At number four on the Eurovision Top 100 countdown, we land on the contest’s first-ever winner, “Refrain” from Switzerland.
Lys Assia, in addition to being a Gold Tier member of the Eurovision Top 100 list, is an iconic figure in the history of the contest. She won the very first ESC and is one of just a handful of people to have performed four Eurovision songs. Not to mention, she was a lovely person with a beautiful, angelic voice, as well as a versatile performer who could perform in multiple languages. (This is a theme among some of the greats, like Vicky Leandros and Nana Mouskouri, who released albums across various languages.)
In celebrating this icon, a top-five spot is more than fitting.
Vital Information: “Refrain”
| Song (& English Translation) | Refrain |
| Performed By | Lys Assia |
| Written By | Émile Gardaz & Géo Voumard |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Year | 1956 |
| Language(s) Performed In | French |
| How It Fared | Won |
| Was It Fair? | Yes |
What I Liked
This song had a grand entrance, which was followed by a melody that was unmistakably 50s, but nevertheless good. Its orchestral arrangement was stellar. They do not, in fact, make them like this anymore.
Assia was, and always will be, remembered as a fantastic singer. I would have been all about her back in the day. As mentioned in other Top 100 articles, her voice and diction were so crystal clear that giving her a high score was unavoidable.
Other Facts
- Assia would appear at Eurovision two more times, in 1957 and 1958. Her final entry, “Giorgio,” is also a Top 100 entry. In total, she performed the country’s first four entries, and Switzerland did not send a new performer until 1959.
- She performed at Eurovision in three different languages over her four entries. Assia’s 1956 songs were French and German, her 1957 entry was in French, and her 1958 entry was in Italian.
- Assia is one of only two people in Eurovision history to have performed two entries for a country in the same contest.
- Switzerland went second and ninth in the running order. “Das alte Karussell” was second, and this winning song was ninth.
- Assia tried to represent Switzerland again in 2012 and 2013, in her late 80s.
- Despite winning and hosting the first contest, and being a reliable original stalwart of the competition, Switzerland would not win Eurovision again until 1988.
You Could Watch “Refrain,” But
You’d have to go back in time, and as far as I know, time travel does not exist yet (though maybe that’s what they want you to think?)
Anyway, you can listen to the audio recording from 1956.
