Poupée de cire, Poupée de son x 2

Viva Niñas

Here's a lovely coverversion of Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son, the Luxembourg Eurovision winner originally by France Gall. Viva Niñas are Véronica Codesal, Soetkin Collier and Sophie Cavez, all members of Urban Trad of Sanomi fame (Eurovision 2003).

The girls love Eurovision and have performed many Eurovision hits in their live shows From Waterloo To Sanomi.
Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son was released as a digital single last year and is still available at your digital outlets.

Above audio is from the Viva Niñas Youtube channel.
Also check out.Vina Niñas Myspace.

Jean Cristophe

And here's another cover of the Serge Gainsbourg / France Gall classic. Less cheery-uppety than the Niñas, but equally lovely.

This track is from an album that is scheduled for release on Valentines day 2012: Ma Vie En Rose by Jean Cristophe.

Jean Christophe Ma Vie En Rose website.

Anggun - Puppet on A String - En Route Pour L'Eurovision

Here's Anggun performing Puppet On A String in the 2011 Eurovision presentation show where the 2011 French entry Sognu by Amaury Vassili was introduced.
It was just announced that the same Anggun will represent France in the 2012 contest in Baku. Find out more about next years French bid here at the Baku Collection.

Some Indonesian Eurocovers at the following pages: Lilis Suryani, Hamidah Ahmad, Sandra Reemer

The Kids Are Alright 2011

Avid contest fanatics know that next to the Eurovision Song Contest for the grups there's a version for the kids. The Junior Eurovision Song Contest is going into its 9th edition this year in Yerevan, Armenia.

Loads of fun to be had for the kids.
The kids of 13 countries will sing their pretty little hearts out for their homeland on the 3rd of December.

To celebrate, here's some kids covering some of your favorite Israeli Eurocovers.
The kids on the right are Ensemble Theila, a group of kids doing song and dance through their school (St. Petersburg School № 274 Yerushalayim, Russia).
The happy bunch made an album My Little Land (private issue) covering the classics from Israel, including some Eurovision songs. Some surprising choices and some obvious ones.

The Eurovision songs are:
A Ba Ni Bi, Israels first winner from 1978 (Izhar Cohen and the Alpha Beta).
Hallelujah, the follow up and a home win for Milk and Honey in 1979.
Kan, Duo Datzes #3 from the 1991 contest and still the best example of a classic Israel entry, choreography and all. Love.

Ze Rak Sport (The Theila's call it Rak Sport). This is a bit of a surprise, as I have never before come accross a coverversion of this 1992 entry. Ze Rak Sport was a sunny and poppy ode to the Olympics to be held in Barcelona, Spain that year. Dafna Dekel and her handsome conga boys reached 6th place at the Stockholm contest. The English version of the song was titled Viva Sport.
Amen, Liora's 1995 effort to make a new Hallelujah didn't quite achieve that, but still ended 8th.

Israel has never participated in the Junior, but they sent a 12 y.o. to the grown up contest back in 1989.
Russia has been doing Junior since 2005. They won in 2006 and ended 2nd in 2009 and 2010.


Special thanks to StPeters78

A few years back Eurocovers featured some more kids stuff to celebrate the JESC: The Kids Are Alright 2007.
Part 1: The Girls - Marisol, Tatiana, Teresa Strobl
Part 2: The Boys - Robertino, Demis, Hákon Guðni Hjartarson
Part 3: The Angels - Little Angels of Korea, Les Petits Chanteurs A La Croix Du Boix, Les Petits Chanteurs D'Aix En Provence 
Another wonderful kid is Jacques Aylestock in this Eurocovers post.

The 2011 Junior Eurovision CD (2CD with original an karaoke versions) will be available through BeaRecords. They also stock a host of other Junior ESC CDs and cdsingles of past contests.

Off Topic: Cœur De Pirate - Blonde

Off Topic Topic alert! But here's a shopping tip for everyone who likes a bit of French Pop.
I just ordered the CD Blonde by Cœur De Pirate, because it's wonderful, lovely, gorgeous and all that.
I stumbled accross the Cœur De Pirate website landing on the Boutique page. Scroll down a bit you can listen to all tracks of the album. If you do just that I won't have to blab on about how lovely this album is.
I hadn't heard of Cœur De Pirate before (nobody told me) but it turns out it's a nom de plume for Béatrice Martin from Quebec.
She already has one hitalbum behind her with Cœur De Pirate, which spent over two years in the French charts (and still I missed it).
She had a #1 in France in 2009 too, a Duet with Julien Doré: Pour Un Infidèle, which also scored a top 10 hit in both Belgiums.

