Mama Corsica
Encyclopedia
"Mama Corsica" was the French
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993
, performed in Corsican
and French
(the first occasion Corsican was heard at the Contest, before "Sognu
" in 2011
) by Patrick Fiori
.
The song was performed twelfth on the night, following Portugal
's Anabela
with "A cidade (até ser dia)
" and preceding Sweden
's Arvingarna
with "Eloise
". At the close of voting, it had received 121 points, placing 4th in a field of 25. This remains the highest placing of a song at least partly in a minority language in Contest history. In fact, until Belgium's 2003 entry
's second place, the song had achieved the distinction of being the highest-placed song performed in a language which was not an official one in any competing country, "Sanomi" being performed in an invented language.
With lyrics and music by François Valéry
, the song is in praise of Corsica
itself, with Fiori likening the island to a mother taking pity on all who come to her. The majority of the song is in French, however Fiori also tells the island "tonight I am singing in Corsican for you", which he then does, singing that it is as if the whole world were doing so. Fiori also recorded a German language
version of the song, "Mama Korsika".
It was succeeded as French representative at the 1994 contest
by Nina Morato
with "Je suis un vrai garçon
".
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993
Eurovision Song Contest 1993
The Eurovision Song Contest 1993 was the 38th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 15 May 1993 in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland. The presenter was Fionnuala Sweeney. Niamh Kavanagh was the winner of this Eurovision for Ireland with the song, "In Your Eyes"...
, performed in Corsican
Corsican language
Corsican is a Italo-Dalmatian Romance language spoken and written on the islands of Corsica and northern Sardinia . Corsican is the traditional native language of the Corsican people, and was long the vernacular language alongside the Italian, official language in Corsica until 1859, which was...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(the first occasion Corsican was heard at the Contest, before "Sognu
Sognu
"Sognu" is a song by Amaury Vassili that was the entry for France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, was held in Düsseldorf, Germany. Although the song was favorite to win the contest, it ended up in 15th position....
" in 2011
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest and was won by Eldar & Nigar performing "Running Scared" for Azerbaijan. The event took place in the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the previous year...
) by Patrick Fiori
Patrick Fiori
Patrick Fiori is a French singer.-Biography:Fiori was born to an Armenian father and a Corsican mother in Marseille, France. When he was only 12 years old, he was offered his first role in the musical La légende des santonniers...
.
The song was performed twelfth on the night, following Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
's Anabela
Anabela
Anabela Braz Pires is a Portuguese singer and musical theatre actress, best known in Portugal by her first name, Anabela....
with "A cidade (até ser dia)
A Cidade (Até Ser Dia)
"A cidade " was the Portuguese entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993, performed in Portuguese by Anabela....
" and preceding Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's Arvingarna
Arvingarna
Arvingarna is a Swedish dansband, which was formed in 1989 and which competed in the Swedish Melodifestivalen in 1993, 1995, 1999 and 2002. In 1993 they won with the song '"Eloise" and represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993, where the song finished 7th.The band's name refers to...
with "Eloise
Eloise (Arvingarna song)
"Eloise" is a song in Swedish, written by Gert Lengstrand and Lasse Holm, and performed by Swedish "dansband" Arvingarna when it won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1993 and finished 7th in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993. Sweden was one of the favourites to win. Curt-Eric Holmquist was the conductor...
". At the close of voting, it had received 121 points, placing 4th in a field of 25. This remains the highest placing of a song at least partly in a minority language in Contest history. In fact, until Belgium's 2003 entry
Sanomi
"Sanomi" was the Belgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, which ranked second in the Contest, performed in a constructed language by the six-piece band Urban Trad....
's second place, the song had achieved the distinction of being the highest-placed song performed in a language which was not an official one in any competing country, "Sanomi" being performed in an invented language.
With lyrics and music by François Valéry
François Valéry
François Valéry is a French singer-songwriter and composer.-Biography:...
, the song is in praise of Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
itself, with Fiori likening the island to a mother taking pity on all who come to her. The majority of the song is in French, however Fiori also tells the island "tonight I am singing in Corsican for you", which he then does, singing that it is as if the whole world were doing so. Fiori also recorded a German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
version of the song, "Mama Korsika".
It was succeeded as French representative at the 1994 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1994
The Eurovision Song Contest 1994 was the 39th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 30 April 1994 in the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. The presenters were Cynthia Ní Mhurchú and Gerry Ryan. The pair hosted the evening in French, English and Irish...
by Nina Morato
Nina Morato
Nina Morato is a French singer-songwriter, best known for her participation in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest.- Early career :...
with "Je suis un vrai garçon
Je Suis Un Vrai Garçon
"Je suis un vrai garçon" was the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, performed in French by Nina Morato. The song was performed twenty-fifth on the night, following Poland's Edyta Górniak with "To nie ja"...
".