A discreet and elegant icon, Françoise Hardy was born on January 17, 1944 in Paris. The year she turned sixteen, she had just discovered rock'n'roll on the radio and earned her baccalaureate. She will choose to reward her diploma, a guitar.
Her first contract, she signed it on November 14, 1961 at Vogue and to perfect her skills, she took lessons at the Petit Conservatoire de la chanson.
It was during the weekly television program of the Petit Conservatoire on the only RTF channel that she appeared on October 28, 1962 to sing one of her texts, Tous les garçons et les filles.
We are in the middle of a political evening. His melancholic ballad will be seen by millions of French people during a musical break during the results of the referendum on the election by direct universal suffrage of the President of the Republic.
It's a great success! During the end of 1962, half a million copies of the 45 rpm were sold. The lyrics will inspire Rei Kawakubo for the creation of his brand in the late 1960s.
She will take her first steps at the Olympia for eight weeks from November 7, 1963.
She will record her titles in Italian, English and gain popularity around the world.
Françoise Hardy will pose on "the photo of the century" signed by Jean-Marie Périer, who immortalizes the new generation of artists for the magazine Salut les copains. We also find Sylvie Vartan, Johnny Hallyday, France Gall, Claude François...
Advised on her image by the photographer and companion at the time, Jean-Marie Périer, she also became an ambassador for couturiers such as André Courrèges, Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne.
It was again Jean-Marie Périer who suggested that he build a villa on the heights of Monticello in Corsica. This family home is now the residence of Jacques Dutronc.
Bob Dylan wrote her passionate love letters that he never mailed. Françoise Hardy received them decades later from American friends.
She will wear, during the inauguration of the International Diamond Exhibition in May 68, “the most expensive mini-dress in the world”. This dress designed by Paco Rabanne is made up of gold plates encrusted with diamonds.
About her meeting with Jacques Dutronc, she confided to the Parisian "One day, in his office, I saw a dreadful boy, who had glasses with very thick myopic lenses and who, in addition, was full of pimples . So, I barely paid attention to him!".
The emblematic couple will have a son, Thomas Dutronc born on June 16, 1973, will marry in 1981 and separate in 1988, remaining very attached to each other. She will tell the press "Jacques was the man of my life and the feelings we have for each other today go beyond a simple friendship."
More references
Comment te dire Hardy - A series of podcasts on Radio France
Françoise Hardy au cinéma - Blow Up - ARTE
Francoise Hardy's official website
Bibliography (French Edition)
Chansons sur toi et nous by Françoise Hardy - Éditions des Équateurs
Le désespoir des singes... et autres bagatelles by Françoise Hardy - Éditions J'ai Lu
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