White and Black Blues

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“White and Black Blues”
Single by Joëlle Ursull
Released	1990
Format	CD single 7" single
Recorded	1990, France
Genre	R&B
Length	3:00
Label	CBS
Writer(s)	Serge Gainsbourg Georges Augier
Certification	Gold France, 1990
Joëlle Ursull singles chronology
"White and Black Blues" (1990) "Amazone" (1990)

"White and Black Blues" was the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1990, performed in French (with some words in English) by Joëlle Ursull. The song was performed fourteenth on the night of the competition. At the close of voting, it had received 132 points, tying for 2nd place in a field of 22.

Contents 1 Background and writing 2 Chart performances 3 Track listings 4 Charts 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Background and writing

Composed by Georges Ougier de Moussac with lyrics by Serge Gainsbourg, the song was originally titled "Black Lolita Blues", however Ursull (the first black woman to represent France at the Contest) declined to perform it due to the pejorative connotations of the word [1]. The rewritten version met with her approval and has become something of a fan favourite.

The song itself deals with the need to overcome the prejudices of skin colour. Ursull sings that "When someone talks to me about skin colour/I have the blues which sends shivers down my spine/I feel as if I'm in a tale by Edgar Allan Poe". That said, she does not believe in relinquishing her connecton to Africa entirely ("Africa, my love, I have you in my skin"), but admits that she faces difficulties in a white society ("We, the blacks/We're a few millions, a dime a dozen").

Musically, the song features an accordion as well as the synthesiser effects starting to appear at the Contest in the early 1990s.

It was succeeded as French representative at the 1991 Contest by Amina with "Le Dernier qui a parlé...".

[edit] Chart performances

The song had a great success in France and was one of the summer hits of 1990. It debuted at #47 on May 26, 1990 and reached number 2 seven weeks later, but was unable to top the chart (Zouk Machine, her former band, was then #1 with "Maldòn"). The single remained in the top ten for 18 weeks and left the chart (Top 50) after 26 weeks of attendance. It was certified Gold disc by the SNEP.

In Sweden and Germany, the single achieved a minor success, peaking respectively at #19 and #86. It was also a top ten hit in Austria.

[edit] Track listings

CD single

1. "White and Black Blues" (3:00)
2. "White and Black Blues" (instrumental) (3:00)

7" single

1. "White and Black Blues" (3:00)
2. "White and Black Blues" (instrumental) (3:00)

[edit] Charts

Chart (1990)[1] [2]	Peak position
Austrian Singles Chart	10
French Singles Chart	2
German Singles Chart	86
Swedish Singles Chart	19

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• 'White And Black Blues' Lyrics