J'aime la vie

1986 single by Sandra Kim
"J'aime la vie"
Single by Sandra Kim
LanguageFrench
English title"Crazy of Life" (first version)
"J'aime la vie" (second version)
B-side"On n'oublie pas"
Released1986
Length3:00
LabelCarrere
Composer(s)
  • Jean Paul Furnémont
  • Angelo Crisci[1]
Lyricist(s)Marino Atria[1]
Producer(s)Marino Atria[1]
Sandra Kim singles chronology
"Ami Ami"
(1985) 		"J'aime la vie"
(1986) 		"Tokyo Boy"
(1986)
Eurovision Song Contest 1986 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Sandra Caldarone
As
Sandra Kim
Language
French
Composer(s)
  • Jean Paul Furnémont
  • Angelo Crisci
Lyricist(s)
Marino Atria
Conductor
Jo Carlier
Finals performance
Final result
1st
Final points
176
Entry chronology
◄ "Laat me nu gaan" (1985)
"Soldiers of Love" (1987) ►

"J'aime la vie" (French pronunciation: [ʒɛm(ə) la vi]; "I Love Life") was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, performed for Belgium by Sandra Kim. Belgium had finished the 1985 contest in last place, and thus achieved the rare turnaround from last to first in the space of one year. The song also marks the only time to date that Belgium has won the contest. The song was also included on Kim's album J'aime la vie in 1986. When released as a single, it topped Belgium's singles chart for seven weeks and was the country's best-selling hit of 1986, and it also reached the top 20 in Austria, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden.

Lyrics

Performed in French, the song is a positive one, dealing with the pleasure to be had in life.

Music video

During Preview Week, Kim sang the song with the common theme of "things she likes" intact throughout. In the video, she does many things which she finds enjoyable, which include partaking in physical education class, hanging out with friends, listening to her Walkman, buying a big ice cream cone, and performing a choreographed dance in an exercise studio.

The video was reconstructed scene by scene some 25 years later as a commercial for the insurancy company Delta Lloyd. The new and old videos were then shown side by side.[2]

Performance at the Eurovision Song Contest 1986

At Bergen, the song was performed thirteenth on the night, following Ireland's Luv Bug with "You Can Count on Me" and preceding Germany's Ingrid Peters with "Über Die Brücke Geh'n". Its winning tally was 176 points, finishing first in a field of 20. The entry received points from every jury.

In the lyrics, Kim describes herself as being "fifteen", although she was later proven to be only thirteen at the time of her performance. She thus remains the youngest ever Eurovision winner and one of the youngest-ever performers at the contest. Her record is unlikely to be challenged, as the Contest rules were changed to specify that performers must turn at least 16 in the year that they perform. According to author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor in his book The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History, the Swiss (who had placed 2nd) petitioned to have the Belgian win nullified after Kim's age was revealed.[3]

Kim, herself of Italian descent, also recorded her winning entry in Italian (with the same title as the original French, "J'aime la vie") and English (two versions, the first "Crazy of Life", the second with the same title as the original French, "J'aime la vie").

In a 2006 online interview with 12points.be, Kim was asked if she sings "J'aime la vie" "with pleasure" at concerts and events now, to which she responded, "Not always." She then said, "It's a little girl's song, with little girl's lyrics, with a young adolescent's atmosphere. Nowadays, singing 'J'aime la vie'... do you like life every day? Me neither."[4] She does however continue to perform the song, and in 2007 one of the performances was televised live on Norwegian TV.

"J'aime la vie" was succeeded as Belgian representative at the 1987 contest, held in Brussels, by Liliane Saint-Pierre performing "Soldiers of Love".

Track listing

7-inch single

  1. "J'aime la vie" – 3:00
  2. "Ne m'oublie pas" – 4:39

Personnel

"J'aime la vie"

  • Written by R. Marino-Atria/J.F. Furnemont-A. Crisci
  • Arranged by J.P. Lebens
  • Produced by Marino

"On n'oublie pas"

  • Written by R. Marino-Atria/J.F. Furnemont-A. Crisci-A. Bertrand
  • Engineered L. Tylgat

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1986) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[5] 6
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[1] 1
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[6] 16
France (SNEP)[7] 21
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8] 4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] 2
Portugal (AFP)[10] 3
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[11] 15
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] 29
West Germany (Official German Charts)[13] 50

Year-end charts

Chart (1986) Position
Belgium (Ultratop)[14] 1
Europe (European Hot 100)[15] 94
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] 51
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 55

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[18] 2× Platinum 300,000[18]

Popular culture

"J'aime la vie" was covered by Pommelien Thijs as the character in Caroline Timmers in the Flemish TV series #LikeMe.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  2. ^ L'ADN (2011-06-14). "Delta Lloyd Life lance sa nouvelle campagne pension". L'ADN (in French). Archived from the original on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  3. ^ O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. 2007. ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3
  4. ^ Video interview with 12points.be
  5. ^ "Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  6. ^ "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 26. 5 July 1986. p. 12. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 24, 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 28. 19 July 1986. p. 14. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  12. ^ "Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sandra Kim – J'aime la vie" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1986" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 of the Year 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51–52. 27 December 1986. p. 28-29. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 4 October 2021 – via American Radio History.
  16. ^ "Single top 100 over 1986" (PDF) (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  17. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  18. ^ a b Maes, Marc (April 11, 1987). "Is There Any New Talent In Belgium" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 15. Retrieved July 28, 2023.

External links

  • Official Eurovision Song Contest site, history by year, 1986.
  • Detailed info and lyrics, The Diggiloo Thrush, "J'aime la vie".
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  • "1 Life"
  • "À la folie ou pas du tout"
  • "Als het weer lente is"
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  • "Avanti la vie"
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