Eurovision is 60 today!

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...