The Artist/Album: Françoise Hardy, Françoise Hardy (Reprise, 1968)
A Short Review: Rightfully billed as the “Essential and Existential Mlle. Francoise Hardy in Her Greatest Songs,” Reprise’s rare yé-yé compilation is worth tracking down for its peerless presentation of a French icon at her absolute peak. Unlike the hit-or-miss selections in Hardy’s stateside catalog, every song on here is a keeper, from the singer’s subtle, soul-bearing ballads to richly arranged band sessions that’re driven by dusty grooves and swoon-worthy strings. Even Hardy’s lyrics hold their own around every turn, as seasons change and Hardy is haunted by restless dreams, flat-lining hearts and “little boys who get bored” and “don’t know how to love.”
No wonder why Dirty Beaches sampled the song below on his Lynch-ian debut, Badlands: