When I learned early this morning that he had died—which I wasn’t expecting, as I had forgotten that he had terminal cancer—I knew that there would be practically no other story on the news here today. This is one of those deaths that millions of people—99.9% of them French—genuinely feel saddened by—including my wife, who said this morning that “Johnny” was almost like “un membre de la famille.” C’est-à-dire, la famille des Français. A friend of mine I saw today—a lawyer in his 60s with highbrow cultural tastes—concurred with my wife’s sentiments, saying that he had seen “Johnny” at least six times in concert over the decades. Almost everyone publicly commenting today is calling him a French “icon,” which is true. (If one is not French and thus doesn’t know much about this icon, see the obits in The New York Times and The Guardian).
Quant à moi, I have mentioned “Johnny” exactly once in the history of AWAV, in a post in May 2011 that was mainly on Bernard-Henri Lévy, in which, entre autres, I linked to a piece by the US libertarian journalist Matt Welch that skewered the French pseudo-philosopher. I thought Welch was witty and on-the-mark in his takedown of BHL, except for his very last sentence: “And another reminder that BHL is 10 times the national embarrassment to France than Jerry Lewis or even Johnny Hallyday ever was.” On the French-and-Jerry Lewis cliché, I have definitively settled that one here. As for Johnny Hallyday, this was my response to Welch
[The Johnny Hallyday] cliché—that he’s a cheap French imitation of Elvis Presley, not very good, and generally a joke—seems to be more English than American (as Americans mostly have no idea who he is). I actually used to think the same thing, and would roll my eyes and snicker every time my wife and French friends—almost all of them—would tell me how great a singer “Johnny” is. But then I realized that I didn’t really know his music. I’d never bothered to listen to it. He just seemed too weird of a personality. And too bizarre looking. But eight years ago, when Johnny turned 60 and had a concert at the Parc des Princes to mark the event—before 60,000 fans and a live TV audience of millions—I decided to open my mind and give him a look. It went for three hours and I watched it to the end. It was great! Johnny is a great rock ‘n’ roller! And a great stage performer too. Voilà. Now I understand why he is so beloved in this country (even if he is still a weird guy). Matt Welch and other Anglo-Saxon Johnny snickerers have no doubt never listened to his music. If they like rock and roll, they should.
The more I’ve listened to Hallyday’s music over the years—on my favorite music radio station and CDs we own—the more I will assert that he was indeed very good, and that it’s too bad the musically protectionist Anglo-Americans were not exposed to him. Check out this YouTube playlist. And for the social scientifically minded, see the analysis in Le Monde by sociologist Jean-Louis Fabiani, “‘Pourquoi Johnny Hallyday, c’était la France’.” Also this homage by my favorite conservative politician, Jean-Pierre Raffarin. If there’s anyone who could unite Frenchmen and women across the political spectrum, it was “Johnny.”
Arun with a View 
Well said, Arun. I will add that not only was he great artist, he was a great artist who sang in French, a language all French understand as opposed to English. And that was very important because throughout his career most people did not speak a word of English even tough they loved American or English rock and roll.
Well… I watched the funerals on tv and one thing was cristal clear, the young weren’t there, the “banlieue” wasn’t there, the world of rap and hip-hop didn’t give a damn ! Johnny was mourned by vintage “rockers”, christian, white, middle aged and elderly people who do indeed represent a large chunk of France. Macron was probably among the youngest people attending (except for Johnny’s kids of course).
Massilian: I find your reaction just a little curmudgeonly. It is entirely normal that les Français moyens would be heavily represented in the multitudes who turned out for Johnny. And while Baby Boomers and Gen Xers predominated – also normal – there were indeed Millennials present.
As for ‘les jeunes de banlieue’, ça aurait été quand même surprenant, voire saugrenu, s’ils étaient venus en grand nombre…
I never said or thought it wasn’t normal. Part of my sadness was that the sorrow was so socialy selective. Those who compared it on France 2 to the crowd of 1998 were 100% wrong ! The H.D. bikers selected by H.D. dealers was an horrible idea and the scene at la Madeleine with three presidents and Mme Parisot was quite a caricature. As the Sex Pistols said a long time ago : The great rock’n roll swindle. But J.H. as a dude was an ok dude.
I know I am too crotchety and curmudgeonly and begrudging and jaded.
ICYMI, “La ‘dernière provocation finkielkrautienne’“…
Even when I try to avoid him, Finkie always catches up with me… To answer his question or rather Elisabeth Levy’s question about what culture “unite” or can be universal… Do you remember a guy called Michael Jackson ?
Dear Arun…
I’ve had a few looks at AWAV and enjoyed seeing what you were on about over the last couple years and I decided it was time I said hello to an old friend – HELLO OLD FRIEND! And after your piece on dead Johnny, I also thought I might as well leave a comment as well. Sometimes we agree – I liked much of what you posted after the Charlie attack – sometimes we don’t. This time we don’t. For me Johnny H. was always a pathetic variety show guignol, an imitation of a rock singer/musician. While he was truly one of the dullest knives in the drawer, the life-long right-winger would still get 2 page interviews in Le Monde where they’d actually ask him serious political questions. The very definition – the embodiment – of ringard, it was impossible to explain him and his success (forever, of course, limited to francophonia) to foreigners who cared/knew anything about rock and roll or just… music, except maybe for what it says about French culture.
Anyway… I hope this finds you well and that we’ll meet again before too long.
All the best and HAPPY NEW YEAR to YOU,
Theo
There is this song, written and composed by Michel Berger, that is different from most . I like it a lot, Tennessee is not the state but Tennessee Williams .