Poupée de cire, poupée de son - Dominique

Eurovision songs were popular in the Sixties, so much so that many artists tried to have success with cover versions of songs - even artists that were virtually unknown. 

Dominique was married to French trumpet player George Jouvin (19 June 1923 - 24 October 2016), who released 70 albums, recorded 3.000 tracks and sold 25 million records. Dominique appears on plenty of sleeves of Jouvin's records, but she also recorded no less than 33 singles together with her husband. On a few of these, she is credited along in a series of EP's called 'Dominique chante...'. 

This EP features two Eurovision songs: the winning song of 1965, France Gall's 'Poupée de cire, poupée de son' and the French entry of that year, Guy Mardel's 'N'avoue jamais'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7047
Found: Discogs.com, received 23 October 2023
Tracks: 'Poupée de cire, poupée de son', 'Viens danser le Letkiss' / 'Comme on change', 'N'avoue jamais'

Aan het Wolga-strand / Straatdeuntje - Jean Walter

In 1957, Bobbejaan Schoepen represented Belgium at the second edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Straatdeuntje', composed by Harry Frekin and written by Eric Franssen.The strange thing is that his version was never released on a 7" single, whereas this single by Jean Walter does contain the song - albeit on the B-side. 

Jean Walter was born in Sint-Niklaas on 11 February 1922 and died on 5 June 2014. During his lifetime he only released one album, but between 1950 and 1960 he released more than a dozen singles. He never achieved the legendary status that Bobbejaan got in Belgium, but this particular single remains a highlight for Eurovision collectors.

My collection: 7" single no. 7043
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 October 2023
Tracks: 'Aan het Wolga-strand' / 'Straatdeuntje'

Ceol an ghrà - Sandie Jones

Sandie Jones was born in Dublin in 1951. She was one of 11 children. She began recording songs from 1969 onwards. Those singles were all in English. When she represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972, she performed 'Ceol an ghrà', a song in Gaelic. It was a first for her, although she was obviously a native speaker. 

'Ceol an ghrà' ('The music of love') remains the only time Ireland contributed a Eurovision song in Gaelic. The song ended up in 15th place in a field of 18 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 7041
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 October 2023
Tracks: 'Ceol an ghrà' / 'Cry cry again'

Teatro - Katja Ebstein

Germany's Katja Ebstein recorded her 1980 Eurovision entry 'Theater' in several languages, and it's a bit of a sport to get all the singles together in my collection. After the original German version in 1980 and the French and English versions in 1998, I finally managed to find a copy of the Italian version recently. 'Teatro' was translated into Italian by Cristiano Minellono, an Italian lyricist who wrote several songs for acts like Ricchi & Poveri, Al Bano & Romina Power and Toto Cutugno, amongst others. 

Now all I need to find is the Spanish version, but apparently that one is very rare!

My collection: 7" single no. 7040
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 October 2023
Tracks: 'Teatro' / 'It's showtime'

Brez besed - Berta Ambrož

Berta Ambrož was born on 29 October 1944 and was working as a typist while also performing live in the Slovene area of Yugoslavia. In 1966 she represented Yugoslavia with the song ‘Brez Besed’ (‘Without Words’). It was the first song to be sung in Slovenian at the Eurovision Song Contest.

The single is, once again, one of those hard to find ones, since it was released in former Yugoslavia only. But after many months I have finally been able to order a copy online. The EP features three more songs, including two cover versions. The second song, 'Moja baby', is a cover of the song 'My baby', which was created by the American songwriter and singer Sir Mack Rice. The closing track 'Ostani se nocoj' is a cover of the English piece 'And so we meet again', which was sung by the English singer Danny Williams in 1965. Berta's version of the song leans significantly more towards the musical arrangement sung by Cilla Black, who is actually credited as one of the writers of the song on the back cover of this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 7039
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 October 2023
Tracks: 'Brez besed', 'Moja baby (My baby)' / 'Jesenski ognji', 'Ostani se nocoj (And so we meet again)'

L'enfant que j'étais - Lys Assia

The legendary Lys Assia won the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, but she returned the next year, representing Switzerland again with 'L'enfant que j'étais'. I was quite surprised to find this EP with a picture sleeve, featuring not only that song but also three others. Picture sleeves weren't all that usual back in the 1950's. 

