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.
Hey Joe
Johnny Hallyday Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cours pas comme ça, dis, y a pas le feu chez toi
Hey Joe
Viens dire bonjour, t'en mourras pas
Moi j'rentre à l'heure qu'il m'plaît
J'ai même plus de montre, j'ai tout mon temps
Ce qui m'attend chez moi, je le sais
Rien qu'un lit froid sans personne dedans
Hey Joe
Si on parlait, mais de quoi?
Hey Joe
Le chômage, les grèves, tu t'en fous de tout ça
Comme tu dis, la vie
C'est le métro à six heures et chacun pour soi
Mais pour toi Joe
Y a toujours une place mais pas pour moi
Pourquoi?
Hey, hey Joe
Pourquoi t'as de la chance plein les doigts? (hey Joe)
Hey, hey Joe
En naissant t'as marché dans quoi? (hey Joe)
T'as toujours les poches pleines
Et la voiture de l'année
Dis donc, ma parole, on en oublie
On en oublie que t'es si laid
Moi Joe, tu vois, je n'ai plus rien
Je pensais avoir une fille bien à moi
Mais il paraît, Joe
Qu'elle dort maintenant
Elle dort maintenant entre tes draps
Bravo!
Tu vois Joe
Hier je rêvais
Oh, je rêvais d'avoir ta peau
Mais Joe
Je préfère te voir souffrir
Et de cette fille, je t'en fais cadeau
(Hey Joe)
Allez bonne chance, Joe (hey Joe)
(Hey Joe) allez bonne chance, allez Joe (hey Joe)
(Hey Joe)
Allez bonne chance, hey Joe, hé oh!
The lyrics to Hey Joe by Johnny Hallyday is a conversation between two people, one of them being named Joe. The first person is urging Joe not to leave in a hurry as he has nothing to do at home, and instead, come say hello which wouldn't hurt him. The second verse talks about how the life of an average person is working hard in the morning, and then coming back to a lonely and cold bed. The conversation shifts to how Joe seems to have all the luck in the world, and yet still complaining about his life. The singer is envious of Joe's luxurious lifestyle and how he always seems to have everything going for him despite his arrogance.
The conversation takes a dark turn towards the end where the singer reveals how he dreams of having Joe's life but decides it's better to see Joe suffer. He tells Joe to enjoy his luck while he still can but reveals that he's sleeping with the girl that Joe was with before. The lyrics are a commentary on the jealousy and envy that people can feel towards those whom they perceive to have everything in their favor. It also touches on the theme of loneliness, and how people can feel neglected even when they are surrounded by luxuries.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey Joe
Addressing Joe
Cours pas comme ça, dis, y a pas le feu chez toi
Don't hurry, take it easy, there's no rush
Viens dire bonjour, t'en mourras pas
Come say hello, it won't kill you
Moi j'rentre à l'heure qu'il m'plaît
I come home whenever I want
J'ai même plus de montre, j'ai tout mon temps
I don't even have a watch anymore, I have all the time in the world
Ce qui m'attend chez moi, je le sais
I know what's waiting for me at home
Rien qu'un lit froid sans personne dedans
Just a cold bed with nobody in it
Si on parlait, mais de quoi?
Let's talk, but about what?
Le chômage, les grèves, tu t'en fous de tout ça
You don't care about unemployment, strikes or any of that
Comme tu dis, la vie
Like you say, life
C'est le métro à six heures et chacun pour soi
It's the metro at six and everyone for himself
Mais pour toi Joe
But for you, Joe
Y a toujours une place mais pas pour moi
There's always a place for you, but not for me
Pourquoi?
Why?
Hey, hey Joe
Hey, hey Joe
Pourquoi t'as de la chance plein les doigts? (hey Joe)
Why do you have so much luck? (hey Joe)
En naissant t'as marché dans quoi? (hey Joe)
What did you walk into when you were born? (hey Joe)
T'as toujours les poches pleines
You always have your pockets full
Et la voiture de l'année
And the car of the year
Dis donc, ma parole, on en oublie
Say, my word, we forget
On en oublie que t'es si laid
We forget how ugly you are
Moi Joe, tu vois, je n'ai plus rien
Me, Joe, you see, I have nothing left
Je pensais avoir une fille bien à moi
I thought I had a good girl of my own
Mais il paraît, Joe
But it seems, Joe
Qu'elle dort maintenant
That she's sleeping now
Elle dort maintenant entre tes draps
She's sleeping now in your sheets
Bravo!
Bravo!
Tu vois Joe
You see, Joe
Hier je rêvais
Yesterday, I dreamed
Oh, je rêvais d'avoir ta peau
Oh, I dreamed of having your skin
Mais Joe
But Joe
Je préfère te voir souffrir
I'd rather see you suffer
Et de cette fille, je t'en fais cadeau
And I'll give you this girl as a gift
(Hey Joe)
(Hey Joe)
Allez bonne chance, Joe (hey Joe)
Good luck, Joe (hey Joe)
(Hey Joe) allez bonne chance, allez Joe (hey Joe)
(Hey Joe) go ahead, good luck, go Joe (hey Joe)
(Hey Joe)
(Hey Joe)
Allez bonne chance, hey Joe, hé oh!
Go ahead, good luck, hey Joe, hey oh!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Bill Roberts, Lucien Thibaut
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jazz 71
Mon premier concert de Johnny un moment inoubliable ! Après avoir vu cela j'ai dû faire plusieurs piqûres de rappel !😃
pako54.57
😂😂
Pedro Branco
J'ai toujours beaucoup de mal à admettre que notre Johnny n'est plus là. Un des seuls chanteur qui aiment son public plus que lui même. En aucun cas il n'admet la tricherie. Sur scène il était sans aucun doute le meilleur chanteur Européen pour ne pas dire mondial. Il se donné corps et âme pour nous autres qui l'avons tant aimé.mais moi même je l'aimerai pour l'éternité.merci pour cette belle vidéo.
Annick Denis
Pedro 👋👋👋👋Excellent commentaire 👍👍
J H
Une légende ne meurt jamais Johnny toujours au présent jamais au passé
Gisèle Ruelle
100% valider...ne meurt JAMAIS...👍👍👍👍🤲🤲🤲🧚♀️🧚♀️🧚♀️😘
Marie Bourges
Ouii je suis d’accord avec vous une star comme Johnny ne meurt pas ❤❤
française bretonne 🇨🇵
Non jamais
Souleymane Diarrassouba
@Marie Bourges absolument
Lydie Emilie
Je suis Allemand. J'ai toujours été un grand fan de lui, c'est grâce à lui que j'ai appris le français. J'aurais aimé aller à un de ses concerts, mais personne ne voulait y aller ! Une vidéo fantastique ! Il pouvait tout interpréter. Il avait le droit de tout faire, il pouvait tout faire, il nous restait un grand artiste !