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.
Tu es là
Johnny Hallyday Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quand le doute m'envahit
Quand il neige sur mes rêves
Tu es là
Quand je perds l'Est et le Nord
Quand je pars dans le décor
Je me raccroche à tes lèvres
Tu es là
Quand il n'y a plus rien
Dans la nuit claire
Qui me retient
Au creux de tes bras
Je sais pourquoi
Je reste là
Quand reviennent tour à tour
Les pantins et les vautours
Quand je n'ai plus de repères
Tu es là
Quand la fatigue me gagne
Quand la peine m'accompagne
Que les choses m'indiffèrent
Tu es là
Quand il n'y a plus rien
Dans la nuit claire
Qui me retient
Au creux de tes bras
Je sais pourquoi
Je reste là
Quand il n'y a plus rien
Dans la nuit claire
Qui me retient
Au creux de tes bras
Je sais pourquoi
Je reste là
Je reste là
The lyrics to Johnny Hallyday's "Tu es là" express feelings of doubt, insecurity, and a lack of direction, but through it all the singer finds solace in the presence of someone important to him. The opening lines, "Quand je n'ai plus de pays/ Quand le doute m'envahit/ Quand il neige sur mes rêves/ Tu es là" (When I no longer have a country/ When doubt invades me/ When it snows on my dreams/ You are there), set a tone of loneliness and uncertainty that is echoed in later verses.
As the song progresses, the singer continues to describe difficult experiences, such as losing his way ("Quand je perds l'Est et le Nord/ Quand je pars dans le décor/ Je me raccroche à tes lèvres/ Tu es là" - When I lose the East and North/ When I go off track/ I hold onto your lips/ You are there) and dealing with manipulative people ("Quand reviennent tour à tour/ Les pantins et les vautours/ Quand je n'ai plus de repères/ Tu es là" - When puppets and vultures come back to me one after the other/ When I no longer have any landmarks/ You are there).
Throughout it all, however, the strength of the singer's connection with the person he is addressing is clear. He sings, "Quand il n'y a plus rien/ Dans la nuit claire/ Qui me retient/ Au creux de tes bras/ Je sais pourquoi/ Je reste là" (When there's nothing left/ In the clear night/ To hold me/ In the crook of your arms/ I know why/ I stay there). The repetition of "Je reste là" (I stay there) emphasizes the importance of this connection to the singer and the comfort it brings him.
Overall, "Tu es là" is a beautiful evocation of the power of love and human connection to help us weather difficult times. By presenting a series of troubling scenarios, the song underscores the need for these connections in our lives, and celebrates the strength and comfort they bring to us when we need them most.
Line by Line Meaning
Quand je n'ai plus de pays
When I feel lost and without a place to call my own
Quand le doute m'envahit
When doubts and uncertainties start to consume me
Quand il neige sur mes rêves
When the harsh realities of life seem to shatter my dreams
Tu es là
You are always present to offer me comfort and support
Quand je perds l'Est et le Nord
When I lose my direction and sense of purpose
Quand je pars dans le décor
When I'm falling apart and losing control
Je me raccroche à tes lèvres
I hold onto your words to find my way back and feel grounded
Quand il n'y a plus rien
Dans la nuit claire
Qui me retient
Au creux de tes bras
When there's nothing left that can comfort me in the clear night and I find solace in your embrace
Je sais pourquoi
Je reste là
I am reassured of why I choose to be with you
Quand reviennent tour à tour
Les pantins et les vautours
When I face the manipulators and the opportunists who threaten my peace of mind
Quand je n'ai plus de repères
When I'm struggling to find my bearings amidst the chaos
Quand la fatigue me gagne
When I'm too tired to keep going
Quand la peine m'accompagne
When the pain is my constant companion
Que les choses m'indiffèrent
When I become indifferent to the things around me
Je reste là
But I choose to stay by your side
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JEANNE CHERHAL, MAXIME RODOLPHE NOUCHY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind