Unge dag - Gitte Haenning

Gitte Haenning represented Germany at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Junger Tag'. I bought the single twelve years ago from a German online shop, and I thought that would be all. But in fact, Gitte also recorded a version in Danish, and I am glad to say that I bought this version recently - appropriately enough, from a Danish online seller!

There's still some versions to go, I discovered recently, as 'Junger Tag' was also recorded in French, Spanish and English. Unfortunately, those singles are very expensive or even not available. We wait and hope.

My collection: 7" single no. 6594
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 January 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Unge dag' / 'Hallo, hvord'n går det anker'

It's so nice to be rich - Agnetha Fältskog

'It's so nice to be rich' is a song by Swedish singer Agnetha Fältskog from the soundtrack to the 1983 Swedish movie P & B, starring Stellan Skarsgård, Allan Edwall and Lill Lindfors among others. Since the song was not included on Fältskog's 1985 album 'Eyes of a Woman', the first time the song appeared on an album was the 1996 compilation album 'My Love, My Life'. The song was only released as a single in Sweden in December 1983 and it reached number 8 on the Swedish singles chart in February 1984. 

I actually knew this song because it was played on certain radio stations in 1984. However its availability has always been limited and even now I could only order it as part of a bigger order - from Denmark. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6593
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 January 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'It's so nice to be rich' / 'P&B'

Bonne nuit ma chérie - Wyn Hoop

Again we return to the very beginnings of the Eurovision Song Contest, this time with the misleading title 'Bonne nuit, ma chérie'. Misleading, because one might think this is a song from any of the French-speaking countries, but it was actually Germany's Wyn Hoop singing this song. Besides the title, repeated in the song a few times, the rest of the lyrics were in German. The song is effectively a lullaby, with Hoop promising his lover that "my love will accompany you everywhere" and that "I'll never forget you" as she goes to sleep. 

Wyn Hoop (real name: Winfried Lüssenhop, born on 29 May 1936) finished in fourth place in a field of 14 competitors. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6592
Found: Ebay, received 6 January 2022
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Bonne nuit ma chérie' / 'Ich wusste gar nicht, dass das so schön sein kann'

Eres tu - Juan Carlos Calderón

Juan Carlos Calderón was a Spanish singer/songwriter and musician. His biggest claim to fame was composing 'Eres tú', performed by Mocedades in 1973, one of the most famous Eurovision songs ever - although it didn't win.

I recently found out he recorded a version of this song himself. It was released as a single in the same year and the version of the single presented here was a promotional release in Germany. The single was released commercially in several European countries. This copy came from a Dutch seller along with a stack of other cover versions of Eurovision songs (featured on this blog earlier), but unfortunately the disc was warped. It spent a week under heavy books before I could actually play it. So here it is, finally! 

My collection: 7" single no. 6537
Found: Marktplaats, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Eres tu' / 'Cancion de Abril'

Skibet skal sejle i nat - Birthe Wilke & Gustav Winckler

It was 1957, and two Danish performers were selected to perform a duet called 'Skibet skal sejle i nat' ('The ship will sail tonight') at the Eurovision Song Contest. Birthe Wilke was a young, innocent singer and Gustav Winckler, 10 years her senior, the experienced crooner with a string of hits to his name. They famously finished their performance with a kiss that lasted for 11 seconds - apparently because someone forgot to say 'cut' at the end. This in turn shocked the international juries, so much so that they didn't award them as many points as predicted beforehand. They finished in third place in a field of 10 competitors.

This disc is the original 78rpm record, released at the time. I've taken some interest in these old discs because I can finally play them. And playing such old records is a real nostalgic sensation, I can tell you. 

My collection: 78rpm [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 January 2022
Cost: €8
Tracks: 'Skibet skal sejle i nat' / 'Kaerlighedens cocktail'

Nous les amoureux - Jean Claude Pascal

In 1961, Jean Claude Pascal represented Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Nous les amoureux'. The song is about a man and another (rumoured to be another man) who others want to separate. He sings, however, that 'Heaven is with us lovers', a declaration of hope in spite of the difficulties. He won the Contest with this song. 

I already bought a single of this song 12 years ago, but it was just a single without a sleeve. This EP features four tracks instead of two and comes with a glossy picture sleeve. It's a vast improvement, obviously.

My collection: 7" single no. 6591
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 January 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Toi', 'Les oubliettes' / 'Nous les amoureux', 'Le gars de n'importe où'

Nous vivrons d'amour - Chris Baldo & Sophie Garel

'Nous vivrons d'amour' was the Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1968, performed by Luxembourgish singer Chris Baldo & and French-Algerian Sophie Garel. The song is a love duet, with the pair promising to "live by love" instead of letting the problems of the world get to them. Baldo and Garel also recorded the song in German and English. They finished in eleventh place in a field of 17 competitors.

Chris Baldo passed away in Luxembourg on 24 January 1995. Sophie Garel never had an ambition to become a singer and became a presenter instead. She worked successfully for RTL, France2 and Europe1.

My collection: 7" single no. 6590
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 January 2022
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Nous vivrons d'amour', 'Les violettes' / 'Ton visage', 'Je viendrais te chercher'