institute and enrolled at the Sorbonne to study German. Hardy used the time left from her courses to compose songs and began to perform in a small venue, where she played every Thursday "in front of an audience of retirees".Quinonero, 2017, "«Un air de guitare..." Around this time she auditioned for record label Pathé-Marconi after seeing an ad in ''

France-Soir ''France Soir'' () was a French newspaper that prospered in physical format during the 1950s and 1960s, reaching a circulation of 1.5 million in the 1950s. It declined rapidly under various owners and was relaunched as a populist tabloid in 2006 ...

''. She was rejected, but was pleased that she had held the directors' attention for longer than she expected. She also felt encouraged after hearing her recorded voice, which she found "less off-key and tremulous than hefeared".

Music career

1961–1962: Career beginnings

Hardy went to

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by Netherlands, Dutch electronics company Philips and in 1999 was absorbed into Netherlands, Dutch-United States, American music corporation Universal Music Group. It was founded as Philips Phonograph ...

and was recommended to take singing lessons. She auditioned for ''Le Petit Conservatoire de la chanson'' in 1961, a school for performers that aired on radio and television. The head of the program,

Mireille Hartuch Mireille Hartuch (30 September 1906 – 29 December 1996) was a French singer, composer, and actress. She was generally known by the stage name "Mireille," it being a common practice of the time to use a single name for the stage. Biography Mire ...

, was known for being selective. However, she saw Hardy enter the classroom and immediately accepted her before she could play. They developed a "mother-daughter relationship" and a friendship based on mutual esteem. On 14 May 1961, Hardy auditioned for the French label

. Her looks caught the attention of their sound engineer André Bernot, who felt that she "would make a nice record cover", and offered to teach her music theory to improve her sense of rhythm. Bernot later recorded a four-track demo with her which he submitted to the label's directior Jacques Wolfsohn. Wolfsohn was looking for a female singer to record "Oh oh chéri", a French-language version of Bobby Lee Trammell's song "Uh Oh", and after auditioning Hardy Wolfsohn offered her a one-year contract, which she signed on 14 November 1961.Quinonero, 2017, "En Vogue" Upon hearing Hardy's new record deal, Hartuch presented her on the ''Petit Conservatoire'' TV show on 6 February 1962. Hardy performed her original song "La fille avec toi" on guitar, after which she was asked what the English-language "yeah! yeah!" in her lyrics meant. The

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → and → the digraph , Cyrillic → , Armenian → or L ...

" was later popularized by sociologist

Edgar Morin Edgar Morin (; ; né Nahoum; born 8 July 1921) is a French philosopher and sociologist of the theory of information who has been recognized for his work on complexity and "complex thought" ('' pensée complexe''), and for his scholarly contribut ...

through an article published in ''

Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...

'' on 7 July 1963, in which he analyzed the burgeoning youth-led pop music scene.Briggs, 2015, pp. 14–25 The yé-yé phenomenon was coined by the radio program '' Salut les copains,'' created by

Daniel Filipacchi Daniel Filipacchi (born 12 January 1928) is the Chairman Emeritus of Hachette Filipacchi Médias and a French collector of surrealist art. Career Filipacchi wrote and worked as a photographer for '' Paris Match'' from its founding in 1949 b ...

,and its magazine of the same name.

1962–1963: Yé-yé sensation

Vogue released Hardy's first

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP) in May 1962, which included "Oh oh chéri" together with her compositions "Il est parti un jour", "J'suis d'accord" and the sentimental ballad " Tous les garçons et les filles".Quinonero, 2017, "«Des projets d'avenir»" In early October, Hardy filmed a black-and-white

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for "Tous les garçons et les filles", directed by Pierre Badel, which appeared on the TV show ''Toute la chanson''. The song was Hardy's choice, and also that of the show's producer André Salvet, despite Wolfsohn's reluctance to promote it. Hardy was introduced to a wider audience on 28 October when the clip was rebroadcast during a commercial break in the televised results of the presidential election referendum. The song instantly became popular among the youth in France, particularly teenage girls, and was widely played on radio stations, starting with Europe n° 1. "Tous les garçons et les filles" was further popularized by a

Scopitone Scopitone is a type of jukebox featuring a 16 mm film component. Scopitone films were a forerunner of music videos. The 1959 Italian Cinebox/Colorama and Color-Sonics were competing, lesser-known technologies of the time one year before the Scopi ...

music video directed by

Claude Lelouch Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch (; born 30 October 1937) is a French film director, writer, cinematographer, actor and producer. Lelouch grew up in an Algerian Jewish family. He emerged as a prominent director in the 1960s. Lelouch gained critical ...

.Quinonero, 2017, "«Électre en ciré noir»" Vogue quickly released two more EPs of Hardy's songs. These were later compiled, with the first EP for her debut studio album, which became known as '' Tous les garçons et les filles''. In France the LP format was initially viewed with skepticism and Hardy's first series of albums were compilations of previously released four-track 7-inch records, a format known as "super 45 pm. Most of her full-length records were released without a title, with only her name on the cover, and they came to be known by the title of the most popular song of the collection.Quinonero, 2017, "«Question» mythique" Hardy's debut studio album was awarded the Trophée de la Télévision and the prestigious

Grand Prix du Disque Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), ...

award given by the

Académie Charles Cros The Académie Charles Cros (Charles Cros Academy) is an organization located in Chézy-sur-Marne, France, that acts as an intermediary between government cultural policy makers and professionals in music and the recording industry. The academy ...

.Quinonero, 2017, "«À vingt ans / On est les rois du monde»" By early 1963, 500,000 copies of "Tous les garçons et les filles" had been sold in France, and the total rose to 2.5 million in the following months. Hardy's singles "J'suis d'accord", "Le temps de l'amour", and "Tous les garçons et les filles" topped the French singles chart in late 1962 and early 1963. She signed a new five-year contract with Vogue and an agreement with Editions Musicales Alpha, created by Wolfsohn. She met Michel Bourdais, a young designer recently discovered by

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...

, who created the first portrait of Françoise Hardy. (Which Hardy, artistically seduced, acquired.) In March 1963, she represented

at the

, recorded in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. She performed the song " L'amour s'en va", which came fifth in the contest. When the song was released as a single, it reached No. 5 on the French charts in June 1963. In October, Hardy released her second studio album, '' Le premier bonheur du jour''.Quinonero, 2017, "La vie de tournée" That month she received the "Youth"

Edison Award The Edison Award is an annual Dutch music prize awarded for outstanding achievements in the music industry. It is comparable to the American Grammy Award. The Edison award itself is a bronze replica of a statuette of Thomas Edison, designed by ...

at the

Grand Gala du Disque The Grand Gala du Disque was an annual Dutch gala sponsored by local record companies. There were two separate events, the Grand Gala du Disque Classique for classical music and the Grand Gala du Disque Populaire for popular music. The Grand Gala d ...

in Scheveningen, Netherlands. She was presented with the trophy by the author Godfried Bomans, who praised her as a "creative artist" who knew how to impose "a personal style without trying to imitate the Americans". Francoise Hardy November 3 1963

As a leading figure of the yé-yé craze, Hardy found herself at the forefront of the French music scene and became the country's most exportable female singer. Beginning in 1963, translated re-recordings of "Tous les garçons et les filles" were exported to Italian, German, and English-speaking markets.Quinonero, 2017, "«LA FENÊTRE OUVERTE SUR LE MONDE... ne vaut pas celle fermée sur mon amour...»" The first non-French-speaking country in which the singer found success was Italy, where the song became "Quelli della mia età" and sold 255,000 copies. It topped the singles chart between April and October, dropping to second place between July and August behind

Rita Pavone Rita Ori Filomena Merk-Pavone (, ; born August 23, 1945) is an Italian-Swiss pop singer, actress and showgirl, who enjoyed success through the 1960s. Known as "the Mosquito of Turin" (), she was also nicknamed "Carrot Hair" () because of the r ...

's "Cuore".Quinonero, 2017, "«Dans quel pays vous cachez-vous?»" At the end of the summer in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, she recorded new songs which were included in the Italian release '' Françoise Hardy canta per voi in italiano''. The single "L'età dell'amore" / "E all'amore che penso" also topped the Italian charts.

1964–1968: International stardom

In 1963, Hardy went to London record new music. At the height of the

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when Rock music, rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of Culture of the United Kingdom, British culture became popular in the United States with sign ...

, Hardy sought to modernize her music,Quinonero, 2017, "«Des façons Londres de me promettre Corfou»" opting to leave the poor quality of French studios and sound engineers and record her songs at

Pye Records PYE or Pye Records is an independent British record label. It was first established in 1955 and played a major role in shaping rock 'n' roll and pop music history. The Pye name was dropped in 1980 due to trademark issues, after which it produced ...

studios.Deluxe, 2013. p. 60 Working with producer

Tony Hatch Anthony Peter Hatch (born 30 June 1939) is an English composer for musical theatre and television. He is also a songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer. Early life and early career Hatch was born in Pinner, Middlesex. Encouraged by his mu ...

in February 1964, she recorded an EP that included a cover of " Catch a Falling Star" and three adaptations of her hits "Find Me a Boy" ("Tous les garçons et les filles"), "Only Friends" ("Ton meilleur ami") and "I Wish It Were Me" ("J'aurais voulu"). English audiences initially preferred her recordings in French, with "Tous les garçons et les filles" entering the UK Singles Chart on 1 July 1964 at number thirty-six. Her 1965 English-language single " All Over the World" was a hit in the UK, reaching the Top 20 and staying on the charts for fifteen weeks. It was also successful in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, making it possibly her most popular recording among English-speaking audiences. In 1965 Hardy flew to New York to sign a record deal with Kapp to distribute her records in the United States.Quinonero, 2017, "«Dans le monde entier»" The label released her debut studio album under the title ''The "Yeh-Yeh" Girl From Paris!'' and the single "However Much", an English version of the previously released track "Et même..." A German language album '' In Deutschland'' was released which contained five original compositions and translated versions of her previous songs. The most popular track in Germany was "Frag' den Abendwind", which remained on the national singles chart for twenty-four weeks. Hardy in orange

On 12 April 1966, Hardy was among forty-six performers who took part in a group photograph shot by

for ''Salut Les Copains.'' The image became a symbol of the yé-yé era and came to be known in France as the "photo of the century" (French: "''photo du siècle''"). Beginning in late 1967, Hardy took Wolfsohn's suggestion to release her records through her own production company, Asparagus, although Vogue continued to distribute them.Quinonero, 2017, "Septième album" She later regretted this decision, recalling in 1999: "The CEO of Vogue, Léon Cabat, was also in this production company and between them, they owned the majority of the shares. This has given rise to a lot of harassment lawsuits." Her seventh French album '' Ma jeunesse fout le camp,'' the first one produced under Asparagus, was released in November 1967. On the advice of English producer Noel Rodgers, Hardy recorded her second English album in the spring of 1968, known variously as '' En anglais'', ''The Second English Album'', ''Will You Love Me Tomorrow'', and ''Loving'', depending on the country.Quinonero, 2017, "«En anglais»" In 1968, Hardy released a French cover of

Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 1917 – 18 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is Honorific nicknames in popular music, honorifically known ...

's "It Hurts to Say Goodbye", titled " Comment te dire adieu", on the album of the same name. Its French lyrics were written by

and it became one of her most successful releases.

1969–1976: Transition to artistic maturity

In 1970 she broke with the label and signed a three-year contract with

Sonopresse Sonopresse is a French record label and distribution company founded in 1958. It was acquired by EMI in 1977.Jones, Peter. "Sonopresse's Young Team Gets Results". ''Billboard'' F-11. August 12, 1978Archive copyat ''Google books'' retrieved March ...

, a subsidiary of

Hachette Hachette may refer to: * Hachette (surname) * Hachette Livre, a French publisher, the imprint of Lagardère Publishing ** Hachette Book Group, the American subsidiary ** Hachette Distribution Services, the distribution arm See also * Hachette Fil ...

.Quinonero, 2017, "Double changement de domicile" She also created a new production company called Hypopotam, and founded her own music publishing company, Kundalini. Hardy received large advances from Sonopresse, which allowed her to finance her own projects. She described this period as "the happiest time", as she was now able to work independently on her music. This transitional period in her career began with the 1970 releases of several

compilation albums A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from one artist, then generally the tracks we ...

, including the French ''Françoise'', as well as the studio albums '' One-Nine-Seven-Zero,'' recorded in English, and ''

Träume ''Träume'' is the second and last studio album in German language by the French popular singer Françoise Hardy. Released only in Germany during January 1970. The record was published in no other country making it extremely rare and sought after. ...

'', her last German-language release. Her first French studio album produced under Hypopotam was , was released in the spring of 1970. It featured numerous arrangers, including Bernard Estardy,

Jean-Claude Vannier Jean-Claude Vannier (born 1943) is a French musician, composer and arranger. Vannier has composed music, written lyrics, and produced albums for many singers. Vannier is regarded as an important musician in his native country; music critic Andy ...

, Jean-Pierre Sabar, Mick Jones, Saint-Preux,

Simon Napier-Bell Simon Robert Napier-Bell (born 22 April 1939) is an English record producer, music manager, author and journalist. At different times, he has managed artists as diverse as the Yardbirds, John's Children, Marc Bolan, Japan, London, Sinéad O'Co ...

, and Tommy Brown from

Nero and the Gladiators Nero & the Gladiators were a British instrumental rock and roll band in the early 1960s. The group was led by keyboard player Mike O'Neill as "Nero", and had two minor hits in the UK, " Entry of the Gladiators" and "In the Hall of the Mountain ...

. In the summer of 1970, Hardy released her penultimate Italian-language single, "Lungo il mare", written by Giuseppe Torrebruno, Luigi Albertelli and Donato Renzetti. Both this and the next Italian single, which included translated versions of "Soleil" ("Sole ti amo") and "Le crabe" ("Il granchio"), were unsuccessful. She also recorded in Spanish for the first time, for a single that contained translated versions of "Soleil" ("Sol") and "J'ai coupé le téléphone" ("Corté el teléfono"). In the spring of 1971, Hardy released singer-songwriter Patrick Dewaere's single "T'es pas poli", having been impressed by his performances at the

Café de la Gare The Café de la Gare () is a dinner theater located at 41, rue du Temple in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. It lies in a square hidden between Notre Dame de Paris and the historic Marais district.Quinonero, 2017, "Soleil ou lune" Dewaere and Hardy performed the song on several television shows to promote it, but it was not a success. In 1970 Hardy met Tuca (Valeniza Zagni da Silva), a Brazilian singer and guitarist based in Paris, and they became close friends. Hardy made an album with Tuca after attending the Festival Internacional da Canção in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

and discovering the

music of Brazil The music of Brazil encompasses various regional musical styles influenced by European, Music of the United States, American, African and Amerindian forms. Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as forró, repente, coco ...

This was the first time in her career that she had worked on material with another songwriter before going into the studio. She was also able to participate in the choice of string arrangements. The resulting album, ''

'', was released on 16 October 1971 and was promoted with the singles "Le martien", "Même sous la pluie" and "Rêve". Although acclaimed by the French press, the album was not a success.Lesueur, 2015. p. 1938 Following the poor commercial performance of ''La question'', Hardy moved towards a different sound and enlisted British arranger Tony Cox to produce her next album. Known as ''Et si je m'en vais avant toi'', ''L'éclairage'', or in reference to its cover, "The Orange Album", the record was released in November 1972 and promoted through the single "La berlue" (released earlier in June). After finishing ''Et si je m'en vais avant toi'', Hardy and Cox recorded the English-language album '' If You Listen'', which included cover versions of little-known American and British songs. When Hardy's contract with Sonopresse expired it was not renewed. Around 1972, Hardy recruited songwriter and producer

after being impressed by his work with

Véronique Sanson Véronique Marie Line Sanson (; born 24 April 1949) is a three-time Victoires de la Musique award-winning French singer-songwriter and record producer with an avid following in her native country. Ten years after Barbara, Véronique Sanson be ...

Quinonero, 2017, "«TOUS CES MOTS QUI FONT PEUR QUAND ILS NE FONT PAS RIRE... ..Je voudrais vous les dire / Et je voudrais les vivre...»" He wrote two of the record's twelve songs, " Message personnel" and "Première rencontre", and found the other ten, although Hardy felt they were weak. After a period of artistic independence, she again found herself working under the hectic schedule of a demanding producer. She later described Berger as "a man in a hurry, with a thousand things to do, a thousand things to think about, a thousand people to see". Recording sessions for the album took place in July 1973, soon after Hardy had given birth to her son Thomas Dutronc. '' Message personnel'' was released that year on

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

, with whom Hardy signed a three-year contract, and was a commercial and critical success. Its title track reignited the singer's career in France.Quinonero, 2017, "Michel Berger, l'homme pressé" She promoted the album with appearances on French TV shows, including ''Dimanche Salvador'', ''Sports en fête'', ''Top à'', ''La Une est à vous'', ''Midi trente'', ''Minuit chez vous'', ''Tempo'', ''Averty's Follies'', and ''Domino''. Hardy wrote ten songs with a common theme for the next album, and her friend

put the words to music. She also worked with Jean-Pierre Castelain and Gérard Kawczynski (with whom she had worked on ''Message personnel''), André Georget, and Michel Sivy. Produced by

Hughes de Courson Hughes de Courson is a French musician and arranger. The Malicorne years Hughes de Courson is best known for being on all of the albums by Malicorne. He played electric guitar, bass, crumhorn, percussion, recorder, positive organ, piano, elka ...

, the

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

''Entr'acte'' was released in November 1974 and promoted through the songs "Ce soir", "Je te cherche", and "Il y a eu des nuits".Quinonero, 2017, "«Il y a eu des nuits / Où je mourais de toi / Comme on meurt de faim...»" It was a commercial failure and Hardy took a break from music to devote more time to raising her child. She released two singles in 1975-76. The first was

Jean-Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the Electronic music, electronic, Ambient music, ambient and New-age music, new-age genres, and is known for organising out ...

's "Que vas-tu faire?", backed by "Le compte a rebours" which sold poorly. The second was "Femme parmi les femmes", the theme song of

's film ''Si c'était à refaire'', featuring lyrics by

Pierre Barouh Pierre Barouh (born Élie Pierre Barouh; 19 February 1934 – 28 December 2016) was a French writer-composer-singer best known for his work on Claude Lelouch's film ''A Man and a Woman'' as an actor and the lyricist/singer for Francis Lai's music ...

and music by

Francis Lai Francis Albert Lai (; 26 April 19327 November 2018) was a French composer, noted for his film scores. He won the 1970 Oscar for Best Music, Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for the film '' Love Story''. The ...

. Around 1976, Berger contacted Hardy again, wanting to sign her to his new record label, Apache, and she sent him the songs "Ton enfance", "Star", and "L'impasse".Hardy, 2018

"Ten" Berger proposed to release an album of her songs with compositions structured around a unifying concept, but Hardy declined and signed a three-year deal with Pathé-Marconi.Quinonero, 2017, "Gabriel Yared, le gentil tyran"

1977–1995: Work with Gabriel Yared and hiatus

For 1977's ''Star'', her first album released under Pathé-Marconi, Hardy enlisted

as producer and arranger. The "patchwork album" contained six tracks written by Hardy and songs written by

William Sheller William Sheller (born William Desbœuf) on 9 July 1946) is a French classical composer and singer-songwriter. A prominent artist of French popular music since the 1970s, William Sheller has the particularity of being one of the few singers of Fre ...

, Catherine Lara,

Luc Plamondon Luc Plamondon (born March 2, 1942) is a French Canadians, French-Canadian lyricist and music executive. His work includes the musicals Starmania (musical), ''Starmania'' and Notre-Dame de Paris (musical), ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He is the brot ...

, Roland Vincent, and

Michel Jonasz Michel Jonasz (born 21 January 1947 in Drancy, France) is a French composer-songwriter, singer and actor. His compositions include: ''La boîte de jazz'', ''Joueurs de blues'' and ''Les vacances au bord de la mer''. Born of Hungarian immigra ...

. At first Hardy's relationship with Yared was tense and ''Star'' was recorded under a "strained atmosphere", earning her the nickname "ice queen". According to Frédéric Quinonero, "the singer deemed it necessary to immediately dispel any misunderstanding, physical or sentimental, before being integrated into a faithful friendship." ''Star'' was a commercial success that put Hardy back in the media spotlight and introduced her work to a new generation of young people. Despite their stiff relationship in the recording studio, Hardy and Yared continued to work together for nearly six years and recorded five albums. In 1991 the singer recalled her experience of working with the producer:

ared The Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) is an exercise device designed by NASA to allow for more intense workouts in zero gravity. The device was flown to the International Space Station during STS-126 and installed in 2009 to replace its i ...
is demanding... in work as in friendship. He had great influence over me. The five albums we made together were not easy... but I consider that it was one of the great chances of my life to find myself again under the guidance of a musician of this dimension.

