Belgium was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 with the song "Hou toch van mij", composed by Hans Flower, with lyrics by Ke Riema, and performed by Bob Benny. The Belgian participating broadcaster, Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-omroep (NIR), selected its entry through a national final.
| Eurovision Song Contest 1959 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participating broadcaster | Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-omroep (NIR) | |||
| Country |  Belgium | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Grote Eurovisie Prijs van het Europese Lied | |||
| Selection date(s) | Semi-finals: 1 and 8 February Final: 15 February 1959 | |||
| Selected artist(s) | Bob Benny | |||
| Selected song | "Hou toch van mij" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 6th, 9 points | |||
| Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Before Eurovision
editGrote Eurovisie Prijs van het Europese Lied
editGrote Eurovisie Prijs van het Europese Lied was the national final format developed by Flemish broadcaster Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-omroep (NIR) in order to select the Belgian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1959. Eighteen entries competed in the competition that consisted of two semi-finals held on 1 and 8 February 1959 leading to a two-song final on 15 February 1959. All three shows were hosted by Jan Theys.[1][2]
Format
editThe format of the competition consisted of three shows: two semi-finals on 1 and 8 February 1959 and the final on 15 February 1959. Each semi-final featured nine competing entries from which one advanced from each show to complete the two song lineup in the final. Results during both semi-finals and final were determined by "expert" jury.[1][2]
Competing entries
editNine composers were approached by NIR to create the songs for the contest. Each composer wrote two songs for the contest. Then, NIR selected performers for the songs. The selected composers were: Jef Trappeniers, Johnny Steggerda, Jef Van den Berg, Jack Say, Pieter Leemans, Armand Preud'homme, Hans Flower, Louis Marischal, and Jack Sels. It is unknown why "Alles is nu voorbij" was submitted twice.[2][3]
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Al Verlane | "Alles is nu voorbij" | Eric Franssen, Pieter Leemans |
| "In d'eenzaamheid" | Eric Franssen, Jack Say | |
| Bob Benny | "Hou toch van mij" | Ke Riema, Hans Flower |
| "Riviera-riviera" | Jan Marcken, Hans Flower | |
| Enny Denita | "Zingeling" | Louis Baret, Louis Marischal |
| "Zoals heerlijk als nu (zoals nu)" | Louis Marischal | |
| Frieda Linzi | "Weekend melodie" | A. Franck, Armand Preud'homme |
| Eric Franssen | "Liefde" | Marc de Corte, Jef Van den Berg |
| "Twee harten, één gedachte (amore...)" | Eric Franssen, Jack Say | |
| Jean Walter | "Alles is nu voorbij" | Eric Franssen, Pieter Leemans |
| "Als ik je verlaat" | Jan Custers, Armand Preud'homme | |
| "Mijn liedje is uit" | Marc de Corte, Jef van den Berg | |
| Jo Leemans | "Levenssymphonie" | Jacques Mollé, Jef Trappeniers |
| "Wij moeten dankbaar zijn" | Johnny Steggerda | |
| Rina Pia | "De klokkentoren" | Johnny Steggerda |
| "Een wiegje in witte satijn" | Luc Verbist, Jef Trappeniers | |
| Terry Lester | "Eens in het leven" | Jack Sels |
| "Voor u alleen" | Jack Sels |
Semi-final 1
editThe first semi-final took place on 1 February 1959 at the Funkis Cinema in Herentals.[1]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Verlane | "Alles is nu voorbij" | 0 | 5= |
| 2 | Rina Pia | "De klokkentoren" | 0 | 5= |
| 3 | Eric Franssen | "Twee harten, één gedachte (amore...)" | 0 | 5= |
| 4 | Bob Benny | "Riviera-riviera" | 1 | 3= |
| 5 | Jo Leemans | "Levenssymphonie" | 5 | 1 |
| 6 | Enny Denita | "Zoals heerlijk als nu (zoals nu)" | 1 | 3= |
| 7 | Jean Walter | "Mijn liedje is uit" | 0 | 5= |
| 8 | Jean Walter | "Als ik je verlaat" | 2 | 2 |
| 9 | Terry Lester | "Voor u alleen" | 0 | 5= |
Semi-final 2
editThe second semi-final took place on 8 February 1959 at the Apollo in Antwerp.[1]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enny Denita | "Zingeling" | 0 | 6= |
| 2 | Bob Benny | "Hou toch van mij" | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | Jo Leemans | "Wij moeten dankbaar zijn" | 0 | 6= |
| 4 | Al Verlane | "In d'eenzaamheid" | 0 | 6= |
| 5 | Terry Lester | "Eens in het leven" | 0 | 6= |
| 6 | Frieda Linzi | "Weekend melodie" | 1 | 2= |
| 7 | Eric Franssen | "Liefde" | 1 | 2= |
| 8 | Jean Walter | "Alles is nu voorbij" | 1 | 2= |
| 9 | Rina Pia | "Een wiegje in witte satijn" | 1 | 2= |
Final
editThe final was held on 15 February 1959 at 21:25 CET as part of NIR's TV show Show Band Show at the Cultural and Artistic Center in Uccle and hosted by Jan Theys. The song "Hou toch van mij" written by Ke Riema, composed by Hans Flower and performed by Bob Benny, was selected as the winner of selection by an "expert" jury.[1][2]
| Draw | Artist(s) | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jo Leemans | "Levenssymphonie" | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Bob Benny | "Hou toch van mij" | 11 | 1 |
At Eurovision
editOn the night of the final Bob Benny performed last in the running order, following the United Kingdom. Voting was by 10-member national juries with each member awarding 1 point to his/her favourite song. At the close of the voting "Hou Toch Van Mij" had received 9 points (3 from Germany, 2 from Denmark and the United Kingdom and 1 from Monaco and the Netherlands), placing Belgium joint 6th (with Italy) of the 11 entries.[4]
Voting
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References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Eurovision Artists: Nationale finale Eurovisie Songfestival".
- ^ a b c d "Grote prijs van het Eurovisielied 1959".
- ^ 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 History - Belgium 1959
- ^ a b "Results of the Final of Cannes 1959". Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.