Eurovision Song Contest 1959
Encyclopedia
The Eurovision Song Contest 1959 was the fourth Eurovision Song Contest
. It was held in Cannes
, following the French
victory the previous year.
A new rule was created for this Eurovision, ensuring that no professional publishers or composers were allowed in the national juries.
The Netherlands' win was their second and the first time a country had won the contest twice. Willy van Hemert was also the lyricist of "Net als toen
", which won the Eurovision Song Contest 1957
. Van Hemert was the first person to win the Eurovision Song Contest twice.
Luxembourg
withdrew from the contest for the first time. The United Kingdom
returned after missing the previous contest (appearing on the scoreboard as "Grande Bretagne") and finished second for the first time. The UK would have 15 second-place finishes in the country's history in the contest. Monaco
made its debut in the contest, but came last.
In the press it was suggested that Italy and France gave more points to the Netherlands because neither of those two countries wanted the other to win. This has never been verified.
Italy gave one point to France, no points to the UK and seven points to the Netherlands placing them just three points ahead of the UK. Later on France gave only three points to Italy and four points to the Netherlands giving them a five point lead over the UK, who were only one point ahead of France, leaving Italy behind in sixth position, behind Denmark, on nine points.
Something that occurred this year, but never again, was that more than the winning entry was performed once again. The second and third placed songs, United Kingdom and France, were allowed to sing again at the end of the show, together with eventual winner, the Netherlands.
- Franck Pourcel - Franck Pourcel - Franck Pourcel - Eric Robinson
- Francis Bay
) - Viggo Clausen (Statsradiofonien TV
) - Bianca Maria Piccinino (Programma Nazionale) - Claude Darget (Télé Monte Carlo
) – Piet te Nuyl (NTS
) - Elena Gerhard (Deutsches Fernsehen
) - Jan Gabrielsson (Sveriges Radio-TV
) and (SR P1
) - Theodor Haller (TV DRS
), Georges Hardy (TSR
) - Peter Alexander (Fernsehprogramm) - Tom Sloan
(BBC Television Service
), Pete Murray (BBC Light Programme
) - Anton Peters
(NIR
), Paule Herreman
(INR
) (Non-participating country) - Jacques Navadic
(Télé-Luxembourg
)
- Willem Duys
- TBC - Enzo Tortora
- Bent Henius - Marianne Lecène
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...
. It was held in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, following 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...
victory the previous year.
A new rule was created for this Eurovision, ensuring that no professional publishers or composers were allowed in the national juries.
The Netherlands' win was their second and the first time a country had won the contest twice. Willy van Hemert was also the lyricist of "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....
", which won the Eurovision Song Contest 1957
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....
. Van Hemert was the first person to win the Eurovision Song Contest twice.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
withdrew from the contest for the first time. The United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
returned after missing the previous contest (appearing on the scoreboard as "Grande Bretagne") and finished second for the first time. The UK would have 15 second-place finishes in the country's history in the contest. Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
made its debut in the contest, but came last.
In the press it was suggested that Italy and France gave more points to the Netherlands because neither of those two countries wanted the other to win. This has never been verified.
Italy gave one point to France, no points to the UK and seven points to the Netherlands placing them just three points ahead of the UK. Later on France gave only three points to Italy and four points to the Netherlands giving them a five point lead over the UK, who were only one point ahead of France, leaving Italy behind in sixth position, behind Denmark, on nine points.
Something that occurred this year, but never again, was that more than the winning entry was performed once again. The second and third placed songs, United Kingdom and France, were allowed to sing again at the end of the show, together with eventual winner, the Netherlands.
