Il était temps

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"Il Était Temps" (English translation: "The Time Has Come" or idiomatically "It's About Time") was the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, performed in French by Virginie Pouchain.

Despite France's poor result in the 2005 Contest, their status (along with Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom) as one of the "Big Four" guaranteed the song a final berth. Thus, it was performed nineteenth on the night (following Ukraine's Tina Karol with "Show Me Your Love" and preceding Croatia's Severina Vučković with "Moja štikla"). At the close of voting, it had received 5 points, placing 22nd in a field of 24.

Interestingly, Pouchain had originally been given the song "Vous, C'Est Nous" to perform at the Contest. The change came about via the French pre-selection being separate for the singer and the song. Composer and lyricist Corneille believed that the original song was more suited to a male singer, and wrote "Il Était Temps" specifically for Pouchain.

The song is a minor-key ballad, with Pouchain singing that her chance to be remembered had finally come, and that she needed to seize it with both hands. She sings that, even if her chance came to nothing, she will be able to tell her children about it. Musically, Pouchain was accompanied by British cellist/composer Matheson Bayley (who had previously written "Stronger Every Minute" for Cyprus at the 2004 Contest). Reports from the performance differ as to whether the cello or the vocals were out of key, but one is generally believed to be the case.