Clé France

The EU Referendum campaigns started today with David Cameron and Boris Johnson et-al touring the country to gain support for each side. Our blog pages have become a bit 'heavy' recently so we are trying to lighten the mood with our translation of the Eurovision song entry from France, watch it tonight and sing along!

It’s May, and for many Europeans, it’s the return of something very important. Non, je ne parle pas du soleil (no, I’m not talking about the sun), but Eurovision!

Not familiar with it? Basically, every participating country submits a singer and song to represent them. From there, the songs are performed in 2 semi-finals and a final, then the vote is decided via a jury and the public. You can read more about how that works on the post I wrote about France’s 2015 submission.

Last year, France picked Lisa Angell who performed “N’oubliez pas” Unfortunately, the song wasn’t very successful, garnering only 4 votes. Yikes.

France seems to have a pattern of doing a fun and catchy pop song one year followed by a slower song the next. “N’oubliez pas” was slow, so that means this year’s is fun and catchy! And it really is…

Cette année (This year), France chose 31-year-old Israeli-French singer/songwriter Amir to perform in the contest in Stockholm. “J’ai cherché” (I’ve Been Looking) was written by Amir, Nazim Khaled, and Johan Errami.

Here are the results after the semi-finals.

The following 10 countries qualified from semi-final 1:

Azerbaijan

Russia

The Netherlands

Hungary

Croatia

Austria

Armenia

Czech Republic

Cyprus

Malta

The following 10 countries qualified from semi-final 2:

Latvia

Georgia

Bulgaria

Australia

Ukraine

Serbia

Poland

Israel

Lithuania

Belgium

You may have noticed that France isn’t listed as a qualifier. As per the contest rules, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Spain, and the host country all perform in the final because they are the biggest monetary contributors in the contest.

Translation of the song into English

Want to hear this year’s entry? tune in tonight and the song already has some English in it, but the translation published below is courtesy of Eurovision’s official page.

J’ai cherché un sens à mon existence

I was looking for a sense in my existence

J’y ai laissé mon innocence

I have lost my innocence in doing so

J’ai fini le cœur sans défense

I finished my heart without defence

J’ai cherché

I was looking for

L’amour et la reconnaissance

Love and recognition

J’ai payé le prix du silence

I paid the price of silence

Je me blesse et recommence

I hurt myself to start again

 

Tu m’as comme donné l’envie d’être moi

You gave me like the need to be me

Donné un sens à mes pourquoi

Gave a sense to my whys

Tu as tué la peur

You killed the fear

Qui dormait là, qui dormait là

Sleeping there, sleeping there

Dans mes bras

In my arms

 

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

You’re the one that’s making me strong

I’ll be looking, looking for

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

Like the melody of my song

 

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

You’re the one that’s making me strong

I’ll be looking, looking for

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

Like the melody of my song

 

J’ai cherché un sens,

I was looking for a sense

un point de repère

A point of reference

Partagé en deux hémisphères

Divided into two hemispheres

Comme une erreur de l’univers

Like an error of the universe

J’ai jeté tellement de bouteilles à la mer

I threw so many bottles into the sea

J’ai bu tant de liqueurs amères

I drank so many bitter liqueurs

Que j’en ai les lèvres de pierre

That I got lips of stone from it

 

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

You’re the one that’s making me strong

I’ll be looking, looking for

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

Like the melody of my song

 

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

You’re the one that’s making me strong

I’ll be looking, looking for

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

Like the melody of my song

 

Au gré de nos blessures

According to our injuries

Et de nos désinvoltures

And to our casualness

C’est quand on n’y croit plus du tout

It’s when you don’t believe in at all,

Qu’on trouve un Paradis perdu

That you will find a paradise lost

 

En nous-ou-ou-ou-ou

Within u-u-us

Oh, you, you, you, you

 

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

You’re the one that’s making me strong

I’ll be looking, looking, looking for

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

Like the melody of my song

Like the melody of my song

Repeat x 2 and fade.

Everybody sing!

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.