Friday's French "music" break - Anggun, "Echo (You and I)"

Friday's French music break this week couldn't be anything other than...the country's entry to the annual jamboree that is the Eurovision Song Contest, "Echo (You and I)"

It'll be sung by Indonesian-born Anggun.

(screenshot from the official Eurovision preview)

The 38-year-old, who apparently has had widespread international success - according to her website, so it must be true - was chosen by the Powers that Be at France Television back in November to fly the tricolore, so-to-speak, at this year's contest.

Although most of the lyrics of "Echo (You and I)" are in French, the song also has a smattering of English.

But not too much to create a hoo-ha and there has been none of the "political furore" (heavens, it's just a cheesy "Songfest") that accompanied France's 2008 entry from Sébastien Tellier who was forced to change some of the lyrics to "Divine".

Tellier has originally planned to sing only in English, but eventually rejigged a couple of lines as a "wink to the French".

Following what last year's French representative Amaury Vassili called a "shitty 15th placed finish" when the 21-year-old bookmakers' favourite tried his best with the Corsican dialect "Sognu", what chance does Anggun have?

Well the lyrics are inane (when has that ever mattered?) and the tune dire. So it's an entry entirely in keeping with the contest's usual standard and should have the potential to do reasonably well.

Plus Anggun can "perform" as opposed to just sing - apparently. And let's face it, Eurovision is as much about being able to put on a show as it is the quality of the song.

(screenshot from the official Eurovision preview)

Judge for yourself what chances she has of bringing the competition to Paris next year by becoming the first person to win the whole shebang for France since Marie Myriam triumphed with "L'oiseau et l'enfant" back in 1977.

Here for your delectation are two videos of the song.

The first is of Anggun apparently in the studio giving her lungs an airing.

The second, the official Eurovision preview, sees her wearing the obligatory scantiest of costumes along with sometimes partially clad beefcake who like to iron in uniforms and occasionally wear gas masks..plus a cameo role for a pig.

Oh yes it's full of profound imagery.

Heaven help the organisers of the contest if all that lot show up on stage.





The final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest will be broadcast live from Azerbaijan capital Baku on Saturday evening.

Bring back Abba!