"Sognu" (English: "I Dream") is a song by Amaury Vassili that was the entry for France in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Düsseldorf, Germany. Although it was a favourite to win the contest,[1] it ended up in 15th position.
| "Sognu" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Amaury Vassili | ||||
| from the album Canterò | ||||
| Released | March 4, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Genre | Operatic pop | |||
| Label | Warner | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Quentin Bachelet | |||
| Amaury Vassili singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2011 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist(s) | ||||
| Language | ||||
| Composer(s) | Daniel Moyne, Quentin Bachelet | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Jean-Pierre Marcellesi, Julie Miller | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 15th | |||
| Final points | 82 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Allez Ola Olé" (2010) | ||||
| "Echo (You and I)" (2012) ► | ||||
Background
editSong selection
editThe song was composed by Daniel Moyne and Quentin Bachelet (son of French singer Pierre Bachelet), who has been working with Vassili since the beginning of his career. The lyrics of "Sognu" were written by Jean-Pierre Marcellesi.
The song was chosen internally by France 3 and SACEM.[2] "Sognu" was sung in the Corsican language, which marks the first French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest sung in Corsican since "Mama Corsica" in 1993.[3]
Selection of Vassili
editRegarding the decision to select Amaury Vassili and "Sognu", Pierre Sled, program supervisor at France 3, declared: "We wanted someone young, representing the excellence of French music. We didn't hesitate much, given the fact that the other names were not satisfying". He pointed out that "the choice was driven by the desire to promote a young talented artist representing the best of French music and its diversity. That's why we quickly agreed an opera singer was the most elegant option. Amaury is an angel of music with a powerful voice. Without any hesitation, he was a perfect choice."[2] The song was presented on 7 March. An English version of "Sognu", called "I Would Dream About Her", was written by UK songwriter Dele Ladimeji.
"Our goal is clear", Pierre Sled assured, "France 3 is the channel of French regions and we wanted to have them honored. Corsican is close to Italian, thus it will perfectly suit an opera song".[2]
Promotion
editVassili appeared on numerous shows, including Le Plus Grand Cabaret Du Monde, 13h00 news, Sidaction, Les Années Bonheur, Morandini. France3 aired a video about the contest, shortly before the Finale. It included visits to the press centre, the arena, and interviews with press and fans. On 29 April, a show called En Route Pour L'Eurovision Avec Amaury was broadcast on France3 on 9 May, five days before the Finale.
Amaury's record label, Warner Music Group, promoted Sognu throughout Europe by signing radio station deals. In addition, Warner Music Europe was preparing a European release of Vasilli's CD, which included "Sognu".[4]
Music video
editThe official music video premiered on 8 March 2011 on Vassili's official YouTube channel.[5]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sognu" | 2:55 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 4 March 2011[6] | Warner Music | Digital download |
| 2 May 2011[7] | CD single |
Charts
edit| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[8] | 25 |
| France (SNEP)[9] | 33 |
| France (SNEP) Physical chart[10] | 3 |
References
edit- ^ "France: Amaury Vassili – Sognu". March 7, 2011.
- ^ a b c Schacht, Andreas. "It's official: Amaury Vassili to represent France!". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
- ^ à 18h51, Par Le 4 février 2011 (February 4, 2011). "Eurovision : Amaury Vassili chantera pour la France". leparisien.fr.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Stories". Eurovision.tv.
- ^ "Amaury Vassili - Sognu (EUROVISION-FRANCE)" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Amazon.fr".
- ^ "Sognu" – via Amazon.
- ^ "Amaury Vassili – Sognu" (in French). Ultratip.
- ^ "Amaury Vassili - Sognu (single)". www.chartsinfrance.net.
- ^ "Amaury Vassili dans les charts français". www.chartsinfrance.net.