Hallyday's father, Léon Smet (1908–1989), was Belgian; his mother, Huguette Clerc (1920–2007), was French. Born in Paris, Hallyday took his stage name from his aunt Desta's husband and dance partner Lee Hallyday, a pseudonym for Lee Ketcham, an expatriate Oklahoman, performer, and MC at the Café de Paris where Johnny began his singing career. Johnny was raised by Desta and Lee from a very young age, with Lee being his first manager. Johnny was always very loyal to Lee and secured him a permanent job as a producer and A&R man with his label, Philips Records until Lee's retirement and relocation back to Oklahoma.
His debut single, "Laisse les filles" was released on the Vogue label in March 1960. His first album, Hello Johnny, was released in 1960. In 1961 his cover of "Let's Twist Again" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. It topped almost every European chart, although the track did not appear in the UK Singles Chart. He appeared on the American The Ed Sullivan Show with American singing star Connie Francis in a show that was taped at the Moulin Rouge nightclub in Paris. He also staged many appearances in the Paris Olympia under the management of the late Bruno Coquatrix. For their first concert, The Jimi Hendrix Experience opened for Johnny Hallyday in Évreux on 13 October 1966. Black-and-white footage, also from October 1966, exists of Hallyday partying with Hendrix, his manager Chas Chandler and others. There also is a widely published monochrome photograph of Hallyday walking somewhere in Paris in late May 1966 with Bob Dylan.
At the end of the 1960s, Hallyday made a string of albums with Mick Jones and Tommy Brown as musical directors, and Big Jim Sullivan, Bobby Graham and Jimmy Page as session musicians. These are Jeune Homme, Rivière... Ouvre ton Lit (a.k.a. Je suis né dans la rue) and Vie. On Je suis né dans la rue, Hallyday also hired both Peter Frampton and the Small Faces. Amongst their contributions are the songs Amen (Bang Bang), Reclamation (News Report), and Regarde Pour Moi (What You Will), which are variations of Small Faces and Humble Pie (Frampton's band) songs—tracks and they all play on the album. Often forgotten is Hallyday's non-LP single and EP track Que Je T'aime from the same sessions. By 1969 alone, his sales of records exceeded twelve million.
One of Hallyday's later concerts, 100% Johnny: Live à La Tour Eiffel in 2000, attracted an audience of 500,000 and 9.5 million television viewers (the show was broadcast live on French TV). In December 2005, Hallyday had his third number-one single in France, "Mon Plus Beau Noël" (after "Tous ensemble" and "Marie"), dedicated to his adopted daughter Jade. Shortly before announcing his retirement from touring, he released a blues-flavored album, Le Cœur d'un homme, on 12 November 2007. The album hit No. 1 in both France and French-speaking Belgium. In addition to the lead single "Always", Le Cœur d'un homme features "T'aimer si mal", a duet with bluesman Taj Mahal and "I Am the Blues", an English-language song written for Hallyday by U2's lead singer Bono. His next album, Ça ne finira jamais, released in 2008, another No. 1 on the French album chart, and its lead single, "Ça n'finira jamais", also reached No. 1. In 2008 he recorded a series of acoustic songs with French musician Drexl Jonez. Hallyday's most recent album, also a No. 1 hit in France, is Tour 66: Stade de France 2009, a live set recorded at Stade de France during his farewell tour with appearances by Drexl Jonez on the guitar.
French movie producers Michèle and Laurent Pétin introduced Johnny Hallyday to Hong Kong film director Johnnie To. Hallyday was cast as the main role of To's Vengeance after meeting with the director in early 2008. The shooting began in November 2008 and concluded in February 2009.
He was married for 15 years to popular Bulgarian-French singer Sylvie Vartan and the two were considered a "golden couple" for 20 years.
Hallyday completed 181 tours, had 18 platinum albums, and sold more than 110 million records worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists of all time.
Hallyday remains largely unknown outside the Francophone world, thus earning the nickname "the biggest rock star you've never heard of" in English-speaking countries.
On December 5th, 2017 Hallyday died, at age 74, in Marnes-la-Coquette, France.
