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Marcel Bezençon (1907–1981) was one of the key figures involved in creating the Eurovision Song Contest. The Eurovision Song Contest (French: Concours Eurovision de la chanson) was first held in 1956, originally conceived as an experiment in transnational television broadcasting.
The Eurovision Song Contest began as a technical experiment in television broadcasting: the live, simultaneous, transnational broadcast that Europe has now been watching for nearly 70 years was in the late 1950s a marvel. The first Eurovision Song Contest was held on May 24, 1956, and saw seven nations compete: the Netherlands, Switzerland ...
4 days ago · Eurovision Song Contest, annual singing contest organized by the European Broadcasting Union. The competition, begun in 1956, gathers performers—selected at the national level by each participating country’s public broadcasting service—from across Europe and representing virtually every genre of popular music.
- The Eurovision Song Contest, also called Le Grand-Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne, is an annual singing contest organized by the European...
- First held on May 24, 1956, in Lugano, Switzerland, the inaugural proceedings of the Eurovision Song Contest featured solo artists from just seven...
- In addition to a cash prize, the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest earns widespread recognition; moreover, traditionally, the victor’s homeland...
Lys Assia, the winner of the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, performing at the 1958 contest. The Eurovision Song Contest was developed by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) as an experiment in live television broadcasting and a way to produce cheaper programming for national broadcasting organisations.
- Music Competition
- 1956
- 1957
- 1958
- 1959
- 1960
- 1961
- 1962
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- 1965
The world’s most famous song festival was born with a lofty ambition – to unite a Europe still ravaged by the recent World War. French businessman Marcel Baison borrowed the concept from Italy’s successful San Remo competition and got the newly formed European Broadcasting Union (EBU) interested. Just seven countries took part on May 24, 1956, in L...
In the early days of the contest, there was a considered move to promote European-style pop in a bid to balance the dominant American recordings that – even back then – had a stranglehold on sales on both sides of the Atlantic. These were national anthems, if you like, and so all ten of 1957’s entries were performed in their maiden tongue. The UK j...
Here’s the start of something strange in the history of Eurovision: the most famous entry (by a country mile) of 1958 didn’t even win! Italy’ “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu” came third for Domenico Modugno but sold millions when issued as “Volare”/”To Fly” and even won the first Grammy for Best Male Vocal Performance, Song Of The Year and Record Of The Ye...
The UK returned to the fold and 1959 saw the debut of Monaco (another Eurovision delight: the realization for some that there are European states so small you might not have heard of them). The UK’s entry, Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson’s “Sing Little Birdie,” came second and was the first domestic Eurovision single to make the UK charts – a phenomen...
With rock ‘n’ roll still missing in action, the dawn of the swinging 1960s Eurovision was anything but. The 12 entries (Norway joined the contest this year) ranged from soft jazz, strident MOR, and those ubiquitous ballads; you could even hear a bit of light opera! France’s Jacqueline Boyer with “Tom Pillibi” was the final song of the night and edg...
Three more countries joined Eurovision in 1961 – Finland, Spain, and Yugoslavia, bringing the number of entries to an impressive 16. Again, some of the biggest hits of the show failed to win – The Allisons, for the UK, had a sizeable international smash with “Are You Sure?” but came second; while a remake of “Al Di La” (Italy’s entry by Betty Cutis...
The ultimate humiliation of Eurovision is the dreaded “null points” – songs that fail to win a single score from either the professional national juries or viewers voting from home. 1962 was the first time it happened, with Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Spain all falling to impress. France’s Isabelle Aubret with “Un Premier Amour,” on the ...
With The Beatles about to conquer the world – and already a phenomenon in their homeland – the UK’s Ronnie Carroll and “Say Wonderful Things” was as far away from Merseybeat as is possible to imagine. He came fifth, while Denmark won for the first time with “Dansevise” by Grethe and Jorgen Ingmann. The night was tainted by a technical hitch. The No...
Italy swept the board with “Non Ho L’Eta” from Gigliola Cinquetti; the song was a huge international success and Gigliola would return to the Eurovision stage again the following decade (and would host in 1991). Austria’s Udo Jurgens only came sixth with “Warum Nur Warum,” but the English-language cover-version, “Walk Away,” by the UK’s Matt Monro ...
French legend Serge Gainsbourg would write the first classic winner in the history of Eurovision – “Poupee De Circe, Poupee De Son” – for his 17-year-old god-daughter France Gall, representing Luxembourg. This quirky pop composition is a world away from his steamy duet “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus,” which would prove a scandalous sensation just three y...
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Jul 19, 2023 · July 19, 2023 by Dorothy Sarmiento. The Eurovision Song Contest, a spectacle of music and cultural diversity, has been a staple of international entertainment since its inception in 1956.
May 10, 2024 · By Erin Blakemore. May 10, 2024. What’s campy, catchy, and fraught with international angst? If you answered “the Eurovision song contest,” you’re right. Since the 1950s, the annual song...
