Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981: Difference between revisions

Eurovision Song Contest 1981
Eurovision Song Contest 1981
Country	Belgium
National selection
Selection process	Eurosong
Selection date(s)	Heats; 14 February 1981; 21 February 1981; 28 February 1981; Final; 7 March 1981
Selected entrant	Emly Starr
Selected song	"Samson"
Selected songwriter(s)	Kick Dandy; Giuseppe Marchese; Penny Els;
Finals performance
Final result	13th, 40 points
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest

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Belgium was represented by Emly Starr, with the song "Samson", at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Dublin on 4 April.

Before Eurovision

Internal Selection

In 1980, the BRT asked Toots Thielemans to write and accompany a song for the Eurovision Song Contest 1981. The BRT had requested a song in the style of his 1963 hit "Bluesette" and had planned for Sofie Verbruggen to sing the song. However, Thielamans was too busy with studio work and other performances to be able to compose a song. The BRT instead decided to host another edition of Eurosong.^[1]

Eurosong

Format

Eurosong 1981 consisted of three semi-finals, followed by a final on 7 March 1981. Public voting for the semi-finals opened one day after the third heat, after a show was broadcast featuring one minute of all 36 competing songs. The top ten songs qualified to the final.^[1]

All the shows took place at the Amerikaans Theater [nl] in Brussels and were hosted by Luc Appermont. There was no live orchestra and all the music and some of the backing vocals had been pre-recorded. This lead to the BRT receiving several complaints after the final, as many people believed that since the singing in the Eurovision Song Contest has to be live this should be reflected in the national final.^[1]

Competing Entries

A jury of people from BRT and SABAM chose 40 songs out of 134 submissions. Four songs were then removed from the competition as they were invalid and did not meet all the rules of Eurosong 1981. Among the chosen songs were future and past Dutch and Belgian representative Stella Maessen (1970, 1977, 1982) and Future Belgian representative Liliane Saint-Pierre (1987).^[1]

Artist	Song	Songwriter(s)
Ann Michel	"Ik ben gelukkig"	Gilbert Neilburt
Anne-Marie	"Twee is teveel"	Pol Kessels, Chris Bossers
Bea Cardon	"Elke traan"	Ronald Driesen
Cindy	"Ik ben verliefd"	Kick Dandy, Els Van den Abbeele
Claire	"Zonder jou"	Guido Desimpelaere
De Opera	"De opera"	Charles Dumolin, Greta Mestdagh
Della Bosiers	"Mij kan niets meer gebeuren"	Della Bosiers, Jaak Dreesen
Dorina	"Het ware geluk"	Gerda Chantraine
Emly Starr	"Samson en Delilah"	Kick Dandy, Els Van den Abbeele
Fancy Free	"De wereld is een showtoneel"	Roger Op 't Eynde, Hugo Van Diepenbeeck
Gene Summer	"Zing het maar"	Heinz Bzik
Jacky Lafon	"Dag meneer"	Paul Quintens, Phil Van Cauwenbergh
Jef Elbers	"Gummibal"	Jef Elbers
Jennifer	"In mijn armen"	Chris De Braekeleer, Pol Schoors
Jo Vally	"De wereld draait"	Luc Smets, Jo De Clercq
Johann Stollz	"Hello, Hello"	Rijosa, André Jean, Henk André
John Sates	"Topconditie"	Jan Staes
Johnny White	"Op dat kamertje voor ons twee"	Theo Scheveneels, Roland Serpierre
Karin Setter	"Er was een tijd"	Mary Loss, Bobby Setter
Kathy and Nancy	"Zaterdagavond"	Ghislain Slingeneyer
Lester and Denwood	"Bonnie"	Charles Dumolin, Roland Vanblaere
Liliane Saint-Pierre	"Brussel"	Sergio Popovski, Theo Vanhaeren
Lode de Ceuster	"Dit wijsje vond ik in jouw ogen"	Lode de Ceuster
Mark Manuel	"Marianne uit vroeger dagen"	Mark Uyttersprot
Mary Helena	"Liefde is..."	Will Tura, Johan Verminnen
Mary Scott	"Ik ga weg van jou"	Ghislain Slingeneyer
Mik Deboes	"Ik kom terug"	Mik Deboes
Nancy Dee	"Blij bij je te zijn"	Gus Roan, Mark Malyster
Patty Devick	"Daar waar liefde is"	Antoine Verheyen
Perte Totale	"Compagnie verliefd"	Wim De Craene
Peter En Zout	"Eens was het anders"	Luc De Smet, Peter Hens, Walter Buts
Ria Geraerts	"Dromen bouwen"	Ria Geraerts
Rick Heylen Group	"Vanavond en vannacht"	Jan Boonen, Frank Dingenen
Ronald	"Als men iemand zo bemint"	Ronald Driesen
Stella	"Veel te veel"	Luc Smets, Jo De Clercq
Venus	"Talisman"	Heidi Czajkowski, Rick Vervecken, Fred Beeckmans

