Francoise Hardy

Françoise Hardy is a pop and fashion icon celebrated as a French national treasure. With her signature breathy alto, she was one of the earliest and most definitive French participants in the yé-yé movement (a style of pop music that initially emerged from Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal before spreading to France in the early 1960s). She is one of only a few female vocalists who could or would write and perform her own material. She offered a startling contrast to the boy's club of French pop in the early '60s, paving the way for literally thousands of women all over the globe. Known for romantically nostalgic songs and melancholy lyrics, Hardy's first single, "Tous Les Garçons et les Filles," sold over two million copies and made her a European star overnight. Outside music, Hardy also established herself as a fashion model, actress, astrologer, and author. Though she has recorded songs in several languages, it was her early French tunes — that ranged across pop, jazz, blues, and more — that helped to establish her as a legend. In the '70s, she reinvented herself as an artist transcending teen-friendly pop to interpret songs by everyone from Leonard Cohen to Patrick Modiano and has remained a grande dame of French popular song ever since.

Égérie de la période Yéyé des années 1960 qu'elle illumine de sa beauté, Françoise Hardy est devenue une chanteuse culte pour plusieurs générations au gré d'une carrière débutée il y a plus de cinquante ans. Également connue en tant que compagne de Jacques Dutronc, et mère de leurs fils Thomas Dutronc, Françoise Hardy a aussi été actrice et écrivain. Passionnée d'astrologie, Françoise Hardy a publié plusieurs livres en ce domaine.

Françoise Hardy is a pop and fashion icon celebrated as a French national treasure. With her signature breathy alto, she was one of the earliest and most definitive French participants in the yé-yé movement (a style of pop music that initially emerged from Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal before spreading to France in the early 1960s).

Francoise Hardy, the french idol of the 60s, during her "Vogue years", has recorded all her hits in the popular Extended Play 45 rpm format records, with 4 songs in total (2 songs per side). The Ep format was very popular in Europe during the 60s, and usally the albums had nice covers with portrait photos of the artists. This compilation includes 161 hits collected from 35 Francoise's EPs and many bonus songs from 45 and 33 rpm original vinyls released in the golden period 1962 - 1968. It is a collector's paradise since it contains the original mono versions including all Hardy's songs in other languages (English, Italian and German). A rare collection with many photos of beautiful Francoise, detailed tracklits on the scanned back covers and a booklet with all EPs included in pdf format. Enjoy.

Pas une maison, pas une rue, pas une âme sensible qui n'aient entendu fredonner une chanson de Françoise Hardy. Depuis plus de quarante ans, ses oeuvres accompagnent les Français avec douceur et délicatesse.

Françoise Hardy, France's leading female singer-songwriter of the 60's and 70's,, recorded quite extensively in English, Italian, German and Spanish but relatively little of that material is obtainable these days. So this 2013 compilation is invaluable since it comprises 24 songs in english from her albums En Englais (issued in 1968), One-Nine-Seven-Zero (1969) and Françoise Hardy (1972) recorded in Paris and London. "Midnights Blues" mixes nicely Hardy's own compositions with tender and sensual interpretations of songs by Neil Young, Beverley Martyn, Leonard Cohen, Randy Newmanand and others. Beautiful voice, beautiful music, beautiful girl. Enjoy a delightful album and a lot of Francoise's photos.

Icône de la chanson française, Françoise Hardy livre ses Mémoires.
« Elle a l'expression immobile des gens qui ont beaucoup voyagé, sans croire au changement, et beaucoup aimé, sans renoncer à leur solitude. Elle sourit au ralenti comme dans un rêve et ce sourire ajoute on ne sait quelle mélancolie à ce visage lointain, trop précis pour le brouillard, mais trop fragile pour le soleil », a écrit de Françoise Hardy, dès ses débuts, le grand poète surréaliste Georges Henein. Quarante-cinq ans de carrière rendent justice au don visionnaire du poète…

The original Yeh-Yeh Girl, Françoise Hardy's singing career began with a brilliant self-titled debut in 1962. The album encapsulated Hardy's coy, dreamlike, and beautifully melancholic sonic persona with a collection of 11 mostly original songs. The album featured a few hits, including the particularly notable "Tous les Garçons et les Filles," which sold millions as a single. This repackaging of the original album also includes Canta per Voi in Italiano, an album issued shortly after the debut with some of its songs and additional numbers re-recorded in Italian. While the original album is a classic of French pop, '60s AM magic, and of course a forerunner of the yeh-yeh (aka yé-yé) sound, the additional tracks in Italian are a sweet counterpart.