One of the most beautiful and romantic melodies under the name "Love is Blue" I, as well as my many compatriots, heard for the first time performed by Paul Mauriat’s well-known Orchestra. And to youth even tried to write to it words… 
screen, Shot from video Scooter feat. Vicky Leandros "C
Something turned out it seems:
Way, way…
Somewhere…
In dark water – blinking of stars.
Way, way…
Sometime
I will find the answer to a question…
Where, where,
In what earth
I will find Paradise Lost?
Who, who
Will answer me:
How to glance for небокрай?
Let the dawn will meet us in a way.
Let the answer will be ahead…
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Then I unexpectedly found out that words on this melody already are. Moreover – it is primary this composition and was the song moreover translated to many languages.
The original French text was written by Pierre Kur. And magnificent music who created not other, as composer Andre Popp. The Soviet people perfectly knew one more its song – melancholic «Manchester and Liverpool» («Manchester et Liverpool»). And again not performed by Maria Lafora (1967), and in the tool version of the Orchestra of Frank Pursel, written down a year earlier. This version from 1968 to 1981 served as musical prompt to a weather forecast in the main news telecast of the USSR – "Time".
I remember that this melody had any hypnotic power therefore when prompt replaced, it seemed to me that any slice of my subjective world disappeared over my children’s consciousness. However, was in the Union and a Russian-speaking cover «Manchester and Liverpool» – «The forgiveness song», on R.Rozhdestvenskogo’s words which executed Muslim Magomayev and Lev Leshchenko.
I can forgive you –
As though a bird in the sky to release…
However, with words this melody never was pleasant to me …
However we will return to not less remarkable «Love is Blue» which French original had in appearance the same name – «L’amour Est Bleu». The same and not that…
18-year-old girl Vicki Leandros – a true embodiment of future European Union became the first performer of a song. Judge, it from Greece came and «according to the passport» was called differently – Vassiliki Papatanassiu. The known Greek composer – Leandros Papatanassiu who too had a pseudonym – Leo Leandros was her father. When the daughter was nine years old, the father got over to create in Germany. And when Vassiliki grew up, as it suggested to act on "Eurovision-1967" from… Luxembourg (then it also took a pseudonym – Vicki).
There for the first time well-known «L’amour Est Bleu» also sounded. It is sure that that who is familiar only with arrangement of Moria, the original will seem to the unusual – Vicki’s touching voice sounds against sharp, almost smart fanfares of an accompanying orchestra.
Unfortunately, this song managed to take at competition only the 4th place. However life placed everything in places. Right after "Eurovision" of "L’amour Est Bleu" became very popular in Europe. So that Vicki right there wrote down some versions of a song in other languages – English «Love is Blue», Italian «L’amore e blu», German «Blau wie das Meer» («Blue as the sea») and Dutch «Liefde is zacht» («The love is sweet»).
The English text was composed by Brian Blekbern, and it considerably differed from French. At first sight, the name "Love is Blue" – simply tracing-paper with «L’amour Est Bleu» («Love of dark blue color»). Actually the English word "Blue" often renders not only color, but also melancholy, despondency, grief. And already here French and English texts dispersed in different directions.
In French – dark blue color is connected with positive emotions and associates with the clear sky and water. The love "gray" which is symbolized by a rain and a rainy wind is opposed to "dark blue" love.
In the English text the color scale is richer and emotions are more various. However, the positive in it is not present absolutely – it is a question only of the lost love. Dark blue color symbolizes grief, gray – cold and sad heart, red – the eyes which have reddened from crying, green – jealousy, black – lonely nights…
The song with variable success was executed by many (there are even Indian, "bolivudsky" versions). Wrote down it and the well-known rock guitarist Jeff Beck in uncertain shaking after YARDBIRDS disintegration (the truth, on memoirs, he did not love this fashionable composition therefore meaningly was false).
However Paul Mauriat’s which has been written down without delay of "Eurovision" the version – in 1968 had the greatest success. From quite sharp and emotional song "Love is Blue" turned into a distinguished masterpiece of an era of baroque where the harpsichord successfully consulted with a voice role. This version made break in charts of the USA – took the 1st place and held on at top of the whole 5 weeks. Except Paul Mauriat, any French performer did not achieve such impressing result in America to this day.
It is interesting that in the same 1968 the Soviet singer Emil Gorovets executed the Russian-speaking Love is Blue version under the name "Light and shade":
Put, put in my opinion,
Sunny day – such blue,
Put, put in my opinion,
If there is I near you…
Smoke, smoke in my opinion —
Sad such, green such…
Smoke, smoke in my opinion,
If взорвёт suddenly jealousy rest.
I and you am light and shade…
I and you am "yes" and "no"…
And recently I found also other Russian-speaking version performed by singer Anabel Li on David Green’s words, representing not so full отсебятину, and very free retelling of the French original:
Tenderness flows the river,
If my life in your hands.
Sun fire live
Blazes in summer clouds…
Dark blue, as sky color,
Bright dark blue color of favourite eyes.
Secret my amulet —
Dark blue love – чарует us…
As to Vicki Leandros, she after all achieved the – won on "Eurovision" in 1972 with the song "Apres Toi", representing the same Luxembourg. And in general career of the singer was commercially successful – with Vicki fell in love not only in Western Europe, but also in French-speaking Canada, and even Japan.
And in 2011 it participated in record of a track of "C’est Bleu" of German group SCOOTER. As it is easy to guess, the track was constructed on the basis of its hit "L’amour Est Bleu" accompanied by techno bits and wild shouts of the vocalist. Generally, usual electronic "parasitism". Feel a difference…
P.S.: You can listen to songs in the 1st comment to this article.