France in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959
| Eurovision Song Contest 1959 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |
 France | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | National Final | |||
| Selection date(s) | ??? | |||
| Selected entrant | Jean Philippe | |||
| Selected song | "Oui, oui, oui, oui" | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 3rd, 15 points | |||
| France in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
France was represented by Jean Philippe, with the song '"Oui, oui, oui, oui", at the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 11 March in Cannes following André Claveau's victory for France the previous year. It is known that broadcaster ORTF held a national final to choose the entry, possibly in late 1958, but no further details are currently available.
At Eurovision
On the night of the final Jean Philippe performed first in the running order, preceding Denmark. "Oui, oui, oui, oui" was an uptempo contest opener, and is often cited as one of the earliest entries to incorporate elements of what would later become regarded as the classic uptempo Eurovision formula – a jaunty arrangement with simple and repetitive lyrics, a hook which could be understood by anyone regardless of whether or not they spoke the language, and mentions of foreign and exotic locations for good measure. At the close of voting "Oui, oui, oui, oui" had picked up 15 points, placing France third of the 11 entries.[1]