Tom Pillibi
Encyclopedia
"Tom Pillibi" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1960
, sung in French
by Jacqueline Boyer
. This was France
's second victory in the first five years of the Contest.
The song was performed thirteenth on the night (following Italy
's Renato Rascel
with "Romantica
"). At the close of voting, it had received 32 points, placing 1st in a field of 13.
The song is a moderately up-tempo number, with the singer talking about her lover - the title character. She describes his material wealth (two castles, ships, other women wanting to be with him) before admitting that he has "only one fault", that being that he is "such a liar" and that none of what she had previously said about him was true. Nonetheless, she sings, she still loves him.
In what would become increasingly the norm over Contest history, the English
version of the song, while still about the same man, conveyed quite a different impression. In this version, Tom is a compulsive womaniser and not to be trusted at all. Perhaps as a result of this, Des Mangan's book on Contest history confuses the issue further by describing the song as being about "A man with two castles and two boats and who's generally a right bastard, but she still loves him anyway." Boyer also recorded a German language
version of the song, under the same title.
The song was succeeded as Contest winner in 1961 by Jean-Claude Pascal
, singing "Nous les amoureux
" for Luxembourg
.
It was succeeded as French representative
at the 1961 Contest
by Jean-Paul Mauric
with "Printemps, avril carillonne
".
Eurovision Song Contest 1960
The Eurovision Song Contest 1960 was the fifth in the series, and was held on 29 March 1960 in London. France's win this year was their second in the contest....
, sung in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
by Jacqueline Boyer
Jacqueline Boyer
Jacqueline Boyer is a French singer and actress, the daughter of performers Jacques Pills and Lucienne Boyer....
. This was France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's second victory in the first five years of the Contest.
The song was performed thirteenth on the night (following Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
's Renato Rascel
Renato Rascel
Renato Ranucci, in art Renato Rascel was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1942 and 1972...
with "Romantica
Romantica (song)
"Romantica" was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1960, performed in Italian by Renato Rascel. The song was performed twelfth on the night, following Germany's Wyn Hoop with "Bonne nuit ma chérie" and preceding France's Jacqueline Boyer with "Tom Pillibi"...
"). At the close of voting, it had received 32 points, placing 1st in a field of 13.
The song is a moderately up-tempo number, with the singer talking about her lover - the title character. She describes his material wealth (two castles, ships, other women wanting to be with him) before admitting that he has "only one fault", that being that he is "such a liar" and that none of what she had previously said about him was true. Nonetheless, she sings, she still loves him.
In what would become increasingly the norm over Contest history, the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version of the song, while still about the same man, conveyed quite a different impression. In this version, Tom is a compulsive womaniser and not to be trusted at all. Perhaps as a result of this, Des Mangan's book on Contest history confuses the issue further by describing the song as being about "A man with two castles and two boats and who's generally a right bastard, but she still loves him anyway." Boyer also recorded a German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
version of the song, under the same title.
The song was succeeded as Contest winner in 1961 by Jean-Claude Pascal
Jean-Claude Pascal
Jean-Claude Pascal was a French comedian and singer.After surviving the Second World War in Straßburg, Pascal first studied at the Sorbonne-university and then turned to fashion-designing for Christian Dior...
, singing "Nous les amoureux
Nous Les Amoureux
"Nous les amoureux" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1961, performed in French for Luxembourg by French singer Jean-Claude Pascal....
" for Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
.
It was succeeded as French representative
France in the Eurovision Song Contest
France is one of the most successful countries in the Eurovision Song Contest and has entered the competition fifty-four times since their debut at the very first contest in 1956. France is one of only seven countries to be present at the very first contest, and has only been absent from two...
at the 1961 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1961
The Eurovision Song Contest 1961 was the sixth Eurovision Song Contest. A total of sixteen countries took part in the Contest, including the three debuting countries: Finland, Spain, and Yugoslavia. It was held on 18 March 1961 and was the first to take place on a Saturday night, a tradition that...
by Jean-Paul Mauric
Jean-Paul Mauric
Jean-Paul Mauric was a French singer, best known for his participation in the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest....
with "Printemps, avril carillonne
Printemps, Avril Carillonne
"Printemps, avril carillonne" was the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1961, performed in French by Jean-Paul Mauric....
".