This song - a song of a lonely person looking in envy at those in love around her - was a massive hit in France in 1962 and 1963 - where it spent 15 weeks at number 1..... strangely non-consecutively, as it kept coming back to the top spot four times.
What's really noteworthy about this isn't Hardy, who was and is a French icon. I mean, she is - she was a leader of the yé-yé wave of music in France in the 1960s, and was a fashion icon as well. No, what's noteworthy is that Jimmy Page - THAT Jimmy Page - was a session muscian on this song.
What's more noteworthy is that the song is absolutely beautiful and you know what the subject is wihtout being told, or knowing French.
After its success throughout Europe, Hardy rerecorded the song in several languages. I personally think it translates well to English. Titled "Find Me A Boy" in English, it's still the same theme, in an easier to understand language for English speakers.
The German version - "Peter und Lou" - tells a similar story, and brings a beauty that you don't normally see in German singing. The song didn't do AS well in Germany, but was still a top 20 hit.
In Italian, the song is "Quelli della mia età:, which literally translates to "Those my age." Again, same themes, different language, top 5 hit.
No comments:
Post a Comment