Bonjour, bonjour (en Español) - Paola

Paola represented Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969 with the song 'Bonjour, bonjour'. The song was sung in German, even if the title was in French. The same goes for this version, which is performed in Spanish. 

Attentive readers will notice that the sleeve of this single is made in the style of other Eurovision entries from 1969, like 'Primaballerina', 'Un dia, un niño' and 'Saludos al mundo'. This single represents a rarity in Paola's repertoire, because she mostly recorded songs in German and French. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7237
Found: Discogs.com, received 26 June 2024
Tracks: 'Bonjour, bonjour' / 'Vals de amor'

Bonjour, bonjour - Paola

With a title like 'Bonjour, bonjour' you might suspect that this is a song in French, but the Swiss entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969 was sung almost entirely in German - except for the title. Perhaps this was inspired by the fact that French was the most popular language at the time, both in the world and in the Contest. 

The song was performed by Paola del Medico, who was born on 5 October 1950 and was just 18 years old at the time of the Contest. Her song finished in fifth place in a field of 16 competitors. Considering the first four places were all winners in the old system, she did pretty well. She would return to the Contest in 1980 with the song 'Cinema'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6491
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 November 2021
Cost: €8
Tracks: 'Bonjour, bonjour' / 'Valse d'amour'

Cinema - Paola

A few months ago on this blog, I wrote about Paola's 1980 Eurovision Song Contest entry, 'Cinema'. Little did I know then, that there was also a German version of this song, which was released in German speaking countries that year. This single features both the original French version and the German translation.

The song finished fourth in the Contest, one of Switzerland's better performances. While widely released in Europe, the song was only a hit in Switzerland.

My collection: 7" single no. 4207
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009
Cost: 0,66 euro
Tracks: 'Cinema (Deutsche originalversion)' / 'Cinema (Französische originalversion)'

Cinema - Paola

Paola di Medico represented Switzerland during the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest. She sang the French-language song 'Cinéma', written by Peter Reber and Veronique Müller. The song remembers the childhood of the singer, when she liked the cinema very much, the lights and the heroes of the movies.

The song finished fourth in the Contest, one of Switzerland's better performances. While widely released in Europe, the song was only a hit in Switzerland.

My collection: 7" single no. 3302
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 24, 2001
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Cinema' / 'Jukebox'