Tout l'univers (Translation: "The Whole Universe") was the Swiss entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam performed by Gjon's Tears. It is the first Swiss song to be performed entirely in French since 2010 (not counting their cancelled 2020 entry).
It qualified from the second semifinal in 1st place. In the final, it was performed 11th following Greece and preceding Iceland. At the close of voting, it finished in 3rd place with 432 points, winning the jury vote and giving the country its best placing in the semifinals. It also tied Annie Cotton for the country's best result since their victory in 1988, which would be surpassed by Nemo's victory three years later.
The song also won the Composer Award at the 2021 edition of the Marcel Bezençon Awards as voted on by a panel of participating composers.
Lyrics[]
Laisse le vent qui frôle
Sa main sur mon épaule
Le vide dans ma tête
Pas la moindre cachette
C'est l'aube qui décline
Derrière un champ de ruines
Le moment de grandir
Ne pas te retenir
Je vois derrière nous des morceaux de toi
Et ce que la douleur a fait de moi
Tout l'univers
Nos deux cœurs sous la terre
Au milieu des failles où tout éclate
Se trouver au point d'impact
Sans toi
Que deviendront nos souffles
S'ils restent sur le bord?
Cet amour qui nous tord
Je vois derrière nous des morceaux de toi
Et ce que la douleur a fait de moi
Tout l'univers
Nos deux cœurs sous la terre
Au milieu des failles où tout éclate
Se trouver au point d'impact
Sans toi
Derrière mes paupières
Trouver de l'air
(Ah)
Tout l'univers
Nos deux cœurs sous la terre
Au milieu des failles et des ressacs
Nous nous retrouvons au point d'impact
Comment soigner nos coeurs qui éclatent?
Tout l'univers
Let the wind that brushes
His hand on my shoulder
The void in my head
Not the slightest hiding place
It is the dawn that is declining
Behind a field of ruins
Time to grow up
Don't hold back
I see pieces of you behind us
And what the pain has done to me
The whole universe
Our two hearts under the earth
In the middle of the cracks where everything explodes
Be at the point of impact
Without you
What will become of our breaths
If they stay on the edge?
This love that twists us
I see pieces of you behind us
And what the pain has done to me
The whole universe
Our two hearts under the earth
In the middle of the cracks where everything explodes
Be at the point of impact
Without you
Behind my eyelids
Find air
(Ah)
The whole universe
Our two hearts under the earth
In the midst of rifts and waves
We meet at the point of impact
How do we heal our bursting hearts?
The whole universe
Trivia[]
- Co-writer Wouter Hardy also co-wrote 2019's winning song Arcade and would also co-write the 2023 Estonian entry Bridges.
- The song served as the soundtrack for the Spanish documentary series Rocío, contar la verdad para seguir viva about the life of TV personality Rocío Carrasco.
- It was originally titled "Ground Zero" and was to have been performed in English, however the selection panel thought the French version had a stronger impact.
- The song's win of the Marcel Bezençon Composer Award marked Switzerland's first win in any of the awards' categories since its inception.
- Taking combined points into account, the song received points from every country in the grand final, with Italy the only country not to award it any points at all.
- Georgian figure skater Morisi Kvitelashvili used the song for his short program during the 2021-2022 season, including at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Videos[]
