A Son of the Rock

Johnny Hallyday is perhaps the biggest rock and roll star you’ll never have heard of. Huge in the Francophone world and beyond, but not in the Anglophone sphere. He died this week.

His first hits were in the early 1960s – two French no. 1s with a cover of Chubby Checker’s Let’s Twist Again under the French title Viens Danser Le Twist and Retiens La Nuit. They sound like early 1960 songs. The less said about Viens Danser Le Twist perhaps the better but here’s Retiens La Nuit.

Johnny Hallyday: Retiens La Nuit

A more typically French sound is Que Je T’aime from 1969 but it still has late 1960s hallmarks with Eurovision overtones.

Johnny Hallyday: Que Je T’aime

Hallyday’s career was long but he had to wait till the 2000s for his next no 1s, two in 2002, one each in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

This is a montage of various live performances of Gabrielle showing he could rock it up with the best of them.

Johnny Hallyday: Gabrielle

Johnny Hallyday (Jean-Philippe Léo Smet): 15/6/1943 – 6/12/2017. So it goes.