Hardy's 1978 follow-up, ''Musique saoûle,'' included compositions by Yared, Alain Goldstein and Michel Jonasz. The album changed Hardy's musical direction to a more danceable sound and it was a commercial success, aided by the popularity of the lead single "J'écoute de la musique saoûle", especially in its extended remixed version. ''Musique saoûle'' was promoted through televised appearances which showed the singer "awkwardly" performing the track amid a dancing crowd. In 1980, Yared and collaborator Bernard Ilous gave her next album, ''Gin Tonic,'' an even more commercial style. The album cover, photographed by a collaborator from ''Façade'', a French magazine modelled after

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

's journal ''Influence,'' projected a "furiously modern" image of the singer and ''Gin Tonic'' was promoted with the singles "Jazzy rétro Satanas" and "Juke-box". Hardy's next album, ''À suivre,'' was released in April 1981 on the Flarenasch label, in breach of her contract with Pathé-Marconi, and featured a new array of collaborators, with Yared enlisting composers

Louis Chedid Louis Chedid (born 1 January 1948, in Ismaïlia) is a French singer-songwriter of Lebanese, Syrian, and Egyptian origin. Biography Louis Chedid is the son of the writer Andrée Chedid and the father of Matthieu Chedid (better known as -M-). ...

, Pierre Groscolas, Jean-Claude Vannier, Michel Bernholc, Daniel Perreau, Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, and

Étienne Roda-Gil Étienne Roda-Gil (1 August 1941 in Septfonds, Tarn-et-Garonne, France – 31 May 2004 in Paris) was a songwriter and screenwriter. He was an anarchist and an anarcho-syndicalist. Biography Roda-Gil was born in the Septfonds internment camp to ...

. ''À suivre'' was promoted through the singles "Tamalou" and "Villégiature". The next album, ''Quelqu'un qui s'en va,'' was released in the spring of 1981 and featured a cover photographed by Serge Gainsbourg.Quinonero, 2017, "Fausse sortie" ''Décalages,'' released on 2 May 1988, was promoted as Hardy's final album. It was a commercial success and certified

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

for selling 100,000 copies.Hardy, 2017, "Décalages et dérapages" In 1990 Hardy wrote "

Fais-moi une place "Fais-moi une place" is a 1989 Pop music, pop song recorded by French singer Julien Clerc. Written by Françoise Hardy with a music composed by Clerc, it was the first Single (music), single from his 15th studio album ''Fais-moi une place'', on w ...

" for

Julien Clerc Paul-Alain Auguste Leclerc (born 4 October 1947), better known by his stage name Julien Clerc (), is a French singer-songwriter. He rose to fame with his song "La cavalerie" (1968), that captured the "rebellious essence" of those times and becam ...

and the song was included on his album of the same name. Hardy resumed her music career in the 1990s, signing a contract with

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

in December 1994. In 1995 Hardy collaborated with English band Blur for the French version of " To the End", recorded at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

. It was included as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

to band's single "

Country House image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

1996–2021: Final albums and retirement

In 1997 Hardy collaborated with French duo

Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

on the track "Jeanne", a

on their maxi-single " Sexy Boy". In 2005 Hardy received the 'Female Artist of the Year' award for her album ''Tant de belles choses'' at the Victoires de la Musique. In 2006 she received the Grande médaille de la chanson française award, given by the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

in recognition of her music career. In 2012 Hardy celebrated her 50th anniversary in music with the release of her first novel and an album, both titled '' L'Amour fou''. Recently diagnosed with

laryngeal cancer Laryngeal cancer is a kind of cancer that can develop in any part of the larynx (voice box). It is typically a squamous-cell carcinoma, reflecting its origin from the epithelium of the larynx. The prognosis is affected by the location of the tumo ...

, the singer declared ''L'Amour fou'' to be her last album, but returned nearly five years later with the 2018 release '' Personne d'autre''.Far Out Staf
Françoise Hardy to release new studio album "Personne d'autre"
, ''

Far Out Magazine ''Far Out'' is an independent British online culture platform founded in 2010 and headquartered in London. The site focuses on independent and alternative culture, providing analysis of music, film, travel and the arts alongside exclusive intervi ...

'', Retrieved on 7 May 2018. In March 2021, Hardy announced that she could no longer sing as a result of her cancer treatments.

Acting career

Hardy had film roles, but did not embark on a serious career as an actress and did not wish to do so. She reluctantly accepted acting work offered to her in the 1960s on the advice of Jean-Marie Périer. While she liked the idea of working with well-known film directors, she still preferred music over cinema. In 1963 Hardy made her film debut as Ophelia in

Roger Vadim Roger Vadim Plemiannikov (; 26 January 1928 – 11 February 2000) was a French screenwriter, film director, and producer, as well as an author, artist, and occasional actor. His best-known works are visually lavish films with erotic qualities, s ...

's '' Château en Suède''.Hardy, 2018

"Three"Deluxe, 2013. p. 58 Before casting her, Vadim tested Hardy's acting abilities by directing her in a reading of Cécile de Roggendorf's love letters to

Giacomo Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (; ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer who was born in the Republic of Venice and travelled extensively throughout Europe. He is chiefly remembered for his autobiography, written in French and pu ...

.Quinonero, 2017, "Actrice malgré elle" During the making of ''Château en Suède'', Vadim mocked Hardy for her "infinite apathy", which marked the "beginning of her dread for filming sessions and the movie business in general". As promotion for the film Hardy attended the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

, where she wore a black coat by

Pierre Cardin Pierre Cardin (born Pietro Costante Cardin; 2 July 1922 – 29 December 2020) was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs. He preferred geometry, geometric shap ...

. After a cameo in ''

What's New Pussycat? ''What's New Pussycat?'' is a 1965 screwball comedy film directed by Clive Donner, written by Woody Allen in his first produced screenplay, and starring Allen in his acting debut, along with Peter Sellers, Peter O'Toole, Romy Schneider, Capuc ...

'', Hardy landed a role in Jean-Daniel Pollet's 1966 film '' Une balle au cœur'', which was shot on location on a remote Greek island. She disliked the experience, saying, "after a day or two, I realized that the director was hopelessly bad and his film was a disaster." Building on her music career success in Italy, Hardy made appearances as a performer in ''

musicarelli The ''musicarello'' (; : ''musicarelli'') is a film subgenre which emerged in Italy and which is characterised by the presence in main roles of young singers, already famous among their peers, and their new record album. In the films there are a ...

'' films, including ''I ragazzi dell'Hully Gully'' (1964), ''

Questo pazzo, pazzo mondo della canzone ''Questo pazzo, pazzo mondo della canzone'' is a 1965 Italian '' musicarello'' film written and directed by Bruno Corbucci and Giovanni Grimaldi. Cast *Sandra Mondaini *Valeria Fabrizi *Aroldo Tieri *Alberto Bonucci * Margaret Lee * Vittorio Co ...

'' (1965), ''

Altissima pressione ''Altissima pressione'' () is a 1965 Italian musicarello comedy film directed by Enzo Trapani. Cast * Dino as Roberto *Gianni Morandi * Rosemary Dexter as Serenella * Fabrizio Capucci *Lucio Dalla * Nicola Di Bari * Micaela Esdra as Lia * Lill ...

'' (1965), and ''Europa canta'' (1965). She appeared in the 1968

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of en ...

'' Monte Carlo: C'est La Rose'', hosted by

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982), also known as Grace of Monaco, was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their marriage on April 18, 1956, until her death in 1982. ...

. The American director

John Frankenheimer John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits are ''Birdman of Alcatraz (film), Birdman of Alcatraz'', ''The Manc ...

spotted Hardy as she was leaving a London club and thought she would be perfect in his

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

film ''

'' (1966).Hardy, 2018

"Four" Despite remaining uninterested in an acting career, Hardy accepted the role because it was well-paid.Quinonero, 2017, "Pour la «beauté renversante» d'un cinéaste" She made a cameo in

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

's 1966 film ''

Masculin féminin ''Masculin féminin: 15 Specific Events'' (, ) is a 1966 French New Wave film, written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. An international co-production between France and Sweden, the film stars Chantal Goya, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Marlène Jobert ...

'' wearing a head-to-toe look by André Courrèges. In 1969 she starred in the

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

''L'homme qui venait du Cher'' alongside

Eddy Mitchell Claude Moine (; born 3 July 1942), known professionally as Eddy Mitchell, is a French singer and actor. He began his career in the late 1950s, with the group Les Chaussettes Noires (The Black Socks). He took the name ''Eddy'' from the American ...

. In the 1970s, she made brief appearances in

Jean-Claude Lord Jean-Claude Lord (6 June 1943 – 15 January 2022) was a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He was one of the most commercial of the Québécois directors in the 1970s, aiming his feature films at a mass audience and dealing with political ...

's '' The Doves (Les Colombes)'' (1972) and

's '' If I Had to Do It All Over Again (Si c'était à refaire)'' (1976).

Astrological career

Hardy also developed a career as an

, having written extensively on the subject. She aligned herself with the so-called "conditionalist"

school of thought A school of thought, or intellectual tradition, is the perspective of a group of people who share common characteristics of opinion or outlook of a philosophy, discipline, belief, social movement, economics, cultural movement, or art movement. ...

, outlined by Jean-Pierre Nicola in his 1964 book, ''La condition solaire,'' which proposed a non-

divinatory Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...

character for the discipline and said that it should be used while taking into account other factors such as hereditary, educational, and socio-cultural determinants. Hardy first became interested in the subject after consulting astrologer André Barbault in the mid-1960s.Hardy, 2018

"Six" She took public courses, learned to draw up a

birth chart A horoscope (or other commonly used names for the horoscope in English include natal chart, astrological chart, astro-chart, celestial map, sky-map, star-chart, cosmogram, vitasphere, radical chart, radix, chart wheel or simply chart) is an ast ...

and read many specialized books before meeting Catherine Aubier, who recommended her teacher to Hardy. Hardy was taught traditional astrology for two years by Madame Godefroy in Paris. She became more dedicated to astrology after meeting Nicola in 1974, who asked her to be part of a new magazine he was developing. The singer described Nicola as "the best astrologer in the world" and wrote: " einitiated me into an intelligent understanding of astrology and trained me to use it, by his side, to the best of my ability." Besides astrology, Hardy was initiated into the

reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

of the

Tarot of Marseilles The Tarot of Marseilles is a standard pattern of Italian-suited tarot pack with 78 cards that was very popular in France in the 17th and 18th centuries for playing tarot card games and is still produced today. It was probably created in Milan bef ...

Alejandro Jodorowsky Alejandro Jodorowsky Prullansky (; born 17 February 1929) is a Chilean and French Experimental film, avant-garde filmmaker. Known for his films ''El Topo'' (1970), ''The Holy Mountain (1973 film), The Holy Mountain'' (1973) and ''Santa Sangre'' ...

.Hardy, 2018

"Twelve" As a complement to her astrological knowledge, she also took courses with

graphologist Graphology is the analysis of handwriting in an attempt to determine the writer's personality traits. Its methods and conclusions are not supported by scientific evidence, and as such it is considered to be a pseudoscience. Graphology has been ...

