“T’en va pas” is the first Swiss song which we run into on the Eurovision Top 100 list, coming in at number 78.
Some would tell you this song was the rightful winner of Eurovision in 1963, or that they were made to believe it was. Esther Ofarim was rather unfortunately caught in the middle of a vote-counting controversy. Her song was good and worthy, and for a moment, it looked like she had delivered Switzerland’s second victory. However, it turns out Norway had not completely counted their own jury votes, and Denmark snatched the win at the last second.
“Dansevise” was a fine song, but the Swiss may be happy to know that this is the song we have on the Top 100 list.
Vital Information: “T’en va pas”
| Song | T’en va pas |
| English Translation | Don’t go away |
| Performed By | Esther Ofarim |
| Written By | Émile Gardaz & Géo Voumard |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Year | 1963 |
| Language(s) Performed In | French |
| How It Fared | 2nd Place (40 Points) |
| Was It Fair? | Switzerland would say no |
What I Liked
As many of the successful Eurovision acts of this era were, Esther was a great singer. More than that, this song and its composition did her talents justice. It allowed her to sing with some emotion at times, some power at times, and some lightness at times.
These lyrics were not cheap, either. Two great, profound lines in the song were “Love sometimes made fortresses fall down / Death sometimes made the living find themselves.” Paints a picture, doesn’t it? That second line is one of those that would make you stare blankly into the ether for a few minutes and take stock of your life.
Other Facts
- The composer (Voumard) and lyricist (Gardaz) collaborated on four prior Swiss Eurovision entries, including the first winner, “Refrain.” This was their last entry.
- Ofarim, in addition to Austria’s Carmela Corren, were the two first Israeli-born singers to appear at Eurovision. Technically, Corren was the first as she went fourth in the running order.
- Esther Ofarim received 40 points, two fewer than winning Denmark. Austria, Italy, and the United Kingdom gave her the maximum score of the time, which was five points.
- The Swiss song performed 10th out of 16 songs in the 1963 grand final.
Listen to (and Watch) “T’en va pas”
See Esther Ofarim’s performance at this YouTube link.
