the essential
Since Marie Myriam in 1977, France has never won Eurovision again. Will we ever be able to win the European Song Contest again? Several obstacles must be overcome.
Hope is reborn every year and disappointment returns once the ceremony is over. With this recurring question: what if France won Eurovision? No effort, it hasn’t happened for 47 years, with “The Bird and the Child” by Marie Myriam in 1977. Why can France no longer win the European song contest? What obstacles can she no longer overcome? Response elements.
Bad choice of candidates?
When we look at the list of singers who represented France, they all knew how to sing very well. No doubt about their vocal qualities. Yet many of them have fallen back into complete anonymity. Who remembers Sandrine François, Louisa Baïleche, Ortal, Alma or Alvan & Ahez? France has presented different candidate profiles since 2000 – a vocal singer like Barbara Pradi, an offbeat group with the Fatals Picards or an artist appreciated abroad such as Patricia Kaas – without success unfortunately. Different formulas have been tested to designate the French candidate as the choice by the public (“Destination Eurovision” broadcast at the end of the 2010s) or an internal choice at France Télévisions. The magic formula remains to be found.
Read also :
Eurovision 2024: discover the songs in competition this year, country by country
Not good enough songs?
Since 1977, France has been represented by numerous musical styles. In recent years, there have been pop melodies (“Ovidementment” by La Zarra; “J’ai chasse” by Amir; “Echo” by Anggun; “Chacun pense à soi” by Ortal), ballads ( “Voilà” by Barbara Pravi; “Don’t forget” by Lisa Angell; “It takes time” by Sandrine François), a tenor with Amaury Vassili, Breton songs with Dan Ar Braz. Out of the lot, there were some good songs and some not so good ones. But none of them was able to convince a majority of European viewers. However, there is a recurring musical style at Eurovision that France has never offered – dance music – even though our country has internationally renowned DJs and producers.
A higher level than before?
Countries like the United Kingdom or Sweden have songwriters with an undeniable sense of melody. In France, our songs very often have quality lyrics. At the same time, other European countries have progressed musically and are producing songs calibrated for the international market. Two songs from Eurovision have enjoyed significant commercial success in Europe and even beyond in recent years: the Dutchman Duncan Laurence with “Arcade” or the Armenian Rosa Linn with “Snap”.
Read also :
Eurovision 2024: often accused of kitsch, has the European song contest become “cool”?
A mini-boycott of France?
At Eurovision, European viewers vote without voting power for their own country’s candidate. Unsurprisingly, links between countries are clearly emerging. Three “natural alliances” appear: Northern Europe, the post-Soviet sphere and the Balkan space, according to researcher Florent Parmentier. The 3 countries that voted the most for Sweden between 2016 and 2022? Denmark, Finland and Iceland. Who votes the most for Serbia? Slovenia, Croatia and North Macedonia. The language also plays naturally. Greece and Cyprus support each other as do Romania and Moldova. When Turkey participated in the contest, it received significant votes from Germany where the Turkish community is large. With regard to the Latin countries, “there is no preference observed”, indicates Florent Parmentier, “which did not prevent the victories in 2017 and 2021 for Portugal and Italy”.
A language question?
Over the years, more and more countries are choosing to sing in English even if it is not their native language. This is the case this year for Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and Georgia. In the past, candidates have tried to mix a little English into their words like Amir in 2016, Anggun in 2012 or Natasha St-Pier in 2001. A useful method to be understood in other European countries. But not yet enough for France to return to victory.
