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.
Merci
Johnny Hallyday Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que je t'ai volés
Avant que tu ne m'oublies
Je voulais te dire merci
Pour ta bouche qui riait
Que j'ai fait crier
Tes yeux que j'ai fait pleurer
N'attends pas de moi
Que j'implore, que je supplie
N'espère pas de moi
Les larmes du repentir
Je veux simplement te dire merci
Pour ton corps que j'ai aimé
Jusqu'à le tromper
Pour ton coeur que j'ai cassé
Je voulais te dire merci
Pour ce morceau de ta vie
Que j'ai dévoré
Ce séjour au paradis
Je voulais te dire merci
N'attends pas de moi
Que je rampe comme un chien
N'espère pas de moi
Que je t'avoue mon chagrin
Je veux simplement te dire merci
The lyrics of Johnny Hallyday's song "Merci" are a sincere and unapologetic expression of gratitude, directed towards a former lover. The singer acknowledges the wrong that he has done to the person he is addressing, admitting that he has stolen from them, made them cry and manipulated their emotions. Despite this, the singer does not ask for forgiveness, but simply wants to express his gratitude for the time they shared together.
The opening lines, "For all these days and these nights that I stole from you, before you forget me, I wanted to say thank you," demonstrate the singer's regret for taking advantage of the person's affection towards him. He goes on to thank them for every aspect of their presence in his life, from their laughter and tears to their body and heart. The singer is aware that he has caused the person pain, but he is not willing to grovel or beg for their forgiveness. Instead, he chooses to express his gratitude for the memories they have created together.
The refrain of the song, "Don't expect me to plead, to beg, don't hope for tears of remorse from me, I simply want to say thank you," reinforces the idea that the singer is not seeking reconciliation, but rather closure. The song ends with the line "I simply want to say thank you," leaving the listener with a sense of bittersweet acceptance and gratitude.
Line by Line Meaning
Pour tous ces jours et ces nuits
Que je t'ai volés
Avant que tu ne m'oublies
Je voulais te dire merci
I want to thank you for all the days and nights that I took from you before you forget about me
Pour ta bouche qui riait
Que j'ai fait crier
Tes yeux que j'ai fait pleurer
Je voulais te dire merci
I want to thank you for your laughing mouth that I made scream and your eyes that I made cry
N'attends pas de moi
Que j'implore, que je supplie
N'espère pas de moi
Les larmes du repentir
Je veux simplement te dire merci
Don't expect me to beg or plead or shed tears of remorse, I just want to say thank you
Pour ton corps que j'ai aimé
Jusqu'à le tromper
Pour ton coeur que j'ai cassé
Je voulais te dire merci
I want to thank you for your body that I loved so much that I even betrayed it and for your heart that I broke
Pour ce morceau de ta vie
Que j'ai dévoré
Ce séjour au paradis
Je voulais te dire merci
I want to thank you for the piece of your life that I devoured and the time spent in paradise
N'attends pas de moi
Que je rampe comme un chien
N'espère pas de moi
Que je t'avoue mon chagrin
Je veux simplement te dire merci
Don't expect me to crawl like a dog or confess my sorrow, I just want to say thank you
Lyrics © CALDERWOOD, INC., BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: THOMAS LOUIS JANS, WILL JENNINGS, LUCIEN MARIE ANTOINE THIBAUT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@angelobarreto8675
JOHNNY AU PANTHÉON
J'ai vécut à Paris et Bruxelles un total de 25 ans et je suis fan de Johnny depuis mon adolescence . J'habite depuis 15 ans près de Lisbonne et, en tant que portugais, je ne peut que formuler ce souhait . Mais les fans français de notre Johnny, qu'est-ce qu'ils attendent pour le dire en haute voix ? Au Portugal nous avons Amália et Eusébio au Panthéon, donc je crois que mon souhait pour notre Johnny est tout-à-fait légitime.
JOHNNY POUR LA VIE
Nés en Novembre 1950, fans de Johnny Hallyday depuis l’adolescence, moi et le grand amour de ma vie, Helena, avons profité les deux décades où nous avons vécu à Bruxelles pour l’accompagner dans plusieurs de ces mémorables concerts: Fête de l'Humanité (1985), Bercy (1987, 1990 et 1992), Parc des Princes (1993), La Cigale (1994), Bercy (1995), Stade de France (1998), Tour Eiffel (2000), Stade Roi Baudoin (2000), Bercy (2003).
Nous sommes rentrés au Portugal en Juin 2006 et on s'est dit au revoir la dernière fois quelques jours avant, au Palais des Sports. Notre Johnny est revenu à Bruxelles en Octobre de cette année-là, mais nous n’étions plus au rendez-vous. Par après, jusqu’à son dernier pélérinage auprès de son publique (Rester Vivant Tour 2015/2016), nous l’avons accompagné le mieux possible par les médias.
Johnny Hallyday, un très grand artiste avec un énorme coeur,
il est parti 25 jours après toi, Helena, mais tel que toi
pour moi il est toujours vivant, notre Johnny,
qui en tant de concerts nous a fait tellement vibrer et rêver.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_10RBNoJRJPL5VaOvQsaBw
www.facebook.com/angelo.barreto.31337
@marie-thereselesueur1053
MERCI POUR
CE CADEAU QUE NOUS DONNE LA NATURE
NOUS LE VOULONS TRÈS PUR
DES PAROLES DE DOUCEUR
DES MOMENTS DE BONHEUR
DES REGARDS ÉCHANGÉS
UN ZESTE DE COMPLICITÉ
DES ÉTOILES DANS LES YEUX
LA JOIE D'ÊTRE D'EUX
MAIN DANS LA MAIN
SUIVRE LE CHEMIN
DES RÊVES PLEIN LE COEUR
QUE DU PLAISIR DU BONHEUR
AIMER C'EST OUBLIER
LES BLESSURES DU PASSÉ
JUSTE LA MAGIE DE L'AMOUR
UNE BELLE VIE POUR TOUJOURS
MERCI
POUR TES CHANSONS JOHNNY
MERCI
QUI RIME AVEC...
MARIE
MTLS
@JoelleBricout-lz6dw
Johnny Hallyday tu es le meilleur champion du monde personnes pour te remplacer je t'aime à l'infini gros bisous Joëlle ❤️🌹💋🏍️🎸
@blondied8520
J'aime, j'adore cette chanson 🤗🙌🏻🎶❤️🎶
@JoelleBricout-lz6dw
Merci pour cette belle chanson Johnny Hallyday je là dédicace à mon fils qui m'a dit merci pour tout ce que j'ai fait pour lui gros bisous Joëlle 🌹💋❤️🏍️🎸
@vivianevwp59
Je n'oublierai jamais ta bouche qui riait, tes yeux qui s'illuminaient et ta voix qui nous réchauffe, MERCI JOHNNY ❤💖
@pascalthomas5464
Nostalgie en amour notre jour adressé sans doute a Sylvie qu il avait tant
@yokapok6490
quelle voix il avait !!! puissante , extraordinaire, unique !!!
@hugodesormeaux1583
Merci à toi johnny tu es notre roi . Le roi johnny
@claudineferrari3667
Merci à toi Johnny pour tous les moments que j'ai traversé à travers tes chansons, la joie, la tristesse...tout, depuis les années 60 jusqu'à ce 5 décembre 2017 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
@GERARDDEVRED
C'est malheureusement la réalité. Putain qu'il me manque!
@zozo7030
J'adore chanson merci Johnny Hallyday