CSPC: Johnny Hallyday Popularity Analysis

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.