Gwendolyne
Encyclopedia
"Gwendolyne" was the Spanish
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970
, performed in Spanish
by Julio Iglesias
.
The song is a ballad, with both music and lyrics by Iglesias himself, written about his first girlfriend, the titular Gwendolyne, a French girl whom he met at the age of 20 while still a law student and a goalkeeper for Spanish football team Real Madrid
. In 1963 Iglesias was involved in a near fatal car accident, which ended his football career and left him in rehabilitation for considerable time and this indirectly lead him to start learning the guitar, as a means of physical therapy.
Iglesias began composing his own music, in 1968 he entered and won the Benidorm International Song Festival
with the song "La vida sigue igual" and shortly thereafter he signed with the Spanish branch of Columbia Records
. His participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in March 1970, held in Amsterdam
, was his first major international TV appearance. "Gwendolyne" went on to become his first #1 single in Spain and was also a modest commercial success in a few other countries in Europe and South America. His international breakthrough single "Un canto a Galicia" followed in 1972.
The song was performed ninth on the night, following Luxembourg
's David Alexandre Winter
with "Je suis tombé du ciel
" and preceding Monaco
's Dominique Dussault
with "Marlène
". At the close of voting, it had received 8 points, placing 4th in a field of 12.
Iglesias recorded "Gwendolyne" in five languages; Spanish, English
, French
, German
(as "Manchmal möchte ich dich fragen" ) and Italian
. The song was also the title track to his third Spanish studio album, released in 1970, and subsequently also included on his eponymous international debut album in 1972. The song reach number-one in Spain.
It was succeeded as Spanish representative at the 1971 Contest
by Karina with "En un mundo nuevo
".
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...
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970
Eurovision Song Contest 1970
The Eurovision Song Contest 1970 was the 15th Eurovision Song Contest, held on 21 March 1970 at the RAI Congrescentrum in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Amsterdam contest is regarded as one of the most significant in Eurovision history for a number of reasons....
, performed in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
by Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
.
The song is a ballad, with both music and lyrics by Iglesias himself, written about his first girlfriend, the titular Gwendolyne, a French girl whom he met at the age of 20 while still a law student and a goalkeeper for Spanish football team Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
. In 1963 Iglesias was involved in a near fatal car accident, which ended his football career and left him in rehabilitation for considerable time and this indirectly lead him to start learning the guitar, as a means of physical therapy.
Iglesias began composing his own music, in 1968 he entered and won the Benidorm International Song Festival
Benidorm International Song Festival
The Benidorm International Song Festival or Festival Internacional de la Canción de Benidorm is an annual song contest which takes place each summer, since 1959, in the city of Benidorm, Spain. The contest, based on the Italian Sanremo Music Festival, was born to promote Benidorm and the Spanish...
with the song "La vida sigue igual" and shortly thereafter he signed with the Spanish branch of Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. His participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in March 1970, held in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, was his first major international TV appearance. "Gwendolyne" went on to become his first #1 single in Spain and was also a modest commercial success in a few other countries in Europe and South America. His international breakthrough single "Un canto a Galicia" followed in 1972.
The song was performed ninth on the night, following Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
's David Alexandre Winter
David Alexandre Winter
David Alexandre Winter is a Dutch-born pop singer.From 1966 to 1968 he sang in the Amsterdam/The Hague-based band "Daddy's Act". Under the name John van Doorn he was a DJ at Radio Veronica and recorded two singles for the Philips label. Other pseudonyms he used were John van Doren and Jaap...
with "Je suis tombé du ciel
Je Suis Tombé Du Ciel
"Je suis tombé du ciel" was the Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970, performed in French by Dutch singer David Alexandre Winter....
" and preceding Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
's Dominique Dussault
Dominique Dussault
Dominique Dussault is a French singer.She represented Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970 with the song Marlène. With 5 points, she came in 8th position.- Singles :* Églantine* Le monsieur* La nuit...
with "Marlène
Marlène
"Marlène" was the Monegasque representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970, performed in French by French singer Dominique Dussault.The song is a paean to Marlene Dietrich, whom Dussault famously refers to as "a silhouette in Sexyrama" at one point in the lyrics, before comparing her...
". At the close of voting, it had received 8 points, placing 4th in a field of 12.
Iglesias recorded "Gwendolyne" in five languages; Spanish, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, 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...
, 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....
(as "Manchmal möchte ich dich fragen" ) 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...
. The song was also the title track to his third Spanish studio album, released in 1970, and subsequently also included on his eponymous international debut album in 1972. The song reach number-one in Spain.
It was succeeded as Spanish representative at the 1971 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1971
The Eurovision Song Contest 1971 was the sixteenth Eurovision Song Contest and the first held in Dublin, Ireland. The new voting system that was introduced in this Eurovision did have one big problem: some juries gave fewer points out than others...
by Karina with "En un mundo nuevo
En un mundo nuevo
"En un mundo nuevo" was the Spanish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971, performed in Spanish by Karina.The song is an up-tempo number in which Karina sings about the importance of keeping one's faith and hope for a new and better world, a world in which love and truth will prevail...
".