'L'enfant Que J'étais' ('The Child I Was') was written by Émile Gardaz and composed by Géo Voumard, the same duo who wrote the previous year's Swiss entry and Eurovision winner. The song is about looking back at childhood.

My collection: 7" single no. 7038
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 October 2023
Tracks: 'Histoire d'un amour', 'L'enfant que j'étais' / 'Buenas noches mi amor', 'Scusami'

Amami se vuoi - Tonina Torrielli

The very first Eurovision Song Contest took place in 1956. Not all songs were released as a single, but some were. During this first edition every country was allowed two songs, and some countries also sent out two different artists. Italy sent Franca Raimondi with 'Aprite le finestre' and Tonina Torrielli with 'Amami se vuoi'. 

Both songs were released on single, but they are obviously quite hard to get these days. I was happy to find this EP featuring Tonina Torrielli's song. Torrielli wasn't necessarily impressed with her Eurovision song: “I never loved it very much", she said in an interview, "it was a little song. I loved poetry very much, I studied lyrics which was a whole other thing. Singing cheesy songs with lyrics like "I'm yours, forever yours in your arms," I didn't like.”

My collection: 7" single no. 7037
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 October 2023
Tracks: 'Andalucia', 'La violetera' / 'Amami se vuoi', 'L'edera'

Comme è ddoce 'o mare - Peppino di Capri

You would almost forget if you listen to the cheesy 'Insieme: 1992' or the infernal racket of Italy's most recent winners Maneskin, but besides these undeserved winners, Italy was capable of sending some outstanding songs to the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Take for instance 'Comme è ddoce 'o mare', performed by Peppino di Capri in 1991 - the year after Toto Cutugno's politically-motived win. Sung entirely in Neopolitan with a beautiful melody, it stunned TV audiences all over Europe. 

I happened to be in Italy for one day in 1991, and searched the local music stores for this single, but without any luck. For years I even doubted the existence of it, until I saw it listed on Discogs a couple of years ago. I had to wait until very recently to find a copy for a somewhat reasonable price. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7036
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 October 2023
Tracks: 'Comme è ddoce 'o mare' / ''O Sole'

Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt - Peter Horten

On 22 September Austrian singer-songwriter Peter Horton passed away, aged 82. His 'Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt' was on my wishlist for some time now and this fact caused me to buy this single the same evening. You could expect that the man's singles would only become more expensive, and this one wasn't particularly cheap to begin with. But I lucked out, because I found a French copy for a reasonable price.

Why 'Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt', you ask? Well, because it was the song he performed on the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967. It is perhaps his biggest claim to fame, because the rest of his career brought him mainly fame in Austria and surrounding countries. His Eurovision song is marvellously oldfashioned.

My collection: 7" single no. 7034
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 September 2023
Tracks: 'Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt', 'Lass sie laufen' / 'Nur im traum', 'Ich weiss nicht wie'

Oui, oui, oui, oui / Ciao, ciao, bambina (Piove) - Frédérica

Not much is known about Frédérica Pietra, except the release of her singles between 1956 and 1960. She even released one album (on a 10" disc) in 1953.

This EP from 1959 features four tracks by the singer, including two from the Eurovision Song Contest of that year. They are 'Oui, oui, oui, oui', originally performed by Jean Philippe for France, and 'Ciao, ciao, bambina (Piove)', originally performed by Domenico Modugno for Italy. Both songs were incredibly successful that year, and so it's no surprise that Frédérica also tried her luck with these tracks.

