Elle Était Si Jolie
Encyclopedia
"Elle était si jolie" was the French
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963
, performed in French
by Alain Barrière
.
The song was performed eleventh on the night (following Switzerland
's Esther Ofarim with "T'en va pas
" and preceding Spain
's José Guardiola
with "Algo prodigioso
"). At the close of voting, it had received 25 points, placing 5th in a field of 16.
The song is a ballad, with Barrière reminiscing about a girl he used to know and how pretty she was. Her beauty was apparently so much that he could not love her. Barrière also recorded the song in German
and Italian
, as "Du gingst fort ohne Abschied" and "Era troppo carina" respectively.
It was succeeded as French representative
at the 1964 Contest
by Rachel
with "Le chant de Mallory
".
n punk rock
band Pekinška Patka
, released in 1980.
Tracklisting
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963
Eurovision Song Contest 1963
The Eurovision Song Contest 1963 was the 8th Eurovision Song Contest. France had won the contest in 1962 but were incapable of hosting in 1963, as was their right, due to financial shortcomings. As was the case in 1960 - and as would become a tradition when smaller broadcasters could not afford to...
, performed in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
by Alain Barrière
Alain Barrière
Alain Barrière is a French singer, who has been active since the 1950s and is known for participating in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest.- Early life :...
.
The song was performed eleventh on the night (following Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
's Esther Ofarim with "T'en va pas
T'en va pas (Esther Ofarim song)
"T'en va pas" was the Swiss entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest 1963. It was sung in French by Esther Ofarim.The song performed tenth on the night...
" and preceding Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's José Guardiola
José Guardiola
José Guardiola, is a Spanish singer of popular music who sang in Spanish and Catalan. He did mostly Spanish versions of foreign songs and reached his maximum fame in Spain and Latin America in the early 1960s with versions of songs like Sixteen Tons, Mack the Knife and Ya Mustafa...
with "Algo prodigioso
Algo prodigioso
"Algo prodigioso" was the Spanish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963, performed in Spanish by José Guardiola.The song was performed twelfth on the night, following France's Alain Barrière with "Elle était si jolie" and preceding Sweden's Monica Zetterlund with "En gång i Stockholm"...
"). At the close of voting, it had received 25 points, placing 5th in a field of 16.
The song is a ballad, with Barrière reminiscing about a girl he used to know and how pretty she was. Her beauty was apparently so much that he could not love her. Barrière also recorded the song in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, as "Du gingst fort ohne Abschied" and "Era troppo carina" respectively.
It was succeeded as French representative
France in the Eurovision Song Contest
France is one of the most successful countries in the Eurovision Song Contest and has entered the competition fifty-four times since their debut at the very first contest in 1956. France is one of only seven countries to be present at the very first contest, and has only been absent from two...
at the 1964 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1964
The Eurovision Song Contest 1964 was the ninth Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark after the Danish victory the previous year. Sweden did not participate because of a boycott by singers. They did however broadcast it...
by Rachel
Rachel (singer)
Rachel, born in Cavaillon, Vaucluse, is a French singer best known in Europe for representing France in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964.- Biography :...
with "Le chant de Mallory
Le Chant De Mallory
"Le chant de Mallory" was the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964, performed in French by Rachel...
".
Versions
- Dragan Stojnić, a Yugoslavian chansonChansonA chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
singer, released a cover version of the song in 1965 with lyrics in Serbocroatian language, entitled "Bila je tako lijepa". This version was a great hit in all former Yugoslavia. The version was later famously covered by Pekinška PatkaPekinška PatkaPekinška Patka is an eminent Serbian and former Yugoslav punk rock band from Novi Sad. Their debut album, Plitka poezija, released in 1980, is considered the first punk rock album by a band coming from Serbia...
. - CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Hladno PivoHladno pivoHladno pivo is a Croatian punk rock band. It is one of most popular rock bands in Croatia.-Early history:The band was formed in Zagreb. It initially consisted of four members: Zok, Tedi, Suba, Mile...
recorded a cover version of the song, mainly relying on the Pekinška Patka version. - GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Autozynik recorded in 2000 a cover version of the Pekinška Patka 1980 version.
Pekinška Patka version
"Bila je tako lijepa", a cover version of the Dragan Stojnić version of the Alain Barrière song "Elle était si jolie", is the third and last single by the SerbiaSerbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka is an eminent Serbian and former Yugoslav punk rock band from Novi Sad. Their debut album, Plitka poezija, released in 1980, is considered the first punk rock album by a band coming from Serbia...
, released in 1980.
Tracklisting
- "Bila je tako lijepa" (A. BarrièreAlain BarrièreAlain Barrière is a French singer, who has been active since the 1950s and is known for participating in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest.- Early life :...
, B. Stojadinović, N. Čonkić) (3:24) - "Bumba, rumba" (N. Čonkić, S. Kovačević) (2:24)