"Nous les amoureux" (; "We, the Lovers" or "Us Lovers") was the winning

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

of the

Eurovision Song Contest 1961 The Eurovision Song Contest 1961 was the 6th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Once again, the contest was held in the French seaside city of Cannes, having also hosted the . Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and ho ...

, performed in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

for by

singer

Jean-Claude Pascal Jean-Claude Villeminot (24 October 1927 – 5 May 1992), better known as Jean-Claude Pascal (), was a French comedian, actor, singer and writer. Early life He was born in Paris into a family of wealthy textile manufacturers. His mother, ...

. The song was performed fourteenth on the night (following 's

Dario Campeotto Dario Campeotto (born 1 February 1939) is a Danish-Italian singer, actor, and entertainer. He was born in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen to Italian parents, Emma and Ernesto Campeotto. He started performing at the age of ten, but his breakthrough was a ...

with " Angelique" and preceding the 's

The Allisons The Allisons were an English pop duo consisting of Bob Day (born Bernard Colin Day; 2 February 1941 – 25 November 2013) and John Alford (born Brian Henry John Alford, 31 December 1939). They were marketed as being brothers, using the surname o ...

with " Are You Sure?"). By the close of voting, it had received 31 points, placing it first in a field of 16 and thus helping Luxembourg to achieve the rare feat of moving from last to first in successive years. The song tells the story of a thwarted love between the singer and his lover ("they would like to separate us, they would like to hinder us / from being happy"). The lyrics go on about how the relationship is rejected by others but will finally be possible ("but the time will come. ..and I will be able to love you without anybody in town talking about it. .. odgave us the right to happiness and joy."). Later, Pascal explained that the song was about a

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

relationship and the difficulties it faced. As this topic would have been considered controversial in the early

1960s File:1960s montage.png, Clockwise from top left: U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; the Beatles led the British Invasion of the U.S. music market; a half-a-million people participate in the 1969 Woodstock Festival; Neil Armstrong and Buzz ...

, the lyrics are ambiguous and do not refer to the lovers'

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...

. This allowed hiding the song's actual message, which was not understood in this way by the general public at the time. Due to the contest overrunning in time, the reprise of this song was not shown in the UK. The UK's coverage ended shortly after the voting had finished and the winning song was declared. The song was succeeded as contest winner in by

Isabelle Aubret Isabelle Aubret (; born Thérèse Coquerelle; 27 July 1938) is a French singer best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962 with the song "Un premier amour". Early life Thérèse Coquerelle was born in Lille, France, on 27 July ...

singing "

Un premier amour "Un premier amour" (; "A First Love") was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1962, sung in French by Isabelle Aubret representing . The song was performed ninth on the night, following the ' De Spelbrekers with " Katinka" and prece ...

" for . It was succeeded as Luxembourgish representative that year by

Camillo Felgen Camillo Jean Nicolas Felgen (17 November 1920 – 16 July 2005) was a Luxembourgish singer, lyricist, disc jockey, and television presenter, who represented Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 1960 and in 1962. Biography Felgen started ...

with "

Petit bonhomme The Eurovision Song Contest 1962 was the 7th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, following the country's victory at the with the song "Nous les amoureux" by Jean-Claude Pascal. The contes ...

". The song was also featured on Season 2, Episode 6 of '' A Very Secret Service''.

Sources and external links

Official Eurovision Song Contest site, history by year, 1961.

Detailed info and lyrics, The Diggiloo Thrush, "Nous les amoureux".
Specific {{authority control Eurovision songs of Luxembourg Eurovision songs of 1961 Eurovision Song Contest winning songs His Master's Voice singles 1961 songs LGBT-related songs