My collection: 7" single no. 7031
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 September 2023
Tracks: 'Rendez-vous à cinq heures, chéri', 'Oui, oui, oui, oui' / 'Les innocents', 'Ciao, ciao, bambina (Piove)'

International - Lys Assia

When Lys Assia won the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 it wasn't immediately clear that she'd performed a classic song, but 'Refrain' has definitely acquired the title 'legendary'. I was happy to buy the German version 'Refrain, du goldner Traum aus meiner Jugendzeit' two years ago, but I was still searching for this EP. Mainly because it's the only version I know that actually has a picture sleeve. 

This EP features 'Refrain, du gold'ner Traum', as well as three other songs also performed in German. I think my collection of 'Refrain' singles is complete now - although you never know!

My collection: 7" single no. 7020
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 August 2023
Tracks: 'Jolie Jacqueline', 'Blaue Veilchen, weisser Flieder' / 'Refrain, du gold'ner Traum', 'Nachts in Paris'

A song goes out around the world - Egon Egemann

I bought a copy of 'A song goes out around the world' in 2009, on a cold winter's day in Amsterdam - a visit I remember all too well because the shop offered a whole box of Eurovision singles I didn't have yet. 

When I ordered a few singles from a Swedish seller recently, this one appeared on offer and the B-side caught my eye. Where the other single offered the original version of the song in German, this single features an instrumental version. Now, if this single would have been very expensive I wouldn't have bought it of course, but it was interesting enough to pick up for a few euros. As kitchy as the song is, the melody is just irresistible.

My collection: 7" single no. 7021
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 August 2023
Tracks: 'A song goes out around the world' / 'A song goes out around the world (instrumental)'

Al di la - Umberto Marcato

I actually found two versions of 'Al di la' on one day, both in the original record company sleeves, which I guess is a plus. Umberto Marcato appeared on this blog once before, with his version of 'Volare', so it's no surprise that he would cover 'Al di la' a few years later. 

In contrast to the Peter Kreuder version this is not an instrumental version, but actually sung - and sung very well too. For me it's one of the better versions of this particular song.

My collection: 7" single no. 7012
Found: Bennies Fifties, received 18 August 2023
Tracks: 'Al di la' / 'Il nostro concerto'

Al-di-la - Peter Kreuder

Some of the standard phrases I use when I buy records online are 'Volare', 'Piove' and 'Al di la', because you never know if a seller has some extra singles that might be of interest. And these three songs have been covered many times.

One of those covers is this instrumental version by Peter Kreuder. He was an German-Austrian pianist, composer and conductor. Born on 18 August 1905, he started his career as a very young man, playing his first compositions as a teenager. He passed away on 28 June 1981.

My collection: 7" single no. 7011
Found: Bennies Fifties, received 18 August 2023
Tracks: 'Al-di-la' / 'Einmal sehen wir uns wieder'

Il est là - Paule Desjardins

The very first Eurovision Song Contest took place in 1956 and every participating country (seven in total) performed two songs each. Some countries chose to send two different performing artists as well. In the case of France, they were Mathé Altéry with 'Le temps perdu' and Dany Dauberson with 'Il est là'. For some inexplicable reason, both songs were not released on disc at the time.

A version of 'Il est là' appeared on an EP, however, and it was performed by Paule Desjardins (who would go on to represent France the next year). This EP is quite rare, and I was lucky enough to find a copy from a Portuguese seller online. Sometimes you never know where those rare records come from!

My collection: 7" single no. 7008
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 August 2023
Tracks: 'Il est là', 'Mango-rumbo' / 'Casino blues', 'Viens plus près'

Silencio e tanta gente - Maria Guinot

Since their first participation, Portugal has entered many songs into the Eurovision Song Contest without ever winning until just a few years ago. In the mean time they managed to send in some boring, but mostly interesting and beautiful songs. Unfortunately they are forgotten by most, because they were rarely rewarded with high scores.

