"Papa Pingouin" ("Poppa/Daddy Penguin") is a song recorded by French twin sisters Sophie & Magaly, with music composed by Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, and lyrics by Pierre Delanoë and Jean-Paul Cara. It in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980, held in The Hague.

Background

Conception

The song was composed by Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger –who are normally associated with as a composer-lyricist combination–, with French lyrics by Pierre Delanoë and Jean-Paul Cara, and was recorded by Sophie & Magaly. It describes the fantasy life of the title character, a bored penguin who imagines flying like a seagull and travelling around the world, listing various places he visits in his imagination. The song ends with the penguin's realisation that life "on the ice floe" is not as bad as he had thought, so he "burns his suitcase" to signify that his desire to travel is over. Sophie & Magaly also recorded the German-language version of the song titled "Papa Pinguin".

Eurovision

The Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CTL) internally selected the song as for the of the Eurovision Song Contest. On 19 April 1980, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the Nederlands Congresgebouw in The Hague hosted by Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), and broadcast live throughout the continent. Sophie & Magaly performed "Papa Pingouin" fourth on the night, following 's "Autostop" by Anna Vissi and The Epikouri and preceding 's "Bitaqat Hub" by Samira. Norbert Daum conducted the live orchestra in the performance of the Luxembourgian entry. By the end of the night, the song had received 56 points, placing ninth out of nineteen entries.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Legacy

Pigloo version

A remake of this song performed by animated penguin Pigloo became a hit in France in 2006, reaching number one on the SNEP Singles Chart for three weeks. The single remained on the chart for twenty-seven weeks, becoming the fifth-best-selling single in France that year. The song also charted on Swiss Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 24. A German version title "Papa Pinguin" also charted in German-speaking Europe, reaching number four in Austria and number six in both Germany and Switzerland.

Formats and track listings

CD single Digital download

Chart history

Weekly charts

"Le Papa Pingouin" "Papa Pinguin"

Year-end charts

"Le Papa Pingouin" "Papa Pinguin"

Certifications and sales