Results
| Draw | Country | Language | Artist | Song | English translation | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | French French language French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts... |
Jean Philippe Jean Philippe Jean Philippe is a French singer who represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest 1959. He returned to the contest in 1962 representing Switzerland... |
"Oui, oui, oui, oui Oui, Oui, Oui, Oui "Oui, oui, oui, oui" was the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959, performed in French by Jean Philippe.The song was performed first on the night, preceding Denmark's Birthe Wilke with "Uh, jeg ville ønske jeg var dig"... " |
Yes, yes, yes, yes | 3 | 15 | |
| 02 | Danish Danish language Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language... |
Birthe Wilke Birthe Wilke Birthe Wilke is a popular Danish singer. She grew up in a musical family in Copenhagen's Vesterbro area.When she was in her teens, she won a talent competition at the National Scala Theatre in Copenhagen, sang as soloist with Bruno Henriksen's Orchestra at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, made her... |
"Uh, jeg ville ønske jeg var dig" | Oh, I wish I were you | 5 | 12 | |
| 03 | Italian Italian language Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia... |
Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno was an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu "... |
"Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina) Piove (Ciao, Ciao Bambina) "Piove " is an Italian song written by Domenico Modugno and Eduardo Verde. It won first prize at the 1959 Sanremo Music Festival, where it was performed twice, once by Modugno and once by Johnny Dorelli... " |
It's raining (Bye, bye baby) | 6 | 9 | |
| 04 | French French language French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts... |
Jacques Pills Jacques Pills Jacques Pills was a French singer and actor, born René Jacques Ducos. His impresario was Bruno Coquatrix. In 1959, Pills was the Monegasque entrant at the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 with the song "Mon ami Pierrot"... |
"Mon ami Pierrot Mon Ami Pierrot "Mon ami Pierrot" was the Monegasque entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959, performed in French by French singer Jacques Pills... " |
My friend Pierrot | 11 | 1 | |
| 05 | 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... |
Teddy Scholten Teddy Scholten Dorothea Margaretha "Teddy" Scholten was a Dutch singer from Rijswijk, close to The Hague, Netherlands.... |
"Een beetje Een Beetje "Een beetje" , sometimes spelled " 'n Beetje ", was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1959. Performed in Dutch by Teddy Scholten, the song was the second victory for the Netherlands in the first four years of the contest's history.The song is more up-tempo than the previous winners... " |
A little bit | 1 | 21 | |
| 06 | German German language German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union.... |
Alice & Ellen Kessler Kessler Twins Alice and Ellen Kessler are twins popular in Europe, especially Germany and Italy, from the 1950s and 1960s and until today for their singing, dancing and acting... |
"Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n Heute Abend Wollen Wir Tanzen Geh'n "Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n" was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959, performed in German by Alice & Ellen Kessler, also known as the Kessler Twins .The song was performed sixth on the night "Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n" ("Tonight We Want to Go Dancing") was the... " |
Tonight we want to go dancing | 8 | 5 | |
| 07 | Swedish Swedish language Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish... |
Brita Borg Brita Borg Brita Borg, full name Brita Kerstin Gunvor Borg was a Swedish singer, actress, and variety show artist. Her variety show career spanned from 1943 into the 1970s, while her singing career trailed away at the end of the 1960s. However, she was still an active actress in the 1980s... |
"Augustin Augustin (song) "Augustin" was the Swedish entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1959, performed in Swedish by Brita Borg.The song was the winner of Melodifestivalen 1959, there performed by Siw Malmkvist... " |
– | 9 | 4 | |
| 08 | German German language German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union.... |
Christa Williams Christa Williams Christa Williams is a German pop singer most popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s.... |
"Irgendwoher Irgendwoher "Irgendwoher" was the Swiss entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1959, composed by Lothar Löffler and performed in German by Christa Williams... " |
From somewhere | 4 | 14 | |
| 09 | German German language German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union.... |
Ferry Graf Ferry Graf Ferry Graf is an Austrian singer, who is now a Finnish citizen.-Career:In 1959, Graf was selected by the Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk to represent the country in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959, with the German language song "Der K und K Kalypso aus Wien"... |
