Sunday morning music

 

Earlier this month came the news that iconic French singer Françoise Hardy had died, at the age of 80.  The BBC reported:

Hardy was born in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1944 and raised by her mother.

Like many girls at the time, she grew up listening to Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard and other American and British stars on Radio Luxembourg and she signed her first record deal at just 17.

Her breakout as a musician came in 1962 with the simple, plaintive song, Tous les garçons et les filles, when she sang of all the boys and girls walking hand in hand, while "I walk alone through the streets, my heart aching". It was an instant hit in France and even broke through in the UK charts.

Her style captivated fashion designers, becoming a model for the likes of Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne, who designed a minidress out of gold plates for her.

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger once famously called her the "ideal woman", while fellow singer-songwriter Bob Dylan penned several love letters to her.

There's more at the link.

Here's her breakout song, "Tous les garçons et les filles".  Use the Closed Captions button to see an English translation.

This is my personal favorite among her songs:  an English rendition of "My friend the rose".  (The original French version may be found here.)

Here's another of her French-language hits, "Des ronds dans l’eau".

And finally, another English hit for her, "All over the world".  The French original may be found here.

She had a lovely voice, and touched many hearts.  May she rest in peace.

Peter