Germaine Tripier, the dean of the French Society of Graphology. Between recording sessions for her album ''Gin Tonic'' in 1979, Hardy collaborated on a book series on the zodiac signs by Tchou Editions, and worked on the book dedicated to

Virgo Virgo may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Virgo (film), a 1970 Egyptian film * Virgo (character), several Marvel Comics characters * Virgo Asmita, a character in the manga ''Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas'' * ''Virgo'' (album), by Virgo Four, ...

Hardy, 2018

"Eleven" with fellow astrologer Béatrice Guénin. She also collaborated with the magazine ''Quinze Ans''. In late 1980, Hardy was asked by Pierre Lescure of the RMC radio station to provide the daily horoscope and a weekly show. In 1982 Hardy began a new weekly broadcast, titled ''Entre les lignes, entre les signes'', in which she interviewed a film or music figure using their birth chart, and graphologist Anne-Marie Simmond, whose courses Hardy had taken, drew up a psychological portrait using their handwriting. A compilation of the interviews and profiles was published by RMC in 1986. In 1990, Hardy continued her astrological work by writing articles in Swiss newspaper '' Le Matin'' and by hosting a weekly section in

Thierry Ardisson Thierry Ardisson (; born 6 January 1949) is a French television producer and host. Many of his shows have some of the longest run times on French television, such as ''Paris Dernière'', ''Tout le monde en parle'', and ''On a tout essayé.'' ...

's program ''Télé Zèbre'' on

Antenne 2 France 2 () is a French free-to-air public television channel. The flagship channel of France Télévisions, it broadcasts generalist programming including news, entertainment (such as dramas, films, and game shows), factual programmes, and sp ...

.Quinonero, 2017, "Là pour personne ?" On 7 May 2003, Hardy published ''Les rythmes du zodiaque,'' which had taken over two years to write and which she intended to be "a book that would allow me to make my little contribution to modern astrology".Hardy, 2018

"Eighteen"

Writing career

In her later years Hardy became an author of

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

and

non-fiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real life, real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to pre ...

. She also wrote an autobiography, ''Le désespoir des singes... et autres bagatelles (The Despair of Monkeys and Other Trifles),'' which was published on 9 October 2008. It sold 250,000 copies and became a

bestseller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...

in France. The book was translated and published in Spanish by the

San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...

-based

independent publisher A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. However, when a distinction ...

Expediciones Polares in 2017. An English-language edition, translated by Jon E. Graham, was published by

Feral House Feral House is an American book publisher founded in 1989 by Adam Parfrey and based in Port Townsend, Washington. Feral House is known for its taboo and provocative publications, but has had significant influence in both underground circles an ...

in 2018. In 2012 Hardy published her first

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

, ''L'amour fou,'' on

Éditions Albin Michel Éditions Albin Michel is a French publisher. In January 2019, the new President and CEO is Gilles Haéri. In January 2022, the director is Anna Pavlowitch, the daughter of Paul Pavlowitch. History It was founded in 1900 by Albin Michel. They ...

. It was released in conjunction with a music album of the same name. She had begun working on the story, which dealt with an obsessive romantic relationship, thirty years before but had shelved the manuscript and had not intended to release it. She was urged to do so by her editor and agreed after being encouraged by her friend, Jean-Marie Périer. Hardy felt it was appropriate to publish the book to mark the fiftieth year of her musical career, as it told "the story that has been the matrix of almost all of my lyrics from the start". In 2013 an Italian-language edition of the novel was released by

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

's Edizioni Clichy. Following poor sales of the albums ''La pluie sans parapluie'' and ''L'Amour fou'', Hardy decided to distance herself from music and dedicate herself to writing. This resulted in the

essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

''Avis non autorisés'' ''(Unauthorised Opinions)'', released in 2015 on Éditions des Équateurs, in which she described the difficulties of reaching

old age Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

. In this book she also shared views on current affairs which were deemed "

politically incorrect "Political correctness" (adjectivally "politically correct"; commonly abbreviated to P.C.) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. ...

". ''Avis non autorisés'' was a commercial success. A year later, she published ''Un cadeau du ciel (A Present from Heaven),'' in which she reflected on her hospitalization in March 2015 for cancer during which she nearly died. In the early 2020s, after being unable to continue singing, and claiming that she had "nothing else to do", Hardy dedicated herself assembling a

song book A song book is a book containing lyrics for songs. Song books may be simple composition books or spiral-bound notebooks. Music publishers also produced printed editions for group singing. Such volumes were used in the United States by piano man ...

, ''Chansons sur toi et nous,'' a compilation of all of her lyrics with commentaries. ''Chansons sur toi et nous'' was published in 2021 on Éditions des Équateurs.

Artistry

Musical style

Although Hardy's music covered a wide range of

genres Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other form ...

, she maintained a signature sound from the beginning of her career which was defined by breathy

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...

vocals and a predilection for melancholic songs.Quinonero, 2017, "« es chansons plein la tête»" ''

Rock & Folk ''Rock & Folk'' is a prominent French popular music magazine founded in 1966, and published in the Paris suburb of Clichy. Editor in chief were Philippe Koechlin, Philippe Paringaux, Eric Breton, Philippe Manœuvre and now Vincent Tannières. ...

''s Basile Farkas described her as the "queen of melancholy", and Hardy herself stated in 2012: "In music, I like above all the slow, sad melodies... Not in a way that plunges, but in a way that uplifts... I still aspire to find the heartbreaking melody that will bring tears to my eyes. A melody whose quality gives it a sacred dimension." Cosette Schulz of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' described her as a "master of crafting simple but stellar tracks". Writers have likened Hardy's music to that of English singer

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...

. Comparing both singers, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''s Keith Altham wrote in 2014: "They both sing sad songs with a simple folksy style. They both have the same shy, wistful, almost

waif A waif (from the Old French , )Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/waif (accessed: June 02, 2008) is a person removed, by hardship, loss or other helpless circumstance, from their original ...

-like appeal about them. They both have a dramatic, 'all-alone' quality about their voices which commands sympathy and attention." Aside from original compositions, much of her 1960s repertoire consisted of versions of foreign artists that spanned a wide range of styles, including American girl-groups, early

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

, pre-Beatles

British rock and roll British rock and roll, or typeset as British rock 'n' roll, is a style of popular music based on American rock and roll, which emerged in the late 1950s and was popular until the arrival of beat music in 1962. It was important in establishing Bri ...

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

, folk-rock and, to a lesser extent,

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

. The recurring themes of her lyrics are sadness, personal pain, heartache, one-sided love, sleeplessness, boredom,

loneliness Loneliness is an unpleasant emotional response to perceived or actual isolation. Loneliness is also described as social paina psychological mechanism that motivates individuals to seek social connections. It is often associated with a perc ...

, and confinement. Her

deadpan Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of Comedy, comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant t ...

delivery, characterized by its "cool, aloof air", has also been compared to that of German singer

Nico Christa Päffgen (; 16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988), known by her stage name Nico, was a German singer, songwriter, actress, and model. Nico had roles in several films, including Federico Fellini's '' La Dolce Vita'' (1960) and Andy Warhol's ...

Hardy was known for being meticulous about her music, such as her decision to leave low-quality French studios for higher-quality studios in London. As she matured, Hardy honed her own despairing songwriting, but she also chose from the works of leading professionals. Producer

Erick Benzi Erick Benzi (born 1 March 1959) is a French musician, songwriter, composer, and record producer from Marseille. He was previously part of the duo Die Form, with Gildas Arzel, and the group Canada (with Arzel, Jacques Veneruso, and Gwenn Arzel) ...

recalled: "From when she was 18, she knew she was different. She was capable of going in front of big artists like

and saying, 'Your song is crap, I don't want to sing it.' She never made compromises." Tony Cox recalled his experience working with Hardy: "Françoise was good in that she liked things to be slightly more adventurous than the norm. There was a bit of the Left Bank about her – she's not your average pop singer, that's for sure." Although she is regarded as one of the greatest exponents of

, she was apart from her peers in writing much of her own material. She was also known for downplaying her skills as a singer and musician. Her compositions became less frequent, as she told ''Rock & Folk'' in 2018: "I understood that even if I did learn things, I would never be able to do as well as real melodists. That's why I thought it was best to bring in musicians whose work touched me."

Influences

Her earliest musical tastes were French ''

chanson A (, ; , ) is generally any Lyrics, lyric-driven French song. The term is most commonly used in English to refer either to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval music, medieval and Renaissance music or to a specific style of ...

'' singers, including Cora Vaucaire,

Georges Guétary Georges Guétary (), born Lambros Vorloou ( ; 8 February 1915 – 13 September 1997) was a French singer, dancer, cabaret performer and film actor, best known for his role in the 1951 musical ''An American in Paris''. Early life and career ...

Charles Trenet Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet (; 18 May 1913 – 19 February 2001) was a renowned French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the lyrics for nearly 1,000 songs over a career that lasted more than 60 years. These songs inclu ...

, and

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed theatrical songs. He generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, but later throughout the world ...

, since in the 1950s this was the only music played on the radio. She said that Trenet touched her more than the others because his music was "sad and light". Hardy was also a big fan of singer and songwriter Barbara, who had inspired her to write her own compositions. In the early 1960s, she was introduced to English-language

and Brill Building pop through

Radio Luxembourg Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg). The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...

and took inspiration from artists such as

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country and Christmas music, she achieved her first ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' hit aged 12 i ...

the Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...

the Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...

Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( ; born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a retired American Pop music, pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is estimated to have sold more th ...

, and especially

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

and

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include " Diana", “ You Are My Destiny", “Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wr ...

.Deluxe, 2013. p. 57 Hardy said she was "completely spellbound" by these young foreign artists and began to sing and play the guitar to try to imitate them. She recalled in 2008: "I immediately identified with them, because they expressed teenage loneliness and awkwardness, over melodies that were much more inspiring than their lyrics". Hardy's music during the second half of the decade incorporated influences from the

pop phenomenon and "a strong comeback of the traditional values of French ''chanson'', neither yé-yé nor 'Left Bank', but rather romantic".Quinonero, 2017, "«La plus belle des fleurs de ton jardin»" Her 1964 album ''Mon amie la rose'' incorporated influences of

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

Wall of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...

technique, as well as Italian composer

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone ( , ; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, Orchestration, orchestrator, conductor, trumpeter, and pianist who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 film score, scores for cinema and televisi ...

. Brazilian guitarist and arranger Tuca, introduced Hardy to bossa nova, which culminated to the 1971 album ''La Question''. Hardy was an admirer of English folk singer-songwriter

Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter and musician. An accomplished acoustic guitarist, Drake signed to Island Records at the age of twenty while still a student at the University of Cambridg ...

