16 February – You really can wear jeans

We have one of those home entries again today. You know what happens. Your desire is to represent your country. You try every year, getting closer each time. And what happens when you win the golden ticket? You travel all the way to your nation’s capital.

If you’re from southern Europe, that might not be a bad thing. But it’s no fun if your a Finn. If you’re French though, it could work either way. Today’s birthday boy Joël Prévost (né Richard-Jacques Bonay and aka Jean-Luc Potaux) moved around his native France so Paris might not have been that exotic. But his song about violins was accompanied by an orchestra containing many many violins. It must have worked as he finished third. And he was the only person to score off every jury in 1978. There must be some bragging rights there.

Joël is 74 today.

Bonne anniversaire, Joël!