Du gingst fort ohne Abschied - Alain Barrière

In 1963 Alain Barrière competed in the Eurovision Song Contest, representing France, with 'Elle était si jolie'. As per usual back then, he also recorded the song in different languages, such as the Italian version 'Era troppo carina' and this one, the German version. 

Although 'Du gingst fort ohne Abschied' was released as a single with a picture sleeve in Germany, copies are now changing hands for rather large amounts. Fortunately, the track also appears on this EP with four different tracks from four different artists. And so, this selection also features tracks by Paul Anka, Rita Pavone and Peggy March. It's a good deal, I think, for just a few euros.

My collection: 7" single no. 7934
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 February 2026
Tracks: 'Zwei Mädchen aus Germany' (Paul Anka), 'Mein Jack, der ist zwei Meter gross' (Rita Pavone) / 'Wenn der Silbermond' (Peggy March), 'Du gingst fort ohne Abschied' (Alain Barrière) 

 

Era troppo carina - Alain Barriere

It's always nice to find a Eurovision song in a different language than the original version, but performed by the original singer. And so, here is 'Era troppo carina', the Italian version of 'Elle était si jolie', by Alain Barriere. The single was released commercially with a picture sleeve, featuring a goodlooking woman walking over the Champs Elysées in Paris, but this here is a promotional jukebox version of that same single.

The tracks remain the same. The B-side is the Italian version of 'Plus je t'entends', which appears on the French EP of the song. The original RCA Italiana company sleeve is a nice surprise. You never know what you get when you order online...

My collection: 7" single no. 6509
Found: Discogs, received 17 November 2021
Cost: $4
Tracks: 'Era troppo carina' / 'E piu' ti amo'

Elle était si jolie - Alain Barriere

Alain Barrière (born Alain Bellec, 18 November 1935 in La Trinité-sur-Mer, Morbihan) is a French singer, who has been active since the Fifties and is known for participating in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest. His song, 'Elle était si jolie', turned out to be by far the biggest seller of Barrière's career to that point.

He released his first album, 'Ma vie', a year later, and the title-track became a huge hit. In 1965 he was offered, and accepted, a leading role in a heist thriller, 'Pas de panique', alongside Pierre Brasseur. This would be his only venture into acting, but his singing career reached its peak in the latter part of the decade with a string of hits making him one of France's biggest stars and a sell-out live attraction. He remained popular until a decade later, when he got married and moved to the USA. Upon returning four years later, his popularity had waned and he had difficulty getting successful again. However, he continues to release albums to this day.

My collection: 7" single no. 5775
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, April 16, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Elle était si jolie', 'Le temps d'une valse' / 'Plus je t'entends', 'La route'

Listen to the song