Blonde is CDP's second album and it just entered the Canadian album charts at #5.
It's poppy, romantic, sometimes emotional (Cap Diamant is goosebumps material) a bit retro and definitely sexy.
Of course there are some comparisons that pop up right away and it would be very easy to say Vanessa Paradis. Actually, if you like VP, you'll love CDP. There's also a hint of Lykke Li or Alizée or even Françoise Hardy from the olden days.

A la Boutique you can buy the digital download, CD or LP of the album. But if you buy any of the physical formats you get the digital version as well (and straight away, listening to it now). Very easy payments and worldwide distribution are available.

Now if only Switzerland would go back to scouting in Canada for their Eurovision entries....

Cœur De Pirate website
The clip below is the first hitsingle from the album titled Adieu.

Sha La Lie, Sha La La 11-11-11

Sha La Lie, Sha La La, that song just keeps on giving.
11 - 11 - 11 sees another cover version of  Sieneke’s Dutch schlager entry to the Oslo Eurovision Song Contest of 2010.
The song didn't reach the final but it's probably the most covered entry of 2010. (in fierce competition with the Danish entry In A Moment Like This)

The new release is from Germany. Cölln Girls have recorded Sha-La-Lie in Kölsh (the language / dialect spoken in Cologne) in time for the launch of Karneval season 2011/2012.
After Sebastian Charelle and Jäger DJ Alex / Matti Valentino this is the third German language version of the Father Abraham (Pierre Kartner) penned song.

A cdsingle by the Cölln Girls is released by Pavement records (4012122801669) and also has two other songs.

The track is also available through various digital sources and it can be found on the various artists CD Karneval Der Stars folge 41.

Cölln Girls website has a soundclip

Read all about the ongoing avalanche of Sha La Lie's here at the Oslo collection.
Here's an amateur live recording (the tube)

The Road To Baku - I Quattro

Swiss TV have announced the line-up of their National Final to be held on December 10. Eurocovers already did a bit about la Grandmère D'Eurovision Lys Assia in this post, and I'm glad she's through to the final 14.

One act Lys Assia will have to compete against is I Quattro, not the sons of Suzi (unfortunately), but a group of four tenors Roger Widmer, Simon Jäger, Damian Meier and Matthias Aeberhard.
Their debut album Passione from 2009 reportedly shifted 30.000 copies in Switzerland. This album includes a coverversion of Io Senza Te (Me without you), the 1981 Swiss entry originally by Peter, Sue and Marc*.
The song ended in 4th place and was a hit in Dutch as Het Is Nog Niet Voorbij (It's not over yet) for Willeke Alberti in 1982 and for Gerard Joling in 2008. (Both are Dutch Eurovision singers). A Swedish version was recorded by Kicki Moberg (Leva Utan Dig).
The song was covered in Italian, French, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Spanish and Norwegian.
Below is the Io Senza Te video from the 2009 TV show Die Grössten Schweizer Hits, which was more or less the breakthrough moment for I Quattro.

Update: I Quattro ended 4th in the Swiss national final. Read all about the winner here at the Baku Collection.



On the second I Quattro album Emozioni two Eurocovers can be found. Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi (Don't leave without me) is the Swiss 1988 winner by Celine Dion. Viver Senza Tei (To live without you) is the Swiss entry from 1989. It was performed by Furbaz, the group of Marie Louise Werth and the songs main claim to Eurovision History fame is that it's the only Swiss entry ever to be performed in Romansch, the language of the Graubünden area.
Emozioni also includes a coverversion of Lys Assia's Oh Mein Papa.
The third I Quattro album was their 2010 Christmas album Winterträume.

The I Quattro are sensitive boys: all their Eurocovers are about loneliness and stuff. So it's no surprise their Eurovision effort is titled Fragile. The song will be performed in English and is a big classical ballad you might expect from four tenors.

Peter, Sue and Marc.

* Eurovision anoraks already knew this but if you didn't: Peter Sue and Marc are in the Eurovision History-Book-On-The-Shelf for participating four times (quite a feat in itself) in four different languages.

