Anne-Karine Strøm
Encyclopedia
Anne-Karine Strøm is a Norwegian
singer, best known for having taken part in the Norwegian Eurovision Song Contest selection, Melodi Grand Prix
, in six consecutive years between 1971 and 1976, winning on three occasions (twice as a soloist and once as a member of an ensemble) and representing Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest
s of 1973, 1974 and 1976.
" for the 18th Eurovision Song Contest
, which took place on 7 April in Luxembourg City, where it finished in seventh place of 17 entries.
Strøm travelled to Brighton
, England
for the 1974 contest
, held on 6 April. Again, the song had been translated into English as "The First Day of Love
", and backing vocals were provided by the other Bendik Singers. This was the notable contest which was won by ABBA
and also featured several already internationally established names (Olivia Newton-John
, Gigliola Cinquetti
, Mouth & MacNeal
). In this competitive field, "The First Day of Love" struggled to attract votes and ended as one of four songs sharing last place with just three votes each.
Strøm's final Eurovision appearance, at the 1976 contest
in The Hague
on 3 April, ended in complete failure, as "Mata Hari
" placed last of the 18 participating songs. Prior to the contest "Mata Hari", a very modern and contemporary disco-style song, had been expected to do well, but it was suggested afterwards that Strøm's rather odd outfit and performance on the night may have cost votes. With two last-place finishes from three entries, Strøm is usually cited as the least successful artist to have appeared in more than one Eurovision Song Contest.
and her then husband Ole Paus
. She released three albums between 1978 and 1986, which reflected a move towards a more serious style of music.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
singer, best known for having taken part in the Norwegian Eurovision Song Contest selection, Melodi Grand Prix
Melodi Grand Prix
Melodi Grand Prix is an annual music competition organised by Norwegian public broadcaster Norsk Rikskringkasting . It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1960.The festival has produced three Eurovision winners and...
, in six consecutive years between 1971 and 1976, winning on three occasions (twice as a soloist and once as a member of an ensemble) and representing Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
s of 1973, 1974 and 1976.
Melodi Grand Prix
Strøm's Melodi Grand Prix appearances were as follows:- 1971Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971Norway was represented by 15 year-old Hanne Krogh, with the song '"Lykken er", at the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 3 April in Dublin...
: "Hør litt på meg" - 10th - 1972Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1972Norway was represented by Grethe Kausland and Benny Borg, with the song '"Småting", at the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 25 March in Edinburgh. "Småting" was chosen as the Norwegian entry at the Melodi Grand Prix on 19 February.-Final:...
: "Håp" - 4th - 1973Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1973Norway was represented by the Bendik Singers, with the song '"It's Just a Game", at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 7 April in Luxembourg City. "It's Just a Game" was chosen as the Norwegian entry at the Melodi Grand Prix on 17 February....
: "Å for et spill" (as member of the Bendik SingersBendik SingersThe Bendik Singers were a four-member Norwegian vocal group, brought together by singer and composer Arne Bendiksen to participate in the Norwegian Eurovision Song Contest selection, Melodi Grand Prix, in 1973....
) - 1st - 1974Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974Norway was represented by Anne-Karine Strøm, with the song '"The First Day of Love", at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 6 April in Brighton, England. "The First Day of Love" was chosen as the Norwegian entry at the Melodi Grand Prix on 16 February...
: "Hvor er du" - 1st - 1975Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1975Norway was represented by Ellen Nikolaysen, with the song '"Touch My Life ", at the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 22 March in Stockholm. "Touch My Life " was chosen as the Norwegian entry at the Melodi Grand Prix on 25 January...
: "1+1=2" - 4th - 1976Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1976Norway was represented by Anne-Karine Strøm, with the song '"Mata Hari", at the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 3 April in The Hague. "Mata Hari" was chosen as the Norwegian entry at the Melodi Grand Prix on 7 February. This was a third Eurovision appearance in four contests for...
: "Mata Hari" - 1st
Eurovision Song Contest
The Bendik Singers' 1973 winning song was given English-language lyrics and retitled "It's Just a GameIt's Just A Game
"It's Just a Game" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1973, performed in English and French - with some lyrics in Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, Irish, Serbo-Croatian, Hebrew, Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian - by the Bendik Singers. This makes it the only entry, besides the...
" for the 18th Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1973
The Eurovision Song Contest 1973 was the eighteenth Eurovision Song Contest and was held in Luxembourg. The language rule forcing countries to enter songs sung in any of their national languages was dropped, so performers from some countries sang in English....
, which took place on 7 April in Luxembourg City, where it finished in seventh place of 17 entries.
Strøm travelled to Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for the 1974 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1974
The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom...
, held on 6 April. Again, the song had been translated into English as "The First Day of Love
The First Day Of Love
"The First Day of Love" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, performed in English by Anne-Karine Strøm. This was the first occasion on which the Norwegian entry had not featured any lyrics in Norwegian....
", and backing vocals were provided by the other Bendik Singers. This was the notable contest which was won by ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
and also featured several already internationally established names (Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti is an Italian singer, TV presenter and journalist.-Biography:At the age of 16 she won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1964 singing "Non ho l'età" , with music composed by Nicola Salerno and lyrics by Mario Panzeri...
, Mouth & MacNeal
Mouth & MacNeal
Mouth & MacNeal was a pop duo from the Netherlands. They are best known for their million selling recording of "How Do You Do".-Career:They were formed in 1971 when record producer Hans van Hemert brought together the solo talent of Mouth and Maggie MacNeal...
). In this competitive field, "The First Day of Love" struggled to attract votes and ended as one of four songs sharing last place with just three votes each.
Strøm's final Eurovision appearance, at the 1976 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1976
The Eurovision Song Contest 1976, the 21st in the series, was held in The Hague, Netherlands, on 3 April 1976. With Corry Brokken as the presenter – the first time a previous winner of the contest had played hostess – the contest was won by Brotherhood of Man, representing the United...
in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
on 3 April, ended in complete failure, as "Mata Hari
Mata Hari (song)
"Mata Hari" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, performed in English by Anne-Karine Strøm.The song is an up-tempo number, in which Strøm sings about the difficulties she faces in life. The cure for these, she sings, is to borrow some of the mystique of Mata Hari, to whom...
" placed last of the 18 participating songs. Prior to the contest "Mata Hari", a very modern and contemporary disco-style song, had been expected to do well, but it was suggested afterwards that Strøm's rather odd outfit and performance on the night may have cost votes. With two last-place finishes from three entries, Strøm is usually cited as the least successful artist to have appeared in more than one Eurovision Song Contest.
Post-Eurovision
In the late 1970s Strøm began performing in musical cabarets with Øystein SundeØystein Sunde
Øystein Olaf Sunde is a Norwegian folk singer and guitarist. He is known for his high-speed guitar and banjo style and his satirical lyrics...
and her then husband Ole Paus
Olé Paus
Ole Paus is a Norwegian singer-wongwriter, author, poet and actor. He is widely considered one of Norway's most popular musicians.-Background:...
. She released three albums between 1978 and 1986, which reflected a move towards a more serious style of music.
Albums discography
- 1971: Drømmebilde
- 1975: Anne Karin
- 1978: Album
- 1982: Casablancas Døtre
- 1986: Landet utenfor