''Tous les garçons et les filles'' is the debut studio album by French singer-songwriter

Françoise Hardy 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 F ...

, released in November 1962 on

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, ...

. Like many of her following records, it was originally released without a title and to be referred to, later on, by the name of its most popular song. Released when Hardy was 18 years old, the album was a commercial success and "went on to top charts". It was originally released in the United States under the title ''The "Yeh-Yeh" Girl From Paris!'' in 1965 on "proto-

world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

label"

Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...

Composition

''Tous les garçons et les filles'' is a

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 ...

album that combines elements of

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 ...

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 ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

. Marc Hogan of

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 ...

felt that the album "finds an enduring middle ground between rockabilly

shimmy A shimmy or shoulder shakes is a dance move in which the body is held still, except for the shoulders, which are quickly alternated back and forth. When the right shoulder goes back, the left one comes forward. United States In 1917, a dance ...

and Gallic introspection". It has been noted for its simplicity, featuring a minimalist jazz percussion, prominent bass, and

twang Twang is an onomatopoeia originally used to describe the sound of a vibrating bow string after the arrow is released.Hensleigh Wedgwood, ''A Dictionary of English Etymology: Q - Z'' (1865), p. 433. By extension, it applies to the similar vibrat ...

y guitars. Stewart Mason of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

considered the album to be "the '60s pop equivalent of

Shaker furniture Shaker furniture is a distinctive style of furniture developed by the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, commonly known as Shakers, a religious sect that had guiding principles of simplicity, utility and honesty. Their beli ...

: free of ornamentation and exquisitely simple." This distanced Hardy from the "bombastic" music of her yé-yé contemporaries. John Paul of ''Spectrum Culture'' felt that, although Hardy's music has "its origins in the American

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...

sounds and their trademark harmonies," it is interesting that it " eatureslittle more than this stripped down approach, allowing for her voice to ring through clearly without being saddled with superfluous instrumentation and backing vocals." Although ''Tous les garçons et les filles'' followed the formula of the yé-yé movement—characterized by attractive teenage girls singing innocent pop songs about adolescence—Hardy set herself apart from her peers by writing most of her own material. Moreover, her love-focused lyrics were "devoid of older, male sexualization or control, a privilege not many others of her era enjoyed. Hardy's vocal delivery has been described as "disarmingly conversational". Mason felt that throughout the record, she sings "in an attractive but chilly drop-dead monotone that's far removed from the perkiness of almost every other female singer (minus

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 ...

and

Mary Weiss Mary Louise Weiss (December 28, 1948 – January 19, 2024) was an American singer and interior designer, best known as the lead singer of the Shangri-Las in the 1960s. Their single "Leader of the Pack" went to number one on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...

of the

Shangri-Las The Shangri-Las were an American girl group of the 1960s, consisting of Mary Weiss, her sister Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss and twin sisters Marguerite "Marge" Ganser and Mary Ann Ganser. Between 1964 and 1966 several hit pop songs of theirs docu ...

) of the '60s." Hazel Cills wrote in 2015:

Her lyrics would never hew this close to yé-yé traditions again: See the "whoa-oh-oh" echoing on tracks like "Il Est Tout Pour Moi" and her cover of
Bobby Lee Trammell Bobby Lee Trammell (January 31, 1934 – February 20, 2008) was an American rockabilly singer and politician. Biography Trammell was born on a cotton farm near Jonesboro, Arkansas to Wiley and Mae Trammell, who were cotton farmers. Bobby Le ...
's "Oh Oh Chéri". The title track " Tous Les Garcons Et Les Filles" remains an iconic vision of Hardy's aesthetic: frank music for romantic wallflowers.

