Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  Eurovision winner (and runner up) Gigliola Cinquetti teamed up with another Eurovision winner France Gall in Sanremo 1969 and their song La pioggia . Despite this being one of Gigliola's biggest hits and reached #2 in the Italian charts in Sanremo it only placed 6th.... 

Oh my, once an Euroviison superpower with five victories and big international stars, Luxemburg, is set to return to Eurovision song contest in 2024 after 30 years absense. Luxemburg is one of the founding members of Eurovision song contest and participated from 1956 to 1993 with the exception of 1959, a total of 37 times. They scored five victories, two third places and a total of 13 Top-5 finishes. They also hosted four Eurovision finals (1962, 1966, 1973 and 1984) Over the eyars most of their artists (and winners) were French but they also had more or less big names doing the honors from Belgium, Greece (incl. winner Vicky Leandros), The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Spain, United States and Canada. Only nine acts were from Luxemburg: Camillo Felgen (1960), Chris Baldo (1968), Monique Melsen (1971), Sophie Carle (1984), Franck Olivier (1985), Park Cafe (1989), Sarah Bray (1991), Marion Welter (1992) and Modern Times (1993). Ralph Siegel's songs represented Luxem...

  Late France Gall, Eurovision 1965 winner recorded only songs by her late husband Michel Berger in the 1980's and hit the international jackpot again in the 1987 Babacar album. That's how I discovered her again as well, and later digged into her older (and later newer) material as well as Berger 's solo material. Such great songs he wrote! Check out also

Eurovision song contest is heading to its 64th edition so the sad side of long history is we are losing its key personalities every year. The 2018 hasn't been exception when we have lost two winners, a legendary hostess and very sadly some youngers names, too... France Gall  (9 October 1947 - 7 January 2018) ESC 1965 winner Madalena Iglesias  (24 October 1939 - 16 January 2018) ESC 1966 Katie Boyle (26 May 1926 - 20 March 2018)  ESC 1960, 1963, 1968, 1974 hostess Lys Assia  (3 March 1924 - 24 March 2018) ESC 1956 winner, 1957 , 1958 Sabahudin Kurt  (18 July 1935 - 30 March 2018) ESC 1964 Lill-Babs  (9 March 1938 - 3 April 2018) ESC 1961 Jürgen Marcus  (6 June 1946 - 17 May 2018) ESC 1976 Teddy Johnson  (4 September 1919 - 6 June 2018) ESC 1959 Vlatko Ilievski  (2 July 1985 - 6 July 2018) ESC ESC 2011 Hanna-Riikka Siitonen  (13 March 1970 - 23 July 2018)  multiple backing singer and nationa...

Legendary French star France Gall has passed away. She brought an Eurovision victory to Luxembourgh with the very first modern and up tempo winner, Serge Gainsbourg's Poupée de cire, poupée de son back in 1965. Since then she became one of the biggest stars in the French language music scene (and not only having a career going also in Germany), and even crossed over to the world in the 1980's with hits like Ella elle l'à and Babacar , penned for her by her late husband and also a big star in music business, Michel Berger. They married in 1976 and she only sung her songs after that. including Declation d'amour . He died in 1992 and Gall retired from the business. Gall herself was dignosed with breast cancer the year after, and in 1997 their daughter died. She only appeared rarely in public after that and in two documentaries in 2001 and 2007 and apparently never sung live again.

Serge Gainsbourg penned Poupée de cire, poupée de son that France Gall made an Eurovision winner for Luxembourg back in 1965 has become over the decades one of the most covered Eurovision winners. And once again here's another version that couldn't be much more different from the original, namely this one by Therion. Actually their new album Fleurs du mal is made of covers of the French hits on the 60's and the 70's.  This is not the first time they cover some Eurovision related stuff. Their cover of ABBA's Summer night city from 2001 is quite wonderful, too. And this happens to be one of my favourite ABBA songs ever!

