Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974
| Eurovision Song Contest 1974 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participating broadcaster | Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) | |||
| Country |  Netherlands | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Artist: Internal selection Song: Nationaal Songfestival 1974 | |||
| Selection date(s) | 27 February 1974 | |||
| Selected artist(s) | Mouth and MacNeal | |||
| Selected song | "I See a Star" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) | ||||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 3rd, 15 points | |||
| Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
The Netherlands was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 with the song "I See a Star", composed by Hans van Hemert, with lyrics by Gerrit den Braber, and performed by duo Mouth and MacNeal (Willem Duyn and Maggie MacNeal). The Dutch participating broadcaster, Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), selected its entry through a national final, after having previously selected the performer internally.
Before Eurovision
[edit]Nationaal Songfestival 1974
[edit]The final was held on 27 February 1974 at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, hosted by Willem Duys. Only three songs were performed and voted on by a jury. "Ik zie een ster" emerged the runaway winner.[1]
| Draw | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Liefste" | 19 | 2 |
| 2 | "Zoals de oudjes zongen" | 12 | 3 |
| 3 | "Ik zie een ster" | 79 | 1 |
At Eurovision
[edit]The free-language rule applied in 1974, so prior to the contest the song was translated into English as "I See a Star" and performed in English at the final. On the evening of the final Mouth and MacNeal performed 12th in the running order, following Belgium and preceding Ireland. In 1974 the voting system reverted to the ten jury members in each country with one vote each model, and at the close of voting "I See a Star" had received 15 points from ten countries, placing the Netherlands 3rd of the 17 entries.[2] The Dutch jury awarded its highest score (4) to Greece.[3]
Mouth & MacNeal's upbeat and engaging performance at Eurovision proved memorable, and following the contest "I See a Star" went on to become a major hit across Europe. It reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart, making it one of only four non-UK / non-winning Eurovision entries to have reached the British top 10 performed by its original artists (the others being "Volare" by Domenico Modugno, third in 1958, and Gigliola Cinquetti's runner-up "Sì", also from 1974, and 2014's "Calm After the Storm" by The Common Linnets, also Dutch).
The Dutch conductor at the contest was Harry van Hoof.
Voting
[edit]
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References
[edit]- ^ ESC National Finals database 1974
- ^ "Final of Brighton 1974". Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ "ESC History - Netherlands 1974". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
- ^ a b "Results of the Final of Brighton 1974". Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
External links
[edit]- Dutch Preselection 1974 Archived 9 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine