1996 | Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö

Basic information

Date:

18 May 1996

Venue:

Specktrum, Oslo, Norway

Broadcaster:

NRK

Presenter(s):

Morten Harket and Ingvild Bryn

About the contest:

Since 1993, a country had to finish outside the bottom seven to qualify for the next contest. The EBU experimented with a new system in 1996. All countries had to submit their songs for a pre-selection round. The songs were listened to (not watched) by juries in each country and 23 made it to Oslo. It was a strange way of selecting the songs and there was bound to be controversy. Those in the know were tipping Germany’s Blauer Planet sung by Leon to win the whole thing, but shockwaves reverberated through Europe when news broke that Leon did not even get through the pre-selection round. Delhusa Gjon from Hungary can also count himself unlucky not to go to Oslo. The experiment didn’t last long and relegation was brought back to determine the participants for the 1997 contest.

A new touch was added to the usual postcard introduction for each song. A member of the Government of each country appeared at the end of the film to wish the act good luck.

The scoreboard was given an overhaul. The traditional on stage scoreboard visible to all was replaced by a virtual scoreboard seen only on television screens. Even presenter Ingvild had to have a screen in front of her so she knew what was going on while she was calling in the votes.

While the scoreboard was innovative, the result was familiar, with Ireland surprising many (well, everyone really) by winning for the fourth time in five years.

While the scoring system remained the same as it had been for years, with each country awarding points from 1-8, then 10 and 12, it was to be the last year that juries were exclusively used. The following year would see the introduction, at least in part, of televoting.

NRK gave the stage a Norwegian feel with a set that was designed to look like an oil rig. The oil rig idea didn’t stop there. The theme included the members of the orchestra wearing hard hats during the show, an idea that was quickly dropped when the producers realised just how silly that looked in practice.

Constantinos, Sebnem Paker and Maarja-Liis Ilus would all be seen again in other contests. In fact, Sebnem and Maarja-Liis couldn’t wait and entered again the following year. Elisabeth Andreasson and Marianna Efstratiou were old hands by now at the Eurovision game. Elisabeth was singing her fourth song in the contest. Lúcia Moniz went on to be Colin Firth’s love interest in the film Love Actually.

Trivia:

Brief though it was, the dress worn by Gina G would have been even shorter had it not been for her Gran. She thought the dress was a little on the short side, and so added a couple of rows herself.

Results

Pos.	Country	Participant(s)	Songtitle	Points	Rank
1	Turkey	Sebnem Paker	Besinçi Mevsim	57	12th
2	United Kingdom	Gina G	Just A Little Bit	77	8th
3	Spain	Antonio Carbonell	Ay, Qué Deseo!	17	20th
4	Portugal	Lúcia Moniz	O Meu Coração Não Tem Cor	92	6th
5	Cyprus	Constantinos	Mono Gia Mas	72	9th
6	Malta	Miriam Christine	In A Woman's Heart	68	=10th
7	Croatia	Maja Blagdan	Sveta Ljubav	98	4th
8	Austria	George Nußbaumer	Weil's Dr Guat Got	68	=10th
9	Switzerland	Cathy Leander	Mon Coeur L'aime	22	=16th
10	Greece	Marianna Efstratiou	Emis Forame To Himona Anixiatika	36	14th
11	Estonia	Ivo Linna and Maarja-Liis Ilus	Kaelakee Hääl	94	5th
12	Norway	Elisabeth Andreasson	I Evighet	114	2nd
13	France	Dan Ar Braz et l'Héritage des Celtes	Diwanit Bugale	18	19th
14	Slovenia	Regina	Dan Najlepših Sanj	16	21st
15	The Netherlands	Maxine and Franklin Brown	De Eerste Keer	78	7th
16	Belgium	Lisa del Bo	Liefde Is Een Kaartspel	22	=16th
17	Ireland	Eimear Quinn	The Voice	162	1st
18	Finland	Jasmine	Niin Kaunis On Taivas	9	23rd
19	Iceland	Anna Mjöll	Sjúbídú	51	13th
20	Poland	Kasia Kowalska	Chce Znac Swój Grzech	31	15th
21	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Amila Glamocak	Za Na u Ljubav	13	22nd
22	Slovakia	Marcel Palonder	Kým Nás Má	19	18th
23	Sweden	One More Time	Den Vilda	100	3rd

