Tattoo - Loreen

Winning the Eurovision Song Contest is always controversial. In 2022 the winner was chosen by the viewers - the overwhelming majority of votes for the Ukrainian band came from televoters - and some complained that the jury should have done more to have a winning song based on its quality, not pity for the country that sent it in. This year, the winning song was based on the jury's votes, and suddenly the critics went the other way: the televoters should have had a bigger say in the eventual outcome. My own position has always been the same: no matter who decides, it's never the best song that wins. If anything, much more attention should have been given to the Latvian band Sudden Lights. 

Anyway, Swedish singer Loreen went away with the prize, even though her singing was more like screaming and the act with the toaster became tiresome after a few views. Fortunately it doesn't sound as bad on record. This picture disc was released at the tail end of 2023, and the B-side features the new single 'Is it love', which is a bit more subtle.

My collection: 7" single no. 7094
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 23 December 2023
Tracks: 'Tattoo' / 'Is it love'

Soerabaya / Junge Komm Bald Wieder / Bachelor Boy - De Accordo's

Released in 1963, this single features two medley's of popular songs from that time, as performed by the Accordo's, apparently a Dutch group although this single seems to have been made in Germany.

Not that I suddenly became a fan of music played on accordeons, but the B-side medley features a bit of 'Uno per tutte', the song which was performed by Emilio Pericoli at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1963. In other words, it's another cover version of a Eurovision song, and so an interesting addition to my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 7082
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 22 December 2023
Tracks: 'Soerabaya / Junge Komm Bald Wieder / Bachelor Boy' / 'Uno Per Tutte / Limbo Rock / Blame It On The Bossa Nova'

Vi gratulerer - Kirsti, Oddvar og Arne

1968 was a famous year in Eurovision history: Cliff Richard, who seemed destined to win the competition with his song 'Congratulations', was beaten by a young singer called Massiel with the deceptively simple-sounding 'La, la, la'. This single by Kirsti, Oddvar and Arne presents both songs, with Norwegian lyrics provided by Arne Bendiksen.

The trio Kirsti Sparboe, Oddvar Sanne and Arne Bendiksen didn't just record this single: they also released the singles 'Hver Lördag En Fest' (1967) and 'Du Er Det Aller Kjæreste Jeg Har' (1965), the latter of which contained a Norwegian version of the Beatles' 'Yesterday'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7084
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 December 2023
Tracks: 'Vi gratulerer' / 'La, la, la'

Sei ehrlich - Teddy Scholten

In 1959, Teddy Scholten represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest with ''n Beetje' ('A little bit'). She won the contest, and an interesting time began: besides doing theatre shows with her husband she also found time to record her song in other languages.

'Sei ehrlich' ('Be honest') is the German version of the song. She also recorded Italian and French versions, and even performed the song in English and Swedish, apparently - both those versions were never released on a record. The song was recorded with the orchestra led by Jack Bulterman; the orchestra also performs the B-side, an instrumental version of the UK entry, 'Sing little birdie'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7081
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 November 2023
Tracks: 'Sei ehrlich' / 'Sing little birdie'

Amiga Quartett - Udo Jurgens

One of the weirder purchases during last week's record fair was this Amiga Quartett EP with four tracks by Udo Jürgens. It features his Eurovision winning song 'Merci Chérie', but also three other tracks. Two of them veer dangerously towards schlager territory, but 'Ich schrieb nie ein Lied für Karin' ('I never wrote a song for Karin') is a touching little song about how you sometimes neglect those closest to you. Although that may be my interpretation of the song, I don't know.

These Quartett EP's are always fun, because it's obviously from a country that doesn't exist anymore (the German Democratic Republic existed until the early 1990's, when Germany became one country again after a few decades of total divorce) and it can be interesting to hear some more tracks from artists you don't know that well.

My collection: 7" single no. 7068
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Mit 66 Jahren', 'Ich schrieb nie ein Lied für Karin' / 'Aber bitte mit Sahne', 'Merci, Chérie'

Zero gravity - Kate Miller-Heidke

'Zero gravity' could be described as a pop-opera song. Kate Miller-Heidke wrote the song following her experience with post-natal depression after the birth of her son, Ernie, and how she felt "weightless" as she recovered. In an interview with broadcaster SBS, Miller-Heidke said she has always known of Eurovision, but became more invested since Australia became involved. She said "I think what I love about Eurovision is the permission to go a bit bonkers and I love how it embraces all different genres and different levels of experimental music and performance. I love how theatrical it is."

