Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (1943-2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. He was a symbol of the Trente Glorieuses when he emerged in 1960 and a familiar figure to four generations. During a career spanning 57 years, he released 79 albums and sold more than 110 million records worldwide, mainly in the French-speaking world, making him one of the best-selling artists in the world. He had five diamond albums, 40 golden albums, 22 platinum albums and earned ten Victoires de la Musique. He sang an estimated 1,154 songs and performed 540 duets with 187 artists. Credited for his strong voice and his spectacular shows, he sometimes arrived by entering a stadium through the crowd and once by jumping from a helicopter above the Stade de France, where he performed 9 times. Hugely popular in France, he was referred to as simply “Johnny” and seen as a “national monument” (like Édith Piaf or Charles Aznavour) and a part of the French cultural legacy.
Quand tes cheveux s’étalent
Comme un soleil d’été
Et que ton oreiller
Ressemble aux champs de blé
Quand l’ombre et la lumière
Dessinent sur ton corps
Des montagnes des forêts
Et des îles aux trésors
When your hair spreads
Like a Summer sun
And when your pillow
Looks like fields of wheat
When shadow and light
Draw on your body
Mountains and forests
And treasure islands
Que je t’aime, que je t’aime, que je t’aime
Que je t’aime, que je t’aime, que je t’aime
How (much) I love you, how I love you, how I love you
Quand ta bouche se fait douce
Quand ton corps se fait dur
Quand le ciel dans tes yeux
D’un seul coup n’est plus pur
Quand tes mains voudraient bien
Quand tes doigts n’osent pas
Quand ta pudeur dit non
D’une toute petite voix
When your mouth gets sweet
When your body gets hard
When the [sky] heaven in your eyes
All of a sudden is no longer pure
When your hands would like it
When your fingers don’t dare it
When your modesty says no
With a little whisper
Que je t’aime, que je t’aime, que je t’aime
Que je t’aime, que je t’aime, que je t’aime
How (much) I love you, how I love you, how I love you
Quand tu n’te sens plus chatte
Et que tu deviens chienne
Et qu’à l’appel du loup
Tu brises enfin tes chaînes
Quand ton premier soupir
Se finit dans un cri
Quand c’est moi qui dis non
Quand c’est toi qui dis oui
When you no longer feel like a pus*y
And when you become a b*tch
And when as the wolf calls
You finally break your chains
When your first gasp
Ends in a scream
When I say no
When you say yes
Que je t’aime, que je t’aime, que je t’aime
Que je t’aime, que je t’aime, que je t’aime
How (much) I love you, how I love you, how I love you
Quand mon corps sur ton corps
Lourd comme un cheval mort
Ne sait pas ne sait plus
S’il existe encore
Quand on a fait l’amour
Comme d’autres font la guerre
Quand c’est moi le soldat
Qui meurs et qui la perds
When my body over your body
Heavy like a dead horse
Doesn’t know, no longer knows
Whether it still exists
Once we made love
Like others make war
When I am the soldier
Who dies and loses it
Que je t’aime, que je t’aime, que je t’aime
Que je t’aime, que je t’aime, que je t’aime