Laissez briller le soleil - Reynaert

In the world of the Eurovision Song Contest, anything can happen. Every country is always trying to win, but there are many opinions about what a winning song should be. In the case of Belgium, it took a thirteen year old child to win the contest: Sandra Kim with 'J'aime la vie' took the prize home in 1986. Then in 1987 the Flemish broadcaster tried their luck with Lilianne Saint-Pierre and a strange song called 'Soldiers of love' (with an even stranger choreography). When French broadcaster RTBF took their turn again in 1988 they opted for an introspective ballad instead of the happy bouncy pop that won them the award two years earlier.

Reynaert's 'Laissez briller le soleil' is an interesting song because it doesn't choose: it's a ballad, but performed in mid-tempo, it's in a minor key but it has a message of hope... and so on. Personally I think this is a great song, but many people disagreed: during the 1988 Song Contest in Dublin, it ended as no. 18 out of 21 contestants.

My collection: 7" singles no. 1491

Found: private collection, Den Haag, July 7, 1991

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Laissez briller le soleil' / 'The sun could shine in your heart'

Download: here