Intro Post

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Introduction

Eurovision 1976 was hosted in the Netherlands’ only city to host two Eurovisions: The Hague. It was the first contest presented by a former contestant, namely Corry Brokken, the winner of 1957.

The country lineup is a bit unusual this time, because Sweden skipped it for the third and last time. The reason is because their broadcaster didn’t have enough money to host if they won next year, so a change was made in response: for later contests, every participating broadcaster had to help pay. Once again, this is a rule change caused by a controversy, and it won’t be the last one caused by a country’s absence. That is also how the Big Five happened. Malta skipped this contest too, not to return until 1991, as did Turkey. On the other hand, Greece and Austria both rejoined this contest.

This contest is also notable for a high concentration of English. Of the 18 songs in it, seven are entirely in English, and two partly. The language is in entries from countries like Switzerland, Austria, and even Italy. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was why the language rule was reinstated next year. To the EBU, Italy singing (mostly) in English must have crossed the line. Speaking of English, I watched the contest with British commentary—appropriate considering the winner.

One more thing: The postcards feature each participant exploring their countries, enclosed by a circle of all the participants’ flags in order. Helpful for knowing which song is next!

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United Kingdom: Save Your Kisses for Me (the winner)

Artist: Brotherhood of Man

Language: English

Key: G major

Though the band’s name may sound all-male, Brotherhood of Man is in fact two men and two women just like ABBA. Everything about their song is British to the core—the chord progressions over the bassline, the singing style, the theme of the lyrics. They’ve got a well-rehearsed dance routine, which back then wasn’t that common in Eurovision entries. Right away, I can sense winner energy from this performance.

The winner energy is helped by the theme of the song, which has quite a plot twist. The whole song seems addressed from a man to his lover, until the line at the end: “even though you’re only three”, which means it was addressed to his child all along. That made the song a hell of a lot more interesting and probably tipped it in the jury’s favor.

It’s pretty cool that we got two first-spot winners in a row, but the downside is it’s hard to compare this song to other entries and analyze why it won. However, it’s clear that this song helped raise the bar for a winning Eurovision performance, since later winners have even more choreography. If I remember right, we only have one more year with a first-spot winner.

Switzerland: Djambo Djambo

Artist: Peter, Sue, and Marc, returning from 1971

Language: English, to my chagrin

Key: D major, E♭ major

Our second entry is a pop-rock song about a clown named Djambo, who is portrayed by a performer on stage. The clown runs a wind-up organ to help with the verses, and the rest is a bunch of fun 70’s style rock that gradually gets faster through the song. It’s a lovely and well-performed song, but it has one problem: they should have performed it in German. The rhythm of the lyrics feels like it’s designed to be sung in German, so the accented English feels unnatural. Plus, it has some bizarre usage of English, like fabricating the word “feets” to rhyme with “streets”. The German version (also called Djambo Djambo) feels like the real version of this song, but sadly for reasons I can’t control, many German-speaking singers feel insecure about their own language.

This song is a great composition musically! However, when I watched its Eurovision performance, my brain kept screaming “why aren’t they singing in German?” Clearly, I’m not alone in feeling this contest went overboard with English usage, considering the language rule was brought back next year. Don’t get me wrong, some Eurovision songs do work best in English. But when I hear a Eurovision song in English that would obviously work better in the singer’s native language, I feel kind of babied. Like the contest staff is saying, “oh, these poor residents of English-speaking countries, they’re scared of songs in other languages! We must bend backwards for them!”

I don’t want this review to seem too negative, so to sum up: it’s a good song, but it should have been in German.

Germany: Sing, Sang, Song

Artist: Les Humphries Singers, or at least some of them

Language: German, with the title and several other lines in English

Key: A♭ major, A major

This is the first Eurovision that specifies this is West Germany, both by the British commentator and on the screen which says “W.-Duitsland”. In the postcard, the singers ride a boat with the German flag behind them, which looks so goofy. Now that color TV has been well-established, it makes sense flags would get more screen time.

