White and Black Blues
Encyclopedia
"White and Black Blues" was the French
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1990
, performed in French
(with some words in English
) by Joëlle Ursull
, from her album Black French. The song was performed fourteenth on the night of the competition. At the close of voting, it had received 132 points, tying for second place in a field of 22. "White and Black Blues" was co-written by French pop provocateur Serge Gainsbourg
, who previously had composed France Gall
's winning entry for Luxembourg
in 1965
, "Poupée de cire, poupée de son
", as well as the Monegasque
entry "Boum-Badaboum
" for Minouche Barelli
in 1967
, which had finished fifth.
, the song was originally titled "Black Lolita
Blues", however Ursull, the first black woman to represent France at the Contest, declined to perform it due to the pejorative connotations of the word. The rewritten version met with her approval and has become something of a fan favourite.
The song itself deals with the need to overcome the prejudices of skin colour. Ursull sings that "When someone talks to me about skin colour/I have the blues which sends shivers down my spine/I feel as if I'm in a tale by Edgar Allan Poe
". That said, she does not believe in relinquishing her connection to Africa
entirely ("Africa, my love, I have you in my skin"), but admits that she faces difficulties in a white society ("We, the blacks/We're a few millions, a dime a dozen").
Musically, the song features an accordion
as well as the synthesiser effects starting to appear at the Contest in the early 1990s.
It was succeeded as French representative
at the 1991 Contest
by Amina with "Le Dernier qui a parlé...".
and was one of the summer hits of 1990. It debuted at number 47 on 26 May 1990 and reached number two seven weeks later, but was unable to top the chart ("Zouk Machine
", Ursull's former band, was then number one with "Maldòn
"). The single remained in the top ten for 18 weeks and left the chart (Top 50) after 26 weeks. It was certified Gold disc
by the SNEP and is to date the 618th best-selling singles of all time in France.
In Sweden
and Germany
, the single achieved a minor success, peaking respectively at number 19 and number 86. It was also a top ten hit in Austria
.
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 1990
Eurovision Song Contest 1990
The Eurovision Song Contest 1990, the 35th in the series, was held in Zagreb, Yugoslavia on 5 May 1990. The presenters were Helga Vlahović Brnobić and Oliver Mlakar. Toto Cutugno was the winner of this contest with the song "Insieme: 1992"...
, 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...
(with some words in 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...
) by Joëlle Ursull
Joëlle Ursull
Joëlle Ursull is a French singer of Guadeloupean origins.She performed "White and Black Blues", composed by Serge Gainsbourg, in the Eurovision Song Contest 1990 of May 5, 1990. She won 132 points and was second, behind "Insieme: 1992" by Toto Cutugno...
, from her album Black French. The song was performed fourteenth on the night of the competition. At the close of voting, it had received 132 points, tying for second place in a field of 22. "White and Black Blues" was co-written by French pop provocateur Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
, who previously had composed France Gall
France Gall
France Gall is a popular French yé-yé singer.Gall was married to, and had a successful singing career in partnership with, French singer-songwriter Michel Berger....
's winning entry for 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...
in 1965
Eurovision Song Contest 1965
The Eurovision Song Contest 1965 was the 10th in the series. Luxembourg's win was their second. Belgium, Finland, Germany, and Spain each scored "null points" for the second time. The 1965 contest marked the debut of Ireland, a country which later went on to dominate the competition. This was also...
, "Poupée de cire, poupée de son
Poupée de cire, poupée de son
"Poupée de cire, poupée de son" was the winning entry in the Eurovision Song Contest of 1965. It was performed in French by French singer France Gall, representing Luxembourg....
", as well as the Monegasque
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...
entry "Boum-Badaboum
Boum-Badaboum
"Boum-Badaboum" was the Monegasque entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1967, performed in French by Minouche Barelli.The song was composed by Serge Gainsbourg, who previously had written France Gall's winning entry "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" in 1965, representing Luxembourg...
" for Minouche Barelli
Minouche Barelli
Minouche Barelli, born Mary-Pierre Barelli, was a French singer, best-known internationally for her participation in the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest....
in 1967
Eurovision Song Contest 1967
The Eurovision Song Contest 1967 was the twelfth Eurovision Song Contest. The presenter became confused whilst the voting was taking place, and declared the United Kingdom's entry to be the winner before the last country, Ireland, had announced its votes...
, which had finished fifth.
Background and writing
Composed by Georges Ougier de Moussac with lyrics by Serge GainsbourgSerge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
, the song was originally titled "Black Lolita
Lolita
Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York, and later translated by the author into Russian...
Blues", however Ursull, the first black woman to represent France at the Contest, declined to perform it due to the pejorative connotations of the word. The rewritten version met with her approval and has become something of a fan favourite.
The song itself deals with the need to overcome the prejudices of skin colour. Ursull sings that "When someone talks to me about skin colour/I have the blues which sends shivers down my spine/I feel as if I'm in a tale by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
". That said, she does not believe in relinquishing her connection to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
entirely ("Africa, my love, I have you in my skin"), but admits that she faces difficulties in a white society ("We, the blacks/We're a few millions, a dime a dozen").
Musically, the song features an accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
as well as the synthesiser effects starting to appear at the Contest in the early 1990s.
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 1991 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1991
The Eurovision Song Contest 1991 was the 36th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 4 May 1991 in Rome. Due to the Gulf War and mounting tensions in Yugoslavia, RAI decided to move the contest from Sanremo to Rome, which was perceived to be more secure....
by Amina with "Le Dernier qui a parlé...".
Chart performances
The song had a great success in FranceFrance
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...
and was one of the summer hits of 1990. It debuted at number 47 on 26 May 1990 and reached number two seven weeks later, but was unable to top the chart ("Zouk Machine
Zouk Machine
Zouk Machine is an all-female zouk group from Guadeloupe which had several hits particularly in France, such as the summer number-one single on French SNEP Singles Chart "Maldon' ", in 1990 that sold over 1 million copies well more than any others zouk band, even Kassav.-History:Founded in 1986 by...
", Ursull's former band, was then number one with "Maldòn
Maldòn
"Maldòn" is a 1989 song recorded by the West Indian group Zouk Machine. The song is the first single from the album of the same name, and was released in May 1990. In France, it achieved a huge success, topping the singles charts for about two months....
"). The single remained in the top ten for 18 weeks and left the chart (Top 50) after 26 weeks. It was certified Gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the SNEP and is to date the 618th best-selling singles of all time in France.
In Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and 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...
, the single achieved a minor success, peaking respectively at number 19 and number 86. It was also a top ten hit in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Track listings
- CD single
- "White and Black Blues" — 3:00
- "White and Black Blues" (instrumental) — 3:00
- 7" single
- "White and Black Blues" — 3:00
- "White and Black Blues" (instrumental) — 3:00
Peak positions
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart | 10 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 21 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 2 |
| German Singles Chart | 86 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 19 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified | Physical sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | Gold | 1990 | 500,000 | 483,000 |