“Un Banc, Un Arbre, Une Rue” (“A Bench, a Tree, a Street”) was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 performed in French by singer Severine, representing Monaco. The song is a classic French ballad, with the lyric focusing on the loss of childhood innocence, and people following their dreams. The opening lines to the chorus translate as “we all have a bench, a tree, a street/Where we cherished our dreams / a childhood that has been too short”. Four teenage male backup singers provided accompaniment. During Preview Week, Séverine sang the song in the empty square of Monte Carlo, first walking to a bench, then sitting down while performing the middle verses, and then ending the song by walking away out of camera focus. Despite the existence of an Anglophone version, however, it was the original French version which reached No. 9 in the UK a rare non-Anglophone hit in that market.
Gaudete (“Rejoice”) is a sacred Christmas carol, thought to have been composed in the 16th century. It was published in Piae Cantiones, a collection of Finnish/Swedish sacred songs published in 1582. “Gaudete” became a hit for Steeleye Span in 1973 (No. 14, UK singles chart) with an a cappella recording of the song. Guitarist Bob Johnson had heard the song when he attended a folk-carol service with his father-in-law in Cambridge, and brought it to the attention of the rest of the band. (Unlike the album version which fades up slowly and fades down slowly, the single was at the same volume for the entire length of the song.) When “Gaudete” was performed on Top of the Pops, the resident dance troupe walked onto the set in medieval-style robes, holding candles, followed by the members of Steeleye Span.
“Vado Via” is a song recorded by Italian rock singer Giampiero Anelli best known as Drupi. Noticed by songwriters Luigi Albertelli and Enrico Riccardi, he entered the 1973 Sanremo Music Festival competition with the song “Vado via”. The song ended in the last place but had a significant international success and launched his solo career. “Vado via”, recorded on A & M Records, reached number 17 in the UK chart in January 1974 (remaining one of very few songs not sung in English to enter the UK chart).
“Autobahn” is a 1975 song by German electronic band Kraftwerk, being the second and last single from their studio album of the same name. The song was composed by Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider of the band, with Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. It is co-produced by Conny Plank, and was the band’s first track to use sung lyrics. Recorded in 1974, the song is designed to capture the feel of driving on a motorway. “Autobahn” is Kraftwerk’s biggest hit in the US, reaching number 25 on the Billboard. A differently edited version, at 3 minutes and 5 seconds duration, was released in the UK, reaching number 11.
