FANTASY EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 1966

EUROPEAN POP LYRICS

The Eurovision Song Contest should have taken place last week but it was cancelled this year. If you are having withdrawal symptoms, maybe you will enjoy my imaginary contest. There are 18 songs in the playlist above, one for each of the countries that participated in 1966. You can see my running order and comments below.

The mid-sixties was one of those rare times when cool music actually got into the charts, though Eurovision generally ignored this, preferring to stick to old fashioned MOR. What if things were different? What if, inspired by France Gall’s forward looking win in 1965, the contest suddenly got much hipper?

The songs are all from 1966 (bar two from 1965) and sung in the language of the participating country, though the artist wasn’t born there in several cases. However, my choice has been severely restricted by available YouTube footage. In three cases I have had to stick with the original entries.

If you enjoy this then send in your votes, ideally your top 10 (12 points for first place).

01: France: Jacques Dutronc – Les cactus

Who says French men can’t rock? A storming start to the show, but perhaps a bit too raucous for the judges. NB The song is from 1966, this clip was recorded a year later.

02: Germany: Hilgegard Knef – Ich bin zu müde, um schlafen zu gehen

A classy entry from Germany, but will Knef’s legendary charm win her votes?

03: Spain: Los Brincos – Mejor

Keen to show their modern side to encourage tourism, Spain give their own version of the Beatles a chance to shine on the international stage.

04: Sweden: Thore Skogman & Lill-Babs – Pop opp i topp

Cheese-tastic duet (actually from December 1965) that looks forward to the lyrical genius of “La La La” and “Boom Bang-a-Bang”. If only Thor(e) had remembered to pull Babs skirt off.

05: Luxembourg: France Gall – Les sucettes

Gall (the winner in 1965) defends her crown with another song by Serge Gainsbourg – I suspect this was Gainsbourg’s original dirty old man plan.

06: Netherlands: ZZ en de Maskers – Ik Heb Genoeg Van Jou

OK, this is actually from 1965, but it’s not easy to find vintage footage of Dutch beat groups. Moreover, these masked men have a Eurovision friendly gimmick.

07: Norway : Åse Kleveland – Intet Er Nytt Under Solen

Hard to believe, but I couldn’t find anything better to represent Norway than their original entry. Apparently Åse was the first woman to wear pants on Eurovision.

08: UK: The Kinks – Sunny Afternoon

Determined to win, the UK send in an established band. They are hot favourites to take the crown.

09: Italy: Mina – Se telefonando

Mina belts out this impressive tune which was written by Ennio Morricone. The multiple key changes will surely impress the judges.

10: Belgium: Jacques Brel – Le tango funèbre

Belgium go out on a limb with their favourite singer-songwriter. I fear that his sweaty melodrama won’t go down well with the voters.

11: Denmark: Ulla Pia – Stop, Mens Legen Er Go

This is another one where I was unable to find a replacement. It features the first ever dancers on Eurovision.

12: Finland: Muksut – Niinkuin vierasta maata

A slightly bizarre effort with a trumpet solo and a beautiful girl hanging around at the back.

13: Austria: Marion Maerz – Wie soll es weitergehn

Austria get bored with Udo Jürgens (who represented them for the previous two years) and enlist Marion, a German singer who has just had a massive hit in Austria.

14: Ireland: The Monks – How To Do Now

Ireland decide to move with the times and go rock. Unable to find a rock band in Ireland, they recruit the Monks who are American but based in Europe. They certainly have some Eurovision friendly gimmicks and a nice line in repetitive lyrics.

15: Switzerland: Stella – Cauchemar autoprotestateur

The Swiss, hoping to emulate the success of France Gall, get a French 15 year old to represent them with this track, a tongue in cheek protest song against protest songs.

16: Portugal: Edu Lobo – Upa, Neguinho

Portugal had a horrendous record in Eurovision. Here, in a brave move they invite the Brazilian Edu Lobo (who is on tour in Europe) to represent them. It will probably be too much for the voters, but what have they go to lose?

17: Yugoslavia: Berta Ambrož – Brez Besed

I couldn’t find an alternative song for Yugoslavia, so let’s stick with Berta from the original show.