Legacy

Hardy's output during the early 1960s saw her "artistic stock rise above the

teenybopper A teenybopper is a young teenager, typically a girl, who follows adolescent Fads and trends, trends in music, fashion, and culture. The term may have been coined by marketing professionals and psychologists, later becoming a subculture of its own ...

fray", allowing her career to last "well beyond yé-yé's

fad A fad, trend, or craze is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation, or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short time period. Fads are objects or behaviors tha ...

dishness." It established Hardy as one of the few

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 ...

stars of her era to cross over to international audiences. She continued to record frequently in England and France, serving as a muse to designers like Yves Saint Laurent, inspiring rock artists such as

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 ...

and

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 ...

, and " eepingcompany with members of

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

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 ...

and the like. She remains "an icon as both a songwriter and public figure", and ''Tous les garçons et les filles'' continues to be acclaimed in retrospect, considered a classic of the 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 ...

. Stewart Mason of

considered it "an outstanding record." Writing for ''

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 ...

'', Cosette Schulz described Hardy as, "a master of crafting simple but stellar tracks." Pitchfork's Hazel Cills praised Hardy's songwriting, which she called "profoundly lonely, frequently insecure." She further wrote: "Hardy’s songs feel timeless in how they emphasize a universal dream for pure love. Is this music antique in its sound? Surely. In its sentiment? Hardly." In 2017, Pitchfork included ''Tous les garçons et les filles'' in its list of The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s at number 90, with Marc Hogan writing: "Her music would grow more intricate and eclectic over the years, most notably on 1971's bossa nova–tinged masterwork ''

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 ...

'', but the reasons she ruled over the yé-yé period are apparent on her debut album." The album's most popular song, "

Tous les garçons et les filles "Tous les garçons et les filles" (English: "All the Boys and Girls") is a song by French singer-songwriter Françoise Hardy, with Roger Samyn credited as co-writer on Hardy's original 1962 yé-yé-era recording. The song recounts the feelings ...

", also continues to receive praise by critics. Robert Dimery included the track in his 2010 reference book. ''1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: and 10,001 You Must Download''. Pitchfork placed it at number 170 in its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s", with Joe Tangari writing: "Hardy's vocal is a nonchalantly solitary midnight waltz through swinging Paris." ''

Rockdelux ''Rockdelux'' is a Spanish music magazine. History and profile ''Rockdelux'' was first published in November 1984, and celebrated its 200th edition in October 2002, when it released a list of the 200 greatest international albums of all time, a ...

'' and writer Giannis Petridis listed the song as one of the best of the 20th century. Several French writers and publications have included "Tous les garçons et les filles" in their lists of the best French songs of all time, including Christian Eclimont, Hervé Bourhis, ''

Le Nouvel Observateur (), previously known as (2014–2024), (1964–2014), (1954–1964), (1953–1954), and (1950–1953), is a weekly French news magazine. Based in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, ' is one of the three most prominent French news magazines ...

'', Pierre Saka and Stan Cuesta. Robert Ham of ''

Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...

'' felt that the album "reveals a musician that had yet to fully absorb her influences and make them her own." Russell Warfield of '' Drowned in Sound'' described it as "the product of a

patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...

music industry", as he felt Hardy had not been trusted to shape her own material. Australian

plunderphonics Plunderphonics is a music genre in which tracks are constructed by sampling (music), sampling recognizable musical works. The term was Neologism, coined by composer John Oswald (composer), John Oswald in 1985 in his essay "Plunderphonics, or Aud ...

group

the Avalanches The Avalanches are an Australian electronic music group formed in Melbourne in 1997. They have released three studio albums, ''Since I Left You'' (2000), ''Wildflower (The Avalanches album), Wildflower'' (2016), and ''We Will Always Love You'' ...

sampled "Oh oh chéri" in their acclaimed 2000 album, ''

Since I Left You ''Since I Left You'' is the debut studio album by Australian electronic music group the Avalanches, released on 27 November 2000 by Modular Recordings. It was produced by group members Robbie Chater and Darren Seltmann (under the pseudonym Bobb ...

