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Gigliola Cinquetti

5 Artists Qualify For Spanish Semi-Final

Posted 29 January, 2011 - 01:24 by Virginia López

Destino Eurovision 2011 First Heat Spain

Spain just finished their first heat of Destino Eurovisión in the search for who can wave the Spanish flag in Düsseldorf. Out of the 12 acts presented, David Sancho, Auryn, Lucía Pérez, Gio and Da Igual managed to convince the jury and audience to advance to the national semi-final, but for the seven others, the journey ended here.

Everything Is Ready For The First Heat In Spain

Posted 28 January, 2011 - 08:24 by Virginia López

Within a matter of hours the first show of Destino Eurovisión is going to start. The twelve participants will perform hits from the Eurovision Song Contest. You can watch it tonight at 22:15 CET on TVE-1 where the artists will sing songs like Fly On The Wings Of Love, Wild Dances and Non Ho L'Età and of course several Spanish entries.

1974

Basic information

Date:

6 April 1974

Contest type:

Grand Final

Venue:

The Dome, Brighton, United Kingdom

Broadcaster:

BBC

Presenter(s):

Katie Boyle

About the contest:

Brighton, a relatively unknown town on the south coast of England, was the venue of possibly the most famous of all contests. There were acts whose names are familiar to people who aren’t fans of the contest; Gigliola Cinquetti tried to be the first singer to win the contest twice, Olivia Newton-John went on to star in Grease, one of the biggest films of the 1970’s, and of course there was Abba. Having failed to win the Swedish selection one year earlier, Abba travelled to Brighton surely unaware of what was about to happen to them. It was the last time that the most iconic of Eurovision presenters, Katie Boyle, played host.

There was also a song which started a war! In 1974, the Portuguese revolution started. The signal for the army to start overthrowing the government was the playing of E Depois Do Adeus on the radio.

France did enter the contest with a song called La Vie A Vingt-cinq Ans to be sung by Dani. However, in the week leading up to the contest, French president, Georges Pompidou died, and the decision was taken to withdraw from the contest.

The voting system was changed again. Each country selected ten people to be jury members, and they each awarded one point to their favourite song.

Trivia:

Katie Boyle’s dress was such a close fit that it had to be sewn on to her, and there wasn’t enough room for her underwear.

About the songs:

