France at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was presented by singer Sebastien Tellier with the song Divine [2] . The performance of France was marked by the fact that this song was the first in the history of France's participation in contests performed in English.
| Eurovision Song Contest 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| the final | ||
| National selection | ||
| A country |  France | |
| Selected Artist | Sebastien Tellier | |
| Selected song | Divine | |
| Song language | English | |
| Composer (s) | Sebastien Tellier | |
| Poet (s) | Sebastien Tellier , Amandan de la Richardardier | |
| results | ||
| Final result | 19 [1] place, 47 points. | |
| Other participation | ||
Conduct: 1959 • 1961 • 1978 | ||
Contest Preparation
Selection
An internal selection in France for a singer to be nominated for Eurovision was held in February , and in March the candidate, Sebastien Tellier, a well-known multi-instrumentalist musician, was officially approved. The song, in his opinion, became the tribute of Beach Boys and Juicy Fruits (from the 1974 musical Phantom of the Paradise) [3] .
Criticism
France, since its debut at the 1956 Eurovision Song Contest, has always performed in French. Tellier, presenting the English text of the song, was about to become the first singer to sing in a language other than his own. This began to arouse the indignation of many viewers, although France Télévisions assured that the song could become more popular if it was performed in English. Supporters of the French language criticized the choice of France 3 and began to insistently demand the replacement of the song or its translation into French, saying that Sebastien undermined the authority of France. French MP Francois-Michel Gonno demanded on behalf of all French citizens to take measures and force Tellier to change his mind [4] .
In favor of the singer, his producer Mark Tessier du Cros spoke out, saying that no one would understand the French version of the song in Europe. Tellier himself made a small concession, adding several lines in French: Toi et moi, c'est comme tu sais, pour moi l'amour chante en français [5] . Sebastien claimed that he did not choose a song for Eurovision, as France 3 did it, and Sebastien was ready to write a song for the contest at the request of the delegation. As a result, the organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest refused the French representatives a request to change the lyrics.
As a result of the conflict, the right to choose songs for Eurovision was transferred to the SECAM copyright community in France.
Speech
France was released from the mandatory performance in the semifinals and reached the final automatically. She performed under the 19th number.
Sébastien Tellier performed with SGS backing vocalists (Soul & Gospel Singers): Falon Tayun, Shelia Masri, Abigel Deby, Stanislas Deby, Marie Jemali. All backing vocalists wore fake mustaches and beards, copying the singer’s image. The decision to include these backing vocalists was made at the last moment: Thelier was going to sing in fact and the chapel was only accompanied by the choir, which was prohibited by the rules. At the beginning of the performance, Tellier drove onto the stage on an electric golf car, and at one point he specially blew a helium ball, significantly increasing the timbre of his voice. The helium ball, according to the singer, personified the Earth.
Before the competition, experts disagreed. The author of the Eurovision-Kazakhstan Internet project Andrei Mikheev believed that the outcome of the performance depends entirely on the number, even despite good vocals and music [6] :
- Music: For some reason, comparisons beg for me with Bosnia of the same year ... But in general, of course, in the style of the 70s with the beginnings of electronics. 8/10
- Text: No comment.
- Vocals: Original vocals and vocal group. 8/10
- Bottom line: It all depends on the number. If the soloist simply mumbles into the microphone, surrounded by a backing vocal group and a keyboard player, then, of course, nothing will go anywhere. 7/10
The chairman of the Russian OGAE fan club, Anton Kulakov, noted Tellier’s good preparation for the performance and said that France has a chance to avoid failure at the competition [6] :
- Music: A very positive musical theme. Pleasant and successful. Quickly seizes up. 9/10
- Text: In general, love, transformations of consciousness and so on. No lindblomovschiny to you. 8/10
- Vocals: Vocals are pretty good. 8/10
- Bottom line: It is unlikely that the “success” of past years will be repeated. 9/10
Coincidentally, speaking under the 19th number, Tellier eventually took just 19th place, gaining 47 points.
The competition was commented on by French television presenter Julien Leper and fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier [7] .
Voting
France Points
Semifinal
| Final
|
| 12 points | 10 points | 8 points | 7 points | 6 points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||
| 5 points | 4 points | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
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Notes
- ↑ http://www.eurovision.tv/page/history/by-year/contest?event=1469
- ↑ eurovision.tv - "Sébastien Tellier to represent France"
- ↑ Eurovision Song Contest 2008 participant from France - Sebastien Tellier (Russian)
- ↑ French Eurovision participant angered politicians by singing in English (Russian)
- ↑ Eurovision 2008 Final - France - Sébastien Tellier - Divine (sings in French starting at 2:05) (English) (French)
- ↑ 1 2 ESCKAZ rating . Eurovision-Kazakhstan. - Evaluation of Eurovision 2008 participants, compilation of the ESCKAZ rating.
- ↑ Jean-Paul Gaultier to comment Eurovision final (link not available) . esctoday.com. Date of treatment April 27, 2008. Archived May 1, 2008.