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.
Ex
Johnny Hallyday Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comme pour tuer le temps
Que j'avais pour toi
Pour toi
C'est tirer en plein vol
Sur tous les sentiments
Que j'avais pour toi
C'est froisser de la tôle
Comme se saigner à blanc
T'étais tout pour moi
Pourquoi ?
Est-ce que tu te rends compte ?
Pourquoi m'faire mordre la terre ?
Moi j'étais comme un père
Un frère un homme ton amant
Pourquoi les anges sur terre
Déclarent toujours la guerre
À ceux qui les aiment tant ?
Faut pas que je pense
Que mes espérances
Sont mortes ce jour-là
Devant toi
Faut pas que je me dise
Que la terre devient folle
Sous mes pas
Sans toi
Mais si un jour tu sonnes
Et que je te revois
J't'aimerai malgré moi
Crois-moi
Est-ce que tu te rends compte ?
Pourquoi les anges sur terre
Font vivre l'enfer
À ceux qui les aiment tant ?
Pourquoi les anges sur terre
Déclarent toujours la guerre
À ceux qui les aiment tant ?
Mais si un jour tu sonnes
Et que je te revois
J't'aimerai malgré moi
Crois-moi
Faut pas que je me dise
Que la terre devient folle
Sous mes pas
Sans toi
Est-ce que tu te rends compte ?
Pourquoi m'faire mordre la terre ?
Moi j'étais comme un père
Un frère un homme ton amant
Pourquoi les anges sur terre
Déclarent toujours la guerre
À ceux qui les aiment tant ?
Pourquoi les anges sur terre
Font vivre l'enfer
À ceux qui les aiment tant ?
Pourquoi les anges sur terre
Déclarent toujours la guerre
À ceux qui les aiment tant ?
The lyrics of "Ex" by Johnny Hallyday express a range of emotions associated with a past love, from reminiscence to regret and outright pain. The singer reflects on the photos he keeps, attempting to kill time and relive the moments he once shared with this person. But he knows that allowing himself to dwell on the past will only hurt him, like shooting at his own vulnerable feelings. The relationship was once everything to him, but now he wonders why he had invested so much in it when it ended up tearing him apart. The singer questions why someone he loved so much could make him feel like he's biting the dust, why angels on earth seem to always declare war on those who love them the most. He tries to convince himself that he shouldn't give up hope, that things could change if she were to come back into his life, but he's also aware that the earth seems insane without her.
The overall mood of the song is melancholic, conjuring up the feeling of a broken heart. The lyrics are raw and honest, describing love in all its intensity and complexity. It speaks to many people who have experienced the highs and lows of romance and dealt with the aftermath of a failed relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Des photos que je recolle Comme pour tuer le temps Que j'avais pour toi Pour toi
I try to fill my time by looking at old pictures of us, but it only makes me miss you even more.
C'est tirer en plein vol Sur tous les sentiments Que j'avais pour toi Pour toi
You destroyed all the love and emotions I had for you with a single blow.
C'est froisser de la tôle Comme se saigner à blanc T'étais tout pour moi Pourquoi ? Est-ce que tu te rends compte ?
Losing you was like crumpling a piece of metal or bleeding out - you were everything to me, and I can't understand why it had to end.
Pourquoi m'faire mordre la terre ? Moi j'étais comme un père Un frère un homme ton amant
Why did you make me suffer like this? I loved you like a father, a brother, a man and your lover.
Pourquoi les anges sur terre Déclarent toujours la guerre À ceux qui les aiment tant ?
Why do the people we love the most always seem to hurt us the most?
Faut pas que je pense Que mes espérances Sont mortes ce jour-là Devant toi
I can't keep thinking that all my hopes and dreams died the day you left me.
Faut pas que je me dise Que la terre devient folle Sous mes pas Sans toi
I can't keep feeling like everything is crazy and chaotic without you by my side.
Mais si un jour tu sonnes Et que je te revois J't'aimerai malgré moi Crois-moi Est-ce que tu te rends compte ?
If you ever come back to me, I know I'll love you again even though I shouldn't - can't you see how much power you have over me?
Pourquoi les anges sur terre Font vivre l'enfer À ceux qui les aiment tant ?
Why do the people we love the most cause us so much pain and suffering?
Contributed by Jason C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.