Physical Singles Sales – The 90s
As a reminder, the weighting is done with a 10 to 3 ratio between one album and one physical single.
Ça Ne Change Pas Un Homme (1991) – 102,000 equivalent albums
Dans Un An Ou Un Jour – 110,000
Ça Ne Change Pas Un Homme – 110,000
Et Puis Je Sais – 60,000
True To You – 40,000
La Guitare Fait Mal – 20,000
Rough Town (1994) – 18,000 equivalent albums
(I Wanna) Make Love To You – 40,000
Love Affair – 20,000
Lorada (1995) – 69,000 equivalent albums
Rester Libre – 30,000
J’la Croise Tous Les Matins – 80,000
Quand Le Masque Tombe – 60,000
Ne M’oublie Pas – 60,000
Destination Vegas (1996) – 21,000 equivalent albums
La ville des âmes en peine – 30,000
Rouler sur la rivière – 20,000
Comme un roc – 20,000
Ce Que Je Sais (1998) – 84,000 equivalent albums
Ce Que Je Sais – 120,000
Allumer Le Feu – 70,000
Debout – 30,000
Seul – 60,000
Sang Pour Sang (1999) – 399,000 equivalent albums
Sang Pour Sang – 170,000
Quelques Cris – 120,000
Un Jour Viendra – 300,000
Partie De Cartes – 70,000
Pardon – 140,000
Vivre Pour Le Meilleur – 530,000
By the 90s the days of Johnny being a hit machine were long over. Although, he was still issuing Top 10 hits rather often, more precisely 11 times for the decade plus 20 more Top 40 hits. The biggest of all was Vivre Pour Le Meilleur, the lead single of the monster smash Sang Pour Sang. This song sold past half a million units thanks to its #2 peak in France where it remained for 4 weeks.
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…..