18: Monaco: Françoise Hardy – Si c’est ça

Hardy returns to Eurovision, having previously represented Monaco in 1963. She hopes to improve on the 5th place she then achieved, but perhaps her style is just too downbeat for the competition. Whatever, this makes for a nice chilled out conclusion to the contest.

NB Eight of these artists have previously featured on this blog and translations are available for five of the songs (in red).

TEN YEARS OF SPANISH POP LYRICS

I started this blog ten years ago! The very first song was “Mejor” by Los Brincos and here is a version recorded by myself. Stay tuned as there will be another special anniversary post coming up in a few days.

GITANA by LOS SHAKERS

They only ever released two EPs and never sold many records, but Los Shakers (no relation to the Uruguayan group of the same name) were one of the toughest sounding Spanish groups of the mid-1960s.

In 1965 they were on the bill supporting the the Beatles in Barcelona, they recorded their first EP, and they had a cameo in the movie ‘Megatón Ye-Ye’. The film starred Micky y Los Tonys and not long after two of Los Shakers left to join this group, who were more successful at the time. Despite this setback Los Shakers continued (with a new member Ricky Morales) and recorded a second EP in 1966 which includes this track. “Gitana” was their rock reworking of an old Spanish copla, a type of Spanish song associated with Andalusia, which had been recorded by Marujita Diaz.

Meanwhile, Los Brincos were the most popular group in Spain. However, at this point their frontmen Juan and Junior both left the group to work together as a duo. Rather than collapse Los Brincos decided to take replacements from one of the hottest groups in Madrid – Los Shakers. They recruited Vicente Martínez and Ricky Morales, the latter being Junior’s brother! It worked and the group continued their success until the end of the sixties.

Having key members poached by bigger rivals for the second time must have been a bitter pill to swallow, but Los Shakers tried to carry on. However, they split up in 1967 without having recorded any more material. A sad end to a group who could have been contenders.

GITANA Gitana, que de las cuevas granadinas Vas recorriendo el mundo entero Llevando el fuego de tu sol. Gitana, de negro pelo y tez morena, De suave talle de agarena, Eres aroma de una flor. ESTRIBILLO: Por eso en tus danzas y coplas Tú llevas el lindo color Del bello cielo de España, Que es tierra de celos y amor. Gitana, de negro pelo y tez morena, De suave talle de agarena, Eres aroma de una flor. ESTRIBILLO

GYPSY Gypsy, from the caves of Granada You go around the whole world Carrying the flame of your sun Gypsy, with black hair and dark skin With the charming figure of a Moorish woman You are the aroma of a flower CHORUS: That's why in your dances and coplas You wear the pretty colour Of the beautiful Spanish sky That is a land of jealousy and love Gypsy, with black hair and dark skin With the charming figure of a Moorish woman You are the aroma of a flower CHORUS

VÁLGAME LA MACARENA by LOS CHEYENES

Brincosis was the Spanish equivalent of Beatlemania and it soon inspired a flood of Spanish beat groups. One of these was Los Cheyenes from Barcelona, and this track from 1965 attempts to emulate Los Brincos, not least their track “Flamenco”. They were scheduled to appear on TV to promote this track, but they pulled out when the station demanded that they cut their hair first!

¡Válgame! is an interjection that means something like “Goodness gracious!”. There is a related expression ¡Válgame Dios! which means “Good God!”.

In this song Macarena is the name of the woman. Using ‘La’ or ‘El’ with names is a kind of slang which is quite common is certain parts of Spain, including Catalonia. However, many Spaniards consider it rather vulgar or even insulting. I suppose in the context of the song it makes sense.

Thanks to Enjovher at Lyrics Translate for transcribing the Spanish lyrics which I have translated.

VÁLGAME LA MACARENA ESTRIBILLO: ¡Válgame la Macarena, sí te puedo comprender! después de quererme tanto (¡eso!) me has dejado de querer. Tienes tu cara morena, quemadita por el sol, el reflejo de la pena que te causa mi dolor. Si sabes que yo te quiero (¡mentira!) ¿por qué pides tú perdón? que a ti te hecho lo mismo y me busqué otro amor. ESTRIBILLO Si sabes que yo te quiero (¡mentira!) ¿por qué pides tú perdón? (¡eso!) que a ti te hecho lo mismo y me busqué otro amor. ESTRIBILLO Me has dejado de querer...