About the songs:

Sebnem Paker	Turkey - Sebnem Paker - Besinçi Mevsim (Turkish) Music/Lyrics: Levent Coker/Selma Cuhaci Conductor: Levent Coker In her first of two successive contest appearances, Sebnem sang a laid back, smooth Turkish song, ably assisted by a violin and an accordion.
Gina G	United Kingdom - Gina G - Just A Little Bit (English) Music/Lyrics: Simon Tauber, Steve Rodway/Simon Tauber, Steve Rodway Conductor: Ernie Dunstall Wearing a dress made by her Gran, Australian born Gina injected a bit of life early in the show. Easily the most contemporary song for years, it could be argued that the international success of the song provided a springboard for a more modern look and feel to contests in the future.
Antonio Carbonell	Spain - Antonio Carbonell - Ay, Qué Deseo! (Spanish) Music/Lyrics: Ketama/Ketama Conductor: Eduardo Leiva For many, this is one of the surprising qualifiers for the 1996 contest. It doesn’t get much more Spanish than this; a strong voice dominating a Flamenco rhythm.
Lúcia Moniz	Portugal - Lúcia Moniz - O Meu Coração Não Tem Cor (Portuguese) Music/Lyrics: Pedro Osório/Jose Fanha Conductor: Pedro Osório Portugal’s entry is just as ethnic as the Spanish song which preceded it, but is more digestible. Lucia was never seen without a smile on her face around Oslo, and her performance was suitably chirpy. She would be seen soon afterwards as Colin Firth’s intended in the romantic comedy, Love Actually.
Constantinos	Cyprus - Constantinos - Mono Gia Mas (Greek) Music/Lyrics: Andreas Georgiallis/Rodoulla Papalambrianou Conductor: Stavros Lantsias This is the first of Constantinos’ four (although he’s still trying for more!) appearances. It’s a tender ballad which he sang from the heart.
Miriam Christine	Malta - Miriam Christine - In A Woman's Heart (English) Music/Lyrics: Paul Abela/Alfred Sant Conductor: Paul Abela The tune is a happy one, but the lyric - about a relationship gone wrong - isn’t. Her performance was merry and the song is one of the best from the small island.
Maja Blagdan	Croatia - Maja Blagdan - Sveta Ljubav (Croatian) Music/Lyrics: Zrinko Tutic/Zrinko Tutic Conductor: Alan Bejlinski Maja brought her experience to bear as she filled the stage on her own for her performance of her big Croatian ballad. Some of the big notes were challenging, but she was up to the task.
George Nußbaumer	Austria - George Nußbaumer - Weil's Dr Guat Got (Voralbergian) Music/Lyrics: George Nußbaumer/George Nußbaumer, Michael W Krausz Conductor: Michael W Krausz The Austrian song is in the minority Voralbergian language, the only time it has been heard in Eurovision. The song is a very cheerful gospel number that had them clapping in the aisles.
Cathy Leander	Switzerland - Cathy Leander - Mon Coeur L'aime (French) Music/Lyrics: Regis Mounir/Regis Mounir Conductor: Rui Reis Switzerland’s song is an under-rated ballad that deserved a higher placing. Kathy’s voice reflected the nature of the lyric as she yearns for someone she can’t have.
Marianna Efstratiou	Greece - Marianna Efstratiou - Emis Forame To Himona Anixiatika (Greek) Music/Lyrics: Costas Bigalis/Iro Trigoni Conductor: Michalis Rozakis Percussion instruments provide an interesting intro and gave a sense of anticipation of what may follow. What does follow is an upbeat, flowing tune which Marianne performs very well.
Ivo Linna and Maarja-Liis Ilus	Estonia - Ivo Linna and Maarja-Liis Ilus - Kaelakee Hääl (Estonian) Music/Lyrics: Prit Pajusaar/Kaari Sillamaa Conductor: Tarmo Leinatamm At first glance, a young Maarja-Liis and a not so young Ivo might seem an odd combination for a duet. However, it is suitable given the lyrics; a young girl uncertain in the world and the voice of experience giving advice.
Elisabeth Andreasson 1996	Norway - Elisabeth Andreasson - I Evighet (Norwegian) Music/Lyrics: Torhild Nigar/Torhild Higar Conductor: Frode Thingnaes Rumoured to be one of the songs rejected by NRK for the 1991 national final that never was, I Evighet is a lilting, flute inspired ballad. With Elisabeth at the microphone, it was always going to be up there at the end
