"" (; "I Live Singing") is a song recorded by Spanish singer Salomé with music composed by María José de Ceratto and lyrics written by Aniano Alcalde. It in the

Eurovision Song Contest 1969 The Eurovision Song Contest 1969 was the 14th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Madrid, Spain, following the country's victory at the with the song " La La La" by Massiel. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU ...

held in Madrid, and became one of the four joint winning songs and the second song from Spain –and last to date– to win. Salomé also recorded the song in Catalan, Basque, English, French, and Italian.

Background

Conception

"" was composed by María José de Ceratto with lyrics by Aniano Alcalde. It is a very

up-tempo A variety of musical terms is encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings ...

number, sung from the perspective of a woman telling her lover about the positive changes he has had on her, specifically that she now lives her life singing.

Eurovision

On 20–22 February 1969, "" performed by both Salomé and competed in the of the , the national final organized by (TVE) to select the song Salomé –who had already been internally selected– would perform in 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 ...

. The song won the competition so it became the for the contest. In addition to the Spanish language original version, Salomé recorded the song in another five languages to promote the candidacy: in Catalan as "Canto i vull viure", in Basque as "Kantari bizi naiz", in English as "The Feeling of Love", in French as "Alors je chante", and in Italian as "Vivo cantando". On 29 March 1969, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the

Teatro Real The Teatro Real () is an opera house in Madrid, Spain. Located at the Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace, and known colloquially as "''El Real''" (The Royal One). it is considered the top institution of the performing and musical arts ...

in Madrid hosted by TVE, and broadcast live throughout the continent. Salomé performed "" third on the night accompanied by Los Valldemossa –brothers Rafael, Tomeu, and Bernat Estaràs– as backing singers, following 's "Catherine" by

Romuald Romuald (; 951 – traditionally 19 June, c. 1025/27 AD) was the founder of the Camaldolese order and a major figure in the eleventh-century "Renaissance of hermit, eremitical asceticism".John Howe, "The Awesome Hermit: The Symbolic Signifi ...

and preceding 's "Maman, Maman" by Jean Jacques. Augusto Algueró –the event's musical director– conducted the live orchestra in the performance of the Spanish entry. Two memorable aspects of Salomé's performance were her costume –a blue pantsuit designed by Manuel Pertegaz covered in long strands of porcelain resembling beads that weighed –, and the fact that the singer chose to dance on the spot during certain parts of the song. Dancing was against the contest rules at the time; Salomé was not penalized, however, as the performers from Ireland and the United Kingdom had done the same that year as well. At the close of voting, the song had received 18 points, the same number of points as the 's "

Boom Bang-a-Bang "Boom Bang-a-Bang" is a song recorded by Scottish singer Lulu, with music composed by Alan Moorhouse and lyrics by Peter Warne. It in the Eurovision Song Contest 1969, held in Madrid, and became one of the four winning songs. It made No. 2 in t ...

" performed by

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...

, the ' "

De troubadour "De troubadour" ("The troubadour"), is a song recorded by Dutch singer Lenny Kuhr, with music composed by and lyrics by Kuhr herself. It in the Eurovision Song Contest 1969, held in Madrid, and became one of the four winning songs. Kuhr recor ...

" by

Lenny Kuhr Helena Hubertina Johanna "Lenny" Kuhr (born 22 February 1950) is a Dutch singer-songwriter. Career In 1967, she started a singing career in the Netherlands, performing songs in the French chanson tradition. In 1969, she represented the Neth ...

, and 's "

Un jour, un enfant "" (; "A Day, a Child") is a song recorded by French singer Frida Boccara, with music composed by Emil Stern and lyrics by Eddy Marnay. It in the Eurovision Song Contest 1969 held in Madrid, and became one of the four winning songs. Boccara ...

" by

Frida Boccara Danielle Frida Hélène Boccara (29 October 1940 – 1 August 1996) was a French singer of Italian descent, who performed and recorded in a number of languages, including French, Spanish, English, Italian, German, Dutch and Russian. Early ...

. As there was no tiebreaker rule in place at the time, all four countries were declared joint winners. "" was succeeded as a Spanish entry at the 1970 contest by "

Gwendolyne "Gwendolyne" (), sometimes spelt "Gwendoline", is a song written and recorded by Spanish singer Julio Iglesias. It in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970 held in Amsterdam, placing fourth. Iglesias released the song in five languages: Spanish, E ...

" by

Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top List of best-selling music artists, reco ...

Aftermath

"Vivo Cantando" was included in Salomé's studio album of the same name. On 14 February 1970, she guest performed the song at the final of the of the , the national final organized by TVE in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

to select the song and performer for the following Eurovision.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Legacy

Cover versions

* Israeli singer

Rika Zaraï Rika Zaraï (; 19 February 1938 – 23 December 2020) was a France, Franco-Israelis, Israeli singer and writer. Early life Rika Gozman (later Zarai) was born in Jerusalem. Her father came from Odessa (now Ukraine) in the Russian Empire, and he ...

released a cover of the French version, which spent three weeks at number one in the

French singles chart SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

from 16 August to 5 September 1969.

Other performances

* performed the song in the show ''Europasión'', aired on La 1 of Televisión Española on 21 May 2008 to choose by popular vote the best song that Spain has sent to Eurovision. *

Rosa López Rosa María López Cortés (born 14 January 1981) is a Spanish singer of various musical genres. She dabbled in music in her teens as the main vocalist for various groups in the province and city of Granada. In the 2000s, she gained fame as an ...

performed the song in the Eurovision sixtieth anniversary show ''

Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits ''Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits'' (also known as ''Eurovision's Greatest Hits'') was a live television concert programme organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and produced by the BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation (BB ...

'' held on 31 March 2015 in London.

Impersonations

Salomé performances singing "" were recreated several times in different talent shows: * In the eighth episode of the first season of '' Tu cara me suena'' aired on 16 November 2011 on Antena 3, impersonated Salomé singing "" replicating her performance at Eurovision. * In the sixteenth episode of the sixth season of ''Tu cara me suena'' aired on 2 February 2018 on Antena 3, impersonated Salomé singing "" replicating her performance at Eurovision. * In the opening number of the first episode of the twelfth season of aired on 4 April 2025 on ,

Àngel Llàcer Àngel Llàcer Pinós (born 16 January 1974 in Barcelona, Spain) is a Spanish actor, television presenter and drama teacher, known for being member of the jury of the Spanish reality show Tu cara me suena. He attended the Institut del Teatre, ...

impersonated Salomé singing "" dressed as her at Eurovision.

Notes

References

External links

* by Salomé * by Ana Kiro {{Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits Eurovision songs of 1969 Eurovision songs of Spain Songs in Spanish Eurovision Song Contest-winning songs 1969 songs