Luxembourg's 1965 Eurovision win with a pop song by France Gall marked a genre shift away from chansons toward pop and schlager music.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 10th Eurovision Song Contest
- Participating countries
- 18 (record at the time)
- Winning song
- Poupée de cire, poupée de son
- Winning country
- Luxembourg
- Songwriter
- Serge Gainsbourg
- Countries receiving nul points
- 4
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Italy hosted the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest after its entry 'Non ho l'età' by Gigliola Cinquetti won the 1964 contest, triggering the obligation for the winning nation's broadcaster, RAI, to organize the next edition.
On 20 March 1965, eighteen countries competed at the Sala di Concerto della RAI in Naples, with France Gall performing Luxembourg's entry 'Poupée de cire, poupée de son', written by Serge Gainsbourg. The contest was presented by Renata Mauro, and Ireland made its debut while Sweden returned after a one-year absence.
Luxembourg claimed its second Eurovision victory, and the pop genre's triumph over traditional chansons and ballads initiated a broader stylistic evolution in the contest, which moved increasingly toward schlager and pop music through the 1970s and 1980.
Work
Eurovision Song Contest 1965
The first pop song to win Eurovision signaled a lasting genre shift in the contest away from chanson and toward pop and schlager formats across subsequent decades.