Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978

Last updated

Eurovision Song Contest 1978
Participating broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK)
CountryFlag of Norway.svg  Norway
National selection
Selection processMelodi Grand Prix 1978
Selection date(s)18 March 1978
Selected artist(s) Jahn Teigen
Selected song"Mil etter mil"
Selected songwriter(s)Kai Eide
Finals performance
Final result20th, 0 points
Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄1977 •1978• 1979►

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 with the song "Mil etter mil", written by Kai Eide, and performed by Jahn Teigen. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1978. Teigen would also represent Norway in 1982 and 1983.

Contents

"Mil etter mil" is famous both for Teigen's notoriously bizarre stage performance in Paris, and for being the first song ever to score nul-points under the 12 points voting system. (It was said that one of the reasons for the introduction of the current system in 1975 had been that the European Broadcasting Union had considered it unlikely in the extreme that any song would finish the evening with a zero with national juries now able to vote for ten songs, rather than the three or five which had been the case with previous ranking systems used in the 1960s and which had led to so many going home empty-handed.)

Before Eurovision

Melodi Grand Prix 1978

Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) held the Melodi Grand Prix 1978 at its studios in Oslo, hosted by Egil Teige. The orchestra was conducted by Carsten Klouman. Eight songs took part in the final, with the winner chosen by a 9-member "expert" jury, which included Ellen Nikolaysen, who represented Norway in 1973 –as part of the Bendik Singers– and 1975, and Odd Børre, who represented Norway in 1968. The rankings of the jury members were used to calculate the result so the song with the lowest aggregate score was the winner. [1]

18 March 1978
DrawArtistSongSongwriters(s)PointsPlace
1New Jordal Swingers"Spilleman"Eigil Berg, Ivar Hovden506
2 Stein Ingebrigtsen "Fortsett sangen"Petter Hurlen, Espen Dietrichs435
3 Maj-Britt Andersen "Hør hva andre har fått til"Kristian Lindeman404
4 Anne Lise Gjøstøl "Min sang"Halvdan Presthus202
5Septimus"La meg bli med deg"Torbjørn Daleng, Gunnar Jørstad373
6Ingrid Elisabeth Johansen"Den danseglade fruen"Dag Kolsrud527
7 Anita Skorgan and Georg Keller"Prima Donna"Svein Strugstad, Dag Nordtømme678
8 Jahn Teigen "Mil etter mil"Kai Eide151
Detailed Jury Votes
DrawSong
K. Stokke
E. Nikolaysen
Ø. Thorsen
L. Dalseth
E. Iversen
K. Karlsen
O. Børre
A. Naumik
S. Børja
Total
1"Spilleman"58788334450
2"Fortsett sangen"45453257843
3"Hor hva andre har fått till"76334623640
4"Min sang"12111562120
5"La meg bli med dig"33565445237
6"Den danseglade fruen"64646786552
7"Prima Donna"87877878767
8"Mil etter mil"21222111315

At Eurovision

The contest was broadcast on NRK Fjernsynet with commentary by Bjørn Scheele, and on NRK radio with commentary by Erik Heyerdahl  [ no ]. [2]

On the night of the final Teigen performed second in the running order, following Ireland and preceding Italy. His stage performance appeared inexplicable at the time, involving braces-twanging and a huge split leap into the air which were completely at odds with the nature of the song. However it was later rumoured that Teigen was unhappy with the new arrangement the song had been given by NRK following the Melodi Grand Prix, and had performed in a deliberately inappropriate manner to vent his displeasure. Nevertheless the performance soon entered Eurovision legend, and is invariably included in montages put together to illustrate the contest's more absurd moments.

By the end of the night, no national jury had been persuaded to cast any votes in Norway's direction, and the country finished at the bottom of the scoreboard for a fifth time. [3] The Norwegian jury awarded its 12 points to Ireland. Had the Norwegian jury not awarded Finland its only 2 points of the evening, they would not have been alone at the foot of the table. [4]

Voting

Norway did not receive any points at the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest. [5]

Points awarded by Norway [5]
ScoreCountry
12 pointsFlag of Ireland.svg  Ireland
10 pointsFlag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
8 pointsFlag of Israel.svg  Israel
7 pointsFlag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
6 pointsFlag of Italy.svg  Italy
5 pointsFlag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland
4 pointsFlag of Monaco.svg  Monaco
3 pointsFlag of France.svg  France
2 pointsFlag of Finland.svg  Finland
1 pointFlag of Turkey.svg  Turkey

After Eurovision

Far from being bitter about, or humiliated by, his Eurovision disaster, Teigen would subsequently use his notoriety very cleverly to become one of the most successful artists on the Norwegian musical scene, and made two further appearances at Eurovision in 1982 and 1983.