Heats

Three semi-finals were held with twelve songs in each, from which the top ten songs across the three semi-finals qualified to the final. The songs were not voted on at the time, but on the day after the third semi-final (1 March 1981) a recap of all 36 songs was broadcast and viewers were then invited to vote for ten of the songs. Voting took place by filling out and submitting a lottery-style form which cost 50 francs each. People were allowed to buy as many as they wanted and did not have to prove they had seen the semi-finals. Voters were not asked to vote for their ten favourite songs but the ten songs they believed would qualify. Prizes such as cars, holidays and home entertainment equipment were on offer to those who managed to forecast all ten qualifying songs correctly and out of the 184,052 lottery forms that were submitted, 36 successfully predicted the ten qualifying songs.^[1]^[2]

Semi-finals 1 – 14 February 1981
Draw	Artist	Song	Result
1	Della Bosiers	"Mij kan niets meer gebeuren"	Eliminated
2	Ronald	"Als men iemand zo bemint"	Eliminated
3	Jacky Lafon	"Dag meneer"	Eliminated
4	Jef Elbers	"Gummibal"	Eliminated
5	Fancy Free	"De wereld is een showtoneel"	Advanced
6	Jo Vally	"De wereld draait"	Eliminated
7	Anne-Marie	"Twee is teveel"	Eliminated
8	John Sates	"Topconditie"	Eliminated
9	De Opera	"De opera"	Advanced
10	Gene Summer	"Zing het maar"	Advanced
11	Perte Totale	"Compagnie verliefd"	Eliminated
12	Johnny White	"Op dat kamertje voor ons twee"	Eliminated

Semi-finals 2 – 21 February 1981
Draw	Artist	Song	Result
13	Jennifer	"In mijn armen"	Eliminated
14	Rick Heylen Group	"Vanavond en vannacht"	Eliminated
15	Stella	"Veel te veel"	Advanced
16	Dorina	"Het ware geluk"	Eliminated
17	Patty Devick	"Daar waar liefde is"	Eliminated
18	Cindy	"Ik ben verliefd"	Eliminated
19	Mary Helena	"Liefde is..."	Eliminated
20	Bea Cardon	"Elke traan"	Eliminated
21	Peter En Zout	"Eens was het anders"	Eliminated
22	Ria Geraerts	"Dromen bouwen"	Eliminated
23	Ann Michel	"Ik ben gelukkig"	Advanced
24	Claire	"Zonder jou"	Eliminated

Semi-finals 3 – 28 February 1981
Draw	Artist	Song	Result
25	Johann Stollz	"Hello, Hello"	Advanced
26	Nancy Dee	"Blij bij je te zijn"	Eliminated
27	Mary Scott	"Ik ga weg van jou"	Eliminated
28	Mark Manuel	"Marianne uit vroeger dagen"	Eliminated
29	Kathy and Nancy	"Zaterdagavond"	Eliminated
30	Emly Starr	"Samson en Delilah"	Advanced
31	Lester and Denwood	"Bonnie"	Advanced
32	Lode de Ceuster	"Dit wijsje vond ik in jouw ogen"	Eliminated
33	Mik Deboes	"Ik kom terug"	Eliminated
34	Venus	"Talisman"	Advanced
35	Liliane Saint-Pierre	"Brussel"	Advanced
36	Karin Setter	"Er was een tijd"	Eliminated

Final

The final was held on 7 March 1981 and before the first song was performed, Jo Van Backlé announced the numbers of the winning lottery forms and announced the prizes. The results were decided by a 7-member jury. The members of the jury were: chairman Nest Van der Eyken, Johnny Steggerda, Jef Van den Berg, Pieter Verlinden, Gaston Nuyts, Claude Blondeel, and Bob Boon. Only the winner was announced, but it was rumoured and later confirmed in an interview in 2020 with one of the jury members, Claude Blondeel, that Liliane Saint-Pierre came second.^[3]^[3]

Final – 7 March 1981
Draw	Artist	Song	Place
1	Fancy Free	"De wereld is een showtoneel"	—
2	De Opera	"De opera"	—
3	Gene Summer	"Zing het maar"	—
4	Stella	"Veel te veel"	—
5	Ann Michel	"Ik ben gelukkig"	—
6	Johann Stollz	"Hello, Hello"	—
7	Emly Starr	"Samson en Delilah"	1
8	Lester and Denwood	"Bonnie"	—
9	Venus	"Talisman"	—
10	Liliane Saint-Pierre	"Brussel"	2

At Eurovision

Prior to the contest, the song title was shortened to "Samson". On the night of the final Starr performed 16th in the running order, following Portugal and preceding Greece. At the close of the voting "Samson" had received 40 points (the highest being 8 from Yugoslavia), placing Belgium 13th of the 20 entries.^[4] The Belgian jury awarded its 12 points to Denmark.^[5]

Voting

Points awarded to Belgium^[6]
Score	Country
12 points
10 points
8 points	Yugoslavia
7 points	Greece Turkey
6 points	Denmark
5 points	Cyprus
4 points
3 points	United Kingdom
2 points	Finland
1 point	Austria Israel

Points awarded by Belgium^[6]
Score	Country
12 points	Denmark
10 points	Germany
8 points	United Kingdom
7 points	Cyprus
6 points	Greece
5 points	Yugoslavia
4 points	Sweden
3 points	France
2 points	Netherlands
1 point	Ireland

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e 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 National Finals database - Belgium semi-finals 1981
^ ^a ^b ESC National Finals database - Belgium final 1981
^ "Final of Dublin 1981". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
^ ESC History - Belgium 1981
^ ^a ^b "Results of the Final of Dublin 1981". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.

