Sixty years ago tonight, the first ever Eurovision Song Contest was held in a small theatre in Lugano, Switzerland. Happy 60th anniversary to Eurovision! To mark this historic occasion, I have actually listened to the 1956 contest for the first time.
I have also had a tweet liked by Lys Assia. (Or her people. Whatevs.)
So, it only took me 60 years (okay, 50 for me), but at last I can say that I've
heard the whole of the first Eurovision Song Contest, on the date that it took place six decades ago.
I've
listened to the whole thing this evening and found it to be quite moving on
this historic day. I'm glad that several fans have posted various memories and
comments today across various social media to mark the occasion, and that we
made more effort to do something collectively than the lazy EBU, which should
have been leading the way today, but can't be arsed.
It
seems the EBU has little concept of the history of its own contest when it
comes to the significance of anniversaries such as today. Lys Assia is probably
fuming. Her ego - which is undiminished by her 92 years on this planet - was
probably expecting a live TV special, with her singing all the songs. But no,
the EBU couldn't even be bothered to mark today's diamond anniversary with a
news story on their own website (eurovision.tv). The sole mention of the 60th
anniversary was in passing, from a Swedish TV person, quoted in the news story
that they ran today about the viewing figures. Because obviously today it's all
about the money, money, money and attracting sponsorship. The social history
and any emotional element involving the fans can go screw themselves, as far as
the EBU is concerned.
Anyway... the sound quality on
this video is surprisingly good, and the audio moves to the only surviving
video footage at the end for the winning reprise. I note that the president of
the jury, who makes no attempt whatsoever to create any suspense with the
result, as if he's in a hurry to get home to his fondu and Toblerones, makes a
point of saying that this is the song contest for 1956, as if there will also
be one in 1957. It strongly implies that this was never a one-off from the
start and that there was a long term plan. Whether anyone imagined that plan
would still be going strong three score years later is another matter. Here's
to sixty years more. And if the next sixty years (preferably fewer) could see
Malta, Portugal and Iceland finally get their acts together and win this damn
thing, then I would truly be happier than Lys Assia was sixty years ago
tonight. Thank you, merci, Danke!
Here are a few of the notes I made while listening to the 1956 contest tonight.
Grand Prix
Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 1956.
Aired 24 May 1956 by RTSI from Teatro
Kursaal, Lugano.
Presenter:
Lohengrin Filipello.
The Songs:
01 The
Netherlands De vogels van Holland Jetty
Paerl
Why the Dutch felt that they should start this brand new pan-European opportunity to tell people about their birds is a mystery, but they let Anouk do it again for them in 2013, so it's clearly a national obsession.
02
Switzerland Das alte Karussell Lys Assia
A clever
song, where the music actually sounds like the carousel of the title. This is probably better than her second son, which won. The best song never wins. (First use of standard Eurovision cliché.)
03 Belgium Messieurs les noyés de la Seine Fud Leclerc
Pretty damn miserable.
04 West
Germany Das Lied vom großen Glück Walter Andreas Schwarz
Possibly the
worst singer of the whole evening. He’s not bad, but he just doesn’t have the
vocal quality that some of the others have.
05 France Le temps perdu Mathé Altéry
A perky
voice with some useful vibrato, but really quite irritating.
06
Luxembourg Ne crois pas Michèle Arnaud
Compared to
what we’ve had so far, this is fast! It positively gallops along. I like it!
07 Italy Aprite le finestre Franca Raimondi
Spritely!
Catchy and bright, with a lovely orchestral bit and a proper ending.
08 The
Netherlands Voorgoed voorbij Corry Brokken
Okay, but
unremarkable.
09
Switzerland Refrain Lys Assia
Good
trumpets, but essentially quite a dull song. Surprisingly strong applause though.
Oh, hang on, they’re in Switzerland, aren’t they? Pah!
10 Belgium Le plus beau jour de ma vie Mony
Marc
Nice
intonation, but they all have, to be honest. The first hearing of a Eurovision
ding dong! It’s a theme that will return to the contest in later years. Nice violins,
but the piano is a bit – if I may use a technical term – plinky plonky.
11 West Germany So geht das jede Nacht Freddy
Quinn
Freddy is
wearing a leather jacket in the photo that pops up, so I’m expecting a bit of
rebellion in this otherwise frightfully ‘nice’ contest. He doesn’t disappoint.
This is embryonic rock’n’roll and the first performance I’m genuinely sad not
to be able to see. Not least because we can clearly hear backing vocalists, who
I’m imagining as teddy boys (and girls) a là West Side Story. German fits rock’n’roll
very well. This probably horrified the stuffed suits in the audience.
12 France Il est là Dany Dauberson
Another
jaunty start. It’s pretty fast and very wordy. It slows down completely for the
middle eight, ended with a swipe across the piano keyboard and hints of the
Middle East (a whiff of the souk, if I may) before those ubiquitous trumpets
come back again. It ends with a note that could grace the climactic moment of
an Avengers scene, as a body is discovered, slumped across a desk.
13 Luxembourg Les amants de minuit Michèle
Arnaud
The
definition of chanson. Tres clair pronunciation – again. Very Jacques Brel.
Catchy by the time the final chorus comes around, and a nice sustained note to
end. (Followed by audible tuning of the violins as soon as the applause has
ended. Live TV!)
14 Italy Amami se vuoi Tonina Torrielli
Showing
signs of the despicable sexual lewdness that was to follow in the forthcoming
decade, Tonina sings ‘love me if you want’. If you please! She was no spring
chicken, judging by her photo, so I guess it helped in the ‘50s to put yourself
out there.
Some
mournful violin and some thrilling pizzicato. Trumpets again! They’re about to
go full-0n Glenn Miller but she interjects just in time and brings them back
under control.
Interval act.
Ah yes, it’s
the man making bird noises – an actual bird ‘song’ - to a piano accompaniment.
I remember hearing of this before, but I’ve never had the pleasure of hearing
it. What on Earth did people make of this at the time?
The
president of the jury is introduced. He switches the language from Italian to
French. He immediately announces the winner is “la chanson, ‘Refrain’” with no
build-up and no tension whatsoever. More than anything else, this shows how
times have changed!
Back to the
presenter, in Italian. And we’re in vision! Lys Assia is announced back onto
the stage and is presented with a bunch of flowers by a young girl.
It really is
little more than a ‘refrain’. It’s over as soon as it’s begun, and the most
striking thing about the TV presentaton is that there only seems to be one
camera, which swings violently left from Lys to the orchestra, then back again.
I conclude
that Refrain won because of the trumpets, which brightened up an otherwise
unremarkable tune. Or because the Swiss jurors voted twice, because the Luxemburgers couldn't get to Lugano in time. Thank goodness the contest was never again tainted by any suggestion of voting scandals...
