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J'aime la vie

"J'aime la vie" (French pronunciation: [ʒɛm(ə) la vi]; "I Love Life") is a song recorded by Belgian singer Sandra Kim, with music composed by Jean Paul Furnémont and Angelo Crisci, and lyrics by Marino Atria. It represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, held in Bergen, winning the contest. It is the only song from Belgium to win the contest, and Kim is the youngest ever Eurovision winner.

"J'aime la vie"
Single by Sandra Kim
from the album J'aime la vie
LanguageFrench
English title"Crazy of Life" (first version)
"J'aime la vie" (second version)
B-side"On n'oublie pas"
Released1986
GenreBubblegum pop[1]
Length3:00
LabelCarrere
Composer(s)
  • Jean Paul Furnémont
  • Angelo Crisci
Lyricist(s)Marino Atria
Producer(s)Marino Atria
Sandra Kim singles chronology
"Ami Ami"
(1985) 		"J'aime la vie"
(1986) 		"Tokyo Boy"
(1986)
Eurovision Song Contest 1986 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Sandra Caldarone
As
Language
Composer(s)
  • Jean Paul Furnémont
  • Angelo Crisci
Lyricist(s)
Marino Atria
Conductor
Jo Carlier
Finals performance
Final result
1st
Final points
176
Entry chronology
◄ "Laat me nu gaan" (1985)
"Soldiers of Love" (1987) ►
Official performance video
"J'aime la vie" on YouTube

The song was included on Kim's album J'aime la vie in 1986. As a single, it topped Belgium's singles chart for seven weeks and was the country's best-selling hit of 1986, and it also reached the top 20 in Austria, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden.

Background

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Conception

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"J'aime la vie" was written by composers Jean Paul Furnémont and Angelo Crisci, with lyrics by Marino Atria, and was recorded by Sandra Kim. Performed in French, the song is a positive one, dealing with the pleasure to be had in life.[2]

Kim, herself of Italian descent, also recorded it in Italian –with the same title as the original French, "J'aime la vie"–, and English –in two versions, the first "Crazy of Life", the second with the same title as the original French, "J'aime la vie"–.[2]

Selection

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On 2 March 1986, "J'aime la vie" performed by Kim competed in the national final organized by the Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF) to select their song and performer for the 31st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song won the competition so it became the Belgian entry for the contest.[3]

Music video

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A music video of the song was released where Kim sang the song with the common theme of "things she likes" intact throughout. In the video, she does many things which she finds enjoyable, which include partaking in physical education class, hanging out with friends, listening to her Walkman, buying a big ice cream cone, and performing a choreographed dance in an exercise studio.

The video was reconstructed scene by scene some 25 years later as a commercial for the insurancy company Delta Lloyd. The new and old videos were then shown side by side.[4]

Eurovision

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On 3 May 1986, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the Grieghallen in Bergen, Norway, hosted by Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), and broadcast live throughout the continent. Kim performed "J'aime la vie" thirteenth on the night, following Ireland's "You Can Count on Me" by Luv Bug and preceding Germany's "Über Die Brücke Geh'n" by Ingrid Peters. Jo Carlier conducted the live orchestra in the performance of the Belgian entry.[5]

At the close of voting, the song had received 176 points, finishing first in a field of twenty. The entry received points from every jury.[6] Although the lyrics describe the singer as being "fifteen", Kim was later proven to be only thirteen at the time of her performance. She thus remains the youngest ever Eurovision winner and one of the youngest-ever performers at the contest. Her record is unlikely to be challenged, as the Contest rules were changed to specify that performers must turn at least sixteen in the year that they perform. It was reported that the Swiss delegation, who had placed 2nd, petitioned to have the Belgian win nullified after Kim's age was revealed.[7]

"J'aime la vie" was succeeded as Belgian representative at the 1987 contest by "Soldiers of Love" by Liliane Saint-Pierre.

Aftermath

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In a 2006 interview, Kim was asked if she sings "J'aime la vie" "with pleasure" at concerts and events now, to which she responded, "Not always." She then said, "It's a little girl's song, with little girl's lyrics, with a young adolescent's atmosphere. Nowadays, singing 'J'aime la vie'... do you like life every day? Me neither."[8]

On 22 May 2021, the interval act "Rock the Roof" in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 grand final featured "J'aime la vie" performed by Sandra Kim.[9]

Track listing

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7-inch single

  1. "J'aime la vie" – 3:00
  2. "Ne m'oublie pas" – 4:39

Personnel

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"J'aime la vie"

  • Written by R. Marino-Atria/J.F. Furnemont-A. Crisci
  • Arranged by J.P. Lebens
  • Produced by Marino

"On n'oublie pas"

  • Written by R. Marino-Atria/J.F. Furnemont-A. Crisci-A. Bertrand
  • Engineered L. Tylgat

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[24] 2× Platinum 300,000[24]

Legacy

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"J'aime la vie" was covered by Pommelien Thijs as the character in Caroline Timmers in the Flemish TV series #LikeMe.

References

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  1. ^ Petridis, Alexis (May 11, 2023). "All 69 Eurovision song contest winners – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  2. ^ a b ""J'aime la vie" Detailed info and lyrics". The Diggiloo Thrush.
  3. ^ "Belgian National Final 1986". natfinals.50webs.com.
  4. ^ L'ADN (2011-06-14). "Delta Lloyd Life lance sa nouvelle campagne pension". L'ADN (in French). Archived from the original on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  5. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1986". Eurovision Song Contest. 3 May 1986. NRK / EBU.
  6. ^ "Official Eurovision Song Contest 1986 scoreboard". Eurovision Song Contest.
  7. ^ O'Connor, John Kennedy (2007). The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History. UK: Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3.
  8. ^ Video interview with 12points.be on YouTube
  9. ^ "Interval Act - Rock The Roof". Eurovision Song Contest.
  10. ^ "Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  12. ^ "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 26. 5 July 1986. p. 12. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 24, 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 28. 19 July 1986. p. 14. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  18. ^ "Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  20. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1986" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 of the Year 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51–52. 27 December 1986. p. 28-29. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 4 October 2021 – via American Radio History.
  22. ^ "Single top 100 over 1986" (PDF) (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  23. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  24. ^ a b Maes, Marc (April 11, 1987). "Is There Any New Talent In Belgium" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 15. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
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Preceded by Eurovision Song Contest winners
1986 		Succeeded by
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