From now on, every blog post will be accompanied by a video podcast. The podcast provides an introduction, whilst the blogpost explores the topic in greater detail. The podcast is in Dutch, but YouTube translates it into English on demand. If you like, you can also watch the podcast on your smart TV. Simply select YouTube and search for ‘kanaal expeditie muziek’.
The rock ‘n’ roll craze of the 1950s did not leave France untouched, and French artists initially confined themselves to translating English-language songs. Later, the Beatles also became a source of inspiration, which is why the term ‘Yéyé rock’ is also used. The lyrics are cheerful and simple, aimed at a very young audience.
In the previous instalment of this blog, we looked at prominent figures in classic French rock: Les Chaussettes Noires, Christophe, Les Chats Sauvages and, in particular, their singer Dick Rivers, after he embarked on a solo tour in 1964.
The most influential figure in this style is Johnny Hallyday. This instalment of the blog is entirely dedicated to Johnny Hallyday.
More so than Dick Rivers, it is Johnny Hallyday (1943–2017) who shaped French rock throughout his career. With Dick Rivers, Anglo-Saxon influences are more prominent. Nevertheless, in the early years of his career, Johnny Hallyday was dubbed the French Elvis. He caused a sensation at the time with the French-language version of ‘Let’s Twist Again’. (‘Viens danser le twist’). Listen and watch it here:
Throughout his career, he remained a cultural icon. Characteristic of his extensive collection of 79 albums, 51 of which are studio albums, is the way in which he combines rock and chansons, often performed live in lavishly staged shows. Record sales totalled 110 million, mainly in the French-speaking world. He has given around 3,500 concerts, attended by some 30 million people.
Among his most popular songs are ‘Pour moi la vie va commencer’, ‘Que je t’aime’, ‘la feu’ , ‘Gabrielle’ and ‘ L’envie ’. In 2007 – many albums later – he released the blues-inspired album ‘Le cœur d’un homme’. On this album, he sings with blues musician Taj Mahal on tracks including ‘and ‘T’aimer si mal’ . In 2014 – three years before his death – he formed the trio ‘Vieilles Canailles’ with Eddy Mitchell and Jacques Dutronc, with whom he had already sung in his teenage years.
Johnny discovered the life of an artist at a young age. His first contract with Vogue Records stipulated that he was entitled to 5% of the revenue from his albums. Thanks to the success of his EP ‘Souvenirs, Souvenirs’, he performed as the support act for established artists such as Sacha Distel. The younger section of the audience was wildly enthusiastic, whilst the older section booed him. This continued for a while, but his popularity grew rapidly. Thus, his first LP, ‘Nous les gars, nous les filles’, was released. Competition also intensifies, partly due to Eddy Michell and his Chaussettes noires. He wants to stand up to the competition with a better and larger backing band. But his management snaps at him, “ “Tu fermes ta gueule et tu chantes” (‘Shut your mouth and sing’), to which he replies, ‘Je ne vois pas comment je peux chanter en fermant ma gueule’ (‘I don’t see how I can sing while keeping my mouth shut’). He then turns his back on them all and signs a contract with Philips. He is just 18 years old.
He then performed for several weeks at the Olympia theatre in Paris; the Palladium in London followed. On the advice of Charles Aznavour, he alternated rock songs with quieter numbers such as ‘Retient la nuit’.
From that time onwards, his talents are increasingly recognised by the older generation. A free concert to mark the first anniversary of the magazine ‘Salut les copains’, featuring not only Johnny Hallyday but also Sylvie Vartan and the ‘Chats sauvages’, attracts 200,000 visitors instead of the expected 30,000. The concert passed off peacefully, but elsewhere in the city riots broke out between rival gangs. In 1964, he completed his military service. He made several propaganda films for the army and, in exchange, was allowed to continue performing, albeit in his military uniform. It was during this period that one of his most successful albums was released, ‘Le Pénitencier’, which included the French version of ‘House of the Rising Sun’.
