Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979

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Finland in the
Eurovision Song Contest 1979
Eurovision Song Contest 1979
Participating broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle)
CountryFlag of Finland.svg  Finland
Selection processNational final
Selection date10 February 1979
Competing entry
Song" Katson sineen taivaan "
Artist Katri Helena
Songwriters
Placement
Final result14th, 38 points
Participation chronology
◄1978 •1979• 1980►

Finland was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 with the song " Katson sineen taivaan ", composed by Matti Siitonen, with lyrics by Vexi Salmi, and performed by Katri Helena. The Finnish participating broadcaster, Yleisradio (Yle), selected its entry through a national final. This was the first of Katri Helena's two Eurovision appearances for Finland, after she had finished runner-up in three previous national finals (1969, 1972, and 1978).

Contents

Before Eurovision

National final

Six entries were selected for the competition from almost 300 received submissions. Yleisradio (Yle) held the national final on 10 February 1979 at the Kulttuuritalo in Helsinki, hosted by Marjatta Leppänen  [ fi ]. The final was held in conjuction with the Intervision national final. The winner was chosen by a 30-member jury containing ten music industry professionals and twenty music listeners. [1] [2]

In addition to the performances of the competing entries, the show was opened by Seija Simola performing her 1978 entry "Anna rakkaudelle tilaisuus". [3] [4]

Final – 10 February 1979
DrawArtistSongSongwriter(s)PointsPlace
1 Seidat  [ fi ]"Hei, tännepäin" Eeva Kiviharju  [ fi ]786
2 Markku Aro "Sano Susanne" Esa Nieminen  [ fi ], Juha Vainio 945
3 Yvonne Gräsbeck  [ fi ]"Hyvästi ystäväin"Lasse Mirsch1132
4 Katri Helena "Katson sineen taivaan" Matti Siitonen, Vexi Salmi 1401
5 Kirka, Anna  [ fi ] and Muska "Aikuiset anteeksi antaa" Eero Lupari  [ fi ]954
6 Pepe Willberg "Päivä tuskin päättyis kauniimmin"Pepe Willberg, Markku Johansson  [ fi ], Juha Vainio1103

At Eurovision

On the night of the final Katri Helena performed 5th in the running order, following Ireland and preceding Monaco. Katri Helena was accompanied by Vesa Enne  [ fi ], Kalle Fält  [ fi ], Ami Jaara  [ fi ] and Paula Karppanen  [ fi ] as backing vocalists. At the close of voting "Katson sineen taivaan" had picked up 38 points, placing Finland 14th of the 19 entries. [5] [6] The Finnish jury awarded its 12 points to contest winners Israel. [7]

Voting

References

  1. ↑ "1979 Herra pääministeri oli oikeassa" (in Finnish). Yle. Archived from the original on 7 January 2004. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  2. ↑ Murtomäki, Asko (2007). Finland 12 points! Suomen Euroviisut (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland: Teos. pp. 102–103, 105. ISBN   951-851-106-3.
  3. ↑ "Euroviisut ja Interviisut Suomen karsinta 1979" (in Finnish). Yle Areena. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  4. ↑ "Euroviisukarsinnoissa yhdistettiin maailmaa 1970-luvulla" [Eurovision selections united the world in the 1970s] (in Finnish). Yle Elävä arkisto  [ fi ]. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  5. ↑ Murtomäki, Asko (2007). Finland 12 points! Suomen Euroviisut (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland: Teos. pp. 104–105. ISBN   951-851-106-3.
  6. ↑ "Final of Jerusalem 1979". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 "Results of the Final of Jerusalem 1979". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
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