. She recalled: "For me, he didn't belong to a particularly British tradition... It is the soul which comes out of his songs that touched me deeply – romantic, poetic... but also the refined melodies. As well as the very individual timbre of his voice, which adds to the melancholy of the whole thing." Their personalities, voices, and tastes in chords and harmony were perceived to be similar. In 1972,

's debut album made an impression on Hardy, who began to feel that her own music was outdated. She described her impression of Sanson in her autobiography: "It was as if the English and American influences that yé-yé had been happy to simply copy... had been thoroughly digested and allowed for the emergence of something much more musically mature, as well as more personal." Hardy's 1996 output ''Le danger'' incorporated influences from English band Portishead and the

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...

, and

roots rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in contemporary folk music, folk, blues, and country music. First emerging in the late 1960s, it is seen as a response to the perceived excesses of the then dominant psychedel ...

genres.

Development

1962–1967

Hardy's rockabilly-tinged, full-length debut album ''Tous les garçons et les filles'' was the closest she came to the yé-yé genre. The album was noted for its simple, minimalist accompaniment of acoustic and electric guitar, bass, and jazz-influenced percussion. Her next album, ''Le premier bonheur du jour,'' incorporated more complex instrumentation and lyricism, with

electric organ An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has since develop ...

s and "weeping" string arrangements and included compositions inspired by jazz music and American girl groups such as

the Crystals The Crystals are an American vocal group that originated in New York City. Considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era in the first half of the 1960s, their 1961–1964 chart hits – including " There's No Other (Like My Baby)", ...

and

the Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of the lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Ta ...

. In the mid-1960s, her music became lusher and richer after she moved to London to record with arranger Charles Blackwell, who allowed her to "reach new levels of sophistication." The album ''Mon amie la rose,'' released in 1964, revealed a growing complexity in her music, with stronger vocals and increased experimentation in song structure. Hardy's 1965-66 output showed her style maturing, with productions that "moved from the tinny sound of yeh-yeh pop into a fuller brand of rock arrangements." The overall sound of her follow-up album, ''L'amitié,'' was considerably more expansive. According to

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

's Hazel Cills: "It wasn't until her fifth record, ''La maison où j'ai grandi,'' that Hardy grew into a more grown-up, baroque sound, one that matched the depth of her sorrow and its complexities." Warfield considered that this was the album in which she had "really settled into her sound, giving us a glimpse of the performer we can still recognise as a 70-year-old". With ''Ma jeunesse fout le camp'', her last 1960s album recorded in London, she "moved toward a more adult, sedate form of orchestrated pop balladry" which has been described as "her farewell to the yé-yé years".

1968–1974

With Hardy's return to French recording studios 1968's ''Comment te dire adieu'' was more MOR-oriented than her previous releases.

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' The Daily P ...

considered its music to be "perhaps even sadder and more sentimental" than usual. As the yé-yé era faded away following the

May 68 May 68 () was a period of widespread protests, strikes, and civil unrest in France that began in May 1968 and became one of the most significant social uprisings in modern European history. Initially sparked by student demonstrations agains ...

protests in France, Hardy "reinvented herself as an elusive folk-rock/jazz ''chanteuse''" with her early 1970s releases. She developed a more mature, less-pop oriented style to reflect more of her inner. Described as "the first truly personal Françoise Hardy record", the 1971 album ''La question,'' moving toward a less commercial sound with no apparent hooks, was regarded as an important turning point in her career. It was one of her sparsest efforts, with subdued and acoustic-flavored arrangements featuring guitar, touches of bass and subtle orchestration. Hardy's vocals have been described as "sultry" and "breathy", at times " ubstitutingmelodic

humming A hum ( /hʌm/ ) Latin: murmur, The sound of giraffes humming () is a sound made by producing a wordless tone with the mouth closed, forcing the sound to emerge from the nose. To hum is to produce such a sound, often with a melody. It is also ...

in the place of singing, wordlessly articulating the emotional essence of the song." ''La question'' was also first time that Hardy had a part in choosing the string arrangements for her work.Hardy, 2018

"Seven" Following ''La question'', Hardy progressed to a more folk and rock-influenced sound.Quinonero, 2017, "Le rouge et l'orange" This led producer

Joe Boyd Joe Boyd (born August 5, 1942) is an American record producer and writer. He formerly owned Hannibal Records. Boyd has worked with Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny who was in Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson, Nick Drake, The ...

to suggest that Nick Drake write an album of songs for Hardy, to be produced by Tony Cox. The two singers met several times, including a visit by Drake to Hardy's recording sessions in London, but the project was never carried out. Cox was keen to work with Hardy, and in late 1971 recorded ''If You Listen'', which featured a "crack team" of British folk-rock musicians. Influenced by Drake, the album featured "cinematic" arrangements that emphasized acoustic guitar and light strings. In the same year, Hardy released ''Et si je m'en vais avant toi'', which incorporated influences from American blues, folk, and rock music and featured, unusually, a slightly humorous tone and catchier rhythms. Hardy enlisted

, the producer of Véronique Sanson's debut album, to oversee production of her 1973 album ''Message personnel.'' The album featured arrangements by Michel Bernholc, who directed "a basic rock band backed by a lush set of strings, nderliningHardy's wispy yet compelling vocals." The album had a sad, introspective mood and "classy, adult tone". The 1974 release ''Entr'acte'' was Hardy's first attempt at a

, with lyrics that narrated "the successive phases of a one-night stand between a stranger and a young woman, who, abandoned by the man she loves, is looking to give him a taste of his own medicine."Hardy, 2018

"Nine" It featured orchestral arrangements by

Del Newman Derrick Martin "Del" Newman (5 October 1930 – 10 August 2020) was a British conductor, orchestral arranger and music producer. His orchestral arrangements appeared on songs by many rock and pop artists from the 1960s to the 1990s, including Ca ...

, who had recently worked on

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

's ''

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'' is the seventh studio album by English singer, pianist, and composer Elton John. A double album, it was released on 5 October 1973, by DJM Records. Recorded at the Château d'Hérouville in France, the album became ...

'' and

Cat Stevens Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and musician. He has sold more than 100 million records and has more than two billion st ...

' '' Tea for the Tillerman''.

1975–2018

1977's ''Star,'' a ''jazz-oriented pop'' record, was Hardy's first album to be arranged by Gabriel Yared, who produced her output for the next ten years. In 1978, as

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

dominated the music industry, Yared sought to adapt her sound to the era with the release of ''Musique saoûle'', which incorporated rhythms influenced by

funk music Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the mi ...

.Quinonero, 2017, "Saoule au gin-tonic" The singer said later that she had felt uncomfortable and embarrassed when singing over dance rhythms. The 1988 album ''Décalages,'' noted for its layered, atmospheric sound, incorporated the use of a

Synclavier The Synclavier is an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation manufactured by New England Digital Corporation of Norwich, Vermont. It was produced in various forms from the late 1970s into the ea ...

synthesizer, despite the singer's wishes to avoid fashionable digital sounds in favor of an acoustic style. In 1996, inspired by the

scene, Hardy veered into an assertive, guitar-oriented, modern rock style with ''Le danger'', her first album in seven years.

's Jazz Monroe described its music as " adult-contemporary

space rock Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drummin ...

". The album's harsh sound and lyrics reflect the "very dark" period the singer was in at the time. The commercial failure of ''Le danger'', among other reasons, caused Hardy to return to her earlier soft and light style for the next album, '' Clair-obscur'', released in 2000, and her final five albums were characterized by an elegant and melancholic sound. 2006's ''(Parenthèses...)'' was a collection of twelve duets with production that kept tricks and slick mixing to a minimum, drawing comparisons to previous uncluttered releases such as ''La question''. Compared to previous albums, 2010's ''La pluie sans parapluie'' featured a "sunnier" sound, with some of its songs driven by a rhythm track of drums and bass rather than piano or strings. Her 2012 album ''L'amour fou'' featured half-sung, half-spoken vocals and had a "resigned, philosophical" mood, with "classy" pianos, minor chords and brushed drums as backing. The lyrics of her last album, '' Personne d'autre'', released in 2018, dealt with her advancing years and her own mortality. She had survived a major health crisis since the release of her previous record, and the vocal performances on the album were affected by her illness. The dark, lyrical subject matter of ''Personne d'autre'' contrasted with the singer's earlier delicate and intimate sound.

Live performances

On 11 May 1962, Hardy made her debut as a live performer alongside other young singers at the Disco Revue gala in Nancy.Quinonero, 2017, "Premières scènes" She performed on Christmas Eve in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

and undertook a successful tour in

Southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

from late 1962 to early 1963. In February 1963, she appeared on the TV show ''Cinq colonnes à la une'' alongside

Sylvie Vartan Sylvie Vartan (; born Sylvie Georges Vartanian on 15 August 1944) is a Bulgarians in France, Bulgarian-French singer and actress. She is known as one of the most productive and tough-sounding yé-yé artists. Her performances often featured ela ...

and Sheila. They were later considered to be the three biggest idols of the yé-yé era, each one embodying a different modern girl archetype.Quinonero, 2017, "Les Trois Grâces" She made her first appearance at the Olympia concert venue in Paris, where she opened for Richard Anthony. Between 26 February and 10 April, Hardy took part in the Gala des Stars concert tour, sponsored by Europe n° 1 and ''Salut les copains''.Quinonero, 2017, "«Gala des étoiles» et concours de l'Eurovision" Between tour dates she represented Monaco at the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

in London, singing "", and finished fifth with 25 points in a tie with France's Alain Barrière. Between 7 November and 18 December 1963, Hardy appeared again as Anthony's opening act at the Olympia in Paris and was well received by the press, who had previously criticized her stiff live performances.Quinonero, 2017, "Suivre sa voie" On 11 October, Hardy performed in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Spain, as part of the fourth Great Gala of the Sedería Española. In November, she embarked on her first Italian tour, which mostly visited small coastal towns. The singer was also successful in Portugal and travelled to

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

in late 1963 to appear on TV shows. On 21 February 1964, Hardy promoted "Catch a Falling Star" on the British TV show ''

Ready Steady Go! ''Ready Steady Go!'' (or ''RSG!'') was a British rock/pop music television programme broadcast every Friday evening from 9 August 1963 until 23 December 1966. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan wanted a light ente ...

'' and on the same show performed "All Around the World". She also played on ''Ollie and Fred's Five O'Clock Club'', '' Thank Your Lucky Stars'', and ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

''. In the United States, Hardy made her first appearance on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's program '' Hullabaloo'', where she performed "However Much", a bilingual version of

's "

Que reste-t-il de nos amours ? "Que reste-t-il de nos amours?" (, ) is a French popular song, with music by Léo Chauliac and Charles Trenet, and lyrics by Trenet. A version of the song with English lyrics entitled "I Wish You Love" is recognizable by the opening line "I ...

", and a rendition of "

The Girl from Ipanema "Garota de Ipanema" (), or "The Girl from Ipanema", is a Brazilian bossa nova and jazz song. It was a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s and won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965. It was written in 1962, with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim a ...