External links

Belgian Preselection 1981

[:0-1] Vermeulen, André (2021). Van Canzonissima tot Eurosong. 65 jaar Belgische preselecties voor het Eurovisiesongfestival. Leuven: Kritak. ISBN 978-94-014-7609-6. OCLC 1240241113.

[2] ESC National Finals database - Belgium semi-finals 1981

[:1-3] ESC National Finals database - Belgium final 1981

[4] "Final of Dublin 1981". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.

[5] ESC History - Belgium 1981

[1981detailed-6] "Results of the Final of Dublin 1981". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.

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v t e Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest
Participation	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 ~~2020~~ 2021 2022 2023 2024
Artists	Roberto Bellarosa Bob Benny Blanche Lily Castel Vanessa Chinitor Ann Christy Clouseau Robert Cogoi Mélanie Cohl Copycat Lisa del Bo Barbara Dex Tom Dice Dream Express Eliot Frédéric Etherlinck Serge and Christine Ghisoland Gustaph Axel Hirsoux Hooverphonic Jacques Hustin Ingeborg Iris Ishtar Sandra Kim The KMG's Philippe Lafontaine Fud Leclerc Linda Lepomme Claude Lombard Jérémie Makiese Micha Marah Mony Marc Lize Marke Morgane Mustii Louis Neefs Nicole and Hugo Loïc Nottet Pas de Deux Pierre Rapsat Jacques Raymond Nuno Resende Reynaert Kate Ryan Liliane Saint-Pierre Bobbejaan Schoepen Sennek Sergio and the Ladies Nathalie Sorce Emly Starr Stella Telex Laura Tesoro Tonia Urban Trad Jean Vallée Witloof Bay Xandee Jacques Zegers
Songs	"1 Life" "À la folie ou pas du tout" "Als het weer lente is" "L'Amour ça fait chanter la vie" "Avanti la vie" "Baby, Baby" "Because of You" "Before the Party's Over" "City Lights" "Copycat" "Dis oui" "Door de wind" "Envie de vivre" "Euro-Vision" "Fleur de liberté" "Geef het op" "Gelukkig zijn" "Goeiemorgen, morgen" "Le Grand soir" "Hey Nana" "Hou toch van mij" "Iemand als jij" "Ik heb zorgen" "J'aime la vie" "Je t'adore" "Jennifer Jennings" "Judy et Cie" "Laat me nu gaan" "Laissez briller le soleil" "Liefde is een kaartspel" "Like the Wind" "Love Kills" "Love Power" "Ma petite chatte" "Macédomienne" "A Matter of Time" "Me and My Guitar" "Messieurs les noyés de la Seine" "A Million in One, Two, Three" "Miss You" "Mon amour pour toi" "Mother" "Nous, on veut des violons" "O Julissi" "Un peu de poivre, un peu de sel" "Le Plus beau jour de ma vie" "Près de ma rivière" "Quand tu reviendras" ~~"Release Me"~~ "Rendez-vous" "Rhythm Inside" "Samson" "Sanomi" "September, gouden roos" "Si tu aimes ma musique" "Sister" "Soldiers of Love" "Straatdeuntje" "Ton nom" "Viens l'oublier" "La Voix est libre" "Waarom?" "Wake Up" "What's the Pressure" "With Love Baby" "Would You?" "The Wrong Place"
Note: Entries scored out signify where Belgium did not compete

v t e Eurovision Song Contest 1981
Countries	Austria Belgium Cyprus Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Ireland Israel Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Portugal Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey United Kingdom Yugoslavia
Artists	Bacchelli Marty Brem Bucks Fizz Debbie Cameron and Tommy Seebach Yiannis Dimitras Jean Gabilou Habibi Island Finn Kalvik Seid Memić Vajta Modern Folk Trio and Ayşegül Carlos Paião Jean-Claude Pascal Peter, Sue and Marc Sheeba Björn Skifs Riki Sorsa Emly Starr Lena Valaitis Linda Williams
Songs	"Aldri i livet" "C'est peut-être pas l'Amérique" "Dönme Dolap" "Fångad i en dröm" "Feggari kalokerino" "Halayla" "Het is een wonder" "Horoscopes" "Humanahum" "Io senza te" "Johnny Blue" "Krøller eller ej" "Lejla" "Making Your Mind Up" "Monika" "Playback" "Reggae OK" "Samson" "Wenn du da bist" "Y sólo tú"