France in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981
France was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1981 with the song "Humanahum", composed by Jean-Paul Cara, with lyrics by Joe Gracy, and performed by Jean Gabilou. The French participating broadcaster, Télévision Française 1 (TF1), selected its entry through a national final.
Before Eurovision
Concours de la Chanson Française pour l'Eurovision 1981
Télévision Française 1 (TF1) held the national final on 8 March 1981 at its studios in Paris, hosted by television hostess Fabienne Égal. Six songs made it to the national final after two semi-final heats. The winner was decided by a random sampling of 1,086 television viewers who were contacted by TF1 and asked which song was their favorite.
The winning entry was "Humanahum", performed by Jean Gabilou and composed by Jean-Paul Cara with lyrics by Joe Gracy. Cara and Gracy also penned the 1977 Contest winner "L'oiseau et l'enfant". Gabilou, a Tahitian singer, was the first ever to represent France from one of its overseas territories.
The order of the songs presented on the night of the Contest vary from other published material.[1]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amour | "Un homme s'était levé" | 116 | 6 |
| 2 | Evelyne Geller | "Les yeux fermés" | 165 | 3 |
| 3 | Jean Gabilou | "Humanahum" | 273 | 1 |
| 4 | Frida Boccara | "Voilà comment je t'aime" | 159 | 4 |
| 5 | Jeff Barnel | "De visage en visage" | 131 | 5 |
| 6 | Jorge Rafael | "C'est un oiseau de papier" | 242 | 2 |
At Eurovision
Jean Gabilou performed ninth on the night of the contest, following Finland and preceding Spain. At the close of the voting the song had received 125 points, placing 3rd in a field of 20 competing countries.[2]
Voting
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References
- ^ Concours de la Chanson Française pour l'Eurovision 1981, pres. Fabienne Égal, 8 March 1981, TF1.
- ^ "Final of Dublin 1981". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Results of the Final of Dublin 1981". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.