Dans mes nuits... on oublie
Johnny Hallyday Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Y’a des images qui brûlent
Dans mes nuits
Nos vérités reculent
Mais dans mes nuits c’est pas grave
Mes nuits c’est pas la vie
Dans mes nuits
Dans mes nuits
Avec l’invraisemblance
Mais dans mes nuits c’est pas grave
Dans mes nuits on oublie
Et tant pis si c’est du stress
Tant pis si c’est du toc
Si le carton-pâte remplace le roc
Tant pis si mes amours
Se dissipent au matin
Ils sont faux mais ils sont les miens
Dans mes nuits
Les prisons sont factices
Dans mes nuits
Les raisons se déguisent
Mais dans mes nuits c’est pas grave
Mes nuits c’est pas la vie
Dans mes nuits
Les rêves se consument
Dans mes nuits
Les angoisses basculent
Mais dans mes nuits c’est pas grave
Dans mes nuits on oublie
Dans mes nuits
Il y a des mots que j’ose
Dans mes nuits
Je propose et dispose
Mais dans mes nuits c’est pas grave
Mes nuits c’est pas la vie
Et tant pis si c’est des restes
Tant pis si c’est bidon
Si c’est pas d’la vraie vie pour de bon
Tant pis si mes amours me quittent au petit jour
Au moins ceux-là reviennent toujours
Dans mes nuits
Les fautes se pardonnent
Dans mes nuits
Chaque fois nouvelle donne
Mais dans mes nuits rien n’est grave
Mes nuits c’est pas la vie
Dans mes nuits c'est pas grave
Dans mes nuits c’est pour rire
Mais dans mes nuits rien n’est grave
Dans mes nuits on oublie
The lyrics to Johnny Hallyday's "Dans mes nuits...on oublie" describe the singer's experience of escaping reality through their dreams at night. The song characterizes the dreams that the singer has as a space in which they can forget their troubles and fears, and indulge in the fantastical and implausible. The singer acknowledges that the dreams are not perfect, as they are filled with stress and insecurities, but they are their own and are not meant to replicate reality. The lyrics also touch on the idea that even though dreams may not be real or sustainable, they provide a place to experiment with expression and to make mistakes without fear of repercussions.
The title of the song, "Dans mes nuits...on oublie," translates to "In my nights...we forget," which emphasizes the theme of escapism that runs throughout the lyrics. The song's overall tone is one of acceptance and celebration of the idea of dreaming, and the music reinforces this with its upbeat tempo and energetic instrumentation. Ultimately, the song suggests that even though dreams may not reflect reality, they provide an important outlet for people to explore their desires and fantasies.
Overall, Johnny Hallyday's "Dans mes nuits...on oublie" is a song about the value of dreaming and the ability of dreams to provide an escape from reality. The song's lyrics capture the idea that dreams can be a place of experimentation, adventure, and self-expression, even if they are not always perfect or reflective of actual life.
Line by Line Meaning
Dans mes nuits, Y’a des images qui brûlent
In my nights, there are burning images that stay with me
Dans mes nuits, Nos vérités reculent
In my nights, our truths fade away
Mais dans mes nuits c’est pas grave, Mes nuits c’est pas la vie
But in my nights, it's not a big deal, my nights aren't reality
Dans mes nuits, Tous les fantasmes dansent
In my nights, all the fantasies come to life
Dans mes nuits, Avec l’invraisemblance
In my nights, with things that seem impossible
Mais dans mes nuits c’est pas grave, Dans mes nuits on oublie
But in my nights, it's not a big deal, in my nights we forget
Et tant pis si c’est du stress, Tant pis si c’est du toc
And too bad if it's stress, too bad if it's just a façade
Si le carton-pâte remplace le roc, Tant pis si mes amours Se dissipent au matin
If fake replaces real, too bad if my love fades with the morning
Ils sont faux mais ils sont les miens
They may be fake, but they're mine
Dans mes nuits, Les prisons sont factices
In my nights, the prisons aren't real
Dans mes nuits, Les raisons se déguisent
In my nights, the reasons hide themselves
Mais dans mes nuits c’est pas grave, Mes nuits c’est pas la vie
But in my nights, it's not a big deal, my nights aren't reality
Dans mes nuits, Les rêves se consument
In my nights, the dreams burn up
Dans mes nuits, Les angoisses basculent
In my nights, the anxieties shift
Mais dans mes nuits c’est pas grave, Dans mes nuits on oublie
But in my nights, it's not a big deal, in my nights we forget
Dans mes nuits, Il y a des mots que j’ose
In my nights, there are words that I dare to say
Dans mes nuits, Je propose et dispose
In my nights, I suggest and control
Mais dans mes nuits c’est pas grave, Mes nuits c’est pas la vie
But in my nights, it's not a big deal, my nights aren't reality
Et tant pis si c’est des restes, Tant pis si c’est bidon
And too bad if it's leftover, too bad if it's fake
Si c’est pas d’la vraie vie pour de bon, Tant pis si mes amours me quittent au petit jour
If it's not real life for good, too bad if my love leaves me at dawn
Au moins ceux-là reviennent toujours
At least those ones always come back
Dans mes nuits, Les fautes se pardonnent
In my nights, mistakes are forgiven
Dans mes nuits, Chaque fois nouvelle donne
In my nights, there's always a new chance
Mais dans mes nuits rien n’est grave, Mes nuits c’est pas la vie
But in my nights, nothing is serious, my nights aren't reality
Dans mes nuits c'est pas grave, Dans mes nuits c’est pour rire
In my nights, it's not a big deal, in my nights we laugh
Mais dans mes nuits rien n’est grave, Dans mes nuits on oublie
But in my nights, nothing is serious, in my nights we forget
Lyrics © JRG MUSICALES
Written by: Jean-jacques GOLDMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind