I just heard on NPR that Johnny Hallyday who is 66-year-old is going on tour officially for the very last time(17 shows ). Johnny, the biggest rock and roll star in France(although he isn't french but belgian) is totally unknown in the USA. He started his career around the time The Rolling Stones started theirs. I think he knows Mick very well. Like the british rockers, Johnny is a hard working entertainer with 1000s of shows under his belt. Like The stones too, he had never before officially announced his retirement from touring. Earing that news on the radio made me think about the Stones and I believe that if they go on tour in 2010 they will also officially announce that yes it is the last tour.
Rock and Roll,
Mops

Johnny's cover versions of "Honky Tonk Women" that were posted here recently were not exactly enthralling. Although the one from 1990 was interesting in that it appeared to have a living, breathing version of the inflatable Russian call girl (no Woody jokes, please) from the STEEL WHEELS/URBAN JUNGLE tours.

Mind you, he was excellent in THE PINK PANTHER 2 (if you didn't blink, that is).

Hate the guy, but he's HUGE here in France. I few years ago in an interview he said, talking about drugs, that only he and Mick survived. I then said to myself, this guy is a joke.

Jimmy Page is on fine form here!

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rollmops
(although he isn't french but belgian)

According to his Wikipedia entry, he was born and raised in France by a French mother and a Belgian father – and, was unsuccessful in his application for Belgian citizenship in 2006 due to failing to meet residency requirements.

He always looks to me like he's suffering from plastic surgeryitis

"Johnny" as the frenchies called him
is a showman, he's not a musician, he's not a songwriter.
You shoud know that in FRANCE, and it's not a joke, some of his strong fans,
think that most of his covered versions, are not covered versions,
but his versions!
That's amazing how this guy, is a top Star in FRANCE.
It's also a pity.
I respect the showman but not the rest!

HMN

Being a Brit, I know very little about him, other than what I have read on Wikipedia, etc.

I get the impression that he was a bit of a copyist and aped anything that was 'credible' and 'current' in the UK and U.S.

Imo, performing artists such as him, should only be applauded for the longevity and cultural importance in their Home Nation.

Like our Cliff is uniquely British phenomenon, Johnny Halyday obviously does it for the Frenchies – if no one else!

Wasn't it Johnny Halliday who got the Jimi Hendrix Experience their first gig at L'Olympia in 1966?


"As we say in England, it can get a bit trainspottery"

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Deltics
Wasn't it Johnny Halliday who got the Jimi Hendrix Experience their first gig at L'Olympia in 1966?

Yep

Dunno Johnny's music, but he's a very good actor. L'Homme du Train and Godard's Detectif are great.

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Deltics
Wasn't it Johnny Halliday who got the Jimi Hendrix Experience their first gig at L'Olympia in 1966?

For sure , and Jimi gave him the priority to cover his version of "Hey Joe".
He was the first to cover it!

He also covered many versions of Elvis PRESLEY,Eddy COCHRAN, The Animals etc...
Mick JONES was with him before FOREIGNER, Robin Le MESURIER etc...

@Nikolai

I don't think he's a great actor!
Detective the french movie of Godard is a #'^|] movie like most of Godard's movies!

I'm fully agree with Big Al, Johnny HALLYDAY is a phenomen in FRANCE like Cliff RICHARD in the UK.
I also don't understand why English people venerate Cliff RICHARD?
It's nearly the same thing.

A good example of the "HALLYDAY" phenomem was in 1990 in FRANCE.
He had more success in the french medias that the "The Urban Jungle Tour"in FRANCE at the same time.

For the belgian citizen ship, it's only for the money he could save!!!
There's a joke in FRANCE about that story, if Johnny dont want to pay expensive french tax from his royalties, don't buy his records!!!

HMN



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-05-09 01:55 by Honestman.

He kinda lauched Hendrix's career (but I think Jimi needed nobody to become a star...) but he positively DESTROYED "Hey Joe". His version is, like most US/Brit covers he did, pitiful.
Hallday's not that bright intellectually and since he's been living in a haze of booze, coke and tarts for years he tends to "remember" things that never quite happened. Like "hey Jimi and I were pals. He played on my songs".
Sure...

I never quite understood why Jagger always expressed a fair amount of polite respect to Halliday. Didn't want to lose the French market probably...

Apart from the riot and mayhem he started during his giant 1963 free open-air gig at the "PLace de la Nation" in Paris (a sort of full-scale Altamont which, some say, planted the seed for the riots of May 1968) he never did anything memorable.

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dcba
He kinda lauched Hendrix's career (but I think Jimi needed nobody to become a star...) but he positively DESTROYED "Hey Joe". His version is, like most US/Brit covers he did, pitiful.
Hallday's not that bright intellectually and since he's been living in a haze of booze, coke and tarts for years he tends to "remember" things that never quite happened. Like "hey Jimi and I were pals. He played on my songs".
Sure...

I never quite understood why Jagger always expressed a fair amount of polite respect to Halliday. Didn't want to lose the French market probably...

Apart from the riot and mayhem he started during his giant 1963 free open-air gig at the "PLace de la Nation" in Paris (a sort of full-scale Altamont which, some say, planted the seed for the riots of May 1968) he never did anything memorable.

Et le pire , c'est que la tournée est sold out!
On va souffrir...

The worst is to come for us in France, because the tour is sold out of course,
and it's Johnny HALLYDAY on TV every day and after that in the marketing items
Tee-shirt, books, DVD, etc...!

MESSAGE to the ROLLING STONES !

If you read us, please come back soon, you're welcome !
HMN

3 x stade de france (full) 29,30,31 may 2009 and all of the stades (full)in France Hendrix, Jagger, Le mazurier or mick Jones really appreciate him. I don't think you can find the equivalent phenomen in other countries. Please, don't talk about what you ignore.I have no Hallyday'cd, but you have to know the truth. Not only rumours... (And, he's touring every year since 1960...)

Chas Chandler and the London music-scene launced Hendrix - not Johnny Hallyday

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rollmops
Johnny, the biggest rock and roll star in France(although he isn't french but belgian) is totally unknown in the USA.
Mops

Not quite. I certainly know who he is and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Shezeboss
3 x stade de france (full) 29,30,31 may 2009 and all of the stades (full)in France Hendrix, Jagger, Le mazurier or mick Jones really appreciate him. I don't think you can find the equivalent phenomen in other countries. Please, don't talk about what you ignore.I have no Hallyday'cd, but you have to know the truth. Not only rumours... (And, he's touring every year since 1960...)

We could credit him for one thing, his farewell tour !
I'm sorry to tell you that in FRANCE, most people believe in Johnny HALLYDAY
as the King of Rock'n'roll.He's a great showman, that's all.
It's not rumours, it's facts.
He has a great voice but no songwriting talent!
Bob SEGER is completly unknown in FRANCE for 85% of the people.
When i say to a Johnny's fan that "Old time rock'n'roll" is originally from Bob SEGER, he don't believe me, and he said "Who's Bob SEGER ?"
French People have not the rock'n'roll spirit definively!
It's not rumours, it's a fact!"
Bo Diddley said in his song "You can't judge a book by looking at its cover"
I say "You can't make HALLYDAY a rock'n'roll Star by the number of tickets
sold from his shows"

HMN



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-05-09 03:25 by Honestman.

joe cocker or elvis don't OR DIDN'T write. They're great. so is Hallyday.

"He has a great voice but no songwriting talent!"

He doesn't even sing entire gigs. He's got a backing-vocal black male singer who, when the "star" is too tired, sings the songs from backstage...

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Honestman
"Johnny" as the frenchies called him
is a showman, he's not a musician, he's not a songwriter.
You shoud know that in FRANCE, and it's not a joke, some of his strong fans,
think that most of his covered versions, are not covered versions,
but his versions!
That's amazing how this guy, is a top Star in FRANCE.
It's also a pity.
I respect the showman but not the rest!

HMN

+ 1

See what I wrote here :
[www.iorr.org]



I am a Frenchie ,as Mick affectionately called them in the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1977 .

40 songs for his last show...2h45mn (yesterday the May 8)
no play back. Do you think Mick use play back when Bernard sings...
I think Hallyday is so much better than Bruce Springsteen.
American people are too proud of their "products"

Chérie je SUIS français...

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Shezeboss
I think Hallyday is so much better than Bruce Springsteen.

so funny, what do you smoke ??

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Shezeboss
40 songs for his last show...2h45mn (yesterday the May 8)
no play back. Do you think Mick use play back when Bernard sings...
I think Hallyday is so much better than Bruce Springsteen.
American people are too proud of their "products"

Is that so?

I'm an American, and I have lots of problems with my culture, or what passes for culture these days, but riddle me this:

why won't French people make much of an effort to speak to non-French speakers, even when the non-French speakers are attempting to speak French as well as they can, and are even trying to be friendly and even a bit humble?

Who's 'too proud of their "products"'?

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Shezeboss
40 songs for his last show...2h45mn (yesterday the May 8)
no play back. Do you think Mick use play back when Bernard sings...
I think Hallyday is so much better than Bruce Springsteen.
American people are too proud of their "products"

The joke of the day !
I've seen 2 mn on French TV from his first show,
he looks like a boxer after 15 rounds!
Finished !
No voice, no good playin'!
(Moi aussi je suis français au passage !)
Me too I'm french!
You're a perfect example of what I've described upper,
strong fans of Johnny are blind people.
He's not a god, he's a performer as good as 85% of French People who like
this #{|[#!
That's all!

I'm here to say, that hopefully, like in the second World War,
there's few french people who resist and hate this man!

HMN



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-05-09 15:07 by Honestman.

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rollmops
I believe that if they go on tour in 2010 they will also officially announce that yes it is the last tour.
Rock and Roll,
Mops

Jagger looks ten years younger that the shame of our Country !
The farewell Tour of the ROLLING STONES will be in 2019 !

Thanks GOD

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Honestman
Jagger looks ten years younger that the shame of our Country !

Isn't N. Sarkozy the shame of our country ??

Johnny Hallyday is a joke. Has the guy ever written one song himself? As far as I know he takes great rock songs, shamelessly translates them into French and make unbelievably bad covers. I don't think his fans actually know the original versions of the songs he plays. No offence meant to anyone but to me he is as much rock 'n roll as the Spice Girls were.

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Phantom
Johnny Hallyday is a joke. Has the guy ever written one song himself? As far as I know he takes great rock songs, shamelessly translates them into French and make unbelievably bad covers. I don't think his fans actually know the original versions of the songs he plays. No offence meant to anyone but to me he is as much rock 'n roll as the Spice Girls were.

Those are some of points I was trying to make with my ‘aping’ comment. I wouldn’t be too harsh on him, however. It is only natural that the French market was going to want to hear contemporary numbers in their own language – and, Halyday was the tonic – all perfectly harmless, imo.