.'' "Le temps de l’amour" was covered by April March and

Vanessa Paradis Vanessa Chantal Paradis (; born 22 December 1972) is a French singer, model and actress. Paradis became a star at the age of 14 with the international success of her single " Joe le taxi" (1987). At age 18, she was awarded France's highest ho ...

, and was included in the soundtrack for ''

Moonrise Kingdom ''Moonrise Kingdom'' is a 2012 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson, written by Anderson and Roman Coppola, and starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, ...

'', a 2012 film by

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. Wes Anderson filmography, His films are known for themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Due to his films' eccentricity, distinctive visual and narrative ...

. Moreover, "Tous les garçons et les filles" has been covered by several artists in various languages, including

Lill-Babs Barbro Margareta Svensson (9 March 1938 – 3 April 2018), known by her stage name Lill-Babs, was a Swedish singer, actress and television host. From the early 1950s until her death in 2018, she was one of Sweden's best-known and popular singers ...

Ginette Reno Ginette Reno (born Ginette Raynault; 28 April 1946) is a Canadian people, Canadian singer, songwriter and actress. She has received nominations for the Genie Award, Genie and Gemini Awards and is a multi-recipient of the Juno Award. She is a ...

Catherine Spaak Catherine Spaak (3 April 1945 – 17 April 2022) was a French-Italian actress, singer, model, and media personality. A member of the Spaak family, she was known as an iconic "It girl" in Italy during the 1960s, becoming a star of commedia all'i ...

Steve Perry Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and frontman of the rock band Journey during their most successful years from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998. He wrote/co-wrote ...

Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British New wave music, new wave duo formed in 1980, consisting of Scottish vocalist Annie Lennox and English musician and producer Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Dave Stewart. They were both previously in the Tourists, a band t ...

and

Gigliola Cinquetti Gigliola Cinquetti (; born Giliola Cinquetti on 20 December 1947) is an Italian singer, songwriter and television presenter. Life and career Gigliola Cinquetti was born into a wealthy family in Verona, Italy. At the age of 16, she debuted at ...

, among others.

Track listing

Personnel

– vocals, lyrics (except 4, 5) * Roger Samyn and his Orchestra – instrumentation; compositions (except 4, 5) *

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 ...

– photography

Editions

LP record The LP (from long playing or long play) is an Analog recording, analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of revolutions per minute, rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use ...
s: first editions in
English-speaking world The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English language, English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the ...

* , 1964: Trans-Canada Record/Disques Vogue (LD-600). * , 1964: Pye Records(NPL 18094). * , 1965: Disques Vogue/Festival (SVL 933.199). * , 1965: Disques Vogue/Festival (SVL 933.199). * , 1965: Disques Vogue (VGL 7002). * , 1965: ''The "Yeh-Yeh" Girl From Paris!'', 4 Corners of the World (FCS‑4208).

Some reissues on CD

* , 1995: ''The "Yeh-Yeh" Girl from Paris!'',

(7 43212 64702). * , 2013: ''Tous les garçons et les filles'', RDM Edition (CD686). * , 2013:

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything but the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as w ...

él Records él is an English independent record label based in London that was founded by Mike Alway, later becoming a subsidiary of Cherry Red Records. Their musicians were characterized by a strong English sensibility, as well as the French influence s ...

(ACMEM241CD). *, 16 October 2015: ''Tous les garçons et les filles'',

Light in the Attic Records Light in the Attic Records is an independent record label that was established in 2002 in Seattle, Washington by Matt Sullivan. The label is known for its roster of reissue projects and for its distribution catalog. Light in the Attic has re-re ...

/Future Days Recordings (FDR 614).With cover replica published in 1962 in France.

Reissues on 180g Vinyl

*, September 2014: ''The Original Debut Album From The French Icon'', Not Now Music (NOTLP134). *, January 2016: ''Tous les garçons et les filles'',

/Future Days Recordings (FDR 614)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Françoise Hardy albums 1962 debut albums 1960s French-language albums