Johnny Blue

Johnny Blue
General Information
Performed by	Lena Valaitis
Composer(s)	Ralph Siegel
Lyricist(s)	Bernd Meinunger
Language(s)	German
Eurovision
Year	1981
Country	Germany
Conductor	Wolfgang Rödelberger
Final Position	2nd
Final Points	132
Preceding and Following Songs
Preceding	Theater
Following	Ein bißchen Frieden

Johnny Blue was the German entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1981 performed by Lena Valaitis. A gentle ballad, it told the story of a blind boy shunned by his peers because of his handicap. He later receives a guitar and learns to play it, writing popular songs and helping others to overcome their problems - gaining the fame and popularity that was his right.

In the contest, it was performed third following Turkey and preceding Luxembourg. At the close of voting, it finished second with 132 points in a close-fought race, 4 points behind the United Kingdom.

Lyrics

• German
• Translation

Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
Alle singen deine Lieder
Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
Und die ganze Welt hört zu

Er wuchs auf ohne Freunde
Denn keiner wollt spielen
Mit einem, der blind war wie er
Und er sass meist zu Hause
Die Jungen dort draussen
Die riefen bloss hinter ihm her

Sie riefen: Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
Welche Farbe hat die Sonne?
Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
Kinder können grausam sein

Auf der alten Gitarre
Die ihm jemand schenkte
Da spielte er, sie war sein Freund
Seine Lieder, die klangen
Nach Hoffnung und Freude
Und manchmal, als ob jemand weint

Und er sang: Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
Welche Farbe hat die Sonne?
Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
Und die Kinder hörten zu

Und bald spielte keiner so wie er
(Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue)
Seine Lieder, die gingen den Menschen ans Herz
(Welche Farbe hat die Sonne?)
Und er malte Farben aus Musik
(Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue)
Und vergass all seinen Schmerz

Und bald kamen Zehntausend
Zu seinen Konzerten
Denn er schenkte ihnen die Kraft
An die Zukunft zu glauben
Im Dunkel des Lebens
Er hatte es selber geschafft

Oh Johnny Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
Und sie kamen immer wieder
Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
Keiner spielt so schön wie du

Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
Alle singen deine Lieder
Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
Und die ganze Welt hört zu

(Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue)
Und die ganze Welt hört zu

Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
Everybody is singing your songs
Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
And the whole world is listening

He grew up without any friends
Because no one wanted to play
With someone who was blind, like him
And he mostly sat at home
The boys outside
They just shouted after him

They shouted: Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
What colour is the sun?
Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
Children can be cruel

On the old guitar
That somebody gave him
He played, it was his friend
His songs, they sounded
Of hope and joy
And sometimes as if someone was crying

And he sang: Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
What colour is the sun?
Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
And all the children were listening

And soon nobody could play like him
(Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue)
His songs touched people's hearts
(What colour is the sun?)
And he painted colours with his music
(Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue)
And forgot all his pain

And soon tenthousands came
To his concerts
Because he gave them the power
To believe in the future
In the darkness of life
He had made it himself

Oh Johnny Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
And they all kept coming back
Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue,
Nobody plays as beautifully as you

Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
Everybody is singing your songs
Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue
And the whole world is listening

(Blue, Blue, Blue, Johnny Blue)
And the whole world is listening

Trivia

• This was the last German entry predominantly in the minor scale until 1999.

Videos

Lena Valaitis - Johnny Blue - Germany 1981

Lena Valaitis - Johnny Blue