Gwendolyne - Julio Iglesias

I already own a copy of 'Gwendolyne' by Julio Iglesias, the Spanish entry for the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest - possibly one of the country's most beautiful entries ever. When I bought my copy 15 months ago, I didn't know this one existed...

...It's a promotional single which features four versions of the song: in Spanish, English, Italian and French. Of course it's all sung with a delicious Spanish accent, but it's a rarity that I suspect many Eurovision fans would kill for, 31 years after its release...

My collection: 7" single no. 5110
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, June 4, 2011
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Gwendolyne (Espanol)', 'Gwendolyne (Ingles)' / 'Gwendolyne (Italiano)', 'Gwendolyne (Frances)'

Un canto a Galicia - Julio Iglesias

Julio Iglesias was well known in his native Spain, but even his 1970 Eurovision entry 'Gwendolyn' didn't make him the international star he would become later on.

His first international success was the single 'Un canto a Galicia', released in the summer of 1972. That single sold 1 million copies in Germany and reached number 1 in the Dutch Top 40. It was the start of an international career that would last well into the Eighties.

My collection: 7" single no. 4628
Found: Markt, Rotterdam, March 9, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Un canto a Galicia' / 'Como el alamo al camino'

Gwendolyne - Julio Iglesias

Julio Iglesias was born on September 23, 1943. After studying law in Madrid he was a goalkeeper for the football team of Real Madrid. A car crash in 1963 ended his career in football. It took him three years to recuperate, after which he started a career in music. He won the Benidorm International Song Festival in 1968, which was an important stepping stone to get himself a record deal.

In 1970, he represented Spain during the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Gwendolyne', a beautiful ballad written by Iglesias himself about his first girlfriend, a French girl whom he met at the age of 20. It was his first major international TV appearance. The song finished fourth in a field of 12 competitors. It went on to become his first number 1 single in Spain. Since then, Iglesias has become one of the best selling artists in history.

My collection: 7" single no. 4567
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received February 18, 2010
Cost: 2,5 euro
Tracks: 'Gwendolyne' / 'Bla bla bla'