Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959
Belgium was represented by Bob Benny, with the song "Hou toch van mij", at the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 11 March in Cannes, France. The song was chosen at the Belgian national final on 15 February. Benny would represent Belgium again in the 1961 contest.
| Eurovision Song Contest 1959 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Belgium | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Grote Eurovisie Prijs van het Europese Lied | |||
| Selection date(s) | Semi-finals: 1 and 8 February Final: 15 February 1959 | |||
| Selected entrant | Bob Benny | |||
| Selected song | "Hou toch van mij" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) |
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| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 6th, 9 points | |||
| Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Before Eurovision
Grote Eurovisie Prijs van het Europese Lied
Grote Eurovisie Prijs van het Europese Lied was the national final format developed by NIR in order to select Belgium's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1959. Eighteen entries competed in the competition that consisted of two semi-finals held on 1 and 8 February 1959 leading to a two-song final on 15 February 1959. All three shows were hosted by Jan Theys.[1][2]
Format
The format of the competition consisted of three shows: two semi-finals on 1 and 8 February 1959 and the final on 15 February 1959. Each semi-final featured nine competing entries from which one advanced from each show to complete the two song lineup in the final. Results during both semi-finals and final were determined by "expert" jury.[1][2]
Competing entries
Nine composers were approached by NIR to create the songs for the contest. Each composer wrote two songs for the contest. Then, NIR selected performers for the songs. The selected composers were; Jef Trappeniers, Johnny Steggerda, Jef van den Berg, Jack Say, Pieter Leemans, Armand Preud'homme, Hans Flower, Louis Marischal, and Jack Sels. It is unknown why "Alles is nu voorbij" was submitted twice.[2][3]
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Al Verlane | "Alles is nu voorbij" | Eric Franssen, Pieter Leemans |
| "In d'eenzaamheid" | Eric Franssen, Jack Say | |
| Bob Benny | "Hou toch van mij" | Ke Riema, Hans Flower |
| "Riviera-riviera" | Jan Marcken, Hans Flower | |
| Enny Denita | "Zingeling" | Louis Baret, Louis Marischal |
| "Zoals heerlijk als nu (zoals nu)" | Louis Marischal | |
| Frieda Linzi | "Weekend melodie" | A. Franck, Armand Preud'homme |
| Eric Franssen | "Liefde" | Marc de Corte, Jef van den Berg |
| "Twee harten, één gedachte (amore...)" | Eric Franssen, Jack Say | |
| Jean Walter | "Alles is nu voorbij" | Eric Franssen, Pieter Leemans |
| "Als ik je verlaat" | Jan Custers, Armand Preud'homme | |
| "Mijn liedje is uit" | Marc de Corte, Jef van den Berg | |
| Jo Leemans | "Levenssymphonie" | Jacques Mollé, Jef Trappeniers |
| "Wij moeten dankbaar zijn" | Johnny Steggerda | |
| Rina Pia | "De klokkentoren" | Johnny Steggerda |
| "Een wiegje in witte satijn" | Luc Verbist, Jef Trappeniers | |
| Terry Lester | "Eens in het leven" | Jack Sels |
| "Voor u alleen" | Jack Sels |
Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place on 1 February 1959 at the Funkis Cinema in Herentals.[1]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Verlane | "Alles is nu voorbij" | 0 | 5= |
| 2 | Rina Pia | "De klokkentoren" | 0 | 5= |
| 3 | Eric Franssen | "Twee harten, één gedachte (amore...)" | 0 | 5= |
| 4 | Bob Benny | "Riviera-riviera" | 1 | 3= |
| 5 | Jo Leemans | "Levenssymphonie" | 5 | 1 |
| 6 | Enny Denita | "Zoals heerlijk als nu (zoals nu)" | 1 | 3= |
| 7 | Jean Walter | "Mijn liedje is uit" | 0 | 5= |
| 8 | Jean Walter | "Als ik je verlaat" | 2 | 2 |
| 9 | Terry Lester | "Voor u alleen" | 0 | 5= |
Semi-final 2
The second semi-final took place on 8 February 1959 at the Apollo in Antwerp.[1]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enny Denita | "Zingeling" | 0 | 6= |
| 2 | Bob Benny | "Hou toch van mij" | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | Jo Leemans | "Wij moeten dankbaar zijn" | 0 | 6= |
| 4 | Al Verlane | "In d'eenzaamheid" | 0 | 6= |
| 5 | Terry Lester | "Eens in het leven" | 0 | 6= |
| 6 | Frieda Linzi | "Weekend melodie" | 1 | 2= |
| 7 | Eric Franssen | "Liefde" | 1 | 2= |
| 8 | Jean Walter | "Alles is nu voorbij" | 1 | 2= |
| 9 | Rina Pia | "Een wiegje in witte satijn" | 1 | 2= |
Final
The final was held on 15 February 1959 at 21:25 CET as part of NIR's TV show Show Band Show at the Cultural and Artistic Center in Ukkel and hosted by Jan Theys. The song "Hou toch van mij" written by Ke Riema, composed by Hans Flower and performed by Bob Benny, was selected as the winner of selection by an "expert" jury.[1][2]
| Draw | Artist(s) | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jo Leemans | "Levenssymphonie" | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Bob Benny | "Hou toch van mij" | 11 | 1 |
At Eurovision
On the night of the final Bob Benny performed last in the running order, following the United Kingdom. Voting was by 10-member national juries with each member awarding 1 point to his/her favourite song. At the close of the voting "Hou Toch Van Mij" had received 9 points (3 from Germany, 2 from Denmark and the United Kingdom and 1 from Monaco and the Netherlands), placing Belgium joint 6th (with Italy) of the 11 entries.[4]
Voting
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References
- "Eurovision Artists: Nationale finale Eurovisie Songfestival".
- "Grote prijs van het Eurovisielied 1959".
- Vermeulen, André (2021). Van Canzonissima tot Eurosong. 65 jaar Belgische preselecties voor het Eurovisiesongfestival. Leuven: Kritak. ISBN 978-94-014-7609-6. OCLC 1240241113.
- ESC History - Belgium 1959
- "Results of the Final of Cannes 1959". Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
External links
- Official Eurovision Song Contest site, history by year, 1959.
- Detailed info and lyrics, Diggiloo Thrush, "Hou toch van mij".
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