Les Humphries Singers consisted of a varying lineup of about twelve to twenty singers, but it had to be trimmed to six for this contest. No, it’s not French for “The Humphries Singers”. The group was organized by a man named Les Humphries, who conducted this song. Unfortunately, this song got 15th place out of 18, and it started the group’s collapse. Shame because I find this song a lot of fun. It mixes acapella sections where the singers harmonize with some bouncy upbeat blues. I do wish this song had more solos of individual singers. We briefly had some in the middle of the song, and they sounded great.

Israel: Emor Shalom (אמור שלום)

Artist: Shokolad, Menta, Mastik, whose name means “Chocolate, Mint, Gum”

Language: Hebrew

Key: C minor

It’s often said that Jewish music tends to use minor key for happy songs, and this song is a perfect example. The lyrics are sugary and upbeat, repeatedly telling the singer’s love interest to grab her hand and “say hello” (which is what the title means). The band’s name sounds like the kind that would make a lot of bubbly-sounding songs, so it seems this is their interpretation of what a bubbly song sounds like. I quite enjoy it; it sounds upbeat for sure, but also a little mischievous. The one problem with this song is that it ends abruptly.

Luxembourg: Chansons pour ceux qui s’aiment

Artist: Jürgen Marcus, a German

Language: French

Key: B♭ major

This is a theatrical style love song partly with simple classical-like composition, partly with an overly stompy beat. My only real thoughts on it are that either Jürgen sang too quiet or the backing singers were too loud.

Belgium: Judy et Cie

Artist: Pierre Rapsat

Language: French

Key: E minor

According to the British commentator, Pierre was once part of a group called Genghis Khan. Could this be foreshadowing for Germany’s famous entry a few years later?

The lyrics are about a woman named Judy who had a far-fetched fantasy about her body based on unhealthy beauty standards. The instrumental is surprisingly dreary and moving, with a heavy orchestra and 12-string guitar. This is by far the heaviest sounding song this year so far, one of the heaviest in any Eurovision contest. It’s well-composed, well-sung, and pops out in all the right ways. I think it’s because the orchestral arrangement carefully balances the instruments to give weight to the piano, drums, and strings in order. It’s not the genre of song I expected from a French-speaking country!

Also, the chord progression vaguely reminds me of “Hotel California” by The Eagles, as does the general mood of the song.

Ireland: When

Artist: Red Hurley

Language: English

Key: A major

This is another attempt at an emotional song, but it’s simply about losing a love interest—a more pedestrian topic. It’s not as moving as Belgium’s song, more of an average Irish ballad. It was a fan favorite that got a huge applause from the audience, but it only scored tenth place in the end. Maybe the jury’s opinion on this song is closer to mine; since the song doesn’t have many catchy hooks, it fades into sappy Irish ballad soup for me. Later Irish ballads will score much better, as we’ll see throughout the 80’s and 90’s.

I’ve noticed that compared to the last few contests, the orchestra this year has a stronger focus on strings. This makes the songs sound more theatrical on average. It suits some songs well, but I would have liked “When” more if it had a brassy backing.

Netherlands: The Party’s Over

Artist: Sandra Reemer, returning from 1972

Language: English

Key: A minor in the verses and F♯ minor in the chorus

The postcard features two things the Netherlands is best known for: windmills and bikes. The only way to make it more Dutch is if Sandra ate a stroopwafel.

The way this song begins is super interesting, considering the structure is “slow verses, lively chorus”. It starts with a lively section for a few measures, but then it greatly slows down when Sandra sings the verses. This intro tells listeners in advance that the song won’t all be slow and dreary. It’s like a movie that starts with crazy action scenes featuring mysterious characters to get the viewer hooked, followed by 30 minutes of quiet exposition and character introductions. Otherwise, the song is decently catchy with a good title hook, but could have been more energetic as a whole.

Norway: Mata Hari (not to be confused with Azerbaijan 2021)

Artist: Anne-Karine Strøm, returning from 1974

Language: English

Key: F♯ major, G major, A♭ major

All four of Norway’s Eurovision entries when they were first allowed to sing in English featured at least one of the Bendik Singers. 1973 had all four, 1974 had three, and 1975 had just one. Although this song was performed by just one Bendik Singer, it was composed partly by another one: Philip A. Kruse. This means every Norwegian entry from 1976 involved a different number of Bendik Singers: four, three, one, and two in order.

