Intet er nytt under solen - Åse Kleveland

Åse Kleveland was born on 18 March 1949 in Stockholm (Sweden). She began playing classical guitar at eight; at 10 she debuted in a radio show. In 1965 she released her debut album. With her second album in 1966 she was one of the pioneers ushering in the new vispop genre, a blend of traditional folk song and pop.

That same year she represented Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Intet er nytt under solen', a short, jazzy folksong that finished in third place. She broke a tradition expected of female performers at the time in that she was the first woman to not wear a dress, choosing a pantsuit instead. Twenty years later she hosted the event, when it was held in Bergen (Norway). 

My collection: 7" single no. 7637
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Intet er nytt under solen' / 'Gi meg fri'

Im Wartesaal zum grossen Glück - Walter Andreas Schwarz

Back in 1956, the first ever Eurovision Song Contest was organized. The Germans had two singers representing the country, the first of them was Walter Andreas Schwarz, who performed the fourth song of the evening: 'Im Wartesaal zum grossen Glück'. 

Something I never knew what that Schwarz, who wrote the song himself, survived a concentration camp during World War II during his twenties. Both of his parents perished, but he managed to stay alive. The lyrics of his song contain autobiographical allusions, for example the reference to the enforced suppression of the Nazi era in Germany: 'Und man baute am Kai der Vergangenheit / Einen Saal mit Blick auf das Meer / Und mit Wänden aus Träumen gegen die Wirklichkeit / Denn die liebte man nicht sehr' ('And they built on the quay of the past / A room with a view of the sea / And with walls made of dreams to combat reality / Because they didn't like it much.'). The key message of his song was the advice not to cling to the past or hope for a better future, but to live better in the here and now and accept things as they are. And they say that Eurovision songs are always superficial!

This single is a re-release from 1979. Quite why this song was re-released 23 years after its original release is a mystery to me. But this is a lovely copy.

My collection: 7" single no. 7636
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Im Wartesaal zum grossen Glück' / 'Für 300 Francs'

Sol och vår - Inger Berggren

Another EP I bought this weekend was Inger Berggren's 'Sol och vår'. I bought 'Sol och vår' just over three years ago, but that was the regular single with a black and white sleeve. 

This EP features two extra tracks and a colourful picture sleeve. The song was Sweden's 1962 entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, which means that this EP was released 63 years ago. Hard to believe when you see the state of this item. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7633
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Sol och vår', 'Mamma, vad det är kul med twist' / 'Och flickan spann...', 'Du svek mej!'

Oui oui oui oui - Jean Philippe

Back in 2017 I bought this unsightly 7" single without a picture sleeve of Jean Philippe's 'Oui oui oui oui', assuming that it wouldn't be easy to get a better copy. But patience pays off, as this blog has proven so many times: this weekend I found a better copy, and not only that: it features four tracks instead of two. 

'Oui oui oui oui' was, of course, France's 1959 Eurovision entry. The song was covered many times by other artists, including a very successful version by Sacha Distel.

My collection: 7" single no. 7631
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Oui oui oui oui', 'Dis-lui que je l'aime' / 'Ce serait dommage', 'J'ai mis notre amour au monde'

C'est la vie - Claude

Although the Eurovision Song Contest gives me a right amount of pleasure, that pleasure doesn't often come from the Netherlands. Fortunately we've had the absolute worst last year, so things could only get better. I'm talking about the quality of the songs, of course, not even about all the madness that a certain Dutch artist caused during the event.

This year the Netherlands come up with a song that is normal again. It's not outstanding or especially moving, but at least it is a song. The single was released well in advance, and it is pressed on yellow vinyl too. Let's see what Claude can do next month!

My collection: 7" single no. 7030
Found: Official website, received 11 April 2025
Tracks: 'C'est la vie' / 'C'est la vie (instrumental)'

Strobe lights - Red Sebastian

The Eurovision Song Contest is still almost a month away, but the first vinyl single is already here. It's Belgium's Red Sebastian with the song 'Strobe lights'. And I'm using the term 'song' lightly, because it's mostly beats and a high-pitched voice. The comparison to last century's Eurovision songs isn't always very favourable, but I do think that people who are into dance music will like this one. 

As for me, I'll continue to collect Eurovision singles, especially when they are, like this one, pressed on red vinyl. It is a beauty. I'm not sure whether Red Sebastian will make the final. But we'll have to wait and see.

My collection: 7" single no. 7629
Found: Official website, 9 April 2025
Tracks: 'Strobe lights' / 'Strobe lights (extended mix)'

Annorstädes vals - Ingvar Wixell

Some would argue that the Eurovision Song Contest was "much better in the early days", and their eyes would fill with a nostalgic look. Indeed it's hard to imagine that a country like Sweden would send in a celebrated tenor to sing a classically oriented jazz song like 'Annorstädes vals' these days. But times have changed, and so has the music that people want to see on the TV screen.

Sweden didn't actually send in 'Annorstädes vals' back in 1965 either: they opted for the English translation called 'Absent friend'. This was a kind of protest against the fact that Carmela Corren had sung 'Vielleicht geschieht ein Wunder' partly in English in 1963, because Austria should have stuck to their country's own language (as was the unwritten rule back then). The protest worked; the unwritten rule became a written rule and countries had to stick to their official languages from 1966 onwards. 

There is, of course, a single of 'Absent friend' as well, but so far I've only seen that one for thrice the price I paid for this one. And this one was already a bit on the expensive side.

My collection: 7" single no. 7628
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 April 2025
Tracks: 'Annorstädes vals', 'Förtrollad stad' / 'Stilla och tyst', 'Kommer var'