Carita	Finland - Carita - Keep Me Warm (English) Music/Lyrics: Eero Koivistoinen/Hector Conductor: Ossi Runne Despite having a strong melody, Keep Me Warm somehow doesn’t quite deliver. It’s likeable and has a sing-along quality, but something to leave a lasting impression is missing.
Olivia Newton-John	United Kingdom - Olivia Newton-John - Long Live Love (English) Music/Lyrics: Valerie Avon, Harold Spiro/ Valerie Avon, Harold Spiro Conductor: Nick Ingman Olivia, who was brought up in Australia, was asked by the BBC to sing for the country of her birth. Long Live Love has a marching style arrangement and was given a chirpy delivery by Olivia.
Peret	Spain - Peret - Canta Y Se Feliz (Spanish) Music/Lyrics: Pedro Pubill Calaf/ Pedro Pubill Calaf Conductor: Rafael Ibarbia Peret looked very serious (and slightly silly with the microphone hanging from his shirt)as he urged everyone to ‘Sing and Be Happy’. It’s very Spanish and likeable without sounding like a winner.
Anne-Karine Ström and the Bendik Singers	Norway - Anne-Karine Ström and the Bendik Singers - The First Day Of Love (English) Music/Lyrics: Frode Thingnaes/Philip Kruse Conductor: Frode Thingnaes Anne-Karine was part of the Bendik Singers when the represented Norway in 1973. This time, she was given top billing - probably because she was married to one of the writers. She seemed to enjoy her place in the spotlight.
Marinella	Greece - Marinella - Krassi, Thalassa Ke T'agori Mou (Greece) Music/Lyrics: Yorgos Katsaros/Pythagoras Conductor: Yorgos Katsaros Marinella stood rather awkwardly on the stage as her backing group performed the first few bars of Greece’s debut song. The bouzouki gives the song a very Greek feel, and it also sounds quite jolly.
Poogy	Israel - Poogy - Natati La Khaiai (Hebrew) Music/Lyrics: Dani Sanderson/ Dani Sanderson, Alon Oleartchick Conductor: Yonathan Rechter Poogy were an odd collection of men with a nifty line in tank tops. Natati La Khaiai is very melodic with a consistent tempo which makes you listen to the song from start to finish. The English version, I Gave Her My Life, has to be one of the best and funniest English versions.
Korni	Yugoslavia - Korni - Generacija 42 (Serbo-Croat) Music/Lyrics: Kornelije Kovac/Kornelije Kovac Conductor: Zvonimir Skerl There were doubts before the show was broadcast as to which language Korni would choose to sing their anti war song. The sound of bombs falling is even included for effect.
Abba	Sweden - Abba - Waterloo (English) Music/Lyrics: Benny Andersson, BjőrnUlvaeus/Stig Anderson Conductor: Sven-Olaf Walldoff This is where it all began! Waterloo has the double female vocal and full arrangement which would become Abba’s trademark. The conductor even dressed up as Napoleon.
Ireen Sheer	Luxembourg - Ireen Sheer - Bye, Bye, I Love You (English) Music/Lyrics: Ralph Siegel/Michael Kunze, Humbert Ibach Conductor: Charles Blackwell Brit Ireen was a star in Germany but made her first appearance in the contest for Luxembourg. The song starts slowly and builds into an uncomplicated sing song.
Romuald	Monaco - Romuald - Celui Qui Reste Et Celui Qui S'en Va (French) Music/Lyrics: Jean-Pierre Bourtayre/Michel Jourdan Conductor: Raymond Donnez Romuald’s third and final Eurovision entry is a big ballad which he delivered very professionally. A good swansong for him.
Jacques Hustin	Belgium - Jacques Hustin - Fleur De Liberté (French) Music/Lyrics: Jacques Hustin/Frank Gérald Conductor: Pierre Chiffre After spending the previous couple of years trying something gentle or fun, Belgium sent a passionate ballad. Jacques was up to the task.
Mouth and MacNeal	The Netherlands - Mouth and MacNeal - I See a Star (English) Music/Lyrics: Gerrit den Braber/Hans van Hemert Conductor: Harry van Hoof Party time!! Mouth bursts with charisma as he and Maggie MacNeal smiled their way through the happiest song of the contest. The performance probably won them a few points, even though the song was a strong contender for the top spot anyway.
Tina	Ireland - Tina - Cross Your Heart (English) Music/Lyrics: Paul Lyttle/ Paul Lyttle Conductor: Colman Pearce Wearing a dress whose pattern did indeed cross her heart, Tina certainly enjoyed her three minutes. There was more to enjoy about the Irish song than there had been for a few years.
Cindy und Bert	Germany - Cindy und Bert - Die Sommermelodie (German) Music/Lyrics: Werner Scharfenberger/Kert Feltz Conductor: Werner Scharfenberger This is one of the less interesting entries from Germany. Even Bert didn’t seem too interested, although Cindy did her best.
Piera Martell	Switzerland - Piera Martell - Mein Ruf Nach Dir (German) Music/Lyrics: Pepe Ederer/Pepe Ederer Conductor: Pepe Ederer The pattern of soft verse and slightly more intense chorus remains throughout the song. It’s all a bit dull.
Paulo de Carvalho	Portugal - Paulo de Carvalho - E Depois Do Adeus (Portuguese) Music/Lyrics: José Calvário/José Nisa Conductor: José Calvário Not many songs can claim to have started a war. In 1974, the playing of this song on the radio started the revolution. Ironically, the song is quite uneventful and passes by almost unnoticed.
Gigliola Cinquetti	Italy - Gigliola Cinquetti - Si (Italian) Music/Lyrics: Daniele Pace, Mario Panzeri, Lorenzo Pilat, Corrado Conti/ Daniele Pace, Mario Panzeri, Lorenzo Pilat, Corrado Conti Conductor: Gianfranco Monaldi Ten years after she charmed Europe as a teenager, Gigliola returned with another soft ballad. She couldn’t quite emulate her previous success.

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1964

Basic information

Date:

12 March 1964

Venue:

Tivolis Koncertsal, Copenhagen, Denmark

Broadcaster:

Presenter(s):

Lotta Wæver

About the contest:

1964 is the first contest to really have a sixties feel to it. From about half way through the voting, it was clear there was only going to be one winner and received more than twice the points of Matt Monro in second place. Sixteen year old Gigliola Cinquetti became the youngest winner to date. Her age was perfectly suited to the song, which was about being too young to be involved in a relationship. At the other end of the scoreboard, four countries failed to score, including debutants Portugal, whose participation kept the number of entries at sixteen after Sweden too the year off. Many multi participants made their first appearance; Gigliola would return ten years later and Udo Jürgens and Romauld their first of three appearances.

In a slight change to the voting system used in 1963, the juries from each country gave five points to their most popular song, there to the second most popular and one point to the third most popular.

Trivia:

During the contest, a protester managed to get on to the stage to protest against the dictatorships in Spain and Portugal, urging the rest of Europe (or maybe the world if he was ambitious) to boycott those countries.

