Catherine - Romuald

I predicted this last month, and here it is: 'Catherine' by Romuald. I received the Spanish version exactly a month ago, and this EP features the original verion in French. 

Romuald Figuier represented Luxembourg when he performed this song on the Eurovision stage in Spain, and he finished in 11th place. His song was covered by Daniele Vidal - but regular readers of this blog already know that, of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 6607
Found: Ebay, received 18 January 2022
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Catherine', 'Seul notre amour n'a pas changé' / 'Meme un enfant', 'Les tambours du vent'

Catherine (en español) - Romuald

Previous entries about Romuald already showed you he was a regular at the Eurovision Song Contest, appearing in 1964 with 'Où sont-elles passées' and in 1974 with 'Celui qui reste et celui qui s'en va'. As I write this, the only one that's missing is 'Catherine' from 1969, but it is currently on its way to me and I should receive it quite soon.

Meanwhile, I recently bought the Spanish version of 'Catherine', which was released in 1969 as well. Besides the French and this Spanish version, Romuald also recorded 'Caterina', an Italian version of this song, and 'Catherine, Catherine', a German version. Unfortunately those singles are prohibitively expensive, so they won't appear on this blog anytime soon.

My collection: 7" single no. 6585
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 January 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Catherine (en español)' / 'Cada vez (en español)'

Où sont-elles passées - Romuald

'Où sont-elles passées' ('Where have they gone') was the Monegasque entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964, performed in French by French singer Romuald. The song was composed by noted French orchestra leader Francis Lai, best known for his film scores. Romuald laments the departure of the girls of his youth, explaining that as he grows older he loses the enjoyment and mystery of his early romances. It was a successful song for Monaco that year, ending up in third place.

Romuald ended up participating in the Eurovision Song Contest two more times: in 1969 for Luxembourg with 'Catherine' and in 1974 for Monaco once more with 'Celui qui reste et celui qui s'en va'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 5840
Found: Discogs.com, received May 18, 2016
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Ou sont-elles passées', 'Demain' / 'A jamais', 'Toi ma blonde'

Listen to the song

Celui qui reste et celui qui s'en va - Romuald

Romuald Figuier was born in Saint-Pol-de-Léon (France) on May 5, 1941. He represented Monaco at the Eurovision Song Contest twice: in 1964 and 1974. In 1969, he appeared on stage too, that time representing Luxembourg. This single was released in 1974, and contains his last Eurovision song, 'Celui qui reste et celui qui s'en va'. The song is sung from the perspective of a man whose lover has just ended their relationship. Romuald sings that there is always one half of a relationship who "stays" - that is, the person who does not do the breaking up - and the other half who "goes" - by doing the breaking up. He compares the fates of both people, and sings that while he is not angry with his former lover, he wants her to realise the situation for what it is.

At the close of voting, the song was placed fourth in a field of 17 competitors. Of course, we all know who won the competition that year, don't we?

My collection: 7" single no. 5610
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, August 10, 2014
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Celui qui reste et celui qui s'en va' / 'Sur la pointe des pieds, sur la pointe du coeur'