Johnny Hallyday most Googled topic in France

The singer, known as the French Elvis, was buried on the Caribbean island of Saint Barts on Monday two days after hundreds of thousands of fans lined the streets of Paris for his funeral.

And the most searched for song lyrics of the year was Hallyday’s 1986 hit “Je te promets” (I Promise You).

The second most researched topic overall on Google was Maelys de Araujo, the eight-year-old girl who disappeared during a wedding reception in the foothills of the French Alps in August.

She has still not been found.

The UEFA Euro 2016 football championship was the most Googled subject the previous year, followed by the smartphone game Pokemon Go.

“How to make slime” came out top of the list of “how to” questions internet users put to the search engine in 2017 followed by how to register your protest at all the candidates in May’s French presidential election with an empty ballot called a “vote blanc”.

Brazilian footballer Neymar came top of the sports personality league after his record-breaking 222-million-euro ($260-million) transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in August.

“Fifty Shades of Grey” was the most searched film on Google, while “Game of Thrones” came top of the television table.

The most searched for recipe by French gourmands was for tartiflette, an unctuous heart-warming and calorie-rich alpine dish from Savoy which combines potatoes, reblochon cheese, bacon, creme fraiche, onions and white wine.

Two other traditional favourites, beef bourguignon and creamy gratin dauphinois, came second and third.