Eurovision Song Contest (1956-1982) - It's A Knockout (Winner: ABBA)

[Corki]

The "It's A Knockout" for The Worst Single Ever was won by Technohead's I Wanna Be A Hippy. It was awful and beat The Cheeky Girl's The Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) in the Final. In the 3rd/4th Play-Off, Mr Blobby's self-titled single Mr Blobby beat Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby.

 

"It's A Knockout" returns this week, and we are sticking with the longer format - and this means there are 16 songs instead of 8! As the Eurovision Song Contest isn't far away for us Europeans, that is the theme for this month's contest. Howeever, it is slightly different in the fact there are two running concurrently, with the two winning tracks going head-to-head. I have done this as there is a distant change in the types of songs for Eurovision, and have chosen 1982 as the cut off point.

 

As a result of this split, it has made picking songs easier. This half of the draw concentrates on the winning songs between 1956 and 1982. To get a preview of all the songs that have won, you can watch the YouTube links below.

1956 - 1979: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L07yfidvuSQ&

1980 - 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYdYnOBWfKo

 

"It's a Knockout" - Format

For those of you who have not been involved with a "It's A Knockout" thread before, the rules are quite simple. The Band of the Red Hand is DM's travel and music ORG, and "It's a Knockout" is a knock out competition to find out the winner of the chosen category (past categories include Best Selling Single of 2008, Favourite Christmas Carol). Each day, 2 songs will be posted, along with a link so you can listen to the song if you do not know it, and all you have to do is post which is your favourite song of the two. After a day, the votes will be counted, and the winning song will progress to the next round, until we only have 1 song left as the winner at the end of the competition. It's very simple, so I look forward to seeing you getting involved!

 

So without further a-do, let the competition begin!

[Corki]

RESULTS

 

Round 1

 

1. All Kinds of Everything by Dana (Ireland - 1970) lost to A-Ba-Ni-Bi by Izhar Cohen & Alphabeta (Israel - 1978) (0-1)

2. Puppet on a String by Sandy Shaw (U.K. - 1967) lost to What's Another Year? by Johnny Logan (Ireland - 1980) (1-2)

3. L'oiseau et l'enfant by Marie Myriam (France - 1977) lost to Tu te reconnaîtras by Anne-Marie David (Luxembourg - 1973) (1-2)

4. Dansevise by Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann (Denmark - 1963) lost to Waterloo by Abba (Sweden - 1974) (0-3)

5. Un banc, un arbre, une rue by Séverine (Monaco - 1971) lost to Save Your Kisses for Me by Brotherhood of Man (U.K. - 1976) (1-2)

6. Poupée de cire, poupée de son by France Gall (Luxembourg - 1965) lost to Ein bißchen Frieden by Nicole (Germany - 1982) (1-2)

7. Boom Bang-a-Bang by Lulu (U.K. - 1969) lost to Ding-A-Dong by Teach-In (The Netherlands - 1975) (0-2)

8. Making Your Mind Up by Bucks Fizz (U.K. - 1981) lost to Non ho l'età by Gigliola Cinquetti (Italy - 1964) (0-3)

 

2nd Round

 

1. Waterloo by Abba (Sweden - 1974) beat Ding-A-Dong by Teach-In (The Netherlands - 1975) (2-0)

2. What's Another Year? by Johnny Logan (Ireland - 1980) lost to Non ho l'età by Gigliola Cinquetti (Italy - 1964) (0-3)

3. Ein bißchen Frieden by Nicole (Germany - 1982) beat A-Ba-Ni-Bi by Izhar Cohen & Alphabeta (Israel - 1978) (2-0)

4. Save Your Kisses for Me by Brotherhood of Man (U.K. - 1976) lost to Tu te reconnaîtras by Anne-Marie David (Luxembourg - 1973) (0-2)

 

Semi-Final

 

1. Non ho l'età by Gigliola Cinquetti (Italy - 1964) beat Ein bißchen Frieden by Nicole (Germany - 1982) (2-0)

2. Tu te reconnaîtras by Anne-Marie David (Luxembourg - 1973) lost to Waterloo by Abba (Sweden - 1974) (1-2)

 

3rd/4th Play-off

 

1. Ein bißchen Frieden by Nicole (Germany - 1982) lost to Tu te reconnaîtras by Anne-Marie David (Luxembourg - 1973) (0-3)

 

Final

 

1. Non ho l'età by Gigliola Cinquetti (Italy - 1964) lost to Waterloo by Abba (Sweden - 1974) (1-2)

[Corki]

THE CHOSEN SONGS

 

1. Dansevise by Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann (Denmark - 1963)

Translated as "Dance Ballad", this won Eurovision for Denmark in 1963 with 42 points. The song is a moderately up-tempo tune in which the singer hymns the praises of dancing, specifically with her "beloved friend". 