The period that followed was less successful; the many concerts were wearing him out, a divorce from Sylvie Vartan, whom he had married only a short time before, was looming, and he attempted suicide. The only consolation is that his latest album, ‘Noir c’est noir’, is a huge success. He takes a few weeks to rest and recover and returns with an unrivalled performance at the Olympia in Paris. His music reflects a wide range of influences. No longer just rock ‘n’ roll, but also rhythm & blues, soul, pop and psychedelic rock, clearly influenced by the style of the Beatles in their final years as a group. In a performance before 100,000 spectators at the Palais des Sports, he sings the song ‘Que je t’aime’ for the first time. Listen and watch it here:
Through his collaboration with lyricist Philippe Labro, his records became increasingly fierce and polemical, and he found himself at loggerheads with the Vatican, among others, for comparing Jesus to a hippie. Later, however, his collaboration with Michel Mallory meant that Johnny’s singing became less aggressive and more melodic. This led to the album ‘La musique que j’aime’ (1973), which would become one of his classics. Nevertheless, the boundless energy he exudes in his more than 200 performances a year brings him to the brink of a breakdown on several occasions. His debts, resulting from overly ambitious projects, and the tax arrears he had accumulated over the years also play a part in this.
Johnny moved to the US for a while, but soon settled back in France, where he enjoyed success with the hits ‘Requiem pour un fou’, ‘Derrière l’amour’ and the rock track ‘Gabrielle’. Here is a montage of various performances of this song.
His next project was ‘Hamlet’ (1977), a rock opera based on Shakespeare’s work. The music was composed by Pierre Groscolas, inspired by progressive rock. The double album failed to catch on and the idea of staging the work was abandoned. He continued to enjoy success with his records, such as the track ‘Elle m’oublie’ on the ‘ ’ album ‘Sollitudes à deux’, which was one of the biggest hits of the decade. After several more years of close collaboration and joint performances, Johnny and Sylvie eventually went their separate ways.
With the album ‘En pièces détachées’ (1981), Hallyday returns to the world of hard rock. In ‘Lady divine’, he urges his audience not to take drugs. In the period that followed, none of the eight new albums would captivate the public again. The album ‘Entre violence et violon’ (1983) marked the turning point of an artistic revival, which reached its peak in ‘Rock ‘n’ roll attitude’ and ‘de métier’ . He achieved his greatest success with the rock track ‘Mon p’tit loup (ça va faire mal)’. Seen here in a filmed setting, culminating in a concert performance.
In the years that followed, he put on two spectacular shows. Firstly, 45 performances of *Fantasm Hallyday* (from 14 September to 11 November 1983 at the Palais des Sports in Paris) for an audience of 250,000. From 25 October to 2 February 1984, he performed night after night for three months at the Zénith de Paris. Both shows marked the most musically innovative period of Hallyday’s life, partly thanks to producer Pierre Billion. The new album *Gang* (1986), featuring tracks such as ‘’nom’ , ‘Je te promets’ and ‘Laura’, illustrates this. In 1994, his34thalbum was released and record sales exceeded 100 million. With a new look – short hair, a moustache and a goatee – he performed in Las Vegas and at the Zénith in Paris, as a prelude to three concerts at the Stade de France, the first of which was postponed due to heavy rain and the second went ahead despite the rain.
Two million copies of the album Sang pour sang (1999) are sold, more than any previous album. He celebrates his 40th anniversary as an artist with a free concert near the Eiffel Tower, attended by over a million people. His career reached its peak during these years, in terms of public interest, concert attendance and record sales. With the last CD he made for Philips (2005), he returned to his rock roots and, for the first time in 15 years, the album featured a number of songs he had composed himself. His ‘Tour 1966’ took him, from 2009 onwards, to the 111 stadiums and theatres where he had performed to date. This tour was interrupted by an operation on his colon to remove a tumour. Further operations followed and the ‘Tour 1966’ was cancelled. Between 2010 and 2015, Johnny Hallyday starred in several films and gave a series of concerts worldwide. In 2015, he released his50thstudio album, which focuses primarily on a number of current tragedies, such as the civil war in Syria (‘Valise ou cercueil’), illegal immigration (‘Voyeur clandestin’) and Islamic terrorism (‘Avant de frapper’). Watch and listen to the first track here:
In the years that followed, Johnny was treated several times for various illnesses, including cancer, which remained hidden from the outside world. The hacking of his daughter’s computer in 2017 revealed that he had incurable lung cancer.
During this period, he performs 17 more times with his trio ‘Canailles’ . You can watch one of these concerts via this link.
His deteriorating health did not prevent Hallyday from recording a further ten songs. These included the track ‘un rocker’, recorded with Eddy Mitchell, which appeared on the album ‘La même tribute’. This was the last recording to be released during his lifetime. Johnny died on 5 December 2017 at the age of 74 from lung cancer. 500,000 people paid their final respects to him.
On 19 October 2018, his 51th studio album, ‘Mon pays c’est l’amour’, was released posthumously, selling millions of copies. This was followed by several other albums featuring old tracks and live recordings.