In 1974, Anne-Karine shared last place with three other contestants, but this time she has last place all to herself. The weird thing is, this song was predicted to score highly at first. Unfortunately, this good-looking lady had to wear the ugliest outfit I have ever seen any Eurovision contestant wear. What the living fuck are those hideous sunglasses? Why does she keep taking them on and off? And why is she wearing such a blinding glittery dress?

As a song, this is actually pretty good. It’s a funky, showy pop song with tons of guitar and brass, and the lyrics say the singer wishes she had the seductive skills of Mata Hari. I just wonder why the Bendik Singers’ Eurovision performances got so much worse after their glorious song from 1973.

Greece: Panagiá mou, panagiá mou (Παναγιά μου, παναγιά μου)

Artist: Mariza Koch

Language: Greek

Key: G major

I’ve read that this song is meant to be about the then-recent Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and typical to Eurovision, the lyrics discuss it indirectly. Like Luxembourg, it’s another traditional opera-style song I struggle to say much about. I know a lot of Greek fans hold this song in high regard, but as a piece of music it sadly doesn’t do much for me.

Finland: Pump-Pump

Artist: Fredi (returning from 1967) and the Friends

Language: English

Key: G major, A major

Oh hey, this was the guy with a super raspy voice from 1967. Thankfully he doesn’t have the same problem in this song. It’s a fun pop song with excited dancers, but like Switzerland’s song, it’s easy to tell this song wasn’t originally in English, and it sounds more natural in its original language. Even the original Finnish version feels a little unfocused compared to the rest of this contest.

Spain: Sobran las palabras

Artist: Braulio García

Language: Spanish

Key: A major, B♭ major

For some reason, it was this song that made me realize we’re now in the era with those types of Eurovision ballads. The type with a 4/4 time signature, brass riffs, lots of string chords, and a slow drum beat. Oh, and lyrics that go “don’t worry, my love, you’re the greatest and make my heart soar”. We’re going to see so many of those for the next two decades. I find this formula more enjoyable than the 60’s ballad formula, but they still tend to be samey. This song is distinguished from others of its type mainly by being in Spanish.

Italy: We’ll Live It All Again

Artist: Al Bano and Romina Power

Language: English and Italian

Key: E♭ major

We’ve got another Italian-American duo, but unlike last year, the genders of each nationality are flipped. Romina sings in English while Al sings in Italian. I’ve talked before about how much people love to put the Italian language on a pedestal, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Italy singing in English was why the language rule was brought back next year. I actually think Italian sounds a little choppy and shouty, but that’s just my taste. Yours may be totally different.

In terms of language, this is the second, less common type of half-English song: the kind with frequent alternation between the languages, within both the verses and chorus. It’s an average pop song that doesn’t feel that memorable or punchy, and the alternation between languages feels too much like a gimmick for my tastes. In a good multilingual song, all the languages work together to make it shine, which this song doesn’t really do. Also, I know they’re an actual married couple, but romantic duet singers need to stop staring into each other’s eyes so much. I find it irrationally annoying.

Austria: My Little World

Artist: Waterloo and Robinson

Language: English

Key: F minor in the verses, F major in the chorus

Fun fact: This duo competed to represent Austria in 2004, and got second place. Not bad for a return after 28 years!

As a song, this feels kind of cheesy and childish. Their bizarre 70’s outfits probably play a part. I was curious whether this song sounds better in its original German, and it’s about the same this time. So at least this song wasn’t hampered by Anglicizing it. It’s not even that cheesy, just kind of average. For some reason, it got fifth place.

Portugal: Uma flor de verde pinho

Artist: Carlos do Carmo

Language: Portuguese

Key: B minor, C minor

This year, Portugal went ethnic and sent a slow-paced fado song, with poetic lyrics about the tragedy of overflowing love. I find it quite beautiful and evocative. The cadence and singing voice help a lot; you can listen and immediately tell it’s Portuguese. Throughout Eurovision history, Portugal’s strength has been embracing its own culture.

Although my favorite entries in this contest have been traditional sounding, the juries’ tastes were different. This song got twelfth place, which isn’t that bad compared to other Portuguese entries. It got 24 points, 12 of which came from France.

