''Fais-moi mal, Johnny'' (in English: Hurt me, Johnny) is a French song written by

Boris Vian Boris Vian (; 10 March 1920 – 23 June 1959) was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer who is primarily remembered for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sulliva ...

, composed by

Alain Goraguer Alain Goraguer (born 20 August 1931, Rosny-sous-Bois, Seine-Saint-Denis) is a French jazz pianist, sideman of Boris Vian and Serge Gainsbourg, arranger and composer. He has composed some or all of the music for films including ''La Planète S ...

in 1955, and performed for the first time by

Magali Noël Magali Noëlle Guiffray (27 June 1931 – 23 June 2015), better known as Magali Noël, was a French actress and singer. Biography Actress career Born in İzmir to French parents in the diplomatic service, she left Turkey for France in 1951, a ...

in 1956. It's considered one of the first French

rock-n-roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

songs. The song tells the story of a girl who approaches a man for violent sex. The man does not understand the nature of envy; also the woman insults him so that he hits her, stinging him to the quick but then he hits her too hard and hurts her. The comedy also comes from this incomprehension. ''Fais-moi mal, Johnny'' was then prohibited from being broadcast on the radio5 and criticized by the Catholic church.

References

French music French rock songs {{1950s-song-stub