"Merci, Chérie" (; "Thank you, darling") is a song composed and recorded by Austrian singer

Udo Jürgens Jürgen Udo Bockelmann (30 September 1934 – 21 December 2014), generally known as Udo Jürgens, was an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spanned over 50 years. He won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 for Austria, ...

with lyrics by himself and Thomas Hörbiger. It in the

Eurovision Song Contest 1966 The Eurovision Song Contest 1966 was the 11th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, following the country's victory at the with the song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" by France Gall. Organised ...

, held in

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

, resulting in the country's first ever win at the contest.

Background

Conception

"Merci, Chérie" was composed by

with lyrics by himself and Thomas Hörbiger. It is an earnest

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

in which the singer, as he leaves her, thanks his lover for good times and positive memories. In addition to the original German version with phrases in French, Jürgens recorded the song fully in French, English, Japanese –, "Merushī sherī"–, Italian –with lyrics by Vito Pallavicini–, and Spanish –with lyrics by Arturo Kaps-Schönfeld–.

Eurovision

(ORF) internally selected "Merci, Chérie" as for the of the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

. On 5 March 1966, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at Villa Louvigny in

hosted by the (CLT), and broadcast live throughout the continent. Jürgens performed "Merci, Chérie" ninth on the evening, following 's " Ele e ela" by

Madalena Iglésias Madalena Iglésias (24 October 1939 – 16 January 2018) was a Portuguese actress and singer. She represented Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966, Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 1966, with the song "Ele e ela". Biography Mada ...

and preceding 's " Nygammal vals" by Lill Lindfors and Svante Thuresson. conducted the event's orchestra in the performance of the Austrian entry. At the close of voting, "Merci, Chérie" received 31 points, securing it first place at the head of an eighteen-entry field. This was the first time that Austria won Eurovision and the only time until when Rise Like a Phoenix" by

Conchita Wurst Thomas Neuwirth (born 6 November 1988) is an Austrian singer, fashion designer, human rights activist and drag queen who is known for his stage persona Conchita Wurst (or simply Conchita). He came to international attention after winning the Euro ...

won. the song is one of only two winning entries sung mostly or entirely in German –the other was 's " Ein bißchen Frieden" by Nicole representing –. Jürgens was the last solo male pianist to win the contest until

Duncan Laurence Duncan de Moor (; born 11 April 1994), known professionally as Duncan Laurence, is a Dutch singer and songwriter. He represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with his song " Arcade" and went on to win the competition, g ...

won in with " Arcade". The song was succeeded as contest winner in by " Puppet on a String" by Sandie Shaw for the , and as the Austrian entry in that year by " Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt" by .

Aftermath

Jürgens performed his song in the Eurovision twenty-fifth anniversary show '' Songs of Europe'' held on 22 August 1981 in

Mysen Mysen is the administrative center of the municipalities of Norway, municipality of Eidsberg in the counties of Norway, county of Østfold in Norway. The town is named after the old farm of Mysen (Old Norse, Norse ''Mysin'', from ''*Mosvin''), si ...

. The opening act of the

Eurovision Song Contest 2015 The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was the 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Vienna, Austria, following the country's victory at the with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst. Organised by the European Broa ...

grand final held in Vienna features violinist Lidia Baich, winner of the Eurovision Young Musicians 1998, performing live on stage an excerpt of "Merci, Chérie" in tribute to Jürgens.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Legacy

* The song was covered by English singer Vince Hill. Baker Cavendish wrote the English lyrics, with musical arrangement by Johnny Arthey. Released on EMI Columbia, Hill reached number 36 on the UK Singles Chart with it in June 1966. * English singer

Matt Monro Matt Monro (born Terence Edward Parsons; 1 December 1930 – 7 February 1985) was an English singer. Known as "The Man with the Golden Voice", he performed internationally during his 30-year career and sold a reported 23 million records. AllMus ...

(who had competed against Jürgens in the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest and who had a major hit with the English version of " Warum nur, warum?") included his recording of the English version on his 1966 album ''This Is the Life'', releasing the track as a single that failed to chart. * Portuguese singer Isabel Fontes included his recording of the portuguese version on his 1966 EP ''Eurovision 1966'', including versions also of "Merci Cherie", "Dio, como ti amo" and "Yo soy aquel". * Gunnar Wiklund with Nisse Hansén's orchestra recorded it for the Swedish market in 1966. Al Sundström wrote the Swedish lyrics but kept the French title. The song was released on the EP ''Sjunger Eurovisionsschlager 1966'' on

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

. * In 1967,

Bent Fabric Bent Fabricius-Bjerre (7 December 1924 – 28 July 2020), better known internationally as Bent Fabric, was a Danish pianist and composer. Biography Bent Fabricius-Bjerre was born in Frederiksberg, Denmark. He started a jazz ensemble after ...

released an instrumental version of the song on his album ''Operation Lovebirds''. * In 2007, American pop star

Belinda Carlisle Belinda Jo Carlisle ( ; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer and songwriter. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female rock bands of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a sol ...

recorded a French version of the song and included it on her album of standards, ''Voila''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Merci, Cherie 1966 songs 1966 singles Songs about parting Eurovision songs of Austria Eurovision songs of 1966 Songs written by Udo Jürgens Eurovision Song Contest-winning songs Disques Vogue singles 1966 in Austria Matt Monro songs Vince Hill songs