Search - Françoise Hardy :: Star

Contains one of my three favourite songs.

darragh o'donoghue | 10/02/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the 1960s, Francoise Hardy was the chanteuse of choice for those of us who dreamt of Paris, Gitanes, black polo-necks, existential paperbacks and the films of the New Wave, inflecting American pop with a heartbreaking Gallic cool. With the 1970s, however, Hardy faced many of the problems that dogged singers from her generation, notably a decrease in the quality of material, and, more damagingly, an 'improvement' in production techniques that actually resulted in smooth, super-slick, soulless, session-player, bass-slapping muzak of the sort that polluted wine bars in the 1980s.Hardy's albums from the period were patchy, but infinitely better than most. Although I wouldn't recommend 'Star' to the tyro listener (whom I would direct towards the recently released 'Vogue Years' compilation, two CDs of sheer heaven), there is much here of wistful beauty. The best songs relive the glory days of the 60s, with their minor-key strings flourishes and dramatic melodies, such as 'Chanson Sur toi et nous', 'Fatiguee' and 'L'impasse'. 'Ton Enfance' is a strange, but effective adn moving fusion of musette and country. But the line between breathless and bilge is very thin - 'A Vannes' survives the muso production because it is a strong song, but 'Enregistrement' and 'Flashbacks' are dispiriting blueprints for yuppie soul. 'Drole de Fete' begins with the stark classical piano that was the signature of Hardy's sublime late 60s ballads, but soon deteriorates into horrible prog-rock, sub-Kate Bush wibbliness. The album, however, is essential listening for anyone who believes that only music can embody the deep sadness of the heart, because of the title track, a seven-minute, muted ballad with just an acoustic guitar and Hardy's glacial yet emotionally brimming voice, intermittenly weaved with gently insistent strings - the tragic tale of a celebrity's rise and fall becomes a story of universal heartbreak, and is, I think, along with Jobim's 'Insensatez' and Abba's 'The Winner Takes it all', the most heart-brimmingly beautiful song ever written."