Ding-a-dong

"Ding-a-dong" (original Dutch title: "Ding dinge dong", as it was introduced in the titles when broadcast) is the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1975. It was sung by Teach-In, representing the Netherlands, and was written by Dick Bakker, Will Luikinga, and Eddy Ouwens. The song reached number 1 in both the Swiss and the Norwegian Singles Chart.

"Ding-a-dong"
French 7" single cover
Song by Teach-In
Eurovision Song Contest 1975 entry
Country
Artist(s)
  • Getty Kaspers
  • Ard Weeink
  • Chris de Wolde
  • John Gaasbeek
  • Koos Versteeg
  • Rudi Nijhuis
As
Language
English
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Will Luikinga, Eddy Ouwens
Conductor
Finals performance
Final result
1st
Final points
152
Entry chronology
◄ "I See a Star" (1974)
"The Party's Over" (1976) ►
Official audio
"Ding-a-dong" on YouTube

History

"Ding-a-dong" was notable for being one of the Eurovision winners that had quirky or entirely nonsensical titles or lyrics, following in the footsteps of Massiel's "La La La" in 1968 and Lulu's "Boom Bang-a-Bang" in 1969, later followed by the Herreys' "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" in 1984. "Ding-a-dong" was performed first on the performance night (preceding Ireland's The Swarbriggs with "That's What Friends Are For"). The song was the first winner under the now-familiar Eurovision voting system whereby each country awards scores of 1–8, 10, and 12. At the close of voting, it had received 152 points, placing first in a field of nineteen. As the first song was performed during the evening, the victory ran contrary to the fact that success usually went to songs performed later in the broadcast. According to author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor's The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History, this was the first of three occasions when the first song would win the contest, the second coming the following year in 1976, and the third in 1984.[1]

The song, performed entirely in English, is an up-tempo ode to positive thought though the song is written entirely in a minor key. The band sings that one should "sing a song that goes ding ding-a-dong" when one is feeling unhappy, with the chorus proclaiming "Ding-a-dong every hour, when you pick a flower. Even when your lover is gone, gone, gone." On the night of the Dutch National Song Contest, with the song already having been selected, Albert West and Debbie competed with Teach-In for the honour of performing[2].

In the original Dutch version the "ding-a-dong" describes the heartbeat of the singer remembering the separation from her lover in the past. As well as "ding-a-dong", the lyrics also contain "bim-bam-bom" representing a fearful heartbeat and "tikke-(tikke)-tak" for the ticking of the clock while waiting for the lover to return:

Is 't lang geleden? Dat mijn hart je riep met z'n ding-dinge-dong?
Is 't lang geleden? Is 't lang geleden? In de zomerzon ging het bim-bam-bom.
Tikke-tak gingen uren, hoelang zou 't duren?

Translation:

Is it long ago? That my heart called you with its ding-ding-a-dong?
Is it long ago? Is it long ago? In the summer sun it went bim-bam-bom.
Tick tock went the hours, how long would it take?

The song reached number 13 in the UK Singles Chart and Teach-In also recorded the song in German as "Ding-A-Dong"[3].

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1975) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 64
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[6] 7
France (IFOP)[7] 4
Germany (Official German Charts)[8] 9
Ireland (IRMA)[9] 8
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[10] 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] 3
Norway (VG-lista)[12] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 1
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 13
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[15] 22

Year-end charts
Chart (1975) Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[16] 54
France (IFOP)[17] 29
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 13

Covers

beFour cover
"Ding-A-Dong"
Single by beFour
from the album Friends 4 Ever
Released17 April 2009
Recorded2009
GenrePop
Length3:32
Songwriter(s)Will Luikinga, Eddy Ouwens
BeFour singles chronology
"No Limit"
(2009)		 "Ding-A-Dong"
(2009)

"Ding-a-Dong" was also recorded by German band beFour for their fourth studio album Friends 4 Ever and released as the second single in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Charts
Chart (2009) Peak
position
German Singles Chart 61

Other covers
  • Füsun Önal covered this song as "Söyleyin Arkadaşlar" ("Tell me friends") in Turkish, included in her first LP Alo... Ben Füsun (1975).[21]
  • Ayla Algan covered this song as "Dünya Tersine Dönse" ("If the world turns back") in Turkish, included in firstly her 45rpm Dünya Tersine Dönse/Sen De Katıl Bize (1975),[22] laterly in her second LP after Yunus Emre[23] and the first commercial one Ayla Algan (1976).[24]
  • The Dutch language television program, Schaep Ahoy, featured a version of the song sung by the cast members in the first episode of the series in 2015.

References
  1. O'Connor, J. K. (2007), The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, UK: Carlton Books, ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3
  2. "Eurovisionworld".
  3. "Discogs".
  4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 306. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. "Teach-In – Ding-a-dong" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  6. "Teach-In – Ding-a-dong" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  7. "Le Détail par Artiste". InfoDisc (in French). Select "Teach-In" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  8. "Teach-In – Ding-a-dong" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  9. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Teach-In". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  10. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Teach-In" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  11. "Teach-In – Ding-a-dong" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  12. "Teach-In – Ding-a-dong". VG-lista. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  13. "Teach-In – Ding-a-dong". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  14. "Teach-In: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  15. "Teach-In Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  16. "Jaaroverzichten 1975" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  17. "TOP – 1975". Top-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  18. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1975" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  19. Алёна Апина И Мурат Насыров – Лунные Ночи on YouTube
  20. Ding a Dong - Μπέσσυ Αργυράκη on YouTube
  21. "Füsun Önal – Alo.... Ben Füsun (1975, Vinyl)". Discogs.
  22. "Aylâ Algan – Dünya Tersine Dönse / Sen de Katıl Bize (1975, Vinyl)". Discogs.
  23. "Ayla Algan - Yunus Emre". Discogs.
  24. "Aylâ Algan – Ayla Algan (1976, Vinyl)". Discogs.
  25. Zhuk, Alexandr (September 5, 2017). Encyclopedia of Hungarian rock. Volume one. Litres. ISBN 9785457918016 – via Google Books.
  26. "Hanne & Kai Hyttinen – Silloin / Ding A Dong (1975, Vinyl)". Discogs.
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