Francoise Hardy

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Too many years have passed since I last heard Francoise Hardy sing. I was familiar with her songs. There was much new music to discover on short wave radio. "Oh, Oh Cheri" caught me by both ears because it was fun. It didn't matter if it was in French. It was catchy. It was fun. It was the flip side of the record, "Tous les garçons et les filles" that put her on the road to fame. Fame she handled well in a subdued quiet manner, but it was "Ça a rate" that was etched in my musical mind with snapping fingers.

It was this song that got me to explore many others on the radio and also in film. I watched every foreign film just to hear the sound track. I had fun with girls who wanted to see a foreign film at the Theater of the Living Arts, the World and the Lyric. These movie houses are long gone and so are those young girls I once knew. Thank you.

It was by accident that I rediscovered Francoise while searching You Tube. I was searching for Charles Tenet singing "La Mer". You'll recognize the melody after a few seconds.
There she was waiting for me to click the link to go on a journey in songs. I listened to over one hundred and fifty songs over three days to pick out some favorites. The first song I clicked on was actually sung in German, "Traume". Yea, it's another melody you'll recognize.

Francoise sang not only in French but also German, Spanish and English. Wikipedia tells her story much better than I can.
But this is my story. Another part was finding foreign songs and having them translated. God bless the Internet and computers for making it easy.
I presented the translation of "La vi en rose" and posted it for Valentine's Day.
It's all about how others around the world sing of love or sorrow or most anything. It's the structure of the words and music that teaches new and different way to say what is in our heart. I even looked back at one of the best written songs of love, "These Foolish Things". It reminds me of many places and faces because my joy was to allow myself to get so stupid with a women, if you know what I mean.
I managed to narrow it down to near forty songs by Francoise. I end it with one.

Fais-moi une place au fond d'ta bulle
Et si j't'agace, si j'suis trop nulle
Je deviendrai tout pâle, tout muet, sans vie pour qu'tu m'oublies.
Fais-moi une place au fond d'ton coeur
Pour que j't'embrasse lorsque tu pleures.
Je deviendrai tout fou, tout clown, gentil pour qu'tu souries.

Je veux qu't'aies jamais mal, qu't'aies jamais froid
Et tout m'est égal, tout, à part toi, je t'aime.

Fais-moi une place dans ton avenir
Pour que j'ressasse moins mes souvenirs.
J'aurai jamais mon air éteint, hautain pour qu'tu soies bien.
Fais-moi une place dans tes urgences
Dans tes audaces, dans ta confiance.
Je s'rai jamais distant, distrait, cruel pour qu't'aies disert.

J'veux pas qu'tu t'ennuies, j'veux pas qu't'aies peur.
J'voudrais qu'tu oublies l'goût du malheur, je t'aime.

Une petite place ici, maint'nant car le temps passe à pas d'géant
Je me ferai toute neuve, toute belle, tout ça, pour être à toi.
Je me ferai toute neuve, toute belle, tout ça, pour être à toi.

 photo unknown source

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