Dan Ar Braz	France - Dan Ar Braz et l'Héritage des Celtes - Diwanit Bugale (Breton) Music/Lyrics: Dan Ar Braz/Dan Ar Braz Conductor: Fiachra Trench Although his song is in Breton, Dan employed the services of two British ladies for the main vocals. Diwanit Bugale is a gentle lullaby that was never going to win, but wasn’t destined to finish last either.
Regina	Slovenia - Regina - Dan Najlepših Sanj (Slovenian) Music/Lyrics: Aleksander Kogoj/Aleksander Kogoj Conductor: Jozé Privsek Regina’s dress was made by an old lady she met in a rural Slovenian village who offered it to her to wear in Oslo. The clarinet dominates the instrumental parts.
Maxine and Franklin Brown	The Netherlands - Maxine and Franklin Brown - De Eerste Keer (Dutch) Music/Lyrics: Piet Souer/Peter van Asten Conductor: Dick Bakker There is an abundance of na-na-na's at the beginning, but don’t let that put you off! After that, the song develops into a likeable, mid-tempo song that stays in the memory. Little Maxine may well have needed physiotherapy for her neck, such was the height difference in height between herself and Franklin.
Lisa del Bo	Belgium - Lisa del Bo - Liefde Is Een Kaartspel (Flemish) Music/Lyrics: John Terra/Daniel Dittmar Conductor: Bob Porter As with their Dutch neighbours before them, there are na-na-na’s aplenty at the start. Despite the dodgy opening, the overall effect of the song is pure, unashamed, unadulterated feel good fun!
Eimear Quinn	Ireland - Eimear Quinn - The Voice (English) Music/Lyrics: Brendan Graham/Brendan Graham Conductor: Noel Kelehan What a shock! No-one predicted yet another Irish win. It was written by the man who had written Ireland’s 1994 winner. It’s a very Irish folk song. When asked who or what ‘The Voice’ belonged to, Brendan said it was up to the listener to decide. Had the current televoting system been in place, Eimear would have been nowhere near the top of the scoreboard. Definitely a case of the luck of the Irish!
Jasmine	Finland - Jasmine - Niin Kaunis On Taivas (Finnish) Music/Lyrics: Timo Niemi/Timo Niemi Conductor: Olli Ahvenlahti Jasmine’s stylists had given her a formal look, which was inappropriate and looked odd! A casual approach for her gentle folk song would have been more in line with Jasmine’s youth and bubbly personality, and would have distracted less from a very pleasant tune.
Anna Mjöll	Iceland - Anna Mjöll - Sjúbídú (Icelandic) Music/Lyrics: Anna Mjöll Olafsdottir, Olafur Gaukur/Anna Mjöll Olafsdottir, Olafur Gaukur Conductor: Olafur Gaukur Jazz loving Anna Mjöll sung a tribute to the genre and its most famous exponents. It’s very laid back and relaxing.
Kasia Kowalska	Poland - Kasia Kowalska - Chce Znac Swój Grzech (Polish) Music/Lyrics: Robert Amirian/Kasia Kowalska Conductor: Wiesiek Pieregorolka There is drama by the bucket load in Kasia’s song and performance. Strong piano and short bursts of strings are to the fore in the arrangement.
Amila Glamocak	Bosnia and Herzegovina - Amila Glamocak - Za Na u Ljubav (Bosnian) Music/Lyrics: Adrian Bajramoviv, Sinan Alimanovic/Adrian Bajramoviv, Sinan Alimanovic Conductor: Sinan Alimanovic After Poland came another song full of passion, if not too much excitement. Za Nasu Ljubav never quite takes off.
Marcel Palonder	Slovakia - Marcel Palonder - Kým Nás Má (Slovakian) Music/Lyrics: Juraj Burian/Juraj Burian Conductor: Juraj Burian Like the Bosnian song before it, the Slovakian song struggles to get going and it is difficult to stop one’s mind wandering to other things before the end.
One More Time	Sweden - One More Time - Den Vilda (Swedish) Music/Lyrics: Peter Grönvall/Nanne Grönvall Conductor: Anders Berglund This was one of the favourites going into the contest. In fact, it was revealed afterwards that it had won the pre-selection round. It’s a haunting piece of music, not unlike the type of song that has brought Enya big hits.