Monaco: Toi, la musique et moi

Artist: Mary Christy, a Luxembourger

Language: French

Key: E♭ major, F major. The key change was hilariously obvious.

Near the end, we’ve got a lively pop song whose title means “you, music and me”. I was expecting it to sound a little gloomy, but instead I got something that fits the title to a T. With the energetic dancing, the harmonized vocals, and the stage play-like chord progression, it’s one of the most contemporary songs in this contest, so I can understand why it got third place. The only problem is that it feels a little short, at just under two and a half minutes. It scored nowhere near as high as the UK’s closest contender, which is…

France: Un, deux, trois

Artist: Catherine Ferry

Language: French

Key: A major

Before this contest began, people predicted it would be a battle between the British and French entries, and they were spot on. This song scored second place behind “Save Your Kisses for Me”—147 and 164 points respectively. The third highest score was only 93 points.

This song has winner energy, but not as much as the UK of course. It is built on the catchy hook “un, deux, trois (clap clap)” and builds tons of catchy melodies from there. It’s super easy to sing along to, regardless of your French skills. Musically, it has the vibe of a stage play song, and I can’t decide if it’s the kind that would begin or end a play. Maybe it’s the kind that would play at the start and be reprised in the finale. The instrumentation style is mostly traditional orchestra, but the guitar riffs give it a splash of modernity. I was expecting this song to have a key change, but it didn’t. Which is good, because it didn’t need a key change.

Yugoslavia: Ne mogu skriti svoju bol (Не могу скрити своју бол)

Artist: Ambasadori

Language: Serbo-Croatian (Bosnian)

Key: G major

The final slot didn’t serve well for Yugoslavia, probably because they came after France’s flashy song. They got second last place this year.

The British commentator claimed that although the title means “I cannot hide my pain”, the performance is quite cheerful. I don’t agree with him at all. Although the song is fast-paced, the lead singer sounds melancholy, and the composition matches it well. Like Teach-In from last year, the band has a female lead singer and five men who back her. Listening to it, I’m convinced it would have scored better if it didn’t follow France.

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Who’s my favorite?

This year, there are three strong contenders: Germany, Belgium, and Portugal. One upbeat song and two melancholy songs. I’ll eliminate Germany since I had already remarked something could have been better about it. This leaves me choosing between Belgium and Portugal, both excellent moving pieces of music. I’ll go with the song that wowed me a little more: Belgium: Judy et Cie.

• Austria, 1
• Belgium, 1
• Denmark, 1
• Finland, 1
• Germany, 2
• Ireland, 1
• Luxembourg, 2
• Netherlands, 6
• Norway, 2
• Portugal, 1
• Sweden, 3
• (9 winners)

After picking two of the contest’s winners in a row, it’s nice to have an unusual pick once more. Especially since most songs I’ve selected as favorites have been upbeat.

General thoughts:

Compared to 1973-1975, the style of this contest’s songs was much more traditional. From the flashy pop songs of those three years, we’ve scaled back to songs that are more serious and orchestral (with some exceptions of course). Some of the orchestral songs were beautiful, but others totally bored me. Overall, it was a weaker year than the last three, though it did have some gems. The UK and France’s songs were easily the flashiest, so it makes sense that they were the top two.

This was the first contest whose interval act (a Dutch jazz band) featured interviews with the contestants themselves, specifically about which song they thought would win. Catherine Ferry confidently predicted the UK would win—I can only imagine the burst of joy she felt when proven right. None of the other contestants interviewed gave a definitive answer.

It’s worth noting that the British entry scored the highest percentage of maximum points in Eurovision history: 164 out of 204, so 80.39%. I think this is a result of the newness of the twelve-point system, plus the relatively small lineup of 18 countries. On the flip side, Norway’s last place score proves the importance of good fashion choices.

One more question worth asking: why was the language rule only lifted for a few years the first time, but kept long-term the second time? I think it’s because all the new countries that joined starting 1993 felt that they never got a chance. If Poland won in 1994, instead of getting second place, maybe the language rule would’ve lasted longer, and just maybe, we wouldn’t be so deprived of entries in German today.

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See you next time for France’s most recent victory as of this writing.

>> 1977: No More English for You