Eurovisie Songfestival

Although we look forward to this annual event with about the same amount of enthusiasm as the average Serb welcomes a NATO-airplane, the influence of the Eurovision Songcontest on the (commercial) pop-scene is unmistakable. Belgian nominees in the past 40+ years have been (with in red text the placing of the entry and the number of contestants. -icons indicate there's a little real-audio excerpt available) :

1956 Fud Leclerc with 'Messieurs les noyés de la Seine' and Mony Marc with 'Le plus beau jour de ma vie'. During the first edition in Lugano, each of the 7 participating countries could delegate 2 singers. Only the first place of Switzerland was announced.

1957 Bobbejaan Schoepen: 'Straatdeuntje' (7/10) - Flemish cowboy with theme-park-ambitions. Apparently only had three days to learn this song by Harry Frékin.

1958 Fud Leclerc: 'Ma petite chatte' (5/10).

1959 Bob Benny: 'Hou toch van mij' (6/10). Singer from Sint-Niklaas who would later have a fine career in Germany. Perhaps they'd better sent "Waarom zijn de bananen krom?" by Tony Corsari that year ?

1960 Fud Leclerc: 'Mon amour pour toi' (5/13)

1961 Bob Benny: 'September, gouden roos' (15/16) - There was a big controversy surrounding this Belgian entry in 1961 because of the indecent Kongo-politics of the Belgian government.

1962 Fud Leclerc: 'Ton nom' (13/16). Fourth, last & point-less contribution of this wanderlusting Belgian.

1963 Jacques Raymond: 'Waarom' (9/16) - Crooner from Antwerpen, who got best known for his television performances. Had ended only 2nd in the preselections, but it turned out Bob Benny's entry had already been published on vinyl before.

1964 Robert Cogoi: 'Prés de ma rivière' (10/16) - Participant of Yougouslavian origins.

1965 Lize Marke: 'Als het weer lente is' (15/18). Another Belgian entry that got zero points.

1966 Tonia: 'Un peu de poivre, un peu de sel' (4/18). Naughty little female singer who made her breaktrough in the Knokke-cup.

1967 Louis Neefs: 'Ik heb zorgen' (7/17). Apart from a singer of lovely songs, Louis Neefs was also a very active competitor in all kinds of song contests.

1968 Claude Lombard: 'Quand tu reviendras' (7/17). Despite her manly name this was a female singer.

1969 Louis Neefs: 'Jennifer Jennings' (7/16). Second - swiging - entry of the crooner from Gierle.

1970 Jean Vallée: 'Viens l'oublier' (6/12). Singer from Verviers who had a 2nd go at the festival 8 years later.

1971 Lilli Castel & Jacques Raymond: 'Goeie morgen, morgen' (13/18). Initially, this song was to be sung by showbizz-duo Nicole & Hugo, but they had to forfeit because of jaundice. Their replacements got reproaches that they moved "woodenly", but they defended themselves by saying the "stage was too small for the steps they had been practising". Those were the days.

1972 Serge & Christine Ghisoland: 'A la folie ou pas du tout' (17/18)

1973 Nicole Josi & Hugo Sigal: 'Baby Baby' (17/17). Two years after the 1971 story the smiling duo - unfortunately - had no jaundice and sung themselves into the collective memory because of their campy costumes.

1974 Jacques Hustin: 'Fleur de liberté' (9/17)

1975 Ann Christy: 'Gelukkig zijn' (15/19). Frail yet powerful female singer that already had two unsuccesful goes at the preselection with the Flemish - now classic - song "Dag vreemde man".

1976 Pierre Rapsat: 'Judy et compagnie' (8/18). Walloon rocker that later had some regrets he had chosen such a "sentimental" song. Still one of the best Belgian entries all time.

1977 Dreams Express: 'A Million in One, Two, Three' (7/18). Group of Luk Smets (see The Pebbles) and the Indonesian-Dutch trio Bianca, Stella en Patricia Maesen.

1978 Jean Vallée: 'L'amour ça fait chanter la vie' (2/20). Apart from 1986's Sandra Kim the Belgian entry that finished up the highest. Sinitra-ish song that had an English version as "Goodbye".

