Conception "Marianne" was composed, written, and recorded by
Sergio Endrigo. It is a ballad, with the singer expressing his love for the title character. He sings, however, that she never stays with him, and he wonders about what she is doing. Nonetheless, his feelings for her remain unaltered. In addition to the Italian language original version, he also recorded a version with French lyrics by .
Selection Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI) internally selected "Marianne" performed by Endrigo as for the of the
Eurovision Song Contest.
Eurovision On 6 April 1968, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the
Royal Albert Hall in London hosted by the
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and broadcast live throughout the continent. Endrigo performed "Marianne" eleventh on the evening, following 's "
La source" by
Isabelle Aubret and preceding the 's "
Congratulations" by
Cliff Richard.
Giancarlo Bigazzi conducted the event's orchestra in the performance of the Italian entry. At the close of voting, the song had received 7 points, placing it tenth in a field of seventeen. It was succeeded as Italian representative at the by "
Due grosse lacrime bianche" by
Iva Zanicchi. ==Legacy==