Editorials & Opinion

Xtra’s pick of the 50s & 60s

Welcome back to this daily series from escXtra, where one of our editors will travel back in time each day and pick a song of their choice from the past to write about. A new week means we go back to the early days of Eurovision, and today Rodrigo brings you a cut from this Eurovision era.

Spain 1967: Raphael – Hablemos del Amor (6th place)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhTHZJhPkJs#t=31s
It has become a certain joke within the Eurovision circles that Spain is robbed quite often in what their fans call an “injusticia”. For me, this song represents the first time any such claim can be made. Everything about this song clicks for me, and the performance was flawless. Instead, juries went for the rather bland and childish entry from the United Kingdom (granted, Spain got back at them the following year, taking the crown to Madrid when everyone expected the Brits to win, although I still believe that the 68 result was the right one, but that’s a whole other story).
In terms of the lyrics, ‘Hablemos del Amor’ portrays a love story between two people who are fighting against people’s prejudices about their love, whichever those are. It is so universal in its message that I love how it can appeal to everyone who at one point or another has seen their relationship scrutinised for no apparent reason. And, ultimately, who have the courage to move on, overcome it and have love win.
In terms of the artist, Raphael is, in my eyes, one of the most privileged voices to have ever stepped on a Eurovision stage. He went on to have a big international career and a great deal of his hits are amongst my favourite songs of all time. The feelings that he transmits when singing are hard to find in other artists. Raphael was, is, and will be, one of the best rounded artists in the Spanish music industry, and this Eurovision entry is, in my eyes, an all time classic.

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