GOODNESS GRACIOUS MACARENA CHORUS: Goodness gracious, Macarena, Yes, I can understand you! After loving me so much (so!) You’ve stopped loving me You’ve got your brown face Burnt by the sun The reflection of the sorrow That my pain causes you If you know that I love you (lie!) Why do you ask for forgiveness? I did the same to you And I looked for another lover CHORUS If you know that I love you (a lie!) Why do you ask for forgiveness? (so!) I did the same to you And I looked for another love. CHORUS You’ve stopped loving me…

Pop, Rock, Psych and Garage from Spain and Latin America (1964-69)

To celebrate four years of Spanish Pop Lyrics, and also as a kind of Xmas gift, here is this blog’s first ever compilation / mix-tape (much of it in authentic low fidelity). Download

All the songs are sung in Spanish, and all but a handful are original songs rather than covers.

It’s generally up tempo, but there are a couple of slower tracks at the end.
Almost all the songs have been featured on this blog, and those that aren’t may well appear in the near future. Anyway, you know where to look for the lyrics… 

UPDATE (Nov 2017): Now the lyrics to all 28 songs are available on this blog. The download link has also been updated.

(Theme From) SPANISH POP LYRICS

Here is a song I have written to celebrate four years of this blog.  It’s a tongue in cheek true story about teaching myself Spanish with pop lyrics. The lyrics are a mixture of English and Spanish – but its mostly Eurovision friendly ba-ba-bas… There’s also a quote from our old friends Los Brincos near the end.

ALL THE CHILDREN SLEEP By FORCE WEST

ENGLISH:

The first song on this blog (three years ago!) was ‘Mejor’ by Los Brincos, released in 1966.
https://spanishpoplyrics.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/mejor-by-los-brincos-3/

A year later the group Force West (from Bristol in the west of England) released this note for note copy in the UK, though it wasn’t a hit. As you can see Los Brincos are not credited on the label! The only names given are presumably the writers of the English lyrics, which bear no relation to the Spanish original.
Force West later released a mildly psychedelic single under the ludicrous monicker The Oscar Bicycle. Their final incarnation rocked a little harder under the name Shakane.
This song is available on the compilation ‘Rockin’ with the Pirates’, so presumably it got some play on pirate radio at the time.

SPANISH:

Force West eran un grupo de Bristol, una ciudad del suroeste de Inglaterra. ‘All The Children Sleep’ (todos los niños duermen) salió en 1967, mas que un año despues de ‘Mejor’ de los Brincos. La musica es una copia de ‘Mejor’, pero la letra inglesa es completamente diferente del original. El sencillo no fue un éxito.

FLAMENCO By LOS BRINCOS

Part 2: Los Brincos and Spanish Beat Groups in the Sixties

By 1964 the stance of the Franco regime towards rock had relaxed slightly, perhaps because Spain was trying to present a more tourist friendly image to the rest of Europe. The Beatles’ ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ appeared on cinema screens and the time was ripe for a Spanish response.

Fernando Arbex, ex-drummer with Los Estudiantes, put together a new group featuring the singers Juan Pardo and Antonio ‘Junior’ Morals, who had both had (separate and unsuccessful) stints as lead singer with Los Pekenikes (before that group switched to instrumentals). With two strong singers Los Brincos could emulate Lennon/McCartney style harmonies, and crucially they did it with original songs rather than covers. At first they hedged their bets, singing in both English and Spanish, but it was the Spanish songs that charmed the nation.

Now it had been shown that you could sing rock in Spanish and be successful other groups quickly followed suit, though few of them had the songwriting flair of Los Brincos.

The idea behind their breakthrough song was pretty simple: What would The Beatles sound like playing flamenco? It’s arguably the first ever attempt at flamenco rock, and despite not being particulary authentic it remains one of the most enjoyable. It appeared on their first LP in 1964.