"Der K und K Kalypso aus Wien Der K Und K Kalypso Aus Wien "Der K und K Kalypso aus Wien" was the Austrian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959, performed in German by Ferry Graf.... " |
The K and K calypso from Vienna | 9 | 4 | |
| 10 | English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria... |
Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson were a popular English husband-and-wife team of entertainers, during the 1950s and early 1960s.-Early days:They were both successful solo singers before their marriage in 1955... |
"Sing, Little Birdie Sing, Little Birdie "Sing, Little Birdie" is the title of the 1959 UK Eurovision entrant which took second place at Eurovision 1959. Performed by husband-and-wife duo Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson, "Sing, Little Birdie" was the first UK Eurovision entrant to be recorded reaching #12 UK.Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson... " |
– | 2 | 16 | |
| 11 | 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... |
Bob Benny Bob Benny Bob Benny was a Belgian singer and musical theatre performer, who participated in the Eurovision Song Contests of 1959 and 1961.-Early career:... |
"Hou toch van mij Hou Toch Van Mij "Hou toch van mij" was the Belgian representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 1959, performed in Dutch by Bob Benny.The song was performed eleventh on the night... " |
Please love me | 6 | 9 |
Score sheet
| Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | France | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Denmark | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Italy | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monaco | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Netherlands | 4 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Germany | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sweden | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Switzerland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Austria | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United Kingdom | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belgium | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| THE TABLE IS ORDERED BY APPEARANCE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conductors
Host conductor in bold-
Early Modern France - Franck PourcelFranck PourcelFranck Pourcel was a French easy listening musician.-Biography:Born in Marseille, Pourcel's father started to teach him music at the age of six...
- Kai Mortensen - William Galassini - Franck Pourcel - Dolf van der LindenDolf van der LindenDavid Gysbert van der Linden was a Dutch conductor of popular music with a reputation which extended beyond the borders of the Netherlands....
- Franck Pourcel
- Franck Pourcel - Franck Pourcel - Franck Pourcel - Eric Robinson
Eric Robinson
Eric Robinson may refer to:* Eric Robinson , British conductor* Eric Robinson , Canadian politician in Manitoba* Eric Robinson , Australian federal politician...
- Francis Bay
Francis Bay
Francis Bay was a Belgian conductor. Born as Frans Bayetz, he conducted many Belgian entries in the Eurovision Song Contest and had his own Big band orchestra titled "Francis Bay and His Big Band.-External links:...
Returning artists
| Artist | Country | Previous year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Birthe Wilke Birthe Wilke Birthe Wilke is a popular Danish singer. She grew up in a musical family in Copenhagen's Vesterbro area.When she was in her teens, she won a talent competition at the National Scala Theatre in Copenhagen, sang as soloist with Bruno Henriksen's Orchestra at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, made her... |
1957 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.... |
|
| Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno was an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu "... |
1958 Eurovision Song Contest 1958 The Eurovision Song Contest 1958 was the third Eurovision Song Contest. The convention that the winning country from a year hosted the following year's contest was introduced in this year. France's win was their first. It was the last time to date that the United Kingdom did not enter the contest... |
Commentators
- Claude Darget (RTFTF1
TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
) - Viggo Clausen (Statsradiofonien TV
DR1
DR1 is a Danish national television channel, produced by the public service broadcaster, DR. It was the first television station to be established in Denmark, and began broadcasting in 1951 – at first only for an hour a day three times a week....
) - Bianca Maria Piccinino (Programma Nazionale) - Claude Darget (Télé Monte Carlo
Télé Monte Carlo
Télé Monte Carlo or TMC Monte Carlo, traditionally known as TMC is a Monégasque general entertainment television channel.-History:The oldest private channel in Europe, TMC dates back to 1954, inaugurated by Rainier III, Prince of Monaco...
) – Piet te Nuyl (NTS
Nederland 1
Nederland 1 is the first national television station in the Netherlands, it was launched on 2 October 1951. It provides public broadcasting and currently exists next to sister channels Nederland 2 and 3. The several broadcasting organisations of the Publieke Omroep deliver programmes. A wide...