French artist Jeancristophe (without the "h") will release his new album Ma vie en rose next Valentine's Day and amongst other tracks it includes a rather splendid version of Eurovision 1965 winner and France Gall classic, Serge Gainsbourg penned Poupèe de cire, poupèe de son . And there's also fab video for it.

Luxembourg is one of the original Eurovision countries and religiously took part until 1993 - when they were relegated and never returned - with the exception of 1959 in every occasion scoring five victories on the way: 1961 , 1965 , 1972 , 1973 and 1983 . All winners were imported as most of their entrants with the exception of very few like Sophie Carle , Camillo Felgen and Marion Welter . Only twice they sung in their own Lëtzebuergisch instead of French and both times it went all  terribly wrong. Apparently RTL was considering a return in 2004 and 2005 but didn't in the end claiming financial matters. Rumours about the possible return were circulating again for the 2009 and 2010 editions but propably that's more wistful thinking by the fans than any grounded information? Some famous international stars have represented the tiny dutchy over the years besides the winners France Gall and Vicky Leandros: Nana Mouskouri , Michele Torr , Ireen Sheer , Baccara and Lara Fabian ...

Here it is finally, Kate Ryan's biggest hits/covers in French all together on one CD. Ella elle l'a , Babacar and the new single Evidemment by France Gall, Désenchantée and Libertine by Mylene Farmer, Voyage voyage by Desireless, Toute premiere fois by Jeanne Mas, Les divas du dancing by Philippe Cataldo, Sage comme un image by Lio and her own hits Mon couer résiste encore and La promesse . Also included is Caminaré with Soraya. A couple of remixes wrap up the collection. But where is Je t'adore ? She did record it in French!

Kate Ryan keeps covering the big French hits from the past in lack of new material and after doing several Myléne Farmer covers here comes another France Gall one: Babacar from 1987. This is my all time France Gall favourite and I'm not so convinced about this even if Kate did a great job with Ella elle l'a . Judge yourself here http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0jb0i3-cUw and here http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=btcOZTwp1YY while act.1 Ella elle l'a here http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQkB-WWzsbg and here http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuJzoe1IoKI Are we going to get a cover of Poupée de cire, poupée de son as well?

When the 10th Eurovision was held in Naples on March 20, 1965 it was already broadcasted in countries that didn't take part, especially in Eastern Europe reaching around 150 million viewers. The winds of change were blowing in the contest was won by an uptempo Poupée de cire, poupée de son written by Serge Gainsbourg for Luxembourg. Only 17-year-old France Gall scored one of her first hits and went on to become a superstar and a legend. Ireland debuted. Finland scored flat zero points while the Finnish people favourite had been Katri Helena's Minne tuuli kuljettaa , then overrun by a jury in the national final. Many still wonder "what if...?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5aeeSmkPwQ , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH3gheBxkEE

Kate Ryan performed her European megahit Ella elle l'a (cover of France Gall's European megahit in the late 80's) along with her new single I surrender in the annual TMF Awards. She was nominated for three awards but went hope emptyhanded. Belgian national finalists Natalia and Brahim got awards instead. Watch the performance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iks6qdgUZFk and I surrender's video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUAUdYJe4I4

Kate Ryan has been having occasional Europeanwide hits since 2001. When she went to the Eurovision 2006 the expectations were high and she was a clear pre-contest favourite. However Je t'adore flopped and didn't even make to the final... Yet she scored another big hit. Her career has been build however on covers: Mylène Farmer's Desenchantee and Libertine , Cock Robin's The promise you made , Desireless' Voyage voyage and at the moment France Gall's Ella elle l'á . Each song has been a big hits previously, and has done really well after the Ryan treatment, too. July 30 Kate will finally come to Finland where she has had a lot of fans since the early days of her career... Enjoy some Kate videos here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdJN0ss7jA0 , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60RzAR8I6kU&feature=related , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x65k9dQScT8&feature=related , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_Hi1R1w1Pc&feature=related , http://www.youtu...