1979 Micha Marah: 'Hey Nana' (18/19). Flemish female singer who had made a reputation with "Tamboerke". Said she was very unhappy with the choice of song for her.

1980 Telex: 'Eurovision' (17/19). Electro-pioneers who didn't get a lot of points with this ironic song. Nowadays this contribution is often mentioned within the "top-moments" of the festival history.

1981 Emily Star: 'Samson' (13/20). Former foto-model with a sexy stage-act.

1982 Stella: 'Si tu aimes ma musique' (4/18) - Singer of Indonesian descent who had been on stage the year before as Dream Express and even before that as a Dutch entry. The music to this song was by Fred Bekky and Bobott (The Pebbles).

1983 Pas-de-deux: 'Rendez-vous' (18/20). A few newcomers of the radio-station Studio-Brussel in the jury caused this "odd one out"-song with Walter Verdin and Dett Peyskens.

1984 Jacques Zegers: 'Avanti la vie' (5/19)

1985 Linda Lepomme: 'Laat me nu gaan' (19/19). Last place for this lady who later on became the "artistic director of the Royal Flemish Ballet, musical-department".

1986 Sandra Kim: 'J'aime la vie' (1/20). With her 13 years the youngest winner of the song contest ever (a record that is safe from being broken, cause the current regulations impose a minimum-age of 16). To this day the only victory of Belgium.

1987 Liliane St.-Pierre: 'Soldiers of Love'(11/22) - A year later "grandma" Liliane had the honour of defending the home turf. More people will remember the dress of Viktor Lazlo who did the presentation of the festival in Brussels.

1988 Reynaert: 'Laisser briller le soleil' (18/21). Folksinger from Liège.

1989 Ingeborg: 'Door de wind' (19/22) - Girl who later on became a presenter of everything from kid's programme's to new-age situation. The song was by the Belgian Dutchman Stef Bos.

1990 Philippe Lafontaine: 'La Macédonienne' (12/22). A song for his wife of Yougouslavian descent. Would later make a breakthrough in France with the song "Coeur de Loup" (Wolf's heart).

1991 Clouseau: 'Geef het op' (16/22) - Attempt at international fame of a group that was generating Clouseau-mania here in Belgium. Europe didn't like it and took the message of the song "Give it up" very seriously.

1992 Morgane: 'Nous, on veut des violons' (20/23). On music by Claude Barzotti ("Madame"...). In the preselections, the first public appearance of Jean-Louis Daulne.

1993 Barbara: 'Iemand als jij' (25/25). The daughter of Marc Dex, who had had a go in the preselection some 20 years earlier with the sentimental "O Clown". Her participation in the contest is remembered best for her sense of dress (see the links). Later on became a respected female singer.

1994 no belgian contestant.

1995 Fréderic Etherlinck: 'La voix est libre' (20/23). Adopted grandson of Maurice Maeterlinck (winner of a Nobelprize Literature).

1996 Lisa del Bo: 'Liefde is een kaartspel' (16/23). Delegate from Limburg who came from the Soundmix-circuit (had been imitating Dani Klein of Vaya Con Dios there), with a song by John Terra.

1997 no Belgian entry

1998 Mélanie Cohl: 'Dis oui' (6/22). Again a very young Walloon singer that scored suprisingly well, with a song written by Philippe Swan.

1999 Vanessa Chinitor (12/23): "Like The Wind". Another "product" from the "stable" of John Terra and a singer who had been unknown before the festival.

2000 Nathalie Sorce "Envie de vivre" (24/24), finished last (this was already the 8th time that Belgium finished last) with only 2 points for this 21-year old student from La Louvière.

2001 Again, no Belgian participant this year

Websites :
- Eurosong.com is the official eurovisionsongcontestsite.
- For statistics about Eurosong : The Eurovision Database, or the "Deutsche Grünlichkeit" in the beautiful "ESC-base"
- Dutch generosity in songcontest.nl
- Audio & Video of most Belgian contestants in the Eurovision Jukebox
- the Barbara Dex Award
- eurosong.be, the site where the belgian hardcore fans hang out, formerly known as the Belgian Eurovision Union of radio Zoniën
- Terry Wogan's "tongue in cheek" Eurovision
- Site about Melanie Cohl.
- Site about Vanessa Chinitor.

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