Theatrical is a way to describe her performance: it was over the top, with the singer swaying about on high poles, before a background of stars. The Cirque du Soleil-inspired performance made the song very popular with viewers. Still, it finished in ninth place.

A blue vinyl single was released in 2020 in an edition of 284 copies. My copy is number 188.

My collection: 7" single no. 7078
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Zero gravity' / 'Zero gravity (acoustic)'

Wann - Camillo

The funny thing about record fairs is that sometimes you can get yourself a good deal. Having bought a dozen singles at the stand of a Eurovision specialist, I spotted this single for a few euros but passed on it. When I saw the same single a few stands further down for just one euro, I became more interested in its contents. 

It turns out that this EP features a German version of 'Petit Bonhomme', the song with which Camillo represented Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962. 'Du kleiner Mann' appears as the third track on this EP, which might seem an odd choice.

My collection: 7" single no. 7075
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Wann', 'Das Gluck, von demich einst getraumt' / 'Du kleiner Mann', 'Wenn ein Stern vom Himmel fallt'

Det var en yndig tid - Katy Bødtger

At the beginning of this year I bought 'Mit potpourri', a 10" album by Katy Bødtger, which featured her 1960 Eurovision entry 'Det var en yndig tid'. One of the reasons (besides it being a very attractive item with a colour sleeve) was that the single would cost at least 45 euros. And certainly online you will need to pay something like that for a decent copy. 

Imagine my surprise when I saw this single for less than half of that amount at the record fair in Den Bosch last Saturday. And from a Danish dealer too! It was a lovely time.

My collection: 7" single no. 7070
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Det var en yndig tid' / 'Gør hvad du vil'

Merci Cherie - Vince Hill

Vince Hill (16 April 1934 – 22 July 2023) was an English traditional pop music singer, best known for his cover version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune 'Edelweiss' (1967), which reached No. 2 on the UK singles chart. He recorded 25 studio albums and several soundtracks, wrote songs and plays and hosted TV shows during the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1963, he participated in A Song for Europe, the UK heat of the Eurovision Song Contest, with 'A day at the seaside'. The next few years proved fallow, as a succession of single releases failed to chart. In 1966 his fortunes changed, as he had three hit singles. The third one was this cover version of Udo Jurgens' winning Eurovision song, 'Merci Cherie'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7064
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Merci Cherie' / 'Can't believe my eyes'

Freedom is today - Mia Martini

Mia Martini performed 'Libera' at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977, representing Italy. As nice as the song was, Italian is not my strong point, and so I was happy to know that there was also an English version of this song. But how to find it?

This single is rather rare, which is why it was also under the table at the record fair last Saturday. Fortunately the price wasn't very steep, and so I was able to pick up this UK promo, which features both the English and the original version. Oddly, both labels feature the prominent 'A' on them.

My collection: 7" single no. 7063
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Freedom is today' / 'Libera'

Ma petite chatte - Fud Leclerc

Having bought the previous 11 singles from one dealer, I asked whether he had some rare gems hidden under the table. He did, and some of them were already in my collection and featured on this blog. But one item was especially rare and I was rather stunned when I grabbed it: a real copy of 'Ma petite chatte' by Fud Leclerc.

You should know that Fud Leclerc represented Belgium four times at the Eurovision Song Contest, but only two of those songs were ever released on a 7" single: 'Mon amour pour toi' from 1960 and this song, 'Ma petite chatte' from 1958. The other two, 'Messieurs les noyés de la Seine' (1956) and 'Ton nom' (1962) remained unreleased.

This particular single seems to come from the archive of the INR - NIR, Belgium's national broadcasting institute, which existed until 1960. I just hope it wasn't stolen from their archives.

My collection: 7" single no. 7062
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Ma petite chatte' / 'Volare (Dans le bleu du ciel bleu)'

Romantica - Gunnar Wiklund

Renato Rascel represented Italy with 'Romantica' at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960. The song was covered by many artists across Europe; attentive readers will have seen my entries on versions by Willy Alberti, Achille Togliani and Robertino. 

Up north, you had Gunnar Wiklund, who would record more Eurovision covers during the 1960's. This EP featured his first flirt with Eurovision repertoire, after having released more than a dozen singles with original material in Swedish. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7061
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Romantica', 'Partners' / 'Han måste gå', 'Midnatt'

Die heerlijke wereld - Micha Marah

Micha Marah made headlines earlier this year when she decided to finally record her Eurovision entry from 1979, 'Hey nana'. Until now, only the version by composer Charles Dumolin has been available on record, and unfortunately it seems like it will remain like this, since there is no physical release of Micha's version yet. 

