People Of Sweden!

Please vote wisely tonight.

Di Leva DTG!

Shame On You!

Thomas Di Leva, Swedens Astral Greengrocer and mighty tunesmith was in the 2nd heat of the Swedish Melodifestivalen with Ge Aldrig Upp (Never give up). But he ended only fifth grrrr....

Even though he started his recording career in 1980, this is the first time Di Leva joins the Melodifestivalen fold. I don't know if he tried before though. (they have like 2000 applicants each year)

The first song I noticed was the brilliant Naked Number One which was on a late night not-too-high MTV rotation in 1993. They didn't have the record at the Dutch local record stores of course (it was the pre-internet days kids) so I sort of forgot about it.

Then I re-discovered Di Leva in 2002 when I more or less accidentally celebrated the 750th anniversary of Stockholm in 2002.

I attended a free Di Leva concert at the week long festivities and I was won over by this excentric loveable creature in a kaftan on stage. He was throwing fruit in the audience, drank water from his trademark garden watering can and was deliberating about love, vegetables, the universe and more love. But it was the perfect Pop tunes that blew me away and made me rush to the record store to buy the back catalogue.

He never recorded a Eurocover, but in his 17 album career he recorded one album with coverversions. Lovestar from 2010 (pictured above) features coverversions ranging from Neil Youngs Rockin' In The Free World and Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus to Limahls Neverending Story and ABBA's The Winner Takes It All. Although the choice of songs is eclectic the album is held together by a strong electronic pop sound.

Other recomended Di Leva songs: Miraklet (my fave), Naked Number One, Everyone Is Jesus, Ingen Kan Köpa Livet, Adam and Eve, Svarta Pärlan I London (or the English version Black Pearl In London), Vem ska jag tro på, Frukt Grönt Och Vatten and the list goes on. A recommended compilation is 1999's För Sverige I Rymden. Di Leva recorded both in Swedish and in English.

Les Observations De Jalil: Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son

Ever since I found out about this Bob Jalil EP I've been trying to get hold of this mysterious version of Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son, the 1965 Eurovision winner. I wasn't able to find out much about it, but thanks to the alert system on the mighty bay, I was able to buy a scruffy copy of this elusive record.

After a thorough cleaning and polishing session it's finally here, and needless to say, c'est fab. There's some additional campfire crackling as a bonus, but all tracks are worth listening to.

All four tracks are wonderful vintage mid 60's beat with the groaning vocals, twangy guitars, messy beats and jangly organs. The a-side tracks are both in Moroccan Arabic, the tracks on the flip are in French.

Morocco singer Bob Jalil is also known as Abdel Jalil Bennis or just Jalil Bennis and has recorded with the Golden Hands and with the Star Orchestra.

I've read somewhere the title track translates as La Akdar Alik, but if anyone can help me with some more info that would be great. The title in Arabic is لا أقدر عليك, the other track in Arabic is بيني وبينك

All songs on this EP are recorded with L'Orchestre Star Melody.

There's a small Bob Jalil blog with some pictures here, but it hasn't been updated since 2007.

بوب الجليل

Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son, a popular Eurocovers readers favorite,  was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965 for Luxembourg. The song is written by Serge Gainsbourg and was performed by France Gall.

Special thanks to Rick

Updated list

I have updated the list of versions of Poupée... and uploaded it here. It is a word document listing all versions by France Gall and all the coverversions I know of. Currently 193 coverversions are listed.

You can find more posts about the song checking this keyword link.

e-mail me if you want the list.

CD news: Believe by Celtic Woman: Nocturne

---------------------This is a live clip of Celtic Woman performing Nocturne, the 1995 Eurovision winner originally by Secret Garden. Celtic Women is an all female music phenomenon founded by Riverdance director David Downes.
The ensemble have been performing all over the world since 2004 and have released 11 albums give or take.

Believe
Nocturne can be found on the new by Celtic Woman CD Believe. This edition has been released this week and should not be confused with the album Believe that was a Japan only issue from May 2011. (that one does not have Nocturne).
Believe can also be found as a CD/DVD release with the DVD being a live concert from the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia (US). The live DVD also includes a performance of Nocturne.

The vocals on Nocturne are by Chloë Agnew with Máiréad Nesbitt on the violin.
As you already noticed, CW's Nocturne has a lot more lyrics than the original English* version, which only has 40 seconds of singing . I don't know if the additional were written by the original lyricist Petter Skavland or by someone else.
(see comments, Thanks Jacob)

Celtic Woman will be on tour in North America in Februari through April and in Europe in May and June with dates in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and The Netherlands

Nocturne is not the first Eurocover recorded by Celtic Woman. The Voice, the 1996 winner for Ireland originally by Eimear Quinn can be found on their 2007 album A New Journey.
Celtic Woman albums are released by Manhattan Records / EMI and are available in most webshops and of course at your favorite digitessen...

* Secret Garden recorded the song in Norwegian (as performed at Eurovision) and in English. It is the most covered Eurovision song since the 1990 with around 50 versions listed.
The music for Nocturne is written by Rolf Løvland who also wrote 1985 winner La Det Swinge and contemporary evergreen You Raise Me Up (with lyrics by Brendan Graham).

Celtic Woman Website
Another Nocturne at Eurocovers by Døsty Cåwshit.
Who represents Norway in 2012? Find out more at the Baku Collection.

Irena Jarocka (1946 - 2012)

Polish singer and actress Irena Jarocka passed away yesterday.

Ty I Ja Wczoraj I Dziś is a Polish coverversion of Tu Te Reconnaitras, the 1973 Luxembourg Eurovision winner originally by Anne Marie David. It's from her first LP W Cieniu Dobrego Drzewa from 1974.

