De Vogels Van Holland
Encyclopedia
"De vogels van Holland" ("The birds of Holland") was the first Dutch
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956
- the only edition of the contest at which two entries per country were allowed - performed in Dutch
by Jetty Paerl
. The song is particularly significant for being the first song performed in Eurovision Song Contest
history.
Composed in the chanson
style characteristic of the contest's early years, the song is about the titular "birds of Holland". Paerl sings that they are especially musical, learning to "twitter in their early youth / So they can celebrate spring in Holland". She goes on to explain that it is the unique nature of the Dutch climate and the faithfulness of Dutch girls that cause the birds of the country to sing. It appears, indeed, that Holland's birds actually sing lyrics, as they are contrasted with "the French
birds", "the Japan
ese birds" and "the Chinese
birds", all of which sing "tudeludelu" (a sound roughly approximating birdsong).
According to Des Mangan this song set the tone for the Eurovision tradition of nonsensical lyrics, although he admits that there are other contenders for such a claim as well.
The song was performed first on the night, preceding Switzerland
's Lys Assia
with "Das alte Karussell
". Because no scoreboard was shown or has ever been published, it is impossible to make any statement about the song's score or placing, except that it did not win. Furthermore, there are no surviving studio recordings of Paerl performing the song, a fate which befell most entries at this contest.
The song was accompanied at the 1956 contest by Corry Brokken
with "Voorgoed voorbij
" and was succeeded as Dutch representative at the 1957 contest
by Brokken with "Net als toen
".
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956
Eurovision Song Contest 1956
The Eurovision Song Contest 1956 was the first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland on 24 May 1956...
- the only edition of the contest at which two entries per country were allowed - performed in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
by Jetty Paerl
Jetty Paerl
Jetty Pearl is a Dutch singer, who was most famous in the 1950s and 1960s. She was married to Dutch artist Cees Bantzinger.During the World War II, she lived in London, as the Netherlands was occupied by Nazi Germany...
. The song is particularly significant for being the first song performed in 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...
history.
Composed in the chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
style characteristic of the contest's early years, the song is about the titular "birds of Holland". Paerl sings that they are especially musical, learning to "twitter in their early youth / So they can celebrate spring in Holland". She goes on to explain that it is the unique nature of the Dutch climate and the faithfulness of Dutch girls that cause the birds of the country to sing. It appears, indeed, that Holland's birds actually sing lyrics, as they are contrasted with "the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
birds", "the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese birds" and "the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
birds", all of which sing "tudeludelu" (a sound roughly approximating birdsong).
According to Des Mangan this song set the tone for the Eurovision tradition of nonsensical lyrics, although he admits that there are other contenders for such a claim as well.
The song was performed first on the night, preceding Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
's Lys Assia
Lys Assia
Lys Assia born Rosa Mina Schärer on 3 March 1924, Rupperswil, Aargau, Switzerland) is a Swiss singer who won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. When Lys Assia was a young girl she was a dancer. In 1940, however, she stood in for a female singer...
with "Das alte Karussell
Das Alte Karussell
"Das alte Karussell" was the first Swiss entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956.It was performed in German by Lys Assia.It is unknown what position the song finished, as only the winning song was announced....
". Because no scoreboard was shown or has ever been published, it is impossible to make any statement about the song's score or placing, except that it did not win. Furthermore, there are no surviving studio recordings of Paerl performing the song, a fate which befell most entries at this contest.
The song was accompanied at the 1956 contest by Corry Brokken
Corry Brokken
Corry Brokken is a former Dutch singer.Brokken won the 1957 Eurovision Song Contest, representing the Netherlands singing "Net als toen"...
with "Voorgoed voorbij
Voorgoed Voorbij
"Voorgoed voorbij" was the second Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 - the only Contest where competing countries were permitted to enter two songs - performed in Dutch by Corry Brokken....
" and was succeeded as Dutch representative at the 1957 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1957
The Eurovision Song Contest 1957 was the 2nd Eurovision Song Contest. Like the first contest, this one was still mainly a radio programme, but there was a noticeable increase in the number of people with televisions....
by Brokken with "Net als toen
Net Als Toen
"Net als toen" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1957 performed in Dutch by Corry Brokken representing the Netherlands....
".