Jean-Philippe Léo Smet, known as Johnny Hallyday (/ˈhɔːlɪdeɪ/, HALL-id-AY; … Read Full Bio ↴Jean-Philippe Léo Smet, known as Johnny Hallyday (/ˈhɔːlɪdeɪ/, HALL-id-AY; born 15 June 1943 in Paris – died 5 December 2017 in Marnes-la-Coquette), was a French singer, songwriter and actor. Influenced by Elvis Presley and the 1950s rock 'n' roll revolution, Hallyday became famous in the 1960s for singing rock 'n' roll in French.

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.

Entre nous
Johnny Hallyday Lyrics

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De la rue à l'arène
De la vie à la scène
Nous avons hurlé au loup
Et passé à travers tout

Comme deux vieux amis
À la mort, à la vie
Tu ne m'as jamais trahi

Je ne t'ai jamais menti

Entre nous
Aucune demi-mesure
Aucun mur ne tiendra debout
Entre nous
Toujours cette histoire qui dure
Depuis le premier rendez-vous
Une histoire d'amour entre nous

Tous les soirs devant toi
Dès que j'entends ta voix
Quand soudain tu m'ouvres ton cœur
Comme un enfant, j'ai peur

Comme deux vieux rebelles
On est resté fidèles
À la même musique
Et malgré les critiques

Entre nous
Aucune demi-mesure
Aucun mur ne tiendra debout
Entre nous
Toujours cette histoire qui dure
Depuis le premier rendez-vous
Une histoire d'amour entre nous

Entre nous
Aucune demi-mesure
Aucun mur ne tiendra debout
Entre nous
Toujours cette histoire qui dure
Depuis le premier rendez-vous
Une histoire d'amour entre nous

Entre nous

Oui, entre nous

Overall Meaning

"Entre Nous" is a romantic song by Johnny Hallyday that speaks about the strong bond and unbreakable love between two people. The lyrics describe the journey of two people who have gone from the street to the stage, from life to the spotlight, and how they have been through it all together. They have both faced challenges and overcome them, and they haven't let anyone or anything come between them. They have remained loyal to each other through thick and thin, and always found a way to make it work.

The song tells a story of two close friends who have been there for each other through good times and bad. They have no secrets, and they have never lied to each other. They have both remained true to themselves and their passion for music, despite facing criticism and opposition from others. The chorus emphasizes the strength of their bond, and how no obstacle can stand in their way. The song ultimately celebrates the enduring power of love and friendship.

Line by Line Meaning

De la rue à l'arène
From the streets to the stage

De la vie à la scène
From life to performance

Nous avons hurlé au loup
We have howled at the wolf

Et passé à travers tout
And gone through everything

Comme deux vieux amis
Like two old friends

À la mort, à la vie
In life and death

Tu ne m'as jamais trahi
You have never betrayed me

Je ne t'ai jamais menti
I have never lied to you

Entre nous
Between us

Aucune demi-mesure
No half measures

Aucun mur ne tiendra debout
No wall can stand between us