Physical Singles Sales – The 70s
As a reminder, the weighting is done with a 10 to 3 ratio between one album and one physical single.
Vie (1970) – 324,000 equivalent albums
Essayez – 270,000
Deux Amis Pour Un Amour – 320,000
Jésus Christ – 490,000
Flagrant Délit (1971) – 333,000 equivalent albums
Fils de personne – 370,000
Oh ma jolie Sarah – 740,000
Country, Folk, Rock (1972) – 204,000 equivalent albums
Comme si je devais mourir demain – 330,000
Rien n’vaut cett’fille-là (She’s my old lady) – 170,000
Sauvez-moi (Salvation) – 180,000
Insolitudes (1973) – 210,000 equivalent albums
La Musique Que J’aime – 340,000
Tu Peux Partir Si Tu Le Veux – 220,000
Le Feu – 140,000
Je T’aime, Je T’aime, Je T’aime (1974) – 216,000 equivalent albums
Je T’aime, Je T’aime, Je T’aime – 290,000
Prends Ma Vie – 430,000
Rock’N Slow (1974) – 123,000 equivalent albums
Johnny Rider – 260,000
A Propos De Mon Père / A L’Hotel Des Cœurs Brisés (“Heartbreak Hotel”)– 150,000
Rock A Memphis (1975) – 150,000 equivalent albums
Hey Lovely Lady / La Fille De L’Eté Dernier “Summertime Blues” – 500,000
La Terre Promise (1975) – 84,000 equivalent albums
La Terre Promise (Promised Land) – 280,000
Derrière L’Amour (1976) – 690,000 equivalent albums
Requiem pour un fou – 890,000
Gabrielle – 640,000
Derrière L’Amour – 770,000
Hamlet (1976) – 0 equivalent albums
No single released
C’est la vie (1977) – 468,000 equivalent albums
Tant Pis… C’est La Vie “C’est La Vie” – 310,000
J’ai Oublié De Vivre – 640,000
Le cœur en deux – 610,000
Solitudes À Deux (1978) – 198,000 equivalent albums
Elle M’Oublie – 430,000
Revoilà Ma Solitude – 230,000
Hollywood (1979) – 411,000 equivalent albums
Le bon temps du Rock’n’roll – 320,000
Qu’est-ce que tu croyais – 260,000
Toujours là – 290,000
Ma Gueule – 500,000
The success of Que Je T’Aime solidified Johnny‘s status in France with his following 7 singles shifting more than 200,000 units each, all of which hitting the Top 5. They largely failed to sustain the impact outside of the French-speaking countries though.
Although his pace of release went from 6 to 8 yearly singles during the 60s to about 3 per year during the 70s, yearly sales never dropped below 920,000 units for the decade. From 1974 to 1979, he released 20 singles, only one of which failed to reach the Top 10 by peaking at #11. He added several new standards to his catalog including the much hyped duet J’Ai Un Problème with his highly famous wife Sylvie Vartan, La Musique que J’Aime, Requiem pour un fou, Gabrielle and Ma Gueule. The first and the forth were both issued outside of the studio albums and will be listed into the Orphan section.
Somehow he managed to break his own 60s total by selling 13,26 million units of his 70s singles to bring his career to date tally to more than 25 million singles sold.
I counted 10 million less. Are you counting EP’s as singles?
Hi MJD!
I’ve read that Mon pays c’est l’amour has already sold 890,000 (!!!) copies in France in the weeks since its release. Of course, given the circumstances and Johnny Hallyday’s stature that doesn’t actually feel too surprising, but comprehensively speaking, how do you see it performing in the long-run compared to the rest of his discography? Also, do you have a ballpark figure of how much his CSPC results may have increased in the year since his passing?
Hi Orange! Yes, it sold 888k pure units in its first two weeks. Not sure it will do that well in the long run (except in the run of Christmas of course), it’s sales aren’t reflective of an organic success. It’s mostly down to nostalgia effect added to the most insane promotion campaign that have ever been. Even main TV channels stopped their programs at midnight to stream live the album, to be honest it felt kind of nonsense. All jornalists and all were saying how utterly essential / great the album is even before listening parties had happen. I… Read more »
Thank you! I wasn’t aware of all the TV promotion, that does sound a bit ridiculous haha.
If he sold that much in 2 weeks, he must have totally crushed his own record of highest first-week sales in France, which is fantastic but it seems like it would be impossible for that to happen if he were still alive.
I’ve just gone through it, too quickly, but I’m going to look at it more carefully. That’s already the best level of Johnny sales research I’ve ever seen. This is a titanic job and must be difficult, as there is so much missing data. I am fairly familiar with Johnny’s career and have read quite a few books, some of which contain first-hand accounts. His artistic directors, record company heads. Everyone agrees that some times were more difficult. 66/67,74/75,81/84. Concerts were not always full and the hits were rarer. Outside, from what I’ve seen, it’s not always reflected in your… Read more »
France Gall has died. I believe she’s among those who had the most successful french songs abroad in the 60’s, isn’t she ?
Hi Rell! Yes, she definitely is. Maybe more impressively, Ella Elle L’A also did wonders all over continental Europe, as did Babacar. Obviously Poupée de Cire Poupée de Son was her biggest international hit during the 60s. It is reputed to have sold a million copies in Japan, and while this is most likely wrong (300k to 500k is a more realistic ballpark) it was definitely a smash there. It shipped 25,000 units upon release in the Netherlands and 10,000 units in Spain. It was a #1 hit in Norway and #2 in Germany. Except in continental Europe, she mostly… Read more »
Je vous suis très reconnaissant pour la qualité de votre travail. Fan de Johnny depuis toujours, je savais qu’il cumulait des chiffres de ventes impressionnants. Pouvoir précisément connaître les chiffres de tous ses opus est incroyable……… Grâce à vous, certains peuvent mesurer l’impact de cette immense star qui restera gravé à jamais dans notre cœur…..