 

2. Non ho l'età by Gigliola Cinquetti (Italy - 1964)

1964 saw Italy win for the first time with a total of 49 points. Translated, it means "I'm not old enough". The song is sung from the perspective of a young girl who is telling her lover that she is not old enough to love him properly, but that one day she intends to do so. She pleads with him to "Let me live a romantic love" while she waits to be old enough to love properly.

 

3. Poupée de cire, poupée de son by France Gall (Luxembourg - 1965)

Tiny Luxembourg picked up their second win in 1965. The song's title is translated as "Doll of wax, doll of sawdust" and scored

32 points. It also is the first non-ballad song to win Eurovision and nominated as one of the top 14 Eurovision songs of all time in 2005.

 

4. Puppet on a String by Sandy Shaw (U.K. - 1967)

The U.K. finally get their first win in 1967 courtesy of Shandy Shaw, who scored 47 points. She was a huge star across Europe, and some believe this helped propel her to victory despiet Sandy Shaw thinking the worst of her possible entries.

 

5. Boom Bang-a-Bang by Lulu (U.K. - 1969)

1969 saw a 4-way tie at the top, with each scoring 18 points. How the other songs tied with Lulu's entry is a mystery to me. Another big name from British music, this probably helped Lulu.

 

6. All Kinds of Everything by Dana (Ireland - 1970)

Ireland had to wait until 1970 to get their first of a record 7 victories, which won with 32 points. After the buzz of the late 1960s, Dana brought the ballad back as a winning entry.

 

7. Un banc, un arbre, une rue by Séverine (Monaco - 1971)

Tiny, tiny Monaco won in 1971, as the song collected 128 points. Translated, it means "A bench, a tree, a street". Continuing the ballady feel, the lyrics focusing on the loss of childhood innocence, and people following their dreams.

 

8. Tu te reconnaîtras by Anne-Marie David (Luxembourg - 1973)

Following on from victory in 1972, Luxembourg became the first country to win back-to-back outright (Spain tied in 1969 after their 1968 win). The song, translated as "You'll recognize yourself", scored 129 points. It was a surpise victory, as the song managed to beat Sir Cliff Richard.

 

9. Waterloo by Abba (Sweden - 1974)

Probably one of the greatest songs to win Eurovision. Such a catchy tune, and easily remembered lyrics. It's great to dance to! So many things made it successful. It won with 24 points.

 

10. Ding-A-Dong by Teach-In (The Netherlands - 1975)

The song was notable for consolidating the tradition of Eurovision winners that had quirky or entirely nonsensical titles and/or lyrics. It managed to score 152 points.

 

11. Save Your Kisses for Me by Brotherhood of Man (U.K. - 1976)

Yet more success for the U.K. as this song notched up 164 points. Across Europe, it managed to sell over 5 million copies. A truly successful song.

 

12. L'oiseau et l'enfant by Marie Myriam (France - 1977)

"The bird and the child" won with 136 points, and is considered one of the best performances ever. The song's lyrics are based on the extended metaphor that the "bird" of the title is the singer’s lover, while the "child" is the singer herself.

 

13. A-Ba-Ni-Bi by Izhar Cohen & Alphabeta (Israel - 1978)

A rough translation is "I Love You", and it managed to give Israel its first victory and take Eurovision out of geographical Europe for the first time ever. It scored 157 points, it is an up-tempo disco number, and started the move towards this style of performance in later years.

 

14. What's Another Year? by Johnny Logan (Ireland - 1980)

Johnny Logan has managed to win Eurovision twice - and also helped Ireland to victory penning the winning song in 1992. It managed a score of 143 points. The song is often misinterpreted as a power ballad, sung from the point of view of a man who has been waiting for the girl of his dreams to fall in love with him.

 

15. Making Your Mind Up by Bucks Fizz (U.K. - 1981)

Regarded as a good song, Bucks Fizz is more remembered for the men whisking away the skirts of the female singers to reveal shorter skirts! A radical move, but it sure worked as Bucks Fizz won with 136 points.

 

16. Ein bißchen Frieden by Nicole (Germany - 1982)

Despite the numerous times Germany has entered, this is their only victory. It was won by 17 year old student Nicole. It scored 161 points, and won by a then record margin of 61 points. The performance was unlike most other Eurovision entrants in that Nicole performed while seated on a stool, playing a white acoustic guitar and accompanied by a backing group which included a harpist.

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 1

 

 

 

All Kinds of Everything by Dana (Ireland - 1970)

Ireland had to wait until 1970 to get their first of a record 7 victories, which won with 32 points. After the buzz of the late 1960s, Dana brought the ballad back as a winning entry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcz1uW5DkEk

 

 

vs.

 

 

A-Ba-Ni-Bi by Izhar Cohen & Alphabeta (Israel - 1978)

A rough translation is "I Love You", and it managed to give Israel its first victory and take Eurovision out of geographical Europe for the first time ever. It scored 157 points, it is an up-tempo disco number, and started the move towards this style of performance in later years

 

 

Voting ends Sunday 9th May 2009 at 10pm (GMT)

 

[Corki]

The M-G's vote is going to Israel's A-Ba-Ni-Bi.

