White and Black Blues
| "White and Black Blues" | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| Single by Joëlle Ursull | |||||
| from the album Black French | |||||
| B-side | "Instrumental" | ||||
| Released | 1990 | ||||
| Recorded | 1990, France | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 3:00 | ||||
| Label | CBS | ||||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Serge Gainsbourg | ||||
| Joëlle Ursull singles chronology | |||||
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"White and Black Blues" was the
Boum-Badaboum" for Minouche Barelli in 1967, which had finished fifth (and he had also composed "Comme un boomerang" for Dani to enter the 1975 Eurovision, but the song was rejected as some of its lyrics were deemed too violent; that song was released by Dani in 2001, 26 years later, as a duet with Étienne Daho
, and was a major success in France that year).
Background and writing
Composed by Georges Augier de Moussac with lyrics by Serge Gainsbourg, the song was originally titled "Black Lolita Blues", however Ursull, the first black woman to represent France at the Eurovision, declined to perform it due to the pejorative connotations of the word "Lolita".[1] The rewritten version met with her approval and has become something of a fan favourite.
The song itself deals with the need to overcome the prejudices of
skin colour. Ursull sings, "when someone talks to me about skin colour / I have the blues which sends shivers down my spine / I feel as if I'm in a tale by Edgar Allan Poe". That said, she does not believe in relinquishing her connection to Africa
entirely ("Africa, my love, I have you in my skin"), but admits that she faces difficulties in a white society ("we, the blacks / we're a few millions, a dime a dozen").
Musically, the song features an
phrase
, and the chorus with a more conventional eight triplets per phrase.
It was succeeded as French representative at the 1991 contest by Amina with "Le Dernier qui a parlé...".
Chart performance
"White and Black Blues" had a great success in France and was one of the summer hits of 1990. It debuted at number 47 on 26 May 1990 and reached number two seven weeks later, but was unable to top the chart, as
Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. In Sweden and Germany, the single achieved a minor success, peaking respectively at number 19 and number 86. It was also a top ten hit in Austria
.
On the
Eurochart Hot 100
, "White and Black Blues" debuted at number 76 on 16 June 1990, peaked at number nine in its seventh week, and totalled ten weeks in the top twenty and 23 weeks on the chart. It ranked number 30 on the European year-end chart. It was also much aired on radio, spending 12 weeks on the European Airplay Top 50 Chart with a peak at number 11 in its fourth week, and was number two on French both AM and PM airplay charts on 28 July 1990.
Track listings
- CD single
- "White and Black Blues" — 3:00
- "White and Black Blues" (instrumental) — 3:00
- 7" single
- "White and Black Blues" — 3:00
- "White and Black Blues" (instrumental) — 3:00
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
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Certifications
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External links
- Official Eurovision Song Contest site, history by year, 1990
- Detailed info & lyrics, The Diggiloo Thrush, "White and Black Blues".
References
- ^ "White and black blues". Diggiloo. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
- ^ "Joëlle Ursull – White and Black Blues" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 3 September 2021 – via World Radio History.
- OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 3 September 2021 – via World Radio History.
- OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 3 September 2021 – via World Radio History.
- Les classement single. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ ""White and Black Blues", German singles charts" (in German). Musicline. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
- ^ "Joëlle Ursull – White and Black Blues". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 15 January 2020 – via American Radio History.
- ^ "French single certifications – Joëlle Ursull – White and Black Blues" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 26 November 2021. Select JOËLLE URSULL and click OK.
