"Divine" is a

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

song by

Sébastien Tellier Sébastien Tellier (; born 22 February 1975) is a French singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest, France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with his song "Divine (Sébastien Tellier son ...

from his 2008 album ''

Sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

''. The song was produced by

Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo Guillaume Emmanuel "Guy-Manuel" de Homem-Christo (; born 8 February 1974) is a French musician. He is known as one half of the former French house music duo Daft Punk, along with Thomas Bangalter. He has produced several works from his now-def ...

and co-produced by Eric Chédeville. The song represented France in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2008 The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Belgrade, Serbia, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Marija Šerifović. Organised by the European Broadcasting Unio ...

Background

Tellier stated in an interview with '' Clash'', "This is about the old-fashioned, sexual ways of a Californian guy. It’s a tribute to

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

, but also to the ''

Phantom of the Paradise ''Phantom of the Paradise'' is a 1974 American rock musical comedy horror film written and directed by Brian De Palma and scored by and starring Paul Williams. A naïve young singer-songwriter, Winslow Leach ( William Finley), is tricked by ...

'' film by Brian De Palma"

Eurovision Song Contest 2008

The song represented at the

with lyrics in English, and a few verses in French. The fact that most of the song was sung in English caused some criticism, and was even brought up in the French parliament. Sébastien Tellier's performance was noted for entering the stage, driving a small golf buggy branded with the French Tricolour, and carrying a

helium Helium (from ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic, inert gas, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. Its boiling point is ...

-filled inflatable globe that he inhaled from. Also, the five backup singers wore sunglasses, wigs, and fake facial hair, to resemble Tellier. The song automatically qualified for the final of the contest due to France being a member of the Big 4. The final was held on 24 May 2008, where the song was performed 19th in the running order, following the 's

Ani Lorak Karolina Myroslavivna Kuiek (born 27 September 1978), better known as Ani Lorak, is a Ukrainian singer. Having been awarded the title of People's Artist of Ukraine (revoked in 2024https://www.president.gov.ua/news/34-zradniki-ukrayini-pozbav ...

with " Shady Lady" and preceding 's Elnur and Samir with " Day After Day". It received 47 points, placing 19th in a field of 25.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

Official Eurovision Song Contest site, history by year, 2008

Biography, Photo, Video
Eurovision songs of 2008 Eurovision songs of France Sébastien Tellier songs Macaronic songs English-language French songs Songs in French 2008 songs {{France-music-stub