J'aime la vie

Infobox ESC entry
song = flagicon|Belgium "J'aime la vie"


caption =
year = 1986
country = Belgium
artist = Sandra Caldarone
as = Sandra Kim
with =
language = French
languages =
composer = Jean Paul Furnémont
Angelo Crisci
lyricist = Rosario Marino
conductor = Jo Carlier
place = 1st
points = 176
place_semi =
points_semi =
lyrics = [http://www.diggiloo.net/?1986be from Diggiloo Thrush]
clip =
prev = "Laat Me Nu Gaan"
prev_link = Laat Me Nu Gaan
next = "Soldiers of Love"
next_link = Soldiers of Love

"J'aime la vie" (English translation: "I Love Life") was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, performed for Belgium by Sandra Kim. Belgium had finished the 1985 Contest in last place, and thus achieved the rare turnaround from last to first in the space of one year. The song also marks the only time to date that Belgium has won the Contest.

Performance

At Bergen, the song was performed thirteenth on the night (following Ireland's Luv Bug with "You Can Count On Me" and preceding Germany's Ingrid Peters with "Über Die Brücke Geh'n"). Its winning tally was 176 points, finishing first in a field of 20. The entry received points from every jury.

Performed in French, the song is a positive one, dealing with the pleasure to be had in life. During Preview Week, 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.

In the lyrics, Kim describes herself as being "fifteen", although she 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 16 in the year that they perform. According to author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor in his book "The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History", the Swiss (who had placed 2nd) petitioned to have the Belgian win nullified after Kim's age was revealed. [O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. 2007. ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3]

In a 2006 online interview with 12points.be, 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." [http://youtube.com/watch?v=6UZ_sM72OzI Video interview with 12points.be] ]

References