The song ‘He’s My Girl’ didn’t fare much better on the music charts than the film did at the box office. It reached #79 in the U.S. in August 1987, but missed the charts completely here in Australia. David Hallyday scored one other chart hit in the U.S. with ‘Ooh La La’ (#51) in 1991, but I haven’t tracked down a copy of that one.
A bit about the man himself, David Hallyday. He was born David Smet in France in 1966. It’s no surprise that he entered the music/film business given who his parents are. His mother is French singer Sylvie Vartan, who was hugely popular on the French pop/rock scene in the 60s. She scored several major European hits, appeared in a number of popular films, and was the darling of the French press. She married Jean-Philippe Smet, better known as Johnny Hallyday. Johnny was likewise a hugely popular singer and actor, making the newlyweds France’s ‘golden couple’. Johnny Hallyday has sold in excess of 100 million records in a career spanning nearly 50 years.
Given that family pedigree it was no surprise that son David would have a crack at showbiz. He was raised in America and his first big break did come from his role in ‘He’s My Girl’. He released his debut album ‘True Cool’ in 1988, which featured the track ‘He’s My Girl’ but didn’t yield any other hits. The album ‘Rock ‘n’ Heart’ followed in 1990, and the hit ‘Ooh La La’ was lifted from that, though the follow up ‘Tears Of The Earth’ missed the charts. A lukewarm reception followed for Hallyday’s next couple of music projects, including working with Erik Godal under the names Blind Fish and Novocaine. He gravitated back to France in the late 90s, releasing the French language albums ‘Un Paradis/Un Enfer’ in 1999, and ‘Revelation’ in 2002, to solid sales figures. Seems he’s also tried his hand as a driver in the European GT-series at the wheel of a Ferrari-430 (hopefully not while trying to sing).
Though he certainly didn’t ascend to the career heights of his famous parents, David Hallyday seems to have carved out a moderately successful career as singer/songwriter/racing driver in Europe. His most recent album is a self titled effort released in 2007.
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