Important news this weekend: Sebastien Tellier’s French Eurovision entry, Divine, forms the aural backdrop for Renault’s new Mégane campaign.
You’ll recall that Tellier’s performance of Divine this year featured a slightly shambolic – and bearded – backing group, the singer arriving on stage in a golf cart, his unkempt long hair waving in artificial wind, him strutting the stage like the pop music hero he is in France.
But it wasn’t until he took, mid-song, a gulp of helium from the inflatable globe he had carried on stage, in an effort to hit the highnotes a little bit better, that it became clear: these were three of the most perfect Eurovision minutes in history.
The song was a brilliant piece of pop tat, the best song of the night – maybe years of Eurovisions – with high production and a catchy tune that you hummed for days (the recorded version is, admittedly, better than the live one below). But it was all, also, the perfect self parody; lyrics so calculated in their meaninglessness they must have taken an age to write (“No no no no no no no / I’m looking for a band today / I see the Chivers anyway / Through my eyes”) and that memorable stage show.
On the night, of course, it tanked; it only won a pathetic 47 points. Little wonder Terry Wogan wants to quit. But at least, now, you can be reminded of the glory of that night every time the car ad appears on screen, and Tellier’s moment of brilliance lives on.
