Je suis l'enfant soleil
| "Je suis l'enfant soleil" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hubert Giraud | ||||
| Lyricist(s) | Eddy Marnay | |||
| Anne-Marie David singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Hé, hé M'sieurs dames" (1980) ► | ||||
"Je suis l'enfant soleil" (French pronunciation:
The song was written by
David also recorded the song in German and Italian, as "Sonnenkind" and "Ragazza sole" respectively.
Composition
The song is a dramatic chanson ballad, with David describing a youthful love affair with a stranger. The stranger is welcomed by the narrator's father and given lodging and work. Passion develops between the two: "every burning hot winter our love made the earth tremble", but one day men come for the stranger. "He tried to escape but it was too late, the trap was already closing around him" and he is taken away "with his hands above his head". The song ends with the protagonist calling for her lover's return.
At the Eurovision Song Contest
The song was performed eleventh on the night, following
It was succeeded as French representative at the
Critical reception
Critics' reviews of the song varied. The Reading Evening Post's Albert Watson wrote the song was "quite beautiful" and a favourite to win the contest.[1] Concurringly, Der Bund's television critic praised the song for offering the contest a true chanson.[2] In contrast, Russell Kyle of the Evening Times called it an "abysmal [commercial] failure", labelling the single "rubbish".[3]
Charts
The single sold over 100,000 copies in France.[4]
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (IFOP)[5] | 51 |
| France (Hit-parade RTL)[6] | 32 |
| France (Hit-parade RMC)[6] | 48 |
References
- ^ Watson, Albert (31 March 1979). "Will Europe be toasting Lace?". Reading Evening Post. p. 8. Retrieved 16 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Aufwendige TV-Musik - Das Chansonspektakel" [Extravagant TV Music - The Chanson Spectacle]. Der Bund (in German). Bern. 5 May 1979. p. 41. Retrieved 16 July 2023 – via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
- ^ Kyle, Russell (20 September 1979). "Mad-buy world of fierce competition". Evening Times. p. 16. Retrieved 16 July 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ "TOP 45 Tours - 1979" [TOP 45 RPM - 1979]. top-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Les Chansons Classées par leur meilleure Place (70's)" [Songs Ranked by their best Placement (70's)]. InfoDisc (in French). Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ a b "April 22, 1979". Charts singles Top 50 en France (in French). 1 August 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2023.