One example is 'Silencio e tanta gente' by Maria Guinot, Portugal's entry in 1984. You know, the year Sweden won yet again with one of their most inane songs, 'Diggi-loo diggi-ley'. Guinot's song is almost the complete opposite to that poppy, singalong track with golden shoes: it's dramatic, melodic and beautifully orchestrated. But it ended up in 11th place in a field of 19 competitors. I ordered my copy of this single from a Portuguese seller. Because it's actually quite hard to find a copy of this one!

My collection: 7" single no. 7004
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 July 2023
Tracks: 'Silencio e tanta gente' / 'Estimo que esta carta te encontre de saude'

Ljiljana Petrovic - Ljiljana Petrovic

In 1961 Yugoslavia debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest as the first country from Eastern Europe. Back then there was still an iron curtain between the capitalist west en and socialist east. Yugoslavia was always more focused on the Western European countries than other Eastern European countries and joining in on the song competition was one way to get closer to them. 

Petrovic, who was just 21 years old at the time, competed with the song 'Neke davne zvezde' ('Some distant stars') and it was only ever released on this album on 10" vinyl. The album is a bit of a mixed bag, with covers of 'Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini' and 'Les enfants de Piree' two songs with a 'Cha cha cha' theme and very different sounding songs alltogether. In between the eight songs 'Neke davne zvezde' stands out as a more classic chanson - albeit in the Serbo-Croatian language. The song reached eighth place in a field of 16 competitors.

Petrovic continued to record music until the late 1970s, at which point she retired from public life until the late 1980s, when she became an author, releasing a book of poetry in 1991. She passed away on 4 February 2020.

My collection: 10" vinyl [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 23 June 2023
Tracks: 'Deca pireja', 'Jolly Jocker', 'Crni andjeli', 'Mambo cha-cha-cha' / 'Bikini sa zutim tackicama', 'Neke davne zvezde', 'Bongo cha-cha-cha', 'More u kutiji'

Congratulations - The Mertens Brothers Style

The popularity of the Eurovision Song Contest is easily measured by the amount of cover versions certain songs get. Measured by that criterium, the Sixties and Seventies were certainly the peak of the Contest's popularity. 

'Congratulations', the number 2 song of the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest, was covered by various artists even in the same year. One of those cover versions was this instrumental one by the Mertens Brothers Style, a duo consisting of Albert and Theo Mertens. They recorded several trumpet-based instrumental albums and even one more Eurovision cover: 'Puppet on a string', which will appear in this blog someday as well I would think.

My collection: 7" single no. 6997
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 3 June 2023
Tracks: 'Congratulations' / 'Jingle march'

La canzone Italiana 41 - Claudio Villa

'La canzone Italiana' is, apparently, a series of 50 EP's presenting Italian songs, all released in 1970 - the year of my birth, incidentally. Some of them are interesting because they contain Italian Eurovision entries, although not all of them are included in the original versions.

This EP is a good example. All four songs are performed by Claudio Villa, who is an accomplished singer, but it was not him who performed 'Corde della mia chitarra' at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957; it was Nunzio Gallo. Still, I wanted this one because it's really hard to find Gallo's version on a 7" single. A cover version is better than nothing, I suppose!

My collection: 7" single no. 6991
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 May 2023
Tracks: 'Luna rossa', 'Addio, sogni di gloria!' / 'Serenata celeste', 'Corde della mia chitarra'

Promise - Voyager

It's time to give Australia some love. While the Finnish entry was certainly the winner and I quite liked some of the other songs, the Australian performance yesterday was awesome. The band Voyager staged an Eighties-themed show and added in some metal ingredients as well, while still presenting a very melodic song.

And then there's this very limited edition 7" single! Only 300 copies exist of this magenta-coloured vinyl (there's a black vinyl version, also limited to 300 copies as well). I managed to obtain number 30. The B-side, 'Dreamer', is pretty good as well. This is a band that impressed. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6990
Found: Band website, received 12 May 2023
Tracks: 'Promise' / 'Dreamer'