🇫🇷 Blast from the past: France 1958

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. And we immediately start off with something really old. We go back to France 1958!

France in the Eurovision Song Contest

No less than 5 times France won the Eurovision Song Contest. Not only André Claveau (1958), the man we will talk about today, won the contest. Two years later it was Jacqueline Boyer who won with “Tom Pillibi”. Again, two years later, in 1962, Isabelle Aubret won the contest with “Un premier amour”. Frida Boccara was one of the 4 winners in 1969 with “L’oiseau et l’enfant”. And the last one was Marie Myriam in 1977. She sang “L’oiseau et l’enfant”. But note also that in 1991 Amina had as much points as the winning Carola (Sweden). However, Sweden received more times 10 points, so Carola won.

Marie Myriam

National selection

André Claveau was selected internally by French broadcaster ORTF. On the 7th of February, 5 singers (not Claveau himself) sang one song each. However, they knew they were not going to represent France in Eurovision, as André was already chosen. The songs were:

  1. Parigi Roma, sung by Charles Dumont (but not in the link)
  2. Héléna, sung by René Denoncin (again, the link brings you to the version of another singer)
  3. Musique magique, sung by Jocelyn Jocya
  4. Dors mon amour, sung by Hubert Giraud (this is Claveau’s version, no version of Hubert Giraud could be found)
  5. Tape dans tes mains, sung by André Richin (The song could not be found online)

The full results of the contest are not known, but “Héléna” seems to be the runner up after “Dors mon amour”.

Jocelyn Jocya

André Claveau

André Claveau, was born on 17th December 1911 in Paris. In the 1930s, he started performing in small clubs in and around Paris. By the 1940s, Claveau was already a household name in France, with a string of hits making regular appearances on French radio. The pinnacle of Claveau’s career came in 1958 when he represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest. He charmed the international juries and secured France’s first victory in the competition. Claveau was very down to earth: winning the Eurovision Song Contest didn’t mean he wanted to stay among the rich and wealthy. In stead, he was happy he could by a new cow for his farm!

Parallel to his singing career, Claveau also demonstrated his talent as an actor. He starred in a number of French films in the 1950s, most notably the musical comedy Pas de vacances pour Monsieur le maire in 1951. His charm and charisma translated seamlessly to the silver screen, and his acting roles only increased his popularity. However, with the arrival of rock and roll in the 1960s, Claveau’s traditional style of music fell out of favour with the younger audience. His popularity waned, and he found it increasingly difficult to compete with the new musical wave. As a result, Claveau decided to retire from public life by the end of the decade.

André Claveau, photo credits: Nationaal Archief

Dors Mon Amour

The title “Dors mon amour” translates to “Sleep, My Love” in English. This title reflects the tender sentiment of the song, which is essentially a lullaby sung by a lover to his beloved. The lyrics, written by Pierre Delanoë, depict the singer soothing his lover to sleep, promising that in her dreams she will find a world full of happiness and love. The composition by Hubert Giraud complements the lyrics with its gentle, melodic flow, effectively capturing the song’s warm and calming essence.

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Weekly Update

It’s time for your weekly update about Eurovision. This week brings announcements from across Europe, from new concerts to official bids and selection plans. Here’s everything you need to know. 🇮🇹 Eurofesta brings Eurovision to Italy For the first time, Italy will host its own large-scale Eurovision concert. Eurofesta will take place on August 31 in the city of Trieste. Over 30 Eurovision artists will perform on one stage in this brand-new outdoor event. The show promises a mix of past winners, fan favourites, and recent participants. With so many big names involved, fans are in for an unforgettable night. The full lineup and ticket information are now available on the official Eurofesta website. 🇳🇱 Het Grote Songfestivalfeest returns to Amsterdam One of the most popular Eurovision concerts is back. On November 14, Het Grote Songfestivalfeest returns to the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam. The event will once again bring together Eurovision legends from past and present. This year’s show already includes names like Kaleen, Käärijä, and Johnny Logan. Many more acts will follow. Fans can expect a spectacular evening full of iconic Eurovision hits. You can find all details and tickets at the official event site. 📷 EBU/Chloe Hashemi 🇦🇹 Innsbrück officially bids for Eurovision 2026 Innsbrück has officially announced its bid to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. The city joins others in Austria, including Vienna and Graz, in the race to welcome Europe’s biggest music show. According to ORF Tirol, the city is confident. Innsbrück highlights its experience with major events and the Olympiahalle as a suitable venue. Mayor Johannes Anzengruber said the city can offer “heart and competence” to organize a unique contest. The final decision on the host city will be made in August. 📷 Michael aus Halle, Wikimedia Commons 🇱🇺 Luxembourg holds Eurovision songwriting camp Luxembourg is working hard on its Eurovision comeback. Last week, a songwriting camp took place at Rockhal, where 45 artists and producers joined forces to write new songs. The camp was organised in collaboration with the national broadcaster. Participants came from all over Europe, including past Eurovision contributors. Each day, they created new tracks, some of which may end up in national finals—or even Eurovision itself. More details are available in the RTL Luxembourg article. 🇸🇲 San Marino questions its future Eurovision involvement San Marino’s future at Eurovision is under review. SMRTV Director Roberto Sergio announced they are “seriously considering not participating” without clearer voting transparency. He said they’re talking to the EBU and fellow microstates. The decision about Eurovision 2026 participation will come after those talks. Source is this announcement on X. 📷 EBU 🇬🇷 Greece announces national final for 2026 Big news from Greece: ERT has confirmed that the country will return to a national final for Eurovision 2026. After several years of internal selections, Greece is opening up the process once again. The plan includes two semifinals and a grand final, scheduled early next year. According to Ieidiseis, the selection will take place during a special Eurovision week. With a strong result in 2025, Greece is now building momentum. The broadcaster hopes that this new format will engage more fans and deliver another strong Eurovision entry. That’s all for this weekly update. Stay tuned to EurovisionUniverse.com for more news and developments as we march toward the next Eurovision season. Each week brings something new – and as this update shows, preparations for 2025 and even 2026 are already in full swing across Europe! Share

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