Special thanks to Łukasz.

Soluna Samay - Subterranean Homesick Blues

Bob Dylan at Eurocovers, whatevers next? This is Soluna Samay, who just won a ticket to Baku to represent Denmark at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Should've Known Better.
Read all about the Danish entry and Soluna's amazing history at The Baku Collection.

Sébastien Tellier - Pépito Bleu (Official Music Video)

Now that's an album I'm looking forward to. Bring on 2012!

CD news: Safura's Drip Drop gets a Lena Valaitis makeover

1981 Eurovision singer Lena Valaitis has recorded a coverversion of Drip Drop, the Azerbaijan Eurovision entry from 2010. Original singer Safura took the song to fifth place at the Oslo contest.

The German version of Drip Drop is Ich Will Alles (I want everything). It's the title track of Valaitis' new CD which will be out on Januari 27.
The album also includes Lena Valaitis' new single Ein Schöner Frühlingstag (A beautiful spring day) which is a coverversion of the song best known as Mary Hopkins Those Were The Days (1968).
It is actually originally a Russian folk song from the 1920's (Дорогой длинною, Endless Road)

Lena Valaitis entered the 1981 contest with Johnny Blue, written by Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger. She ended 2nd, only 4 points behind the mighty Bucks Fizzez (?) Making Your Mind Up.


thanks, links and sources:

Special thanks to Marion at Muziek en Media
Lena Valaitis homepage
In 2012 the contest will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, You can read all about the 2012 contest releases at the Baku Collection.
Here you can read extended release / versions info on all Azerbaijani entries so far.
Johnny Blues
Here you can find a lovely Chinese version of Johnny Blue by Annabelle Lui. A version by Swedish Thorleifs is here.

Happy New Year Cupcakes

Eurocovers wishes all readers

a very Happy New Year.

And may your country win something this year......

and Godspeed to the people of Baku

Smurfular Eurocovers 2011

Here's a shopping tip for the kids, just in time for the Christmasjul:
Having barely recovered from their multi million grossing movie theatre success the little blue guys (+1 girl) in the white pointy hats are at it again.
The Smurfs (or Smurfarna in Swedish) have recorded a Swedish version of Popular for their new album Smurfparty 3.
They call the song Populär. Also on the same album is a version of the Norwegian entry Haba Haba, now titled Bada Bada.
The album is out on Warner / Metronome on december 7. (WMS-5052498-980826)

The same two tracks can be found on their new Norwegian album Smurfeparty 3 (as Smurfene). Popular becomes Populær and Haba Haba is now Dans Meg Til Smurfeland. (Warner 5052498981021)

Since the little critters are cunning multilinguists they also recorded a Danish version Populær for their new Danish album Smølfeparty 3 (as the Smølferne) but that one doesn't have Haba Haba. (Warner Music Nordic)

Eric Saade's Popular and Stella Mwangi's Haba Haba were the 2011 Eurovision entries for Sweden and Norway respectively.
(links will take you to the Düsseldorf Collection pages)
Some Smurftastic Eurocovers of the 2009 and 2010 contest are documented here also featuring some smurfing oldies.

CD news: Young for 50 years: Dúo Dinámico

Here’s some info on a new CD album by Dúo Dinámico, just released last week.
The duo are Manuel De La Calva and Rámon Arcusa from Spain and they have been at it for 50 years now, hence the albums title: Young for 50 years.
Somos Jovenes 50 Años is a collection of newly recorded duet versions of songs from the rich Arcusa / De La Calva vaults. Of course it includes their much debated 1968 Eurovision winner La La La in an interesting new version.

At Eurovision the song was performed by Massiel after the original choice singer Joan Manuel Serrat was axed for wanting to sing in Catalan. (more about that here).
Dúo Dinámico have now recorded La La La with Serrat. The first part of the song is Serrat singing in Catalan, the second part is the duo singing in Spanish.
Perhaps not the best version of the song, but an interesting version for the die hard fans and collectors.

The CD is out in Spain now and also available digitally at Los Tunos. The CD version comes with a DVD with a 'making of' the Somos Jovenes documentary and rare archive material in which they undoubtedly sport many of their attractive trademark sweater vests.

The full tracklist of the album:
01 Quisiera Ser - with Miguel Rios
02 Como Ayer - with Soledad Gimenez
03 Resistire - with Alaska
04 Perdoname - with Lolita
05 Eres Tu - with Andy y Lucas (not the Mocedades song)
06 Amor De Verano - with Carlos Baute
07 Quince Años Tiene Mi Amor - with Ana Torroja
08 Esos Ojitos Negros - with Diana Navarro
09 Somos Jovenes - with Los Pecos
10 Lolita Twist - with Leslie of Los Sirex and Santi of Los Mustang
11 Soy Un Truhan Soy Un Señor - with Julio Iglesias
12 La La La - with Joan Manuel Serrat

Title track Somos Jóvenes is a 1962 hit for the duo. Quisiera Ser is also the title of a 2007 musical built with 24 songs of the dynamic boys in Mamma Mia style.
Como Ayer from 1966 is one of their many contest winning hits, in this case the Mediterranean Song Festival.
In the early seventies they more or less stopped recording and focussed on writing and producing for other artists.
In 1968 the duo recorded and released La La La themselves (as Manolo y Ramon) ♫

Special thanks to José Antonio

Some older La La La posts at Eurocovers:
Norwegian with Kirsti, Oddvar and Arne.
Icelandic with the modern kids of Nútímabörn.
La La La and I'll Cry If I Want To with Lesley Gore.
Estonian with Leelo Karp.