À Force De Prier
Encyclopedia
"À force de prier" was the Luxembourg
ish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963
, performed in French
by Greek
singer Nana Mouskouri
. This was the first ever appearance of a Greek artist on the Eurovision stage, Greece as a nation only joined the Contest in 1974
.
Mouskouri had had her international breakthrough with the German language
single "Weiße Rosen aus Athen" ("White Roses from Athens") in 1961, a song originally adapted from a Greek folk melody. The song was later translated into several different languages and went on to become one of Mouskouri's signature tunes. When she received the offer to represent Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest in early 1963 she and her family had recently relocated from Athens
, Greece to Paris
, France, where she was signed to the Philips
-Fontana
label.
"À force de prier" is a ballad, with Mouskouri telling the object of her affections that she intends to have him love her "by persistently praying" for this to occur. Moskouri recorded her entry in French, German (as "Die Worte dieser Nacht"), English
("The One That Got Away") and Italian
("La notte non lo sa").
The song was performed sixteenth on the night, following Monaco
's Françoise Hardy
with "L'amour s'en va
". At the close of voting, it had received 13 points, placing 8th in a field of 16.
Although "À force de prier" was only a minor international success for Mouskouri, it won her the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque
in France that same year, and her Eurovision appearance also caught the attention of noted French composer Michel Legrand
, who went on to write and arrange two major hits for her in the francophone
markets; "Les parapluies de Cherbourg" (1964) and "L'enfant au tambour" (1965).
"À force de prier" was succeeded as Luxembourgian representative
at the 1964 Contest
by Hugues Aufray
with "Dès que le printemps revient
".
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...
ish 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 Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
singer Nana Mouskouri
Nana Mouskouri
Nana Mouskouri , born Ioánna Moúschouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a Greek singer who has sold about 300 million records worldwide in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She was known as Nána to her friends and...
. This was the first ever appearance of a Greek artist on the Eurovision stage, Greece as a nation only joined the Contest in 1974
Eurovision Song Contest 1974
The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom...
.
Mouskouri had had her international breakthrough with the German language
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....
single "Weiße Rosen aus Athen" ("White Roses from Athens") in 1961, a song originally adapted from a Greek folk melody. The song was later translated into several different languages and went on to become one of Mouskouri's signature tunes. When she received the offer to represent Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest in early 1963 she and her family had recently relocated from Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France, where she was signed to the Philips
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
-Fontana
Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
label.
"À force de prier" is a ballad, with Mouskouri telling the object of her affections that she intends to have him love her "by persistently praying" for this to occur. Moskouri recorded her entry in French, German (as "Die Worte dieser Nacht"), 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...
("The One That Got Away") 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...
("La notte non lo sa").
The song was performed sixteenth on the night, following 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 Françoise Hardy
Françoise Hardy
Françoise Madeleine Hardy is a French singer, actress and astrologer. Hardy is an iconic figure in fashion, music and style. She is married to the singer and movie actor Jacques Dutronc.-Biography:...
with "L'amour s'en va
L'Amour S'En Va
"L'amour s'en va" was the Monegasque entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963, performed in French by French singer and actress Françoise Hardy....
". At the close of voting, it had received 13 points, placing 8th in a field of 16.
Although "À force de prier" was only a minor international success for Mouskouri, it won her the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque
Grand Prix du Disque
The Grand Prix du Disque is the premier French award for musical recordings. The award was inaugurated by l'Académie Charles Cros in 1948 and offers prizes in various categories. The categories vary from year to year, and multiple awards are often made in any one category in the same year...
in France that same year, and her Eurovision appearance also caught the attention of noted French composer Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
, who went on to write and arrange two major hits for her in the francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
markets; "Les parapluies de Cherbourg" (1964) and "L'enfant au tambour" (1965).
"À force de prier" was succeeded as Luxembourgian representative
Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest
Luxembourg was one of the countries to participate in the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956.From their debut to 1993 Luxembourg competed frequently in the Contest, being absent from the contest once during this period...
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 Hugues Aufray
Hugues Aufray
Hugues Aufray is a French singer. He began his career singing in Spanish....
with "Dès que le printemps revient
Dès que le printemps revient
"Dès que le printemps revient" was the Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964, performed in French by French singer Hugues Aufray....
".
Sources and external links
- Official Eurovision Song Contest site, history by year, 1963.
- Detailed info and lyrics, The Diggiloo Thrush, "À force de prier".
- [ Allmusic.com, Nana Mouskouri biography.]