[Corki]

This needs to be moved forwards, and as my vote was the only one, it is a 1-0 win to Israel's A-Ba-Ni-Bi.

 

The next tie is going up now.

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 2

 

 

 

Puppet on a String by Sandy Shaw (U.K. - 1967)

The U.K. finally get their first win in 1967 courtesy of Shandy Shaw, who scored 47 points. She was a huge star across Europe, and some believe this helped propel her to victory despiet Sandy Shaw thinking the worst of her possible entries.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lof1HI6gpfw

 

vs.

 

 

What's Another Year? by Johnny Logan (Ireland - 1980)

Johnny Logan has managed to win Eurovision twice - and also helped Ireland to victory penning the winning song in 1992. It managed a score of 143 points. The song is often misinterpreted as a power ballad, sung from the point of view of a man who has been waiting for the girl of his dreams to fall in love with him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoUvO4g7Xzo

 

 

Voting ends Monday 11th May 2009 at 10pm (GMT)

[Krakalakachkn]

Puppet on a string makes me want to punch sandy shaw in the face.  What a terrible song.  What's Another Year was far better

 

 

What's Another Year

[Corki]

I agree. I'm not a fan of Pupper on a String, so Johnny Logan's What's Another Year get the M-G's vote.

[Majsju]

I on the other hand tosses my vote to Sandy Shaw. Though, that is more because Logan loses against himself in my book, his other victory is much better than this one, so it would feel a bit weird to vote for this.

[Corki]

Johnny Logan progresses to the 2nd Round with a 2-1 win.

 

The next tie of the 1st Round is on the way.

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 3

 

 

 

L'oiseau et l'enfant by Marie Myriam (France - 1977)

"The bird and the child" won with 136 points, and is considered one of the best performances ever. The song's lyrics are based on the extended metaphor that the "bird" of the title is the singer’s lover, while the "child" is the singer herself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH84tFRUkT4

 

 

vs.

 

 

Tu te reconnaîtras by Anne-Marie David (Luxembourg - 1973)

Following on from victory in 1972, Luxembourg became the first country to win back-to-back outright (Spain tied in 1969 after their 1968 win). The song, translated as "You'll recognize yourself", scored 129 points. It was a surpise victory, as the song managed to beat Sir Cliff Richard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0qQhz1yPy0

 

 

Voting ends Tuesday 12th May 2009 at 11pm (GMT)

[Corki]

The M-G's vote goes to Anne-Marie David of Luxembourg. While both are good songs, I just feel the Luxembourg entry is more powerful.

[Krakalakachkn]

Marie Myriam

 

better singer and song

[Majsju]

Tough call, I like both songs. But

Luxembourg

is more dramatic, and wins me over. Heck, speed it up just a bit, and it could be a Bond-song.

[Corki]

Anne-Marie David of Luxembourg wins 2-1 to progress to the 2nd Round of the Competition.

 

The 4th tie of the 1st Round is up next.

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 4

 

 

 

Dansevise by Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann (Denmark - 1963)

Translated as "Dance Ballad", this won Eurovision for Denmark in 1963 with 42 points. The song is a moderately up-tempo tune in which the singer hymns the praises of dancing, specifically with her "beloved friend".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRFDYbb3vek

 

 

vs.

 

 

Waterloo by Abba (Sweden - 1974)

Probably one of the greatest songs to win Eurovision. Such a catchy tune, and easily remembered lyrics. It's great to dance to! So many things made it successful. It won with 24 points.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGs7dTjUsXw

 

 

Voting ends Wednesday 13th May 2009 at 11pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Quite an easy one - the M-G's vote goes to ABBA and Waterloo.

[Krakalakachkn]

Abba

[Majsju]

ABBA

 

Duh ;D

[Corki]

That is a 3-0 win for ABBA, who take a step closer to winning this part of "It's A Knockout".

 

The 5th tie of the 1st Round is on its way now.

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 5

 

 

 

Un banc, un arbre, une rue by Séverine (Monaco - 1971)

Tiny, tiny Monaco won in 1971, as the song collected 128 points. Translated, it means "A bench, a tree, a street". Continuing the ballady feel, the lyrics focusing on the loss of childhood innocence, and people following their dreams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jeI0fHZWU4

 

vs.

 

 

Save Your Kisses for Me by Brotherhood of Man (U.K. - 1976)

Yet more success for the U.K. as this song notched up 164 points. Across Europe, it managed to sell over 5 million copies. A truly successful song.

 

 

Voting ends Thursday 14th May 2009 at 11pm (GMT)

[Corki]

This is a tough one to call, as both songs are good. However, being British, my vote goes to Brotherhood of Man and Save Your Kisses For Me.

[Majsju]

Séverine

[Krakalakachkn]

Brotherhood of Man