". Hardy became famous overnight in Germany after her 28 April 1965 television appearance in ''Portrait in Musik,'' a series of staged musical performances directed by Truck Branss. Pressured by her French and Italian record companies, Hardy took part in the Sanremo Music Festival 1966, where she reached the finals with the Edoardo Vianello-penned song "Parlami di te". Hardy gave her last three live performances in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

, Congo, in June 1967. She suffered from

stage fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia that may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

, which led to her quitting live performances altogether in 1968.

Public image

Personality

As a public figure, Hardy was renowned for her

shyness Shyness (also called diffidence) is the feeling of apprehension, lack of comfort, or awkwardness especially when a person is around other people. This commonly occurs in new situations or with unfamiliar people; a shy person may simply opt ...

and reservedness, and observers have emphasized her "anti-social nature as a celebrity". She was open in her autobiography and in interviews about her struggles with

, self-doubt,

and

inferiority complex In psychology, an inferiority complex is a consistent feeling of inadequacy, often resulting in the belief that one is in some way deficient, or inferior, to others. According to Alfred Adler, a feeling of inferiority may be brought about by ...

.Hardy, 2018

"Eight" ''Uncut''s Tom Pinnock noted that "it was her refusal to play the

showbusiness Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produce ...

game that made her something of an

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...

." The singer's sudden

celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...

status was a source of great discomfort for her, as she claimed in 2011: "I didn't enjoy at all everything, the trappings, when all of a sudden you become very famous. (...) eing taken up by fashion houseswas work, things I had to do, a chore—I didn't enjoy it at all... It is quite impossible to stand—to be admired too much—it is not a normal situation. I don't like that at all. I am not comfortable with my professional life really, so the word 'icon'—it's as though you were talking about someone else, it's not me really." She was also disenchanted with the jet-set and

high society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

lifestyle.

Fashion trend-setter

As Hardy's almost exclusive photographer and agent during the decade, Jean-Marie Périer became a Pygmalion-like figure for her,Deluxe, 2013. p. 29 and transformed the singer's public image from "a shy, gauche-looking schoolgirl" into a "modern young trend-setter." She wrote: "... ériertried to open my mind and help me in all domains with his characteristic generosity... under his tutelage I realized the importance of aesthetics, which became one of my major criteria. He taught me how to carry myself and to dress, and gave me advice on social skills". He persuaded the singer to begin

modelling A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided into ...

and she soon became "a star of the international fashion world as well as the French music scene." She was photographed by

Gered Mankowitz Gered W. Mankowitz (born 3 August 1946) is an English photographer who focused his career in the music industry. He has worked with a range of artists from the Rolling Stones to Jimi Hendrix, and in other divisions of the photography industry, ...

, William Klein and

Richard Avedon Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for ''Harper's Bazaar'', '' Vogue'' and '' Elle'' specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and ...

for ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'' and other publications. Her regular appearance on magazine covers gave her a reputation of being the quintessential French

cover girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph is used for the front cover of magazines. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a person making a single, casual appearance on the cover of a magaz ...

of the 1960s. In 1968, Hardy told a reporter that: "If it weren't for the way I dress, no one would notice me". Likewise, she told '' Vanity Fair'' in 2018: "My songs had little interest compared to the Anglo-Saxon production. So I took it to heart to dress well every time I went to London or New York. I was above all a fashion ambassador." As an "

it girl An "it girl" is an attractive, well-known young woman who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging. The expression ''it girl'' originated in British upper-class society around the turn of the 20th&nbs ...

" and fashion leader, Hardy was considered the epitome of "the 'Modern Woman'" and of 1960s French

chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictionaries classified ...

and cool,Deluxe, 2013. p. 64 known for her avant-garde and futuristic fashion choices. Brett Marie of

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

noted that "her sense of style and '60s-era model figure made her as much an

of fashion as a music-business star." She recalled in 2008 that at the start of the 1960s, her slender build which had made her self-conscious suddenly became fashionable. She began to be regarded as an "''égérie''" 'muse' by top French fashion designers of the time,Deluxe, 2013. p. 63 including André Courrèges,

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...

and Yves Saint Laurent. Hardy championed the first incarnation of Saint-Laurent's rupturist 1966 design

Le Smoking Le Smoking is a women's tuxedo suit created in 1966 by couturier Yves Saint Laurent. The first suit of its kind to earn attention in the fashion world and in popular culture, it was influenced by the androgynous personal style of Saint Laurent m ...

, and the designer recalled that when he took her to the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

dressed in one of his tuxedos, "People screamed and hollered. It was an outrage". Hardy was an early fan of

, making the Spanish designer popular by wearing his creations for photoshoots and television performances. In 1968, she modeled a plated mini-dress made of pure gold at the International Diamond Fair. Made out of 1,000 gold plaques, 300 carats of diamonds, and weighing 20 pounds, it was considered to be "the most expensive dress in the world in 1968". Rabanne's designs, including the gold dress, would become some of Hardy's most famous looks. Hardy modelled creations of the nascent ''

prêt-à-porter Ready-to-wear (RTW)also called ''prêt-à-porter'', or off-the-rack or off-the-peg in casual useis the term for garments sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a parti ...

'' industry, a new wave of French female designers known as the "yé-yé school" or "the ''stylistes''", who rebelled against the "strictures of ''

haute couture (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design. The term ''haute couture'' generally refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the ...

''". She helped to launch the career of

Sonia Rykiel Sonia Rykiel (; ; 25 May 1930 – 25 August 2016) was a French fashion designer and writer. She created the Poor Boy Sweater, which was featured on the cover of French ''Elle'' magazine. Her knitwear designs and new fashion techniques led her t ...

by wearing her influential "poor boy sweater" on the cover of ''

Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...

'', and was photographed by

David Bailey David Royston Bailey (born 2 January 1938) is an English photographer and director, most widely known for his fashion photography and portraiture, and role in shaping the image of the Swinging Sixties. Bailey has also directed several televisio ...

wearing

Emmanuelle Khanh Emmanuelle Khanh (12 September 1937 – 17 February 2017) was a French fashion designer, stylist and model. She was particularly known for her distinctive outsize eyewear, and was considered one of the leading young designers of the 1960s New Wa ...

's color-blocking coat for ''Vogue''.

Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college under the State University of New York, in New York City. It focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in ...

's Colleen Hill considered Hardy's style to be the most enduring of all the yé-yé girls, noting that "her nonchalance is an important part of her appeal. Hardy's fashion choices, such as her white Courrèges pantsuits and Yves Saint Laurent's first Le Smoking, were distinctly '60s and streamlined, yet they also have an edge." Hardy was also known for a pared-down style with discreet hairdos and makeup, often wearing a simple sweater and pants combination. Her signature look was defined by her

bangs Bang, bang!, or bangs may refer to: Products * M1922 Bang rifle, a US semi-automatic rifle designed by Søren Hansen Bang * Bang, a List of model car brands, model car brand * Bang (beverage), an energy drink Geography * Bang, Central African ...

and use of white boots by Courrèges, and she was one of the first people to wear

miniskirt A miniskirt (or mini-skirt, mini skirt, or mini) is a skirt with its hemline well above the knees, generally at mid-thigh level, normally no longer than below the buttocks; and a dress with such a hemline is called a minidress or a miniskirt ...

s. She also experimented with androgynous silhouettes. She was described as the "anti- Bardot", imposing a beauty ideal that "rendered the exaggerated femininity of the sex-kitten of the time old-fashioned". By the 1970s she had abandoned the image of a "fashionable young girl about town" that Périer had created for her.

1960s universal myth

Her public image and style during the 1960s made an impact on international

pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...

, something that overshadowed her skills as a singer outside of France.Quinonero, 2017, "«Son allure de page travesti»" In 1967,

teen magazine Teen magazines are magazines aimed at teenager, teenage readers. They usually consist of gossip, news, fashion tips and interviews and may include posters, label, stickers, small samples of cosmetics or other products and inserts. The teen maga ...

''Special Pop'' wrote: " ardymanages to attract both kids and their parents, men and women alike. More than a singer, she's becoming a universal myth with whom thousands of young girls dream of identifying." In the second half of the decade, Hardy became known as an inspiring cultural personality and was made a muse by numerous creative people. She was the subject of portraits by artists ,

Bernard Buffet Bernard Buffet (; 10 July 1928 – 4 October 1999) was a French painter, printmaker, and sculptor. An extremely prolific artist, he produced a varied and extensive body of work. His style was exclusively figurative and is often classified as Exp ...

, Gabriel Pasqualini and

Jean-Paul Goude Jean-Paul Goude (born in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis 8 December 1938) is a French graphic designer, illustrator, photographer, advertising film director and event designer. He worked as art director at ''Esquire (magazine), Esquire'' magazine i ...

. In 1965,

Jacques Prévert Jacques Prévert (; 4 February 1900 – 11 April 1977) was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. His best-regarded films formed part of the Poetic realism, poetic ...

wrote a poem dedicated to the singer titled ''Une plante verte'', which was read as part of Hardy's performance at the Olympia. She was also the subject of a poem by

Manuel Vázquez Montalbán Manuel Vázquez Montalbán (14 June 1939–18 October 2003) was a prolific Spanish writer from Barcelona: journalist, novelist, poet, essayist, anthologue, prologist, humorist, critic and political prisoner as well as a gastronome and an ...

and an

open letter An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...

by Paul Guth. Belgian illustrator

Guy Peellaert Guy Peellaert (6 April 1934 – 17 November 2008) was a Belgian artist, painter, illustrator, comic artist and photographer, most famous for the book ''Rock Dreams'', and his album covers for rock artists like David Bowie (''Diamond Dogs'') and th ...

used Hardy as a model for the title character of his 1968 pop art and psychedelic-inspired

comic a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicat ...

''Pravda la Survireuse'', made in collaboration with French screenwriter

Pascal Thomas Pascal Thomas (born 2 April 1945) is a French screenwriter and film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew ...

.Deluxe, 2013. p. 64 The singer was admired by Spanish artist

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

, who invited her to spend a week with him in

Cadaqués Cadaqués (; ) is a town in the Alt Empordà ''comarca'', in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is on a bay in the middle of the Cap de Creus peninsula, near Cap de Creus cape, on the Costa Brava of the Mediterranean. It is a two-and-a- ...

in 1968.Deluxe, 2013. p. 67 Hardy was also admired in the

Swinging London The Swinging Sixties was a youth-driven cultural revolution that took place in the United Kingdom during the mid-to-late 1960s, emphasising modernity and fun-loving hedonism, with Swinging London denoted as its centre. It saw a flourishing in ...

scene and she acknowledged having been a "source of fascination for the English pop musicians".