FLAMENCO Si me preguntas a dónde voy y si tú quieres saber quién soy piensa que es fácil de adivinar que yo soy yo, oh oh, oh oh oh oh Si te preocupa mi por venir no puedes dejar de pensar en mí no lograrás hacerme cambiar: soy como soy, oh oh, oh oh oh oh Aaa, aaa, aaa, aaa Hey, hey , hey hey Piénsalo bien y decídete, no tengo tiempo para perder, pronto mi novia tú vas a ser, lo digo yo , oh oh, oh oh oh oh Nunca jamás te arrepentirás porque si buscas felicidad solo a mi lado la encontrarás lo digo yo, oh oh, oh oh oh oh.

FLAMENCO If you ask me where I’m going And if you want to know who I am Realise that it’s easy to guess That I’m me oh oh, oh oh oh oh If you’re worried about me coming You can’t stop thinking about me You won’t manage to make me change I’m how I am oh oh, oh oh oh oh Aaa, aaa, aaa, aaa Hey, hey , hey hey Think about it carefully and make up your mind I don’t have time to waste You’re going to be my girlfriend soon That’s what I say oh oh, oh oh oh oh You’ll never ever regret it Because if you’re looking for happiness You’ll only find it by my side That’s what I say oh oh, oh oh oh oh

*

CHORDS / ACORDES

Intro: Dm – C – Bb 

Verse: A – Bb(#11) (repeat)

Bridge: Dm – C – Bb – A
Coda: A – Bb – B – C – B – Bb – A

BORRACHO By LOS BRINCOS

Another track from the Brincos (released in 1965). They were an important group because they showed that writing original songs in Spanish (rather than translating UK and US hits) was the way forward for Spanish rock.

BORRACHO * Borracho! ¿Borracho yo? Tururú * Quiero estar borracho otra vez, Otra vez, otra vez. A ver si así dejo de beber De una vez. * Porque si estoy borracho, Me olvidaré de ti Así, así, así, así * No quiero estar borracho otra vez, Otra vez, otra vez. Porque te veo doble Y no está bién, No está bién. * No quiero estar borracho, Quiero vivir feliz Así, así, así, así. * Oiga joven, Otra copita por favor Y que conste que no estoy borracho Estoy un poquito alegre, hip * No quiero estar borracho…

DRUNK * Drunk! I’m drunk? You must be joking! * I want to get drunk again, Again, again. We’ll see if I stop drinking Some time. * Because if I’m drunk I‘ll forget you This way… * I don’t want to be drunk again, Again, again. Because I see you double And it’s not good It’s not good * I don’t want to be drunk I want to live a happy life, Like this… * Excuse me young man, Another glass please I’m quite sure I’m not drunk I’m just a little bit happy (hic) * I don’t want to be drunk…

*

 

GUITAR CHORDS:
Chorus: B – E – B – G# – B – E – B
Bridge: G# - C#m – B – E – A – Cm – A – B
*
GRAMMAR:
Querer + Infinitive - To Want

RENACERÁ by LOS BRINCOS

Another song by Los Brincos. Their songs usually have relatively simple lyrics, so are a good place to start if your Spanish is basic. Renacerá (‘It Will Be Reborn’) is from 1966.

RENACERÁ * Mi amor está lejos de aquí No sé por qué se fue de mí Pero algún día volverá Y lo pasado pasará Todo de nuevo entre los dos Renacerá… * Mi corazón llora por tí No sabes tú lo que sufrí Pero algún día volverás Y lo pasado pasará Todo de nuevo entre los dos Renacerá…

IT WILL BE REBORN * My love is far away I don’t know why she left me But someday she will return And the past will pass Everything new between us It will be reborn…. * My heart cries for you You don’t know how I suffered But someday you will return And the past will pass Everything new between us It will be reborn….

*

GUITAR CHORDS:

Verse: B – E – B – B – B – E – B – B

Chorus: E – F# – B – G#m – E – F# – E – B

*

GRAMMAR:

Nacer: To be born

Renacer: To be reborn

Renacerá: It will be reborn (our love)