L'amour est bleu

"L'amour est bleu"
Eurovision Song Contest 1967 entry
Country	Luxembourg
Artist(s)	Vicky Leandros
As	Vicky
Language	French
Composer(s)	André Popp
Lyricist(s)	Pierre Cour
Conductor	Claude Denjean
Finals performance
Final result	4th
Final points	17
Appearance chronology
◄ "Ce soir je t'attendais" (1966)
"Nous vivrons d'amour" (1968) ►

"L'amour est bleu" (English title: "Love Is Blue") is a song whose music was composed by André Popp, and whose lyrics were written by Pierre Cour, in 1967. Brian Blackburn later wrote English-language lyrics for it. First performed in French by Greek singer Vicky Leandros (appearing as Vicky) as the Luxembourgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1967, it has since been recorded by many other musicians, most notably French orchestra leader Paul Mauriat, whose familiar instrumental version became the only number-one hit by a French artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 in America.

The song describes the pleasure and pain of love in terms of colours (blue and grey) and elements (water and wind). The English lyrics ("Blue, blue, my world is blue …") focus on colours only (blue, grey, red, green, and black), using them to describe elements of lost love. The English version by Vicky Leandros also appeared as "Colours of Love" in some locations including the UK.

Eurovision

The song was performed second during the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest. At the close of voting, it had received 17 points, placing 4th in a field of 17, behind "Il doit faire beau là-bas" (France), "If I Could Choose" (Ireland) and the winning song, "Puppet on a String" (United Kingdom). Some forty years after its original release, "L'amour est bleu", along with Domenico Modugno's "Nel blu dipinto di blu" (better known as "Volare") and Mocedades' "Eres tú", still counts as one of very few non-winning Eurovision entries ever to become a worldwide hit.

Greek-born Leandros recorded the song both in French and English, and had a modest hit in Europe with it, but in Japan and Canada she had a big hit with this song. She also recorded it in German (as "Blau wie das Meer"), Italian ("L'amore è blu") and Dutch ("Liefde is zacht") . The song has since become a favourite of Contest fans, most notably appearing as part of a medley introducing the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens, one of only three non-winning songs to be involved (the others being "Dschinghis Khan" and "Nel blu dipinto di blu").

It was succeeded as Luxembourgian representative at the 1968 Contest by Chris Baldo & Sophie Garel with "Nous vivrons d'amour". Vicky Leandros went on to win the Contest five years later with the song "Après toi", again representing Luxembourg.

Mauriat version

"Love Is Blue (L'Amour Est Bleu)"
Single by Paul Mauriat
from the album Le Grand Orchestre de Paul Mauriat - Volume 5
B-side	"Alone in the World (Seuls Au Monde)"
Released	January 1968[1]
Format	7"
Genre	Easy listening
Length	2:31
Label	Philips
Writer(s)	André Popp, Pierre Cour
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
Paul Mauriat singles chronology
"Puppet on a String" (1967) "Love Is Blue (L'Amour Est Bleu)" (1968) "Love in Every Room" (1968)

In late 1967, Paul Mauriat conducted an orchestral "easy listening" version that was a number-one hit in the USA for five weeks in February and March 1968, becoming the only performance by a French artist ever to top the Billboard Hot 100. Its five-week run at the top was second longest of any instrumental of the Hot 100 era next to 1960's "Theme from A Summer Place". It became a gold record. Not surprisingly, the song spent 11 weeks atop Billboard's Easy Listening survey, and held the longest-lasting title honours on this chart for 25 years. Billboard ranked the record as the No. 2 song for 1968.^[2] It is the best-known version of the song in the United States. The Mauriat recording also reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.

Mauriat's version was featured repeatedly in an episode of Chris Carter's television series Millennium titled "A Room with No View", which originally aired on 24 April 1998 on the Fox Network. During the episode, the omnipresent melody is used by a kidnapper to brainwash a group of youths.^[3] His version is also briefly heard in The Simpsons episodes "There's No Disgrace Like Home" and "The Blue and the Gray." It was played over the closing credits of Mad Men's sixth season episode "The Flood", that takes place during April 1968.^[4]

Other covers

• Al Martino's "Love is Blue" peaked at No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts in 1968, and was the title song of one of his 1968 albums.^[5]
• Jeff Beck recorded a "rock" interpretation of Mauriat's version in 1968. It reached No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart.^[6]
• Claudine Longet's "Love Is Blue (L'Amour Est Bleu)" peaked at No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.^[7]
• The Dells recorded a soul medley, "I Can Sing a Rainbow/Love Is Blue", which reached No. 22 in the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 in the Billboard R&B Singles charts in the US, and No. 15 in the UK charts, in 1969.^[8][9]
• Dorothy Ashby included the song in her 1969 album Dorothy's Harp.

Sources and external links

• Official Eurovision Song Contest site, history by year, 1967.
• Detailed info and lyrics, The Diggiloo Thrush, "L'amour est bleu".
• Chinese Oldies 懷舊金曲

References

1. Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 48 - Track 7" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu.
2. http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/songoftheyear/
3. millennium-thisiswhoweare.net/cmeacg/millennium_episode_music.php?id=40&mlm_code=220
4. http://www.tunefind.com/show/mad-men/season-6/14642
5. Al Martino: Awards, AllMusic
6. Jeff Beck: Singles, Official Charts Company
7. Claudine Longet: Awards, AllMusic
8. The Dells: Awards, AllMusic
9. Dells: Singles, Official Charts Company