Malcolm McLaren Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English fashion designer and music manager. He was a promoter and a manager for punk rock and new wave bands such as New York Dolls, Sex Pistols, Adam and the Ants, and ...

described her as the "utmost of the pinup girl, pinned to the walls of every trendy pop apprentice's bedroom down in Chelsea. Many bands in their prime, like

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

or the Stones, dreamt of dating her."Deluxe, 2013. p. 60 Her image fascinated the young

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

(who described her as his "ideal woman"),

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English musician and founder of the Rolling Stones. Initially a slide guitarist, he went on to sing backing vocals and played a wide variety of instruments on Rolling Stones r ...

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...

, and Richard Thompson.

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

was infatuated by Hardy and included a beat poem dedicated to her on the back cover of his 1964 album ''

Another Side of Bob Dylan ''Another Side of Bob Dylan'' is the fourth studio album by the American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 8, 1964, by Columbia Records. The album deviates from the more socially conscious style which Dylan had developed with h ...

''. It began: "for françoise hardy/at the seine's edge/a giant shadow/of notre dame/seeks t' grab my foot/sorbonne students/whirl by on thin bicycles/swirlin' lifelike colors of leather spin..." In 2018, Hardy told '' Uncut'' that she had drafts of the poem that Dylan had left in a café. She said, "... I was very moved. This was a young man, a very romantic artist, who had a fixation on somebody only from a picture. You know how very young people are... I realised it had been very important for him." Hardy and Dylan met in May 1966, behind the scenes of his performance at Olympia. Noticing that Hardy was in the audience, Dylan had refused to go back on stage to perform the second half unless she went to his dressing room. She and other singers later joined Dylan at his suite in the Four Seasons Hotel George V, where he gave her early pressings of " Just Like a Woman" and " I Want You".

Political views

As a public figure, Hardy was known for her frankness regarding her political views, which have been described as

right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...

. She was raised in a

Gaullist Gaullism ( ) is a French political stance based on the thought and action of World War II French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle, who would become the founding President of the Fifth French Republic. De Gaulle withdrew French forces from t ...

family and she told ''Télérama'' in 2011: "I don't like everything that is said or done on the right, and I don't denigrate everything that is done or said on the left... basically I'm pretty

centrist Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. It is associated with moderate politics, including people who strongly support moderate policie ...

." In her 2008 autobiography, she wrote that she "only identif dwith

ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

", which she considered "neither right nor left". While promoting her album ''Décalages'', Hardy was interviewed by the magazine ''Rockland.'' The conversation strayed into politics, the

1988 French presidential election 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

having taken place the day before, and believing that an off-the-record discussion would not be included in the final article, Hardy expressed contempt for people on the left. She was outraged when the political part of the interview was published, and defended herself in a televised interview on 13 May with

, in which she recounted an altercation with singer

Renaud Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan (; born 11 May 1952 in Paris), known as Renaud, is a French singer-songwriter. With twenty-six albums to his credit, selling nearly twenty million copies, he is one of France's most popular singers. Several of h ...

, claiming that he had insulted her for her support of Minister of Culture

François Léotard François Gérard Marie Léotard (; 26 March 1942 – 25 April 2023) was a French politician. Singer and actor Philippe Léotard was his brother. A member of the Republican Party, the liberal-conservative component of the Union for French ...

. In the ''Rockland'' interview, she commented about

racism in France Racism has been called a serious social issue in French people, French society, despite a widespread public belief that racism does not exist on a serious scale in France. Antisemitism and prejudice against Muslims have a long history. Acts of ...

, saying "We do not talk about

anti-French Anti-French sentiment (Francophobia or Gallophobia) is the fear of, discrimination against, prejudice of, or hatred towards France, the French people, French culture, the French government or the Francophonie (set of political entities that use Fr ...

racism, that there are places where you are more likely to enter if you are not French", as well as about

antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

, suggesting that "those who see it everywhere could actually be sowing its seeds."Hardy, 2018

"Thirteen" The singer wrote in her autobiography that she distanced herself from these remarks. Hardy was an opponent of the

solidarity tax on wealth The solidarity tax on wealth (, ISF) was an annual direct wealth tax on those in France having assets in excess of €1,300,000 (since 2011). It was one of the Socialist Party's 1981 electoral platform's measures, 110 Propositions for France. Fi ...

(French: ''impôt de solidarité sur la fortune''; ISF). She defended the

tax shield A tax shield is the reduction in income taxes that results from taking an allowable deduction from taxable income. For example, because interest on debt is a tax-deductible expense, taking on debt creates a tax shield. Since a tax shield is a wa ...

put in place by the government of

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...

in 2010 and denounced

François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...

's tax program during the

2012 French presidential election Presidential elections in France, Presidential elections were held in France on 22 April 2012 (or 21 April in some overseas departments and territories), with a second round Two-round system, run-off held on 6 May (or 5 May for those same territ ...

, telling ''Paris Match'': "I believe that most people do not realize the tragedy that the ISF causes to people in my category. I am forced, almost 70 years old and ill, to sell my apartment and move out." This prompted her son Thomas Dutronc to write on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

: "But no mom, don't worry I'll invite you over to my place just in case..." Hardy later denied claims that she would be homeless and clarified that "the tragedy is the people who are losing their jobs because of offshoring and the uropean debtcrisis". Hardy expressed her support for legalising

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

, while distancing herself from

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

.Hardy, 2018

"Five" In 2015, the singer criticized feminist activists in her

"Avis non autorisés ...", in which she wrote: "I find them surly, ugly, that is to say not feminine for two cents. I have never been able to identify in anything with feminists. There are, however, some that I could have idealized..." During the 2017–2018 protests in France, Hardy expressed her support for President

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

. She said "We must let him reform France. Part of the French people don't want to see the reality and are stuck in the Marxist ideology. What I like about President Macron is that he is an idealist but not an ideologue and is firmly grounded in reality." During the

2023 French pension reform strikes A series of protests began in France on 19 January 2023 with a demonstration of over one million people nationwide, organised by opponents of the 2023 French pension reform law, pension reform bill proposed by the Borne government to increase t ...

, she told ''

Le Journal du Dimanche ''Le Journal du Dimanche'' (; ), also known as the JDD , is a French weekly newspaper published on Sundays in France. JDD was bought in 2023 by Vivendi of media mogul Vincent Bolloré, triggering a strike movement against the new editorial s ...

'' that she was "ashamed of what was happening" in France, fearing that "repeated strikes" would deter tourists, and defended the pension reform bill.

Legacy and influence

Hardy was celebrated as a "French national treasure" and one of the greatest figures in

French music ''French music'' may refer to: *Music of France, music of the French people in France ''French music'' may also refer to the music of French-speaking countries: * Music of Quebec, music of the French-Canadians in Canada, most often Québécois or ...

. She was one of the best-selling music artists in French history, with over 7.6 million records sold by November 2017. American critic

described her as "indisputably the finest pop-rock artist to emerge from that country in the 1960s" and said he would like to see Hardy inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

. In 2011, Hardy was included in '' Le Petit Larousse Illustré''.Quinonero, 2017, "La pluie..., Hollande et l'ISF" Long after her heyday in the 1960s, Hardy continued to be regarded as an important and influential figure in fashion history. During his time at

Balenciaga Balenciaga SA ( , , ) is a Spanish Basque luxury fashion house currently headquartered in Paris. It designs, manufactures and markets ready-to-wear footwear, handbags, and accessories, and licenses its name and branding to the American cosmeti ...

, designer Nicolas Ghesquière described her in ''Vogue'' as "the very essence of French style". The photographs of the singer wearing a Paco Rabanne metal-plated dress inspired Lizzy Gardiner's design of the costumes of ''

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' is a 1994 Australian road comedy film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot follows two drag queens (played by Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce) and a transgender woman (Terence St ...

'' and her own

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

dress A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a one-piece outer garment that is worn on the torso, hangs down over the legs, and is primarily worn by women or girls. Dresses often consist of a bodice attached to a skirt. Dress shapes, silh ...

. Hardy was a muse to Japanese designer

Rei Kawakubo (born 11 October 1942) is a Japanese fashion designer based in Tokyo and Paris. She is the founder of Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market. In recognition of the notable design contributions of Kawakubo, an exhibition of her designs en ...

, who named her label

Comme des Garçons Comme des Garçons (CDG, ) is a Japanese fashion label, founded by Rei Kawakubo in 1969. It is based in Paris, where its flagship store is located. Other than fashion, the label has expanded to include jewelry and perfume (under the brand Comme ...

after a lyric in the song "Tous les garçons et les filles". Over her career, Hardy amassed a large fanbase among

gay men Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual men, bisexual and homoromantic men may dually identify as ''gay'' and a number of gay men also identify as ''queer''. Historic terminology for gay men has included ''Sexual inversion (sexology), in ...

and was regarded as a

gay icon A gay icon is a public figure who is regarded as a cultural icon by members of the LGBTQ community. Such figures usually have a devoted LGBTQ fanbase and act as allies to the LGBTQ community, often through their work, or they have been "openly app ...

by the community. She said on several occasions that her most devoted friends and fans were gay. Hardy's musical influence is found in the work of Francophone acts such as

Coralie Clément Coralie Clément (born Coralie Biolay; 1 September 1978 in Villefranche-sur-Saône, Rhône) is a French singer. Biography Clément was born into a family of musicians, her father a clarinetist, and studied the violin from the age of six but la ...

, La Femme, Juliette Armanet, Melody's Echo Chamber,

Keren Ann Keren Ann Zeidel (; born 10 March 1974), known professionally as Keren Ann (), is an Israeli and Dutch singer, songwriter, composer, producer, and Audio engineering, engineer based largely in Paris, Tel Aviv, and New York City. She plays guitar, ...

and

Carla Bruni Carla Bruni-Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi; ; 23 December 1967) is an Italian and French singer, songwriter and fashion model who served as the List of spouses or partners of the president of France, first lady of Fran ...

, who imitated Hardy's style for her musical debut. Writers have pointed to her influence on the music of English

avant-pop Avant-pop is popular music that is experimental, new, and distinct from previous styles while retaining an immediate accessibility for the listener. The term implies a combination of avant-garde sensibilities with existing elements from popular ...

group

Stereolab Stereolab are an English people, Anglo-French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's sound incorporates repetitive motorik beats with the use of vintage electronic keybo ...

, including similarities in Hardy's vocals and those of lead singer

Lætitia Sadier Lætitia Sadier (born 6 May 1968), also known as Seaya Sadier, is a French musician best known as a founding member of the London-based avant-pop band Stereolab. She was born in the east of Paris and spent time in the US as a child. In 1996, whi ...

. Outside the French-speaking world, she has been mentioned as an inspiration to female singer-songwriters like

Caroline Polachek Caroline Elizabeth Polachek (born June 20, 1985) is an American singer, producer, and songwriter. Raised in Connecticut, Polachek cofounded the indie pop band Chairlift while studying at the University of Colorado. The duo emerged from the late- ...

