not a lesbian. After the recording sessions, the duo took a break in Corsica, returning later to compose the string arrangements. For this, Tuca played different themes on a piano for Hardy; once they were chosen, Raymond Donnez was asked to write them. Thus, the making of La question also marked the first time Hardy "participated in such a crucial choice." Catherine Lara – a violinist the singer met through Claude Nougaro – contacted the Orchestra of Paris, where she performed, to play the string arrangements. Lara was a close friend of Hardy, and continued to collaborate with her throughout that decade. Composition La question is one of Hardy's "most sparsely produced efforts," the result of Tuca's "characteristically delicate and uncluttered arrangements" that accompany the singer with an acoustic guitar, touches of bass, and subtle orchestration. It showcases a distancing from the usual pop framework of Hardy's earlier releases, adopting "richer melodies and unexpected variations in rhythm." Through Tuca's guitar playing, the album incorporates elements of Brazilian music, most notably bossa nova. Nevertheless, Hardy was reluctant to produce an album of pure Brazilian music, stating that she disliked traditional music. Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe, writing for the Red Bull Music Academy, described the album as "a marvellous dialogue between French pop and Brazilian saudade". Writing for PopMatters, Matt James felt that with La question - and albums Soleil (1970) and If You Listen (1972) - Hardy "smartly [reinvented] herself as an elusive folk rock jazz chanteuse." Raymond Donnez's string arrangements have been described as "lush", "dark" and "intense". The singer's vocals have been called "sultry" and "breathy", at times "[substituting] melodic humming in the place of singing, wordlessly articulating the emotional essence of the song." According to The Guardian, "La question defines the sound that polite people call 'after hours'." The record's lyrics - the work of Hardy, Pascal Bilat, Franck Gérald and G.G. - address themes of love, anxiety, eroticism, and fear. The instabilities in the relationship between the singer and her future husband, Jacques Dutronc, have been identified as being responsible for the adoption of this tone. Songs The album opens in a "dramatic" tone with "Viens" ("Come"), which was "designed to grab the listener's attention." Its lyrics are "a first-person plea for passionate love", with Hardy singing: "Come/My heart has always given its all/I've been burned many times/But I'm not afraid of suffering [again]." The song has been noted