Dutch singer Gerard Joling debuted in 1985 as a contestant of the Soundmix show on television, singing 'Crying' from Don McLean. A few number one hits in the Netherlands followed, and so it came to pass that he was asked to represent the country during the 1988 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. One of the factors that caused this was his distinctive high voice. The song included a high note at the end of the track, which many felt would stun the international juries and make them vote for the Netherlands.
It worked out differently: Joling decided to do a live performance in the Netherlands during rehearsal week, caught a cold during the flight back, and wasn't able to sing that high note. Opting to sing a lower note instead, he felt he'd done the right thing, but many were outraged at his 'wimping out'. Victory went to Celine Dion and the Netherlands ended ninth in the competition.
Joling would have come back to the 2009 edition of the Contest as part of a three man group overconfidently called 'the Toppers', but again he's wimped out, claiming that he can't work with the other members of that group after disagreements.
My collection: 7" single no. 3553
Found: All that music, Leiden, January 24, 2009
Cost: 1,6 euro
Tracks: 'Shangri-la (English version)' / 'Shangri-la (Nederlandse versie)'
Besides the Swedish group Gemini, there is also a Belgian one. A quite different one, too. It is obvious from this sleeve, but when you listen to the music, you notice another difference: this is not serious pop music, but a track styled after other novelty records like 'Je t'aime... moi non plus' by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg. In other words: lots of groaning and moaning.
