Back to the original contest in the Eurovision Top 100 countdown, as Mathé Altéry’s “Le Temps perdu” comes in at number 55.
Altéry had the honor of being one of France’s two inaugural performers at the 1956 Eurovision Song Contest. In fact, technically speaking, she went first, making hers the first French entry ever at Eurovision. It was also one of their best.
This was the sole contest in which we have no idea how anyone else other than the winner – Switzerland’s Lys Assia – did. Maybe they should have kept better records and/or assumed that people like me would want to watch and dissect it about seven decades later. Quite the shame.
Vital Information: “Le Temps perdu”
| Song | Le Temps perdu |
| English Translation | Lost time |
| Performed By | Mathé Altéry |
| Written By | André Lodge & Rachèle Thoreau |
| Country | France |
| Year | 1956 |
| Language(s) Performed In | French |
| How It Fared | Nobody knows |
| Was It Fair? | Hard to say… |
What I Liked
You know, because we have told you in our official scoring rubric, that we value vocals above most other categories. This is why her song soared on our list: What a voice. She has a ton of range and her vocals are crisp, clear, and beautiful. This song also held up decently over the ages as well. Sure, people won’t be queueing this up on Spotify today, but this was probably a favorite in some sectors of Europe back in the day.
With the vocals in mind, Altéry also crushed the ending. It seemed like it was coming in for a soft landing, but then she held that final note for about nine seconds. Well done.
Other Facts
- This was one of seven songs at the first Eurovision Song Contest to be performed in French. Her song was the second French-language song performed in Eurovision history, with the Belgian Fud Leclerc’s being first.
- According to IMDb, Altéry is still alive as of 2024 at 97 years of age, making her one of only a handful of original Eurovision performers still with us.
- France’s other entry in 1956 was performed by Dany Dauberson. Altéry’s performance came first, fifth in the running order, while Dauberson’s was second (12th).
Watch “Le Temps perdu” in a Manner of Speaking
Of course, it would be impossible to watch this song, because no tape exists of the 1956 contest. However, there is audio.
