Showing the advantages of the French language’s syllable-timed structure, “Ne Crois Pas” (Don’t Believe) is the first song performed by Michele Arnaud, Luxembourg’s sole representative at the 1956 contest. It’s a no-nonsense tune, which speeds through its 113 seconds to come in as the shortest song of the contest. It is a cautionary tale about relying too much on youthful beauty, delivered with an urgency of someone already beyond their halcyon days.

Arnaud’s other entry, the far slower “Les Amants De Minuit” (Midnight Lovers) returns to the theme of a love song, but with a nostalgic chord progression which ideally would have stayed the same through the entire song. Unfortunately, there are a couple of unsettling and unnecessary periods in which the song speeds up without any particular need or purpose. Overall, my opinion is that the Luxembourg entries were the most balanced.