| "Un banc, un arbre, une rue" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single bySéverine | |
| from the album Un banc, un arbre, une rue | |
| Language | French |
| B-side | "Viens" |
| Released | 1971 |
| Genre | Bubblegum pop[1] |
| Label | Philips |
| Composer | Jean-Pierre Bourtayre |
| Lyricist | Yves Dessca [fr] |
| Eurovision Song Contest 1971 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist | Josiane Grizeau |
| As | |
| Language | |
| Composer | Jean-Pierre Bourtayre |
| Lyricist | Yves Dessca |
| Conductor | |
| Finals performance | |
| Final result | 1st |
| Final points | 128 |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "Marlène" (1970) | |
| "Comme on s'aime" (1972) ► | |
"Un banc, un arbre, une rue" (French pronunciation:[œ̃bɑ̃œ̃n‿aʁbʁynʁy]; "A Bench, a Tree, a Street") is a song recorded by French singerSéverine, with music composed byJean-Pierre Bourtayre and French lyrics written byYves Dessca [fr]. Itrepresented Monaco in the1971 Eurovision Song Contest held inDublin, resulting in the country's only win in the contest.
"Un banc, un arbre, une rue" was composed byJean-Pierre Bourtayre with French lyrics byYves Dessca [fr]. It is a classic Frenchballad, with lyrics focusing on the loss of childhood innocence and people following their dreams. The opening lines of the chorus translate as "we all have a bench, a tree, a street / Where we cherished our dreams / a childhood that has been too short".Séverine recorded the song in four languages: French, English (as "Chance in Time"), German ("Mach' die Augen zu (und wünsch dir einen Traum)"), and Italian ("Il posto").[2]
Télé Monte-Carlo (TMC) internally selected "Un banc, un arbre, une rue" asits entry for the16th edition of theEurovision Song Contest.[3]
A promotional video was released showing Séverine singing the song in the empty square ofMonte Carlo. It depicts her walking to a bench, sitting while performing the middle verses, and then walking away out of focus at the end.[4]
On 3 April 1971, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at theGaiety Theatre inDublin, hosted byRTÉ and broadcast live throughout the continent. Séverine performed "Un banc, un arbre, une rue" third on the evening, accompanied by four teenage male backing singers. She followedMalta's "Marija l-Maltija" byJoe Grech and precededSwitzerland's "Les Illusions de nos vingt ans" byPeter, Sue & Marc.Jean-Claude Petit conducted the event's live orchestra for the Monegasque entry.[5]
By the close of voting, the song had received 128 points, placing it first out of eighteen entries and winning the contest. It received the then maximum score of 10 points from six voting nations. The song holds the record for receiving the most 10-point scores from this voting era.[6] It was succeeded as contest winner in1972 by "Après toi" byVicky Leandros forLuxembourg. It was succeeded as the Monegasque representative the following year by "Comme on s'aime" by Peter McLane and Anne-Marie Godart.
Séverine performed the song in the Eurovision twenty-fifth anniversary showSongs of Europe held on 22 August 1981 inMysen.[7]
Despite an English version existing, the original French version reached the UK Top 10, a rare non-Anglophone hit in that market.
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] | 3 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[9] | 1 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] | 10 |
| France (IFOP)[11] | 4 |
| Germany(Media Control) | 23 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[12] | 3 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[13] | 15 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[14] | 2 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] | 5 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[16] | 9 |
Paul Mauriat released an instrumental version of the song on his 1971 LP of the same title. His version was adapted in 1973 byTelevision Broadcasts Limited as the theme tune for theirMiss Hong Kong Pageant, and has since been familiar to generations of Hong Kong residents.[17] Also in 1971, Carola Standertskjöld recorded a Finnish version, "Penkki, puu ja puistotie".Siw Malmkvist recorded a Swedish version, "På en gammal bänk" ("On an old bench"). Kirsti Sparboe recorded a Norwegian version as "På en gammel benk" (On an old bench), andHeli Lääts and Liilia Vahtramäe recorded anEstonian version "Tänav, pink ja puu" ("A Street, a Bench and a Tree").
| Preceded by | Eurovision Song Contest winners 1971 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
