"Gwendolyne" (), sometimes spelt "Gwendoline", is a song composed and recorded by

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

singer

Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...

, co-written by Leo Johns. It is best known as the entry at the

Eurovision Song Contest 1970 The Eurovision Song Contest 1970 was the 15th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest and took place in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), the ...

, held in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. The single was also one of the final records to be issued in the by then obsolete 78 RPM format, only being released in that format in Columbia.

Background

The song is a ballad, with both music and lyrics co-written by Iglesias himself, written about his first girlfriend, the titular Gwendolyne, a French girl whom he met at the age of 20 while still a law student and a goalkeeper for Spanish football team Real Madrid Castilla. In 1963, Iglesias was involved in a near-fatal car accident, which ended his football career, left him in rehabilitation for considerable time and indirectly led him to start learning the guitar, as a means of physical therapy. Iglesias began composing his own music; in 1968 he entered and won the

Benidorm International Song Festival The Benidorm International Song Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de la Canción de Benidorm), until 2004 simply Benidorm Song Festival ( es, Festival de la Canción de Benidorm, links=no), was an annual song contest held in the city of Benidor ...

with the song "La vida sigue igual" ("Life goes on the same way") and shortly thereafter he signed with the Spanish branch of Columbia Records. His participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in March 1970, held in Amsterdam, was his first major international TV appearance. "Gwendolyne" went on to become his first number 1 single in Spain and was also a modest commercial success in a few other countries in Europe and South America. His international breakthrough single "Un canto a Galicia" ("A song to Galicia") followed in 1972. Iglesias recorded "Gwendolyne" in five languages: Spanish,

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, French,

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and

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. The song was also the title track to his second Spanish studio album, released in 1970, and subsequently also included on his eponymous international debut album in 1972. The song reached number one in Spain.

Eurovision

The song was performed ninth on the night, following 's

David Alexandre Winter David Alexandre Winter (born Lion Kleerekoper; 4 April 1943) is a Dutch-born international pop singer. Winter found fame in Luxembourg and France. Early life Winter was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands into a Jewish family. Both he and his parent ...

with " Je suis tombé du ciel" and preceding 's Dominique Dussault with " Marlène". At the close of voting, it had received 8 points, placing 4th in a field of 12. It was succeeded as Spanish entry at the 1971 contest by Karina with " En un mundo nuevo".

References

{{authority control Eurovision songs of Spain Spanish-language songs Eurovision songs of 1970 Julio Iglesias songs Number-one singles in Spain 1970 songs Columbia Graphophone Company singles 1970 singles