* OK, the anniversary show is not on for another couple of hours yet here, so for god's sake, don't tell me the results. :) *
Minouche Barelli - Boum Badaboum - Eurovision 1967
This was the second Eurovision song composed by Serge Gainsbourg, and it placed fifth for Monaco in 1967. The winning entry by Sandie Shaw is rather awful, and this should definitely have won in my opinion. Although I'm sure the subject matter (the song passionately avows wanting to get the most of of life before getting wiped out by an atomic bomb) didn't make the song entirely palatable to all the judges. In case you can't make out the lyrics in the English version, you can see read them here. I think the original French lyrics (here, with the English translation) are even more morbid, actually.
You'll notice at the beginning of the video, the conductor is Aimé Barelli, who is her father. Minouche was just 20 at this time, and I can't imagine a better vocalist could have been chosen to perform this. Her big voice really puts the 'boum!' in this song, and her performance is phenomenal. Minouche died early last year, aged just 56.
If you don't already have Ultra Chicks 5, track down a copy... not only are all the songs are fantastic, it includes 'Boum Badaboum' (the French version).
Gainsbourg's third and final contribution to Eurovision was in 1990 for Joelle Ursull for France, and took second place. It's a pretty weak song, but I'm posting it for anyone who's curious:
Joëlle on AllMusic
Gainsbourg also wrote 'Comme Un Boomerang', a song intended for entry into 1975's Eurovision, but which was deemed too risqué by the French judges and was rejected. A few blurbs in French seem to mention that the song continued a theme started in the song 'Boomerang' from the film Anna, but I'm not certain on that.
A rough translation is here [page gone] - you can see this song is again not quite as light-hearted as most Eurovision songs! It was written especially for French singer/model/girl-about-town Dani, who hadn't had much luck on the Eurovision front, having missed out on competing the year before after France pulled out due to the death of President Pompidou.
Fortunately Dani finally got her chance to shine on this track, when Étienne Daho resurrected it in 2001:
- Étienne Daho and Dani - Comme un boomerang (2001)
- Serge Gainsbourg - Comme un boomerang (1974)
Serge's own performance (a live studio recording, I think?) of the song is superb. It seems it appeared on a compilation of unreleased tracks, entitled Inédits 1958-1981, but I can't find much on it, except for a mention of it in this French article.
While I was looking up info on 'Comme Un Boomerang', I stumbled upon an answer to my question from a while back about why France Gall worked with Gainsbourg again after 'Les Sucettes':
Je suis retournée le voir à ce moment-là parce que rien ne marchait et il a gentiment accepté de m'écrire ces deux chansons. Les textes étaient parfaits mais ce n'était pas ce que j'attendais. Je n'étais pas heureuse de les enregistrer. C'est là que je me suis rendu compte qu'il avait dit tout ce qu'il avait à dire avec moi. En fait il ne m'a jamais connue. Ce qui l'intéressait c'était ce qu'il projetait sur moi. (Serge Gainsbourg Official Site).
From what I can understand (with a bit of Babelfish help), she says there that she returned to him because she wasn't working, and he kindly agreed to write two songs for her. The next bit I don't entirely get - is she saying the lyrics were perfect, but she had to wait for them? She says she wasn't happy to record them and that she realised he didn't know her at all, and that what she found interesting was what he projected onto her.
My Poupées De Son feature (top right-hand corner of this page) has been updated with an mp3 of France's live Eurovision performance.
.... still hoping someone can help me out with a list of what I've put up so far. pretty please?
That's it for my Eurovision Special for now, but I might post a few random songs over the next few weeks. Feel free to keep sending any requests for past Eurovision songs.
Credits: Minouche Barelli record image in player from 45cat.
Julzin
Christine
I also left out that she says he'd said all he had to say with her.
I've just watched the whole Eurovision special - the first half was kitsch brilliance, the second half was excruciating. :D I now have a few new favourites from the old clips they showed.
Bruno
Scott Salsman
Christine
Bruno - sounds funny. I don't know who the commentators were on our TV - they kept getting excited over anything Irish, but they didn't sound Irish. Weird. But they were pretty funny.
I think I have the full list of the Poupee covers - the only one I was missing was Marijke Merckns - De Modepop.
Roar
Christine
a reader has let me know that 'comme un boomerang' is not actually included in 'gainsbourg forever'.
back soon everyone!
Roar
sampsa
bruno
Gerry
Cheers: Gerry
ion
Christine
Ion - very funny. Be careful what you wish for (nah, just kidding, I'm not going to post ABBA).
Roar - thanks for that info. I'll happily accept anything you want to send my way, especially 'Ah! si vous connaissiez ma poule'.
Kate
Christine