Their first entry Les Illusions De Nos Vingt Ans which was in French (12th in 1971). 1976 song Djambo Djambo was in English (4th place).
In 1979 German language song Trödler Und Company took them to 10th place, albeit with the help of some blokes called Pfuri, Gorps and Kniri and their assortment of garden utensils. (Oh, those golden days when Eurovision was only about the music....).
The final and arguably best Peter, Sue and Marc effort was Io Senza Te, sung in Italian and reaching 4th place in 1981.

Listen to the 2012 Swiss final songs here at SF TV.
For more on Eurovision 2012 check The Baku Collection.
Some more Swiss Eurocovers: Swiss Lady from Kenya, 'T En Va Pas - Dana Valery, Refrain - Jula de Palma, Flo Sandon's.

Hablemos Del Awards: Manuel Alejandro

Congratulations are in order: Composer Manuel Alejandro receives a lifetime achievement award at this years Latin Grammy Awards.
Eurovision fans know him from two of Spains classic songs Yo Soy Aquel and Hablemos Del Amor, both performed by Raphael at the contest. Alejandro composed many of Raphaels hits.

In his career spanning almost 50 years, Manuel Alejandro also wrote for artists like Julio Iglesias, Rócio Durado, Angelica Maria, Jeanette, Luis Miguel, Fangoria, Luz Casal, Marisol, Emmanuel and many others.

Yo Soy Aquel, Spains 1966 Eurovision song is a classic that is still being recorded in this millenium. Check out this Eurocovers post for some interesting new versions.
The song also features in many incarnations of the Monte Christo TV series.
One of the most recent coverversions of Yo Soy Aquel is recorded by this years Russian Eurovision singer Alexej Vorobyev/Alex Sparrow, who recorded it for the Russian version of Monte Christo.

Other artists that have recorded Yo Soy Aquel are Chayanne, Gerardo, Oscar Golden, Imelda Miller, Juan Legido, Ned Nelson, Kenny Damon, Portuguese Eurovision star Simone de Oliveira, Willy Alberti, Louis Ramirez, Ray Conniff, Paul Mauriat and Raymond Lefevre.

The Road To Baku - Lys Assia

I know, christmas is up first, but it’s already so busy on the Eurovision 2012 that Eurocovers will take an early peak on artists who are trying to get to Baku by means of their national finals.
Switzerland has a very extensive preselection (more info here) with well over 200 songs participating in various broadcasters pre-pre-pre voting extravaganzi.

One artist that of course caught everybody’s attention is Lys Assia, who enters the selection with C’était Ma Vie penned by 'Mister Eurovision' Ralph Siegel with lyrics by 'Mister L’Oiseau Et L’Enfant' Jean Paul Cara.
The song is a big orchestra driven ballad reminiscing of the olden days. It's Lys Assia's My Way or This Is My Life (The Shirley Bassey one). I don't know if there's a place for the rather old fashioned entry in todays Eurovision field, but it's great to see the old gal is still at it.

Update: Broadcaster SF has announced that Lys Assia will proceed to the Swiss National Final on December 10. Congratulations!
Another Update: Lys Assia ended 4th in the Swiss national final. Read all about the winner here at the Baku Collection.



Eurovision fans will of course know (and some even remember) the Grand Dame / Grand Ma of Eurovision as the first ever winner of our annual music fest. With the song Refrain, written by Geo Voumard and Émile Gardaz, Lys Assia won the initial edition of the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1956.

In 1956 each of the seven participating countries had two songs in the (radio only) competition. Switzerland selected  Lys Assia with Das Alte Karussell (The old Carousel) and the eventual winner Refrain.

The Swiss must have loved Lys a lot as she went on representing the country in 1957 with L'enfant Que j'Étais (The child that I was, 8th place) and in 1958 with her best effort Giorgio (2nd place, brilliant song).

Lys Assia’s biggest hit was not any of her Eurovision songs (although Giorgio did quite well in several pre historic charts) but her version the evergreen Oh Mein Papa (1950). Other hits include Arrivederci Roma (1956) Deine Liebe (1957), Ein Kleiner Gold'ner Ring (1961) and Die Sterne Von Syrakus (1962).


Eurocovers
In my book there are three Eurovision songs Lys Assia covered. There may be more, as Lys Assia must have recorded about a million songs in the 50’s and sixties.