We'll have to made do with Micha's cover version of 'En un mundo nuevo', Spain's Eurovision entry from 1971. She recorded it as 'Die heerlijke wereld' ('That delicious world') in 1971, and it sounds as joyful as the original - even if the lyrics sound rather naff if you can understand Flemish/Dutch.

My collection: 7" single no. 7060
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Die heerlijke wereld' / 'Die ring'

La source - Guy Bonnet

Guy Bonnet wrote 'La source', the song that represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968. It was performed by Isabelle Aubret, who did this for her country for the second time. It was a successful attempt, since she landed in third place.

However, Guy decided to also record the song himself. This single contains his version along with a tribute to that famous film character, Scarlett O'Hara. Whether this version is better than Isabelle's... well, I think it isn't really. But it's a nice item to have nonetheless.

My collection: 7" single no. 7059
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'La source' / 'Scarlett O'Hara'

Die Worte dieser Nacht - Nana Mouskouri

Nana Mouskouri represented Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1963 with 'A force de prier'. I managed to buy the English version 'The one that got away' two years before the original French version, and now, two years after I found the original French version I found the German version, 'Die Worte dieser Nacht'. It would be quite something if I found the Italian version in 2025. 

There's a rumour that a Japanese version of the song also exists, somewhere on a 'various artists' compilation, but who knows? I certainly don't. Suggestions welcome in the comments, of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 7057
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Die Worte dieser Nacht' / 'Wir geh'n im Regen'

Primaballerina - Siw Malmkvist

Germany was represented by Siw Malmkvist at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969. She sang 'Primaballerina', a title that accurately descibes the subject of the song. Besides the original German version she also recorded the song in Swedish and Spanish. 

This single contains the Spanish version, and fortunately the sleeve states 'en español', because there is also a version from the Spanish record company Belter that contains the original German version. Make no mistake: despite the title 'Me falta el botón', the B-side is in German.

My collection: 7" single no. 7056
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Primaballerina (en español)' / 'Mir fehlt der Knopf'

Solitude - Karel Gott

The cover of this single says 'Soledad', but the single contains the French version of Karel Gott's 1968 Eurovision entry for Austria, 'Tausend Fenster'. This is because the Spanish had the slightly irritating habit of translating song titles despite the fact that the actual song is not in Spanish. 

This sleeve is in a bad state, which caused the seller to drop the price significantly, despite the fact that a good copy easily fetches an amount well into the double digits. Fortunately the disc itself plays very well!

My collection: 7" single no. 7055
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Solitude' / 'Raina'

Through the eyes of a child - Frida Boccara

One of the most beautiful songs ever performed on the Eurovision stage is Frida Boccara's 'Un jour, un enfant'. No wonder, then, that I am after every version of that song. I found 'Un dia, un niño' four years ago at a record fair, and now the English version also turned up duing a record fair. 

The single comes in a standard Philips sleeve, as picture sleeves weren't that common in the UK back in the Sixties. 

What's next? The German and Italian versions. That's not going to be easy.

My collection: 7" single no. 7054
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Through the eyes of a child' / 'So fair'

Peccato che sia finita cosi - Udo Jurgens

When Udo Jürgens represented Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 1964, he did so with the song 'Warum nur, warum'. The song was a big success for him despite not winning the Contest: fellow contestant Matt Monro recorded the song in English as 'Walk away' and the song became an international hit. 

Udo recorded 'Walk away' himself too, as well as a version in Spanish and in Italian. It is the Italian version that is listed here, with the impressive longer title 'Peccato che sia finita così'. It means 'Too bad it ended like this', in case you're wondering. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7053
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Peccato che sia finita così' / 'Finito l'amore'

Ora che io ti amo - Udo Jurgens

Udo Jürgens represented Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965 with 'Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüssen'. I bought the French EP back in 2019 when the twice annual record fair was still held in Utrecht. The fair moved to Den Bosch after a little incident when the venue in Utrecht closed the fair a day before it was supposed to open, due to a Covid lockdown which the government was planning a few days after that. A lot of dealers lost a lot of money that weekend.

Anyway, Udo recorded his Eurovision song in Spanish and Italian as well, and it is the Italian version that I managed to pick up this weekend. It comes in a very different sleeve and it is a charming version.

My collection: 7" single no. 7052
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Ora che io ti amo' / 'Se non ti capira'