| The host for this year's contest
was Corry Brokken, the veteran Dutch entrant and the winner of the 1957
contest (though now embarking on a legal career). It was the first time
a former winner was employed as presenter. The Dutch stage-design genius Roland de Groot put together another fantastic piece of manipulatable floating backdrop, this time consisting of several very large illuminated planks and a moon-like disc. Austria descended into self-parody with their act, Waterloo and Robinson: seemingly a sort of Asterix tribute; a knee-bending tribute to sticking with what you know: "I just love my little world / I don't need no new sensations." It is strangely camp. Their neighbours, Germany, looked at last year's winner, scratched their heads and came up with the Les Humphries Singers' "Sing Sang Song" (the second entry to be penned by Ralph Siegel): a tsunami of close-harmonization and WMC chic. Israel finally learnt the formula that would get us voting for them year after year after year. The enticingly named Shokolad Menta Mastik are a female trio in white trouser-suits, performing a slinky cabaret number with ethnic overtones. A great piece that knows precisely what it's doing and does it a lot; it is impossible to hear this and not to sway along. Portugal's entry is different: a very grand introduction and some interesting on-stage instrumentation makes it look like we're in for a chamber concert for a moment. In fact we're in for some moving and very Belgian chanson that in an ideal world would go on for twice as long as it does. Meanwhile, Greece brought a bouzouki and a female Demis Roussos along for their haunting slab of rather pleasantly orchestrated protest song. Finland, already a nation of modest interest to us, made an all-out declaration of of intent to greatness with Fredi & The Friends. Fredi is a man the size of a small car, with a lovely mop of hair, sparkly lapels and a medallion. He first represented Finland in 1967, when we gave him three points for his (somewhat more serious) efforts. For this song, "Pump-Pump", he is joined by his Friends: three young ladies in salmon pink, a pianist and a Volvo driver. It would be easy to dismiss this as a throwaway novelty entry, but for the crucial fact that it is not only a good performance but also a good song; from the epic scope of the piano-led '70s art-rock verse to the joyously silly, arse-banging chorus: "Let your hip go hippety pump-pump". It's easily superior to the actual winner on the night: the UK entry, Brotherhood of Man, with their tightly choreographed "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" rip-off: "Save All Your Kisses for Me". For each year's songs we apply our points in the 12-10-8 style of the modern contest, irrespective of how the voting functioned at the time. In brackets is the position the song came on the night:
As already mentioned, Europe had the UK first, with France second, Switzerland fourth, Italy seventh, the Netherlands ninth, Ireland tenth, Luxembourg 14th and Spain 16th. On a statistical analysis, this year's results show the greatest disagreement between ourselves and Europe, with an average deviation of 6.3 points per entry.
|
 Our winners, Fredi and his Friends.  The Les Humphries Singers before being consumed by a giant Pac Man.  Austria's Waterloo & Robinson.  Israel crack the recipe: Shokolad Menta Mastik.  Europe's winners.  The Greek entry, Mariza Koch. |
