Il Était Temps
Encyclopedia
"Il était temps" was the French
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
, performed in French
by Virginie Pouchain
.
Despite France's poor result in the 2005 Contest
, their status (along with Spain
, Germany
and the United Kingdom
) as one of the "Big Four" guaranteed the song a final berth. Thus, it was performed nineteenth on the night (following Ukraine
's Tina Karol
with "Show Me Your Love
" and preceding Croatia
's Severina Vučković
with "Moja štikla
"). At the close of voting, it had received 5 points, placing 22nd in a field of 24.
Pouchain had originally been given the song "Vous, c'est nous" to perform at the Contest. The change came about via the French pre-selection being separate for the singer and the song. Composer and lyricist Corneille
believed that the original song was more suited to a male singer, and wrote "Il était temps" specifically for Pouchain.
The song is a minor-key ballad, with Pouchain singing that her chance to be remembered had finally come, and that she needed to seize it with both hands. She sings that, even if her chance came to nothing, she will be able to tell her children about it. Musically, Pouchain was accompanied by British cellist/composer Matheson Bayley
(who had previously written "Stronger Every Minute
" for Cyprus
at the 2004 Contest
). It has been reported that Pouchain's vocals were out of key.
It was succeeded as French representative
at the 2007 Contest
by Les Fatals Picards with "L'amour à la française
".
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 2006
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
, 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 Virginie Pouchain
Virginie Pouchain
Virginie Pouchain, born 1980 in Saint-Montan, Ardèche, is a singer and hairdresser from the département of Ardèche in southern France. On 14 March 2006 she was selected by the viewers of France 3 and a jury presided by Charles Aznavour to represent France in Eurovision Song Contest 2006. For the...
.
Despite France's poor result in the 2005 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2005
The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...
, their status (along with 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...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , 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...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) as one of the "Big Four" guaranteed the song a final berth. Thus, it was performed nineteenth on the night (following Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
's Tina Karol
Tina Karol
Tina Karol , born Tatiana Grigorievna Liberman , is a Ukrainian singer. Karol represented Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006.- Biography :...
with "Show Me Your Love
Show Me Your Love
"Show Me Your Love" is a joint CD single by TVXQ and Super Junior 05, released on December 15, 2005. The bilingual single in Korean and English peaked at #1 on the MIAK K-pop album charts and sold 49,945 units by the end of the year....
" and preceding Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , 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 ...
's Severina Vučković
Severina Vuckovic
Severina Vučković is a Croatian singer and actress. She is commonly referred to by her stage name Severina.- Music career :Severina's style can be described as pop with various folk and cabaret influences. As a child, she took smaller parts in theatre and opera productions in her native Split...
with "Moja štikla
Moja štikla
"Moja štikla" was the Croatian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, performed in Croatian by Severina....
"). At the close of voting, it had received 5 points, placing 22nd in a field of 24.
Pouchain had originally been given the song "Vous, c'est nous" to perform at the Contest. The change came about via the French pre-selection being separate for the singer and the song. Composer and lyricist Corneille
Corneille (singer)
Cornelius Nyungura is a singer who performs under the name Corneille. He was born in Germany to Rwandan parents, though he currently holds a Canadian passport and sings in French and English...
believed that the original song was more suited to a male singer, and wrote "Il était temps" specifically for Pouchain.
The song is a minor-key ballad, with Pouchain singing that her chance to be remembered had finally come, and that she needed to seize it with both hands. She sings that, even if her chance came to nothing, she will be able to tell her children about it. Musically, Pouchain was accompanied by British cellist/composer Matheson Bayley
Matheson Bayley
Matheson Bayley , is a British pianist, composer, orchestrator, singer and television host. He studied commercial composition at the Royal Academy of Music, London...
(who had previously written "Stronger Every Minute
Stronger Every Minute
"Stronger Every Minute" was the Cypriot entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, performed in English by Lisa Andreas. The song was finished 5th in the final....
" for Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
at the 2004 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, was the 49th Contest and it was held in the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first occasion in which the contest was held in Turkey after they had won the competition in 2003 with Sertab Erener singing "Everyway That I Can"...
). It has been reported that Pouchain's vocals were out of key.
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 2007 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
by Les Fatals Picards with "L'amour à la française
L'amour à la française
"L'amour à la française" is a song by French band/group Les Fatals Picards. It was the French entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007.It is a love song, using Franglais, a mixture of French and English, and according to the songwriters meant to combine French romance and punk for beginners...
".