About the songs:

Hugues Aufray	Luxembourg - Hugues Aufray - Dès Que Le Printemps Revient (French) Music/Lyrics: Hugues Aufray/Jacques Plante Conductor: Jacques Denjean Although the song lasts for three minutes, by the end of the first minute, it has revealed everything it has to offer. Hugues sings a line or two, his backing singers repeat the last few words and then there is a bit of trumpet.
Anneke Grönloh	The Netherlands - Anneke Grönloh - Jij Bent Mijn Leven (Dutch) Music/Lyrics: Ted Powder/René de Vos Conductor: Dolf van der Linden The song starts off very promisingly but doesn’t quite deliver. A lively arrangement kept the orchestra fairly busy.
Arne Bendiksen	Norway - Arne Bendiksen – Spiral (Norwegian) Music/Lyrics: Sigurd Jansen/Egil Hagen Conductor: Karsten Andersen Norway’s fifth entry is the first which could be described as up-tempo. It uses lots of brass which gives the song a big band atmosphere.
Bjørn Tidmand	Denmark - Bjørn Tidmand - Sangen Om Dig (Danish) Music/Lyrics: Aksel van Rasmussen/Morgens Dam Conductor: Kai Mortensen The hosts went for two in a row with a song too dissimilar in construction to ‘Dansevise’. It moves along steadily with an arrangement mainly interspersed between the vocal lines.
Lasse Mårtenson	Finland - Lasse Mårtenson – Laiskotellen (Finnish) Music/Lyrics: Lasse Mårtenson/Sauvo Puhtila Conductor: George de Godzinsky From scoring zero the year before, Finland moved into the top half of the scoreboard with Lasse’s big band influenced song.
Udo Jürgens	Austria - Udo Jürgens - Warum Nur, Warum? (German) Music/Lyrics: Udo Jürgens/Udo Jürgens Conductor: Johannes Fehring It seems Austria suddenly wanted to win the contest. This beautiful piano based ballad is far superior to anything they had previously entered. Matt Monro reached number four in the UK with an English version of the song, ‘Walk Away’.
Rachel	France – Rachel - Le Chant De Mallory (French) Music/Lyrics: André Popp/Pierre Cour Conductor: Franck Pourcel This is a simple, pleasant ballad sung with sensitivity by Rachel. The lyricist got a bit lazy, with a few da-da-da’s creeping in, but that doesn’t spoil the song too much.
Matt Monro	United Kingdom – Matt Monro - I Love the Little Things (English) Music/Lyrics: Tony Hatch/Tony Hatch Conductor: Harry Rabinowitz Crooner Matt had a bigger hit with an English version of Austria’s song than he did with this. ‘I Love the Little Things’ failed to chart. However, his voice is well suited to the style and the whole thing sounds quite cool.
Nora Nova	Germany – Nora Nova - Man Gewohnt Sich So Schnell An Das Schöne (German) Music/Lyrics: Rudi von der Dovenmühle/Niels Nobach Conductor: Willy Berking Germany had one of the most up-tempo songs in the 1964 contest. As with most German entries at that point in the history of the contest, like it or hate it, it stands out from the crowd.
Romuald	Monaco – Romuald - Où Sont-elles Passées? (French) Music/Lyrics: Francis Lai/Pierre Barouh Conductor: Michel Colombier With one exception, Monaco had so far put their faith into typical French ballads. This is possibly the best effort in their six attempts. The juries agreed.
António Calvário	Portugal - António Calvário – Oração (Portugal) Music/Lyrics: João Nobre/Francisco Nicholson and Rogério Braçinha Conductor: Kai Mortensen Portugal is one of the most unsuccessful countries in the contest, being the oldest participant never to have won. Their first entry sums up their history. It’s a beautiful song which deserved a lot better from the juries.
Gigliola Cinquetti	Italy - Gigliola Cinquetti – Non Ho L’Eta (Italian) Music/Lyrics: Nicola Salerno/Mario Panzeri Conductor: Gianfranco Monaldi Sixteen year old Gigliola swept all before her, scoring more than double the points of the second place song. Some will argue her age won it; others will point to the commercial success of the song as proof that the song was stronger than its competitors.
Sabahudin Kurt	Yugoslavia - Sabahudin Kurt - Zivot Je Sklopio Krug (Serbo-Croat) Music/Lyrics: Srcan Matijevic/Stevan Raickovic Conductor: Radivoj Spasic Yugoslavia can count themselves unlucky not to have scored a single point. The song is an understated ballad which would certainly not make you want to switch off. The use of the alto-sax does spoil slightly the overall quality.
Anita Traversi	Switzerland - Anita Traversi - I Miei Pensieri (Italian) Music/Lyrics: Giovanni Pelli/Sanzio Chiesa Conductor: Fernando Paggi While most of the countries upped their game in 1964, choosing songs which were more contemporary than in previous years, Switzerland continued where previous years had left off.
Robert Cogoi	Belgium - Robert Cogoi - Près De Ma Rivière (French) Music/Lyrics: Robert Cogoi/Robert Cogoi Conductor: Henry Segers Belgium chose a slow song whose pace remains more or less constant throughout, changing very briefly in the middle and towards the end.
Tim, Nelly and Tony	Spain - Tim, Nelly and Tony – Caracola (Spanish) Music/Lyrics: Fina de Calderón/Fina de Calderón Conductor: Rafael Ibarbia While they might sound like children’s television presenters, the song would certainly not be used to entertain the kids, its serious Spanish fare. Tim and Tony are little more than backing singers.