France was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1977 with the song "L'oiseau et l'enfant", composed by Jean-Paul Cara, with lyrics by Joe Gracy, and performed by Marie Myriam. The French participating broadcaster, Télévision Française 1 (TF1), selected its entry through a national final. The entry eventually won the Eurovision Song Contest, making France the first country to achieve five victories in the contest.
Before Eurovision
Following the French success in 1976 with a song chosen through a national final, broadcaster Télévision Française 1 (TF1) again opted for a public selection. The selection process was a cooperation with the French songwriters and composers association SACEM.[1] 360 songs were submitted.[1]
National final
Semi-finals
Each semi-final contained seven songs, with the top three in each going forward to the final. The qualifiers were chosen by public televoting.[2]
On the night of the final Myriam performed last in the running order, following Belgium. Pre-contest betting had suggested that the winner was likely to be one from Belgium, Germany, Ireland, or the United Kingdom, with the French song not registering as a potential victor. The United Kingdom took the early initiative in the voting and held the lead until just over half way through, when a late run of high marks to "L'oiseau et l'enfant" and a dip in form from its challengers saw France claim the victory with a final total of 136 points, 15 ahead of the United Kingdom in second place.[4]
Although in later years "L'oiseau et l'enfant" attained the status of a Eurovision classic, at the time it was considered a surprising and unexpected winner. France had taken only three maximum 12s (from Finland, Germany and Switzerland) against six for the United Kingdom and four for Ireland, but had scored more consistently across the board, being the only country to receive votes from every other national jury.[5]
