A ave e a infancia - Marie Myriam

'A ave a infancia' is the Portuguese version of 'L'oiseau et l'enfant', the song that won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977. I ordered a few singles from Portugal recently and this one came up as well, so I thought I might as well take it. I've always had a soft spot for Eurovision songs by the original artists in a different language.

French singer Marie Myriam is actually of Portuguese descent, so her pronunciation of this version is probably spot on. She also recorded the song in English, German and Spanish. I'm still looking for those singles...

My collection: 7" single no. 5922
Found: Discogs.com, received August 28, 2018
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'A ave e a infancia' / 'On garde toujours'

L'oiseau et l'enfant - Marie Myriam

Almost six years ago, I bought L'oiseau et l'enfant by Marie Myriam. The 1977 Eurovision winner is still the last song in French to win the Contest. However, it turns out that there is an English language version of the song, and it can be found on this British release.

The single didn't come in a picture sleeve, unfortunately, but the track is on the B-side, and out of the many different releases of 'L'oiseau et l'enfant', this single is the only one to include this version on the B-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 5587
Found: Discogs.com, received December 31, 2014
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'L'oiseau et l'enfant' / 'The bird and the child'

L'oiseau et l'enfant - Marie Myriam

Hard to believe, but it's now 32 years ago that a French-language song won the Eurovision Song Contest. Amina came close in 1991, but it's been mainly English songs since 1977. Between 1956 and 1977, 11 songs in French won the contest. And this was the last one: 'L'oiseau et l'enfant' by Marie Myriam.

She was born as Miriam Lopes on May 8, 1957 in Braga, Portugal. She represented France in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest and won with 15 points more than the number 2, 'Rock bottom' by Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran for the United Kingdom.

My collection: 7" single no. 3609

Found: eBay, France, received March 20, 2009

Cost: 3 euro

Tracks: 'L'oiseau et l'enfant' / 'On garde toujours'