"Mata Hari" was the Norwegian

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...

 entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1976

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...

, performed in 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...

 by Anne-Karine Strøm

Anne-Karine Strøm

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 and representing Norway in the Eurovision Song Contests of 1973, 1974 and...

.

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

Mata Hari

Mata Hari was the stage name of Margaretha Geertruida "M'greet" Zelle , a Dutch exotic dancer, courtesan, and accused spy who was executed by firing squad in France under charges of espionage for Germany during World War I.-Early life:Margaretha Geertruida Zelle was born in Leeuwarden, Friesland,...

, to whom she addresses the song. The sexual exploits of the famous woman are implied to have been considerable.

The song was performed ninth on the night, following the Netherlands

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...

' Sandra Reemer

Sandra Reemer

Barbara Alexandra "Sandra" Reemer is a Dutch Indo singer of Dutch, Chinese and Javanese extraction...

 with "The Party's Over" and preceding Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

's Mariza Koch

Mariza Koch

Mariza Koch is a Greek folk music singer who has recorded many albums since starting her career in 1971. On the wider stage she is best remembered for representing her homeland at the Eurovision Song Contest 1976 with the song Panayia Mou, Panayia Mou. Mariza Koch was born in Athens in 1944 but...

 with "Panayia Mu, Panayia Mu

Panayia Mu, Panayia Mu

"Panagia Mou, Panagia Mou" was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, performed in Greek by Mariza Koch....

". At the close of voting, it had received 7 points, placing 18th (last) in a field of 18.

Strøm had represented Norway at Eurovision twice before, once in 1973

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....

 as part of vocal group The Bendik Singers and again as a solo performer in 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...

.

As of 2009, Strøm still holds the record as the only artist in the history of Eurovision to have finished in last place twice. The first time came in 1974 with the song "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....

".

Anne was succeeded as Norwegian representative

Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest

Norway has been participating in the Eurovision Song Contest since 1960 and only been absent twice: in 1970, when they boycotted the contest over disagreements about the voting structure, and in 2002, when they did not qualify....

 at the 1977 contest

Eurovision Song Contest 1977

The Eurovision Song Contest 1977 was the 22nd edition series, and was held on 7 May 1977 in London. With Angela Rippon as the presenter, the contest was won by Marie Myriam who represented France, with her song "L'oiseau et l'enfant" . This was France's fifth victory, a record, which was equalled...

 by Anita Skorgan

Anita Skorgan

Anita Skorgan is a Norwegian singer-songwriter. She was once married to Jahn Teigen, another successful Norwegian singer-songwriter...

 with "Casanova

Casanova (song)

"Casanova" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977, performed in Norwegian by Anita Skorgan.The song is an up-tempo number, with Skorgan describing her husband, who is absent at the time. She is uncomplimentary about this, singing that he sees himself as a Casanova or a Don Juan...

".