Ne partez pas sans moi

Background

Conception

"Ne partez pas sans moi" was written by Turkish composer Atilla Şereftuğ and Swiss lyricist Nella Martinetti and recorded by Celine Dion. She also recorded a German version, titled "Hand in Hand".

Eurovision

On 6 February 1988, "Ne partez pas sans moi" performed by Dion competed in the organized by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) to select their song and performer for the of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song won the competition so it became the for the contest.

On 30 April 1988, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the RDS Simmonscourt Pavilion in Dublin hosted by Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), and broadcast live throughout the continent. Dion performed "Ne partez pas sans moi" ninth on the night, following 's "Ben Adam" by Yardena Arazi and preceding 's "Take Him Home" by Jump the Gun. Şereftuğ conducted the live orchestra in the performance of the Swiss entry. The contest was followed by 600 million viewers worldwide.

At the close of voting, the song had received 137 points, winning the contest beating the 's entry "Go" performed by Scott Fitzgerald by just one point in one of the closest finishes in Eurovision history.

Aftermath

"Ne partez pas sans moi" is considered to be one of the most popular Eurovision entries, mainly because of Dion's subsequent international success. It was included on Dion's 1988 album The Best of Celine Dion released in selected European countries in May 1988. The song appeared in Canada as B-side to "D'abord, c'est quoi l'amour". It was also featured on the French version of Dion's Incognito album. In 2005, it was included on her French compilation album, On ne change pas.

As the winning broadcaster, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) gave SRG SSR the responsibility to host the of the Eurovision Song Contest. This contest, held on 6 May 1989, opened with Dion performing "Ne partez pas sans moi" and the premiere of her first English language single "Where Does My Heart Beat Now". She also presented the trophy to the winner.

"Ne partez pas sans moi" was one of fourteen songs chosen by Eurovision fans and a EBU reference group, from among the 992 songs that had ever participated in the contest, to participate in the fiftieth anniversary competition Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest held on 22 October 2005 in Copenhagen. The song, performed by Elina Nechayeva and Conchita Wurst, is featured as part of the "Eurovision Song-Along" act on the 2020 film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.

Commercial performance

"Ne partez pas sans moi" debuted at number one in Belgium and stayed at the top of the chart for four consecutive weeks; then the single directly dropped to number 45. In Switzerland, the song peaked at number 11 and in France at number 36. While the single sold 200,000 copies in Europe in two days and over 300,000 copies in total, it is one of the less commercially successful Eurovision winners. It was the first winning song not to be released in the United Kingdom or in Ireland. Although not released as a single in Canada, the song entered the chart in Quebec on 1 October 1988, spending 23 weeks on it and peaking at number 10.

Track listings

European 7-inch single

1. "Ne partez pas sans moi" – 3:07
2. "Ne partez pas sans moi" (instrumental) – 3:07

German 7-inch single

1. "Hand in Hand" – 3:08
2. "Hand in Hand" (instrumental) – 3:07

Charts

Release history

References

References

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