So, those are the songs that made it, but what about the ones that didn't? Did they get what they deserved or were any of them denied a rightful place in Oslo?

Dorthe Andersen & Martin Loft	Denmark - Dorthe Andersen & Martin Loft - Kun Med Dig (Danish) Music/Lyrics: Jascha Richter/Keld Heick As the songs were heard in alphabetical order, the Danish song would have been the sixth to fall on the ears of the listening juries. There was not a chance that it would stand out enough to qualify. it’s a ballad that fails to get off the ground and fails to hold ones attention for long enough.
Leon	Germany - Leon - Blauer Planet (German) Music/Lyrics: Hanne Haller/Hanne Haller The failure of Germany to qualify left NRK with less money to spend, as Germany is one of the biggest financial contributors to the EBU. Its omission is one of the biggest mysteries in the history of the contest. There is lots of energy and pace which combine with a very contemporary sound to create a song that many fans can still sing many years later.
Delhusa Gjon	Hungary - Delhusa Gjon - Fortuna (Hungarian) Music/Lyrics: Delhusa Gjon/Delhusa Gjon A real travelogue from the Hungarians! Almost every capital city in Europe gets a mention and why not? It worked for the Irish in 1990 so why not now? Unfortunately, it didn’t! Even so, it would have been worthy of a place in the final line up. Delhusa’s at times big ballad is strong enough not to need a live performance to enhance it, although it does sound better in Hungarian than English. He can feel aggrieved at not qualifying, far worse songs made it through.
Galit Bell	Israel - Galit Bell - Shalom Olam (Hebrew) Music/Lyrics: Doron VitenBerg/Eyal Madani The mistake the Israelis made was to submit the live version of the audio for the pre-selection. Galit sounded as if she was stretching her voice too much and the up-tempo song sounds messy. Maybe the studio version would have impressed more.
Kaliopi Gril	Macedonia - Kaliopi Gril - Samo Ti (Macedonian) Music/Lyrics: Kaliopi Gril/Kaliopi Gril Here is one that would have benefited from a live performance. It would have given Kaliopi the chance to put across the emotion her voice portrays. From the audio, she could come across to some as simply screeching aimlessly. That is unfair as there is clearly emotion behind the vocal.
No Image available	Romania - Monica Anghel & Sincron - Ruga Pentru Pacea Lumii (Romanian) Music/Lyrics: It is possible to feel sorry for the Romanians being forced to stay at home. Theirs is a strong ballad which Monica would have given full justice to given the opportunity to perform it live.
Andrej Kosinskij	Russia - Andrej Kosinskij - Ja, Eto Ja (Russian) Music/Lyrics: Andrej Kosinskij/Nikolaj Denisov Andrej sounds very like Mick Hucknall and the song is not a million miles away from something you would find on a Simply Red album. It is jazzy in feel and no-one can be surprised that he didn’t need to book a flight to Norway.

Basic information

Results

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