Italy 1961: Al Di Là (Betty Curtis)
In Italian with the Dino Olivieri Orchestra
- on EP Philips 431 054, also LP San Remo's greatest hits 1958-1966

Denmark 1963: Dansevise (Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann)
Der Sommer ging voruber (German)
- single Telefunken U 55705

U.K. 1963: Say Wonderful Things (Ronnie Carroll)
Zwei blaue Vergißmeinnicht (German)
- single Telefunken U 55705
(Both 1963 songs were released on the same single)

Bonus Adorable Lys - A medley recorded in 1964 with the Addy Flor orchestra sung in English, German, French and Spanish including a bit of Refrain.

Related Eurocovers posts and links
Geo Voumard / Jula De Palma (Refrain), Flo Sandon's (Refrain)
Ralph Siegel: Dschinghis Khan (Moscow weeks) Dschinghis Khan (Korea) I Can't Live Without Music (Russia) Ein Bisschen Frieden (Korea, Norway, Korea II)
Jean Paul Cara: L'Oiseau style Zouk

Eurovision 2012 - The Baku Collection
Shopping: Lys Assia at BeaRecords

Absent Friend - Ingvar Wixell 1931 - 2011

Swedish Opera singer and Eurovision star Ingvar Wixell died.

Wixell's place in Eurovision history is highlighted by the fact that he sung his entry (for Sweden) Absent Friend in English. No one* had done that before and it also caused the much debated language rule to be introduced where every artist must sing in his own countries' language.

* of course except U.K. entries and the first Irish one, on stage 7 songs before Wixell.

Absent Friend was originally Annorstädes Vals in Swedish. Ingvar Wixell sang six songs in the Swedish national final of 1965 (Svensk sångfinal). He never recorded any other Eurovision song.

Ingvar Wixell was a celebrated baritone who performed for many years with the Stockholm Opera and the German Opera of Berlin. Many of his classical performances were released on LP/CD.

He also recorded a popular christmas album Christmas Music In Sweden (1964).

Re-release news, not so historic B.O.M. album finally gets CD release.

Brotherhood Of Man, you either love'em or adore'em.
The 1976 Eurovision winners (Save Your Kisses For Me) were quite succesful in the 70's.

The Eurovision line-up we all know and love had some international hits before the contest (1975 hit Kiss Me, Kiss Your Baby was the first B.O.M. single I bought).
They also managed to hold on to their success after Eurovision (Angelo, even though a blatant ABBA - Fernando rip-off, is totally brilliant).

An early incarnation of the band had also scored some hits in the U.S. in the early seventies, most notably United We Stand.

By the time the eighties came around, the stream of hits dried up and some clever people at B.O.M.s headquarters thought a greatest-hits-of-other-people LP would be a good idea.
And they were not wrong. The LP stayed on the U.K. charts for two months and achieved gold record status.

Brotherhood Of Man Sing Twenty Number One Hits features, well, 20 #1 hits. Most songs were hits in the 70's. The album includes one Eurocover: What's Another Year by Johnny Logan, the Irish winner of 1980.

Other tracks are ABBA's Dancing Queen, Boney M's Rivers Of Babylon and the Commodores' Three Times A Lady.

See tracklist below for all 20 #1 hits.

Da' Brotherhood tried to repeat the success with a similar double album with 20 disco hits and 20 love songs titled 20 Disco Greats / 20 Love Songs. but that failed to repeat the popularity of 20 #1 hits .
The Eurovision line-up of Brotherhood Of Man are still going strong and perform often on the Eurovision / nostalgia circuit, both with 70's tribute shows and their own material. A good time guaranteed for all. Respect!

The original Twenty Number One Hits LP was released in 1980 on the Warwick label, the CD re-issue is released on Northwold records. It's out 10-10-11.

Brotherhood Of Man Sing Twenty Number One Hits

We Don't Talk Anymore
Bright Eyes
When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman
Don't Give Up on Us Baby
Together We Are Beautiful
What's Another Year
I Will Survive
I'm Not in Love
Working My Way Back to You
Mull of Kintyre

Dancing Queen

When I Need You

Rivers of Babylon

If You Leave Me Now

Don't Go Breaking My Heart

Three Times a Lady

One Day at a Time

When Will I See You Again

Annie's Song

Sailing

A Norwegian version of Save Your Kisses For Me by the Bendik Singers can be found in this Eurocovers post. A Czech version by Helena Vondrackova and Jiri Korn is here.

Brotherhood Of man website