) - Elena Gerhard (Deutsches Fernsehen
Das Erste
Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen , marketed as Das Erste , is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany...
) - Jan Gabrielsson (Sveriges Radio-TV
SVT1
SVT1 is the primary television station of the Swedish public service broadcaster Sveriges Television in Sweden.-History:The channel began broadcasting in 1956 and was known as Radiotjänst TV, A year later, it was renamed Sveriges Radio TV. In 1969, the second television station TV2 was launched and...
) and (SR P1
Sveriges Radio
Sveriges Radio AB – Swedish Radio Ltd – is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. The Swedish public-broadcasting system is in many respects modelled after the one used in the United Kingdom, and Sveriges Radio - like Sveriges Television - shares many characteristics with...
) - Theodor Haller (TV DRS
SF 1
SF 1 is a Swiss television channel run under the public SRG SSR idée suisse broadcasting group. It is the first of the three national German language channels in Switzerland ....
), Georges Hardy (TSR
TSR 1
TSR 1 is a Swiss public television channel owned by Télévision Suisse Romande.- History :Launched on 1 November 1954 to succeed Télé Geneva, TSR 1 is the first channel of the two French Swiss networks of television group TSR ....
) - Peter Alexander (Fernsehprogramm) - Tom Sloan
Tom Sloan (broadcaster)
Thomas James H Sloan, was a British Broadcaster and Journalist and BBC Head of Light Entertainment during the 'Golden Age of British Television' in the 1960s.-Early life:...
(BBC Television Service
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
), Pete Murray (BBC Light Programme
BBC Light Programme
The Light Programme was a BBC radio station which broadcast mainstream light entertainment and music from 1945 until 1967, when it was rebranded as BBC Radio 2...
) - Anton Peters
Anton Peters
Anton Peters was a Belgian actor.He was born in Ekeren. On 13 June 1944 he was arrested by Nazis in Norway...
(NIR
EEN
EEN may refer to:* Eastern Educational Television Network, the original name for American Public Television.* Elemental Energy, a Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game booster pack.* Emerald Energy, an oil company...
), Paule Herreman
Paule Herreman
Paule Herreman was a Belgian Actress and television presenter for RTBF.Herreman started her debut to television as a Television Announcer. In 1954 she joint INR to work with the Eurovision, Herreman even provided the French language commentary for RTBF viewers on 10 occasions for the Eurovision...
(INR
La Une
La Une is a Belgian national television channel, owned and operated by RTBF.- INR :The Institut National de Radiodiffusion began experimental television in Belgium on 2 June 1953, with the crowning of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom...
) (Non-participating country) - Jacques Navadic
Jacques Navadic
Jacques Navadic was a Broadcasting editor and Television presenter who joined Radio Luxembourg in 1955. He worked with Robert Diligent. He was the regular Luxembourgian commentator in the Eurovision Song Contest and worked for RTL Luxembourg.-References:...
(Télé-Luxembourg
RTL9
RTL9 is a Luxembourger television channel shown internationally to viewers in Luxembourg, France, Belgium and francophone Switzerland.- Télé-Luxembourg :...
)
Spokespersons
- Bob Van Bael - Pete Murray - Karl Bruck - Boris Acquadro - Roland Eiworth - Walter Andreas SchwarzWalter Andreas Schwarz
Walter Andreas Schwarz was a German singer, songwriter, novelist, Kabarettist, author of radio dramas and translator.- Biography :...
- Willem Duys
Willem Duys
Willem Duys , was a Dutch radio and television presenter, commentator, tennis player and music producer.Duys was born in Bussum. Having made the final NK Older Youth in 1946, he won the Spieghel Hilversum and Heide B tournament, took the semi-finals Plaswijck Kralingen and won the B tournament in...
- TBC - Enzo Tortora
Enzo Tortora
Enzo Tortora , was a popular TV host and anchorman on national RAI television, who was falsely accused of being a member of the Camorra and drug trafficking...
- Bent Henius - Marianne Lecène
- NOTE: This is the reverse order