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.
Knock On Wood
Johnny Hallyday Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que j'étais un vaurien
Et je traînais
Dans les rues tout le temps
Avec les mêmes copains
Oui, je m'en souviens
On se cognait, frappait
Aussi dure que du bois
Je crois
Plus tard dans la vie
J'ai donné
Mon amour aux filles
Quel temps perdu
A les aimer pour rien
Tous mes ennuis, chagrins
Oui, je m'en souviens
Et j'ai souffert l'enfer
Et j'ai le cœur aussi dur
Aussi dur que du bois
Je crois
Je cherche encore un amour
Qui peut tout sauver
Amours d'un jour
J'en ai plus qu'assez
Ils m'ont fait du mal
Le voilà mon secret
Ne cherchez pas pourquoi
Si j'ai le cœur aussi dur
Aussi dur que du bois c'est ça
Aussi dur que du bois c'est ça
Aussi dur que du bois
Aussi dur, dur, dur que du bois
Aussi dur que du bois
The song Aussi Dur Que Du Bois by Johnny Hallyday recounts the story of the singer's life from his childhood to his present gloomy state of being. As a child, people around him always dismissed him as a street urchin and a troublemaker. Johnny remembers hanging out with the same friends, fighting and getting into trouble all the time. Despite this, Johnny Hallyday states that he had a head as hard as wood, making him unbreakable and hard to bring down.
As he grew older, Johnny began to date girls and poured his heart into loving them. But he later realized that he had wasted his time loving those who didn't love him back. He vividly recalls experiencing pain and sorrow and having a heart as hard and numb as wood. Despite still searching for a love that can redeem and salvage him, Johnny feels worn out, exhausted, and at his wits' end. He believes that his hardened heart is the result of all the pain and suffering he has been through in life.
The song uses the metaphor of hard wood to describe the emotional state of Johnny's heart. The repetition of the phrase, "Aussi Dur Que Du Bois" (As Hard As Wood) in the chorus stresses the point. The lyrics are relatable to anyone who has suffered emotional pain and has become numb to feelings. The song is emotional and moving, reminding listeners that, in the end, we must take care of our hearts, for they are the engines of our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Quand j'étais enfant on disait
When I was a child, people used to say
Que j'étais un vaurien
that I was a good-for-nothing
Et je traînais
And I used to hang out
Dans les rues tout le temps
in the streets all the time
Avec les mêmes copains
with the same friends
Oui, je m'en souviens
Yes, I remember it
On se cognait, frappait
We used to bump into and hit each other
J'avais la tête aussi dure
I had a head that was as hard
Aussi dure que du bois
as hard as wood
Je crois
I believe
Plus tard dans la vie
Later in life
J'ai donné
I gave
Mon amour aux filles
my love to girls
Quel temps perdu
What a waste of time
A les aimer pour rien
For loving them in vain
Tous mes ennuis, chagrins
All my troubles, sorrow
Oui, je m'en souviens
Yes, I remember it
Et j'ai souffert l'enfer
And I suffered in hell
Et j'ai le cœur aussi dur
And my heart is also as hard
Je cherche encore un amour
I'm still looking for love
Qui peut tout sauver
That can save everything
Amours d'un jour
One-day loves
J'en ai plus qu'assez
I've had enough of them
Ils m'ont fait du mal
They hurt me
Le voilà mon secret
That's my secret
Ne cherchez pas pourquoi
Don't ask why
Si j'ai le cœur aussi dur
If my heart is also as hard
Aussi dur que du bois c'est ça
That's because it's as hard as wood
Aussi dur que du bois c'est ça
That's because it's as hard as wood
Aussi dur que du bois
As hard as wood
Aussi dur, dur, dur que du bois
As hard, hard, hard as wood
Aussi dur que du bois
As hard as wood
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Terry Adal
Je découvre ce duo.
Très jolie recherche ,vidéo pleine de joie,de rythme, et c'est sympa d'avoir découvert là version francaise de ce grand succès
Bravo
Aline Ripoll
J adore Lionel Richie qu'elle beau duo magnifique vidéo
Rom 1
Un magnifique duo ... on capte tt de suite la VRAIE amitié et complicité entre-eux
Johnny Harlay
Que de bons souvenirs
Nadine Mons
Grazie Merci 👏👏👏🎼💖🙏🏼⭐
DAN SADYDAN
merci pour ta visite Nadine
Catherine Dikeou
ils sont géniaux formidable love mon jhonny un duo superbe j'adore
DAN SADYDAN
merci pour ta visite Catherine
Rolande Belmehdi
Bonsoir MERCI pour cette magnifique vidéo de nôtre boss Johnny Hallyday repose en paix en t aime En oubliera jamais BONNE soirée 😘🎶🎤🎵😇😭