Cover art photographed by Jean-Marie Périer.
La question is the eleventh album of French Pop singer Françoise Hardy. It was released in 1971 through her own production company Hypopotam.
It was recorded during a rocky time in the relationship between Françoise and Jacques Dutronc (to the point that the album credits Pinocchio as a "catalyzer"). Françoise is accompanied with Brazilian artist Tuca who handled most of the instrumentation. With an intimate Bossa Nova sound and darker lyrical themes such as separation, death and anxiety, La Question marks a mature era in Françoise' discography.
Tracklist:
Side One- "Viens" (2:11)
- "La Question" (3:00)
- "Même Sous La Pluie" (2:01)
- "Chanson d'O" (3:14)
- "Le Martien" (2:44)
- "Mer" (2:04)
Side Two
- "Oui, Je Dis Adieu" (4:02)
- "Doigts" (1:25)
- "La Maison" (2:51)
- "Si Mi Caballero" (3:00)
- "Bâti Mon Nid" (2:53)
- "Rêve" (3:00)
This album provides examples of:
- Album Title Drop: Subverted on the title track which doesn't have a Title Drop.
- Break Up Song: "Viens" and "Oui, Je Dis Adieu".
- Character Title: "Le Martien".
- Despair Event Horizon: "Oui, Je Dis Adieu".
- Driven to Suicide: "Mer".
- Face on the Cover: On the front and back cover of the album.
- Gratuitous Spanish: On "Si Mi Caballero".
- I Will Wait for You : "Même sous la Pluie" and "Bâti Mon Nid".
- Limited Lyrics Song: "Rêve".
- No Title: First released with only Françoise' name on its cover, it was retroactively renamed La Question.
- Non-Indicative Title: "Viens" might sound like an inviting title, yet it is about the end of a relationship.
- One-Word Title: "Viens", "Mer", "Doigts" and "Rêve".
- Scatting: "Chanson d'O", "La Maison", "Bâti Mon Nid" and "Rêve".
- The Something Song: "Chanson d'O".
- Special Guest:
- This is Françoise' only album to feature Brazilian mutli-instrumentalist Tuca who handled all of the arrangements.
- MPB Singer-Songwriter Taiguara composed "Rêve".
- Spoken Word in Music: "Rêve" ends with a spoken passage.
