Country France Language French | Artist(s) Alain Barrière Conductor Franck Pourcel | |
Composer(s) Alain Barrière, A. Migiani Lyricist(s) Alain Barrière, A. Migiani | ||
"Elle était si jolie" (English translation: "She Was So Pretty") was the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963, performed in French by Alain Barrière.
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The song was performed eleventh on the night (following Switzerland's Esther Ofarim with "T'en va pas" and preceding Spain's José Guardiola with "Algo prodigioso"). At the close of voting, it had received 25 points, placing 5th in a field of 16.
The song is a ballad, with Barrière reminiscing about a girl he used to know and how pretty she was. Her beauty was apparently so much that he could not love her. Barrière also recorded the song in German and Italian, as "Du gingst fort ohne Abschied" and "Era troppo carina" respectively. The song was well received in Latin America, particularly in Chile.
It was succeeded as French representative at the 1964 Contest by Rachel with "Le chant de Mallory".
Dragan Stojnić version
Dragan Stojnić, a Yugoslav chanson singer, released a cover version of the song in 1965 with lyrics in Serbocroatian language, entitled "Bila je tako lijepa". The song was released on the EP of the same name. This version was a great hit in all former Yugoslavia.
Pekinška Patka version
"Bila je tako lijepa", a cover version of the Dragan Stojnić version of the Alain Barrière song "Elle était si jolie", was the third and last single by the Serbian punk rock band Pekinška Patka, released in 1980.
Track listing
- "Bila je tako lijepa" (A. Barrière, B. Stojadinović, N. Čonkić) (3:24)
- "Bumba, rumba" (N. Čonkić, S. Kovačević) (2:24)