Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1973

Belgium was represented by Nicole and Hugo, with the song "Baby, Baby", at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Luxembourg City on 7 April. "Baby, Baby" was the winner of the Belgian national final for the contest, held at the Amerikaans Theater in Brussels on 25 February. Nicole and Hugo had won the 1971 Belgian preselection with the song "Goeiemorgen, morgen", but days before the contest Nicole had fallen ill and was unable to travel to host city Dublin, so Jacques Raymond and Lily Castel had been drafted in as last-minute replacements.

Eurovision Song Contest 1973
Country Belgium
National selection
Selection processLiedje Voor Luxemburg
Selection date(s)25 February 1973
Selected entrantNicole and Hugo
Selected song"Baby, Baby"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Ignace Baert
  • Erik Marijsse
Finals performance
Final result17th, 58 points
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄1972 • 1973 • 1974►

Before Eurovision

Liedje voor Luxemburg

The final took place on 25 February 1973, held in the Amerikaans Theater in Brussels and hosted by Jan Theys, with five acts performing two songs apiece. The contest was pre-recorded on 24 February and broadcast on the 25th. The winner was chosen by seven expert jurors who each named their favourite song, and "Baby, Baby" was the choice of four of them.[1]

Final – 25 February 1973
Draw Artist Song Songwriter(s) Points Place
1 Rita Deneve "Ga met me mee" Jaak Horckmans, Rita Deneve, David Best 0 4=
2 Nicole and Hugo "Jij en ik en wij" Phil van Cauwenbergh, Paul Quintens 0 4=
3 Ann Christy "Bye Bye" Mary Boduin, B. Richardson 1 3
4 Kalinka "Nooit ga ik van je heen" Willy van Cauwenberghe, Luk Bral 0 4=
5 Liliane Dorekens "Morgen" Al van Dam 0 4=
6 Rita Deneve "Vrede voor iedereen" Jaak Horckmans, Rita Deneve, David Best 2 2
7 Nicole and Hugo "Baby, Baby" Erik Marijsse, Ignace Baert 4 1
8 Ann Christy "Meeuwen" Mary Boduin, Adam Hoptman 0 4=
9 Kalinka "Home Sweet Home" Paul de Coignies, Greta Bogaert, Marc Mory 0 4=
10 Liliane Dorekens "Kus, kiss, kuss" Al van Dam 0 4=

At Eurovision

On the night of the final Nicole and Hugo performed second in the running order, following Finland and preceding Portugal. Among the backing singers was Claude Lombard, Belgium's 1968 Eurovision entrant. At the close of the voting "Baby, Baby" had received 58 points, placing Belgium last of the 17 entries, the fourth time the country had finished at the foot of the Eurovision scoreboard.[2][3] Notwithstanding the bad result however, the couple's outrageously camp styling and performance have ensured that "Baby, Baby" has over the years gained cult status amongst Eurovision fans. Several clips from the performance were shown during Eurovision's 50th anniversary TV gala Congratulations in 2005, culminating in a live appearance by the pair, wearing their infamous purple 1973 outfits and performing an abridged version of the song. "Baby, Baby" remains an iconic Eurovision performance, far better remembered than hundreds of songs which finished much higher up the scoreboard.

Voting

References
  1. Vermeulen, André (2021). Van Canzonissima tot Eurosong. 65 jaar Belgische preselecties voor het Eurovisiesongfestival. Leuven: Kritak. ISBN 978-94-014-7609-6. OCLC 1240241113.
  2. "Final of Luxembourg 1973". Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  3. ESC History - Belgium 1973
  4. "Results of the Final of Luxembourg 1973". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
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