News - Anne Marie David: I was asked to represent France this year! | Eurovision Song Contest News - Azerbaijan 2012 

In an exclusive interview, Eurovision Song Contest 1973 winner, Anne Marie David shares with us a treasure of new information that has never seen the light before. The artist spoke about her two participations so far, about the contest and the way it has evolved since those days, about her project with girl band Caprice and so much more..... Anne Marie David won the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg and then achieved one more top three placing for her homeland France in 1979. Read on and meet Anne Marie David, the winner, the artist and the woman.

What has Anne Marie David been up to lately?

Eurovision of course!

Now, I let's go back to the years 1973 and 1979. Tell us how you decided to participate in this competition? How did you come to choose Tu te reconnaitras and Je suis l'enfant soleil?

In April 1972 I was playing Mary Magdalene part in Jesus Christ Superstar. At the end of the show, Monique Lemarcis and Roger Kreicher from RTL Radio in Paris came to me and were enthusiastic towards my stage performance.

They asked me if I wanted to represent Luxemburg in 1973. I said Yes and there it was! I received about 200 songs and we decided at that time that amongst all of them I had to choose 10 songs that were my favorites. Then we recorded demos of these 10 songs with my voice. Later together with a large committee, composed of members of my record company (Epic/CBS) RTL, my manager and me, we listened to the recordings. Two songs came first, Lui and Tu te reconnaitras. In the end, as I was the one to be the interpreter, I chose Tu te reconnaitras. Je suis l'enfant soleil was proposed the same way, amongst many others but I was the only one to decide at that time. My producer, Claude Pascal collected songs for me.

Do you have a special moment from the Eurovision Song Contest 1973 and 1979 which you would like to share with us?

I often say that because of the Israeli participation in 1973, security was at its paroxysm. So,for us performers, to enter our rooms it was a real problem. But the worse thing was when the waiter coming two days before the show with my breakfast on a tray, missed the step and threw all the coffee, marmelade etc...on my stage costume (yellow at that time!). So I had to go to Luxemburg in the shops to find urgently a new costume without knowing what it could be or how it could be. And because of security problems, I was driven to buy my costume by INTERPOL with 2 police motobikes in front of the minibus, 2 behind the minibus and 2 policemen from interpol with guns inside the minibus. And all that for .....my red dress.

In 1979, as I was singing in Jerusalem, security was at its top level, you can imagine! I had received lots of gifts from Israeli people but all of them were opened, checked, and sometimes broken just to see if there was a bomb or something inside the gift.

But what impressed me most was when I visited Le Mont des Oliviers. Outside the garden there was a big mess, sellers of all kinds, camels, etc... and all of a sudden, when I entered the garden, it was so calm, so peaceful, so silent and all that without any wall around it. That made an impression on me which lasted for the rest of my life.

What were your favourites for 1973 and 1979 contest during rehearsals?

In 73 I was impressed by those who came immediately after me Cliff Richard - Mocedades - Illanit - and Massimo Ranieri.

Did you expect to win before 1973 contest?

When I take part in a contest I always expect to win. It's the main rule and the best way to win!

Did you continue following the Eurovision Song Contest after your participation?

Yes, up to the 80's, but afterwards it was too different of what I expected it to be and there came a time when it was too difficult for me to follow a competition in which rules change almost every year, where suspicion of voting can appear, and now comes the televoting which means that money can buy millions of votes.

In the 70's, I like to remember that we could see the jury and see if their votes could be suspicious! Now anything can happen , and if you add that to the fact that it's impossible to vote honestly between a nice show girl or guy, and a simple interpreter (you can like both but you have only one vote to give!) ridiculous has reached the top! I really think that we will reach a point where it will be an obligation to create two Eurovision contests just to be honest. Who can pretend that ABBA are better than Celine Dion? I love them both and I have only one vote! Nothing is comparable.....But it's a dream!

What does Eurovision mean for Anne Marie David?

A big chance for  young artists to convince the world of their talent.....

Do you think it contributed to your career in those days? In which countries did you work after the contest?

Of course, even if I had started to be famous in many countries before, because of Jesus Christ Superstar. After the contest, I worked all over the world except the American continent and middle and south Africa!

After an 11 year televoting period, the EBU decided to change the system to 50% jury voting and 50% televoting in the final. How do you find this decision?

Stupid! Be sure that with money the balance between televoting and jury will not be restored this way. I really think that the best would be to return to a visible real jury. It would reassure all viewers that there is transparency as far as the voting is concerned.

What is your opinion about the Big 4?

I don't really know what to think of something which is the result of the increasing of participating countries. I don't appreciate the fact that countries like Belgium, Luxemburg, or others who have been taking part in this prestigious competition from the start and have made it famous for years, are nowadays in a position of selection, with the risk of "cooperation votes" from eastern countries in order to eliminate potential rivals! For me it's absolutely unfair towards them. And at the end, you see the result, supremacy of eastern countries' participation! I think we organise our own elimination of the contest.

How would you rate Eurovision Song Contest as far as musical quality in concerned?

Much lower quality every year because of all reasons that I described, but still I dream of changes that would again restore the original rules that worked very well in the past...

What are your favourite songs in the Eurovision Song Contest history?

More or less all songs interest me, winning or not, as long as they have good lyrics, music, rythm and when they are well defended. So you see, there's a wide range!

What do you think about the bad placings France has had recently?

I really think that for years the best way to avoid organising it is to send a no chance competitor....France seems to be in this state of mind for several years, otherwise, how is it possible to be for years in the 5 best places, have so many first places and, suddenly, be so bad. Have all composers, writers, interpreters disappeared? Are they all dead? Don't we have in the selection commitee the right person at the right place? All these questions can be answered I guess...But for this year, the main problem has been that the rules fixed in 2008 by Mr de Carolis (France Televisions) himself concerning the French selection and entry in 2009 has not been respected creating a real suspicion today. So wait and see!

Would you like to represent France in Eurovision once more?

I've been asked this year to represent France with the song Sois chosen by internet amongst 200 ...I would have loved to say yes, because I love challenges and I know that it would never (even if I didn't win) change the fact that I've won once and been 3rd after. But I really believe that it's no more my place. My place is beside young artists to help them with my experience, prepare them, coach them and love them....So did I, coaching Caprice who expected to be chosen to represent France this year ...but as I told you.......France 3 has changed the rules.....It makes me angry because nothing is worse than to be out of a competition, without having competed! The main questions will stay WHY and to the benefit of WHOM? In any case their record will be released and I have no doubt about the impact it will have in front of listeners (Already we have French - Spanish and English versions to be on the market).

How is the daily routine of Anne Marie David? Can you share with us?

As everybody, I wake up, have breakfast, play with Gipsy, my dog, and after that I spend time on the internet like now, go on my sites, rehearse my new songs ( I prepare a new album with new songs in several languages for the end of the year), I think of the celebration of my 40 years career with a show in Paris in 2011, I take care of Caprice's career, coach them, well..... all things that may be the daily routine of an artist.....

Please share with us your hobbies and phobias?

When I have time I love  riding on horses ( Andalusian and Portuguese), swimming, walking in the country, reading, netting, writing, going to cinema and theater etc.. I hate cooking but I cook well! I hate doing nothing for a long time, I hate to be with stupid people, hypocrisy, laziness, liars, and definitely people unable to assume their choices.....

Have you got a  message to Eurovision fans?

The main one for me is: Life is precious, love is precious but more than that the most important is to share them with those, sometimes very near you, who may feel lonely and forgotten by them....To give is the best way of receiving.

Esctoday.com would like to thank Mme Anne Marie David for this interview.