Un jour, un enfant
{{Short description|1969 song by Frida Boccara}}
{{Infobox song
| name = {{lang|fr|Un jour, un enfant|italic=no}}
| cover = Frida Boccara - Un jour, un enfant.jpg
| caption = Album cover
| type = single
| album = {{lang|fr|Un jour, un enfant}}
| language = French
| artist = Frida Boccara
| B-side = Belle Du Luxembourg
| genre = Ballad
| released = 1969
| length = 2:42
| label = Philips
| composer = Emil Stern
| lyricist = Eddy Marnay
| producer =
| misc = {{Infobox song contest entry | embed=yes
| song = {{flagicon|France}} "Un jour, un enfant"
| year = 1969
| country = France
| artist = Frida Boccara
| as =
| language = French
| languages =
| composer = Emil Stern
| lyricist = Eddy Marnay
| conductor = Franck Pourcel
| place = 1st
| points = 18
| prev = La source
| prev_link = La source (song)
| next = Marie-Blanche
| next_link = Marie-Blanche
}}
{{External music video|header=Official performance video|{{YouTube|27YMkBlba68|"Un jour, un enfant"}}}}
}}
"{{lang|fr|Un jour, un enfant|italic=no}}" ({{IPA|fr|œ̃ ʒuʁ œ̃n‿ɑ̃fɑ̃}}; "A Day, a Child") is a song recorded by French singer Frida Boccara, with music composed by Emil Stern and lyrics by Eddy Marnay. It {{esccnty|France|t=represented France}} in the Eurovision Song Contest 1969 held in Madrid, and became one of the four winning songs.
Boccara recorded the song in five languages: French, English, German, Spanish, and Italian.
Background
=Conception=
"{{lang|fr|Un jour, un enfant|italic=no}}" was written by composer Emil Stern and lyricist Eddy Marnay. The song is a classical ballad, describing the wonders of the world as seen by a child.
Boccara recorded the song in five languages: French, English –as "Through the Eyes of a Child"–, German –"Es schlägt ein Herz für dich", translated: "A Heart Beats for You"–, Spanish –"Un día, un niño", translated: "A Day, a Child"–, and Italian –"Canzone di un amore perduto", translated: "Song of a Lost Love"–.{{Cite web |title=Un jour, un enfant - lyrics|url=http://www.diggiloo.net/?1969fr |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=The Diggiloo Thrush}}
=Eurovision=
The {{lang|fr|Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française|italic=no}} (ORTF) internally selected the song as {{esccnty|France|t=its entrant}} for the {{escyr|1969||14th edition}} of the Eurovision Song Contest.{{cite web|url=https://eurovisionworld.com/national/1969|title=National Selections: 1969|website=eurovisionworld}}
On 29 March 1969, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the Teatro Real in Madrid hosted by {{lang|es|Televisión Española|i=no}} (TVE), and broadcast live throughout the continent. Boccara performed "{{lang|fr|Un jour, un enfant|italic=no}}" fourteenth on the night, following {{esccnty|Germany|y=1969}}'s "Primaballerina" by Siw Malmkvist and preceding {{esccnty|Portugal|y=1969}}'s "Desfolhada portuguesa" by Simone de Oliveira. Franck Pourcel conducted the live orchestra in the performance of the French entry.{{Cite episode|title=Eurovision Song Contest 1969|episode-link=Eurovision Song Contest 1969|series=Eurovision Song Contest|series-link=Eurovision Song Contest|network=TVE / EBU|date=29 March 1969}}
At the close of voting, the song had received 18 points, the same number of points as {{esccnty|Spain|y=1969}}'s "{{lang|es|Vivo cantando|italic=no}}" by Salomé, the {{esccnty|United Kingdom|y=1969}}'s "Boom Bang-a-Bang" by Lulu, and the {{esccnty|Netherlands|y=1969}}'s "De troubadour" by Lenny Kuhr. As there was no tiebreaker rule in place at the time, all four countries were declared joint winners.{{cite web|url=https://eurovision.tv/event/madrid-1969|title=Official Eurovision Song Contest 1969 site|website=Eurovision Song Contest}}{{Cite journal |last=Gleyze |first=Jean-François |date=2011-01-10 |title=L'impact du voisinage géographique des pays dans l'attribution des votes au Concours Eurovision de la Chanson |journal=Cybergeo |doi=10.4000/cybergeo.23451 |issn=1278-3366|doi-access=free }}
The song was succeeded as (joint) contest winner in {{escyr|1970}} by {{esccnty|Ireland|y=1970}}'s "All Kinds of Everything" by Dana. It was succeeded as French representative that year by "Marie-Blanche" by Guy Bonnet.
= Aftermath =
"{{lang|fr|Un jour, un enfant|italic=no}}" was included in Boccara's first studio album of the same name.{{Cite AV media notes|title=Un jour, un enfant|others=Frida Boccara|date=1969|publisher=Philips Records|id=844.949 BY}} Boccara performed her song in the Eurovision twenty-fifth anniversary show Songs of Europe held on 22 August 1981 in Mysen.{{Cite episode|title=Songs of Europe|episode-link=Songs of Europe (1981 concert)|series=Eurovision Song Contest|series-link=Eurovision Song Contest|network=NRK / EBU|date=22 August 1981}}
Chart history
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
| scope="col"| Chart (1969)
!scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{Single chart|Wallonia|24|artist=Frida Boccara|song=Un jour, un enfant|rowheader=true}} |
Legacy
=Cover versions=
- ABBA's Agnetha Fältskog covered the song in Swedish on her 1970 solo album Som jag är, under the title "Sov gott, min lilla vän" (translated: "Sleep Well, My Little Friend").
- An instrumental version of the song by Paul Mauriat was used as a theme for the Philippine television drama anthology Lovingly Yours, Helen in 1981.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Discogs master|574993|"Un jour, un enfant"|type=single}}
{{s-start}}
{{succession box|
before="La, la, la" by Massiel|
title=Eurovision Song Contest winners
co-winner with "De troubadour" by Lenny Kuhr, "{{lang|es|Vivo cantando}}" by Salomé and "Boom Bang-a-Bang" by Lulu|
after="All Kinds of Everything" by Dana|
years= {{escyr|1969}}|
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Eurovision Song Contest 1969}}
{{France in the Eurovision Song Contest}}
{{List of Eurovision Song Contest winners}}
{{Songs of Europe (Eurovision)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jour, un enfant}}
Category:Eurovision songs of France
Category:Eurovision songs of 1969
Category:Songs written by Eddy Marnay
Category:Eurovision Song Contest-winning songs