Continue reading TOP 100 – position 4 – APRES TOI – VICKY LEANDROS
ESC Covers discovered recently that Garry released a CD called 12 points. On this CD is Flemish/Dutch covers of 12 Eurovision songs (9 winners and 3 other popular songs).
On Saturday 25 July 2020 ESC COVERS will launch the COVER2COVER competition. In category one are 14 songs by South African artists that are covers of EUROVISION songs (actual entries or selection songs or Eurovision related because of the original artist who was an entry at Eurovision or by the composers who had written a Eurovision entry). We will list all 14 in the next days, the Afrikaans cover plus the original song.
The tenth song is JYS DIE EEN by PATRICIA LEWIS plus the original song APRES TOI (French) and COME WHAT MAY (English) of VICKY LEANDROS.
This is a Eurovision entry. VICKY LEANDROS won the Eurovision song contest in 1972 for LUXEMBOURG although the is a Greek singer. It became a huge hit, both in the original French and the English.
Two Eurovision winners Vicky Leandros & Helena Paparizou, teamed up to cover the 1972 Eurovision winner from Luxembourg in French/Greek as AFRES TOI/MONO ESI.
Ten or so years ago, Rudi Claase started the ONS LIEFLINGE concept – a male-female duo. His first female duet partner was CORLEA and they brought out two CD’s. Once they parted ways, Rudi brought in ZITA and one CD was made. Their ways parted as well and then he teamed up with CHARNE and this is their first CD. It is a double CD with CD 1 featuring Afrikaans songs and CD 2 featuring English songs.
On the English CD is two EUROVISION covers. The first is COME WHAT WAY, the winning Eurovision song from Luxembourg 1972 which Vicky Leandros sang as Apres toi in French. The second is IN LOVE WITH YOU,the Dutch 1984 entry which Maribelle sang as Ik hou van jou in Dutch. Both songs have been covered several times before – both in English and in Afrikaans.
There are also two EURO related songs on the CD – I HAVE A DREAM of ABBA and WE’RE GONNA STAY TOGETHER of Vicky Leandros and Tony Christie.
The ONS LIEFLINGE is a good concept but not all songs in the double CD have been made to be sung in duet.
Dear RTL TV Luxembourg,
We would like to see you return to the Eurovision Song Contest stage in 2016.
After Italy’s successful return to the Eurovision stage in 2010, and in a short period of time Italy have produced two almost winners in the ESC competition in recent years. Now is the perfect time to bring back another classic country and blast from the past.
Luxembourg. Who in the past have been able to bring some amazing talent to the show from all over Europe. As one of the main french speaking countries when Eurovision was born way back in 1956.
Its clear to us many eurovision fans remember and adore Luxembourg’s entries from the past. So they want to see Luxembourg RTL back again.
Most certainly small countries have shown evidence of struggling to keep going in the Eurovision today. Mainly due to the low budgets and then there is always that big staging that seems to be more essential to success in ESC today.
We have good news for Luxembourg, and what EBU can do to help Luxembourg and other countries wanting to come back in Stockholm 2016.
We have the perfect solution, as its no secret EBU are keen to help out and include the mini state countries like Monaco San Marino. They are looking at making an exception for small countries with below a certain population they will now be able to have a joint Eurovision entry.
Doing this will advantage Luxembourg in the following ways:
(a) This will make those high costs half for a small country like Luxembourg.
(b) Euro-club parties can be shared as well by this duel entry policy.
(c) If Luxembourg and their partner country win ESC then they will have bids from both small countries to decide the following years host town or city.
(d) The small duel countries will have separated voting and do not have to share countries scoreboard votes at all.
Luxembourg is one of the historical Eurovision classics with a past 5 Eurovision winners as well as a back to back wins that is rare in today’s Eurovision back in 1972 and 1973.
Since 1956 through until 1993 -Luxembourg rarely missed ESC. In fact before Ireland’s Avalanche of winners in and during the 90s Luvembourg & France were the most successful competitor at Eurovision. So I think it’s important that they more than anyone else continue this tradition. Also we need a ole country to give the swedes a run for their money. (as the saying goes)
We hope this proposal will help bring Luxembourg and another small country back to Eurovision in 2016.