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...

Angel Olsen Angel Olsen (born Angelina Marie Carroll; January 22, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri who lives in Asheville, North Carolina. To date, Olsen has released six studio albums: ''Half Way Home'' (2012), ''Burn Your F ...

Candie Payne Candice "Candie" Payne (born 19 December 1981) is an English singer and songwriter. She released her debut album, '' I Wish I Could Have Loved You More'', on Deltasonic in May 2007. She is the sister of singer/songwriter Howie Payne, former f ...

Erin Rae Erin Rae (formerly a part of Erin Rae & the Meanwhiles) is an American folk pop musician from Nashville, Tennessee. According to Rolling Stone, Erin Rae "makes smooth-edged music for Sunday afternoons" and "her arrangements — anchored by ped ...

Heather Trost Heather Trost (born July 18, 1982) is an American violinist and singer. Biography Trost was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is one of the two members of the United States, American Balkan Folk band A Hawk and a Hacksaw, with husband Jeremy B ...

, Violetta Zironi,

Zooey Deschanel Zooey Claire Deschanel ( ; born January 17, 1980) is an American actress and musician. She made her film debut in ''Mumford (film), Mumford'' (1999) and had a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film ''Almost Famous'' (2000). Deschanel is known f ...

and

Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a solo artist. Born in ...

. Hardy has also influenced alternative music acts such as

Broadcast Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp were an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consisted of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, thei ...

Jeremy Jay Jeremy Craig Shaules, better known as Jeremy Jay, is an American alternative pop musician and singer-songwriter. He has released five critically acclaimed studio albums, including his debut album ''A Place Where We Could Go'' in 2008 and ''Slow ...

The Chap ''The Chap'' is a British humorous men's lifestyle magazine published quarterly. It was founded in 1999 by Gustav Temple and Vic Darkwood, and is still edited by Temple. The magazine proposes that men everywhere return to a more gentlemanly wa ...

and

Xeno & Oaklander Xeno & Oaklander is an American electronic music group formed in 2004, consisting of musicians Sean McBride and Liz Wendelbo. Originating from Brooklyn, the band is considered to be among the cold wave revival scene of the 2000s and 2010s. Hist ...

. In an article for Into Creative, Filmmaker Grant McPhee described her as 'A poster-girl for shy people and a fantasy figure for believing they too can be cool' In 2021,

Rivers Cuomo Rivers Cuomo ( ; born June 13, 1970) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Weezer. Cuomo was born in New York City and raised in several Buddhist communities in the northeaste ...

of American rock band

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...

cited Hardy as one of his "sonic ideals", and side he was particularly influenced by her album ''Message personnel''. Greg Gonzalez of American

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...

band Cigarettes After Sex called Hardy one of his biggest musical influences, stating in 2016: "''La question'' is just so perfect, I wanted that kind of beauty." The 1971 cult album ''La question'' appeared in ''The Guardian''s "1000 albums to hear before you die". The album would gain a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

after its release and it became regarded as Hardy's artistic peak. In 2017, Pitchfork ranked ''Tous les garçons et les filles'' ninetieth on its list of "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s", with Marc Hogan describing it as "an enduring middle ground between rockabilly shimmy and Gallic introspection, delivered by the most glamorous wallflower in France." In 2023, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Hardy at number 162 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Personal assessment on career

Hardy was critical of her first albums, ''Tous les garçons et les filles'' and ''Le premier bonheur du jour'', despite their popularity. She said in interviews in 2018 that she "felt very frustrated because I wanted to have beautiful electric guitars... Instead, I had very bad French musicians and a terribly bad musical production." After she went to London in 1963 to record new albums, she felt able "to make another kind of music, not this mechanical music I had been trapped in." Despite the poor commercial performances of her early 1970s releases, ''La question'', ''Et si je m'en vais avant toi'', and ''If You Listen,'' Hardy felt artistically vindicated. She felt especially proud of ''La question'', stating in 2008: "while it did not enjoy great success with the public at large, at least I can claim that it did touch another audience... Often an ambitious record can be more or less ignored when it is released but ends up having a long life." In 1996 interview with ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', Hardy said she believed that most people did not know her artistry, and that she always had to talk about the 1960s and

Personal life

Family

In 1962 Hardy formed a romantic and professional relationship with ''Salut Les Copains'' photographer Jean-Marie Périer.Quinonero, 2017, "«L'amour d'un garçon / Peut tout changer»" They did not live together and were constantly apart because of their work obligations, which took a toll on the relationship. They broke up in 1966 but remained close friends and collaborators. Hardy began a highly publicized relationship with singer

in 1967.Quinonero, 2017, "«Le jour où tu voudras / Je serai là pour toi»" After the birth of their only child, a son

, on 16 June 1973,Quinonero, 2017, "Thomas, l'enfant de l'amour" Hardy and Dutronc moved into in a three-story house near

Parc Montsouris Parc Montsouris (; English: Montsouris Park) is a public park situated in southern Paris, France. Located in the 14th arrondissement, it was officially inaugurated in 1875 after an early opening in 1869. Parc Montsouris is one of the four large ...

in the autumn of 1974. The family moved every summer to a house owned by Dutronc in

Lumio Lumio (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. Population See also *Communes of the Haute-Corse department The following is a list of the 236 Communes of France, communes of the Haute-Corse ...

on the island of

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

. As an adult, Hardy's son Thomas Dutronc also developed a career as a musician. Hardy and Dutronc were married on 30 March 1981 in a private ceremony. According to Hardy, they formalized their relationship for "fiscal reasons", and on the advice of Hardy's lawyer for health and safety reasons. The couple separated in 1988 due to infidelities on both parts and Dutronc's

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

.Quinonero, 2017, "«ME PASSER DU MYSTÈRE DE MISTER» «Qu'y a-t-il sous votre carapace ? / Quels jardins secrets ? / L'un après l'autre / Tout est passé...»" They never divorced and their relationship became a "special friendship". In 2016, She told ''Le Parisien'' that although Dutronc had a new partner, he did not want a divorce from Hardy. In the early 1980s, she learned that her distant father had led a double life as a closeted gay man when one of his young lovers bragged about his financial support to one of Dutronc's friends. He died in a hospital on 6 February 1981 after being assaulted, probably by a young

male prostitute Male prostitution is a form of sex work consisting of the act or practice of men providing sexual services in return for payment. Although clients can be of any gender, the vast majority are older males looking to fulfill their sexual needs. M ...

, which was not reported in the press at the time.Quinonero, 2017, "Mariage et élections" Hardy's sister Michèle was raised without the affection of their parents, and developed suicidal and

paranoid schizophrenic Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, hearing voices), delusions, disorganized thinking and behavior, and flat or inappropriate affect. Symptoms develop gradually and typically begin ...

tendencies. In May 2004 she was found dead at her home in

L'Île-Rousse L'Île-Rousse (; , , or , ; , ; ) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It was founded in 1758 by Pasquale Paoli to create a port that would not be in the hands of the Genoese (such as Calvi). As ...

from a probable suicide.

Health and death

Between late 2004 and early 2005 Hardy was diagnosed with

MALT lymphoma MALT lymphoma (also called MALToma) is a form of lymphoma involving the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), frequently of the stomach, but virtually any mucosal site can be affected. It is a cancer originating from B cells in the marginal zon ...

,Quinonero, 2017 "«Rien ne défera jamais nos liens»" which inaugurated a "hellish period" that disrupted her life. She underwent

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...

treatment that was initially successful. In March 2015, her condition worsened and she had to be admitted to hospital, where she was put into an artificial coma and nearly died. While in hospital, she broke her hip and elbow. She told ''Le Figaro'' in 2015: "I also have a lot of difficulty walking... There are times when I absolutely cannot see anyone and I cannot go out. But I remain positive... I avoid thinking about it, it does not obsess me." Hardy underwent further chemotherapy and

immunotherapy Immunotherapy or biological therapy is the treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as ''activation immunotherapies,'' while immunotherap ...

sessions. Her health worsened, and in 2021 she made news as an advocate for the legalization of

physician-assisted suicide Assisted suicide, sometimes restricted to the context of physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is the process by which a person, with the help of others, takes actions to end their life. Once it is determined that the person's situation qualifie ...

in France. She said in interviews that if her condition became unbearable to the point where she can no longer "do the things that erlife requires", she would resort to euthanasia, but would not have the consultation to do so. In the same year, she disclosed that she could no longer sing as a result of the effects of the treatments. Hardy died of

in Paris, on 11 June 2024, at the age of 80. Prior to her death she had also experienced several falls and bone fractures. Her son announced her death on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

, writing "Mom is gone..." a farewell ceremony took place at

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

at the crematorium and columbarium building.

Selected discography

Filmography

Published works

;Astrological * ''Le grand livre de la Vierge (The Great Book Of The Virgin'') (with Béatrice Guénin) (1979) * ''Entre les lignes, entre les signes (Between The Lines, Between The Signs)'' (with Anne-Marie Simond) (1986) * ''L'astrologie universelle (Universal Astrology)'' (1987) * ''Les rythmes du zodiaque (The Rhythms Of The Zodiac)'' (2003) ;Non-fiction * ''Notes secrètes: entretiens avec Eric Dumont (Secret Notes: Interviews With Eric Dumont)'' (1991) (interview) * ''Le désespoir des singes... et autres bagatelles (The Despair Of The Monkeys... And Other Trifles)'' (2008) (autobiography) * ''Avis non autorisés... (Unauthorized Reviews...)'' (2015) (essay) * ''Un cadeau du ciel... (A Gift From Heaven...)'' (2016) (essay) * ''Chansons sur toi et nous (Songs About You And Us)'' (2021) (songbook) ;Novels * ''L'amour fou (Crazy Love)'' (2014)

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

* *
Françoise Hardy
at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

*
Françoise Hardy
at

Last.fm Last.fm is a music website founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. Utilizing a music recommender system known as "Audioscrobbler", Last.fm creates a detailed profile of each user's musical preferences by recording the details of the tracks they ...

Françoise Hardy
at the

Official Charts Company The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Francoise 1944 births 2024 deaths 20th-century French women writers 20th-century French women musicians 20th-century French women singers 21st-century French women musicians 21st-century French women writers 21st-century French women singers Deaths from laryngeal cancer in France English-language singers from France French astrologers French astrological writers French autobiographers French women pop singers French women singer-songwriters German-language singers of France Italian-language singers of France Eurovision Song Contest entrants Musicians from Paris Reprise Records artists Spanish-language singers of France Virgin Records artists Vogue Schallplatten artists Wikipedia articles containing unlinked shortened footnotes Yé-yé singers 21st-century French writers 20th-century French writers 21st-century French guitarists 20th-century French guitarists French actresses