France's Eulogy to World War I Finishes Penultimate

MAY 15 2015 · 12:20

Lisa Angell · "N'oubliez pas" · France · 2015 Placement: 25 · Score: 4 · Language: French · Composers: Robert Goldman · Venue: Wiener Stadthalle · Host: Vienna, Austria · Type: political statement · Broadcast: streaming era Angell — 47-year-old French chansonnière, white suit, Parisian poise — takes the Vienna stage and delivers a stately ballad explicitly commemorating World War I and its centenary year. The song is sober, the arrangement is orchestral, the delivery is quiet. 4 points. 25th of 27. Måns Zelmerlöw wins for Sweden with 'Heroes'. Context Robert Goldman — Jean-Jacques Goldman's brother — had written the song specifically for the WWI centenary. France Télévisions's selection was explicit: France would use its Eurovision slot as commemoration rather than entertainment. The juries mostly ignored the gesture; the televote gave minimal support. Legacy 'N'oubliez pas' is now cited in French cultural criticism as the purest example of Eurovision-as-national-propaganda failing on its own terms. Angell returned to a steady French cabaret career. The 2015 result led France to shift entirely to youthful modern-pop selections (Amir 2016, Alma 2017, Madame Monsieur 2018), rebuilding toward Barbara Pravi 2021.