Summary Luxembourg 5 Winners 1961- 1983:
Jean-Claude Pascal – “Nous les amoureux”
France Gall – “Poupée de cire, poupée de son”
Vicky Leandros – “Après toi”
Anne-Marie David – “Tu te reconnaîtras”
Corinne Hermès – “Si la vie est cadeau”
Kent
DA1 5QU
Royaume – Uni
20th October 2015
45 bd Pierre Frieden,
1543 Luxembourg
Dear RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg,
Hello my name is David Theron, OGAE UK & Rest of World Member, and I am writing to you from Royaume Uni (United Kingdom) to express my desire for Luxembourg to rejoin the Eurovision Song Contest.
I have been a fan for nearly twenty years and over this time I have enjoyed many songs from different countries. I love the fact that some entries are sung in their own language; this is what Eurovision is all about celebrating different styles of music around Europe.
I feel that Luxembourg is one of these countries that always presents a song that really shows off their country and gives us the viewers a little taster of their nationality.
As you are aware Luxembourg has participated 37 times and won the contest five times:
1961 Jean Claude Pascal “Nous les amoureux” 31 points
1965 France Gall “Poupée de cire, poupée de seń” 31 points
1972 Vicky Leandros “Aprés tol” 128 points
1973 Anne Marie David “Tu te reconnaîtres” 129 points
1983 Corinne Hermes “Si la vie est cadeau” 142 points
All amazing victories and I know that Luxembourg could win again if they had the right help and guidance. Having finished in the top ten twenty-two times is a big achievement not duplicated by many other countries.
For Luxembourg to move forward I think that creating a new television show to find the artist/song to represent them would be successful and of course the public will be heavily involved. This has worked in many countries and in some cases; the chosen song has gone on to win the contest. I know that funding can be an issue but I’m sure that sponsors, like local radio stations, music companies, the tourist board would all benefit from a win. You just need a great artist and song to convince these sponsors and show them that it would be very rewarding for both parties.
Fans of Eurovision from all over Europe have lots of ideas and I am one of those people that could help out other countries on how to make a comeback to the contest. Social Media is a key part of marketing these days that really wasn’t around during Luxembourg’s successful Eurovision run. International street teams can promote your song and artist in their local country which would cost you little to nothing for free publicity.
I would love Luxembourg to come back with a winning song that is current, fresh but still has traditional values by being in your native tongue.
Last year’s motto was building bridges and I feel that Luxembourg should build towards connecting with other countries that can bring them back in the contest. For instance, if Luxembourg won maybe a shared contest between the Benelux countries would not only split the costs but also celebrate the true meaning of the contest, One Vision – A Euro Vision.
Eurovision is big celebration that is adored all over Europe, being the oldest and most watched non-sporting television programme in the world; Luxembourg deserves to be a part of that. So come join us.
So let’s help find you some funding and select a well written song and get the prestigious title of “Six-Time Winner!” It would seem a shame that such a successful country in the contest isn’t represented now with the contest entering its sixty-first year. With many countries returning to the contest like Italy it would be great to have Luxembourg back as well.
If you need to contact me, please feel free I am happy to help such a worthy country get back into the Eurovision Song Contest.
Yours sincerely,
David Theron (name changed)
Although Luxembourg left Eurovision many years ago, they had a great history in Eurovision and what better than their 1972 winning song APRES TOI by VICKY LEANDROS. There are various covers of this song around the world and even in Afrikaans with no less than 3 cobvers with totally different lyrics. We have picked the cover by JANITA CLAASSEN.
The titles of over 400 covers of Eurovision songs by South African artists have been loaded in the library and this is more or less complete with there and there the original title of a song to be added once I have checked the spelling. That is the first part of the library – the covers are done alphabetical by original country and inside each country, by date order. The second part is the covers of melodifestivalen songs and this index is in date order and is about 40% complete. I hope to have it finished before the 2015 edition of melodifestivalen starts. I also got requests to do a third section – this is covers of songs by EUROVISION artists, for example not just Abba’s Waterloo but every ABBA song that has been covered in South Africa. This has never really been done and so I have no idea how many such covers exist but I have already loaded a lot – covers from Euro artists such as ABBA, Nicole, New Seekers, Celine Dion, Karel Gott, Nana Mouskouri, Vicky Leandros, Olivia Newton John, Mouth & Macneal etc. Hopefully some fans will see some interesting covers and go and search for them on Itunes or Youtube or wherever. 99% of the songs listed are in my own private collection- either on CD or vinyl single.