Related Research Articles

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with the song "On My Own", written by Ole Henrik Antonsen, Tom-Steinar Hanssen, and Ole Jørgen Olsen, and performed by Haldor Lægreid. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2001 in order to select its entry for the contest. Twelve entries competed in a show that took place on 24 February 2001 and the winner was determined over two rounds of voting from a five-member jury panel and a regional televote. The top four entries in the first round of voting advanced to the competition's second round—the superfinal. In the second round of voting, "On My Own" performed by Haldor Lægreid was selected as the winner.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the song "My Heart Goes Boom", composed by Morten Henriksen, with lyrics by Tore Madsen, and performed by the group Charmed. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2000 in order to select its entry for the contest. Ten entries competed in a show that took place on 4 March 2000 and the winner was determined over two rounds of voting from a five-member jury panel and a regional televote. The top four entries in the first round of voting advanced to the competition's second round—the superfinal. In the second round of voting, "My Heart Goes Boom" performed by Charmed was selected as the winner.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1993 with the song "Alle mine tankar", written by Bjørn Erik Vige, and performed by 16-year-old Silje Vige. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1993.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 with the song "Duett", composed by Rolf Løvland, with lyrics by Hans Olav Mørk, and performed by Elisabeth Andreasson and Jan Werner Danielsen. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1994. This was the third of four Eurovision appearances by Andreasson.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 with the song "I evighet", written by Torhild Nigar, and performed by Elisabeth Andreassen. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1996. In addition, NRK was also the host broadcaster and staged the event at the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, after winning the previous edition with the song "Nocturne" by Secret Garden. This was the last of four Eurovision appearances as a main performer by Andreassen, a record shared with Lys Assia, Fud Leclerc, Valentina Monetta, and Peter, Sue and Marc.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 with the song "San Francisco", written by Tor Endresen and Arne Myksvoll, and performed by Endresen himself. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 1997 in order to select its entry for the contest. Eight entries competed in a show that took place on 8 February 1997 and the winner, "San Francisco" performed by Tor Endresen, was determined by the votes from a six-member jury panel and a public televote. Endresen won Melodi Grand Prix on his eighth attempt.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 with the song "Alltid sommer", composed by David Eriksen, with lyrics by Linda Andernach Johansen, and performed by Lars A. Fredriksen. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 1998 in order to select its entry for the contest. Eight entries competed in a show that took place on 27 February 1999 and the winner, "All I Ever Wanted " performed by Lars A. Fredriksen, was determined by the votes from a six-member jury panel and a regional televote. The song was later translated from English to Norwegian for Eurovision and was titled "Alltid sommer".

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1990 with the song "Brandenburger Tor", written and performed by Ketil Stokkan. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1990. Stokkan had previously represented Norway in 1986.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 with the song "Venners nærhet", composed by Inge Enoksen, with lyrics by Leiv Grøtte, and performed by Britt Synnøve Johansen. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1989.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1988 with the song "For vår jord", composed by Anita Skorgan, with lyrics by Erik Hillestad, and performed by Karoline Krüger. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1988.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1987 with the song "Mitt liv", written by Rolf Løvland and Hanne Krogh, and performed by Kate Gulbrandsen. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1987.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 with the song "Oliver", composed by Anita Skorgan, with lyrics by Philip A. Kruse, and performed by Skorgan herself. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1979. This was the second of three Eurovision appearances for Skorgan.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1982 with the song "Adieu", composed by Jahn Teigen, with lyrics by Herodes Falsk, and performed by Jahn Teigen and Anita Skorgan. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1982. This was a second Eurovision appearance for Teigen and a third for Skorgan.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1967 with the song "Dukkemann", composed by Tor Hultin, with lyrics by Ola B. Johannessen, and performed by Kirsti Sparboe. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 1967 in order to select its entry for the contest. This was the second of Sparboe's three Eurovision appearances for Norway.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 with the song "Stress", composed by Tor Hultin, with lyrics by Ola B. Johannessen, and performed by Odd Børre. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 1968 in order to select its entry for the contest.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1963 with the song "Solhverv", written by Dag Kristoffersen, and performed by Anita Thallaug. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 1963 in order to select its entry for the contest.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1976 with the song "Mata Hari", composed by Frode Thingnæs, with lyrics by Philip A. Kruse, and performed by Anne-Karine Strøm. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 1976 in order to select its entry for the contest. This was a third Eurovision appearance in four contests for Strøm.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1983 with the song "Do Re Mi", written by Jahn Teigen, Anita Skorgan, and Herodes Falsk, and performed by Teigen himself. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1983. This was the third and final Eurovision appearance by Teigen. Although uncredited on this occasion, one of his backing singers was Anita Skorgan, making her fourth appearance in seven years.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 with the song "Lenge leve livet", written by Benedicte Adrian and Ingrid Bjørnov, and performed by themselves under their stage name Dollie de Luxe. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1984.

Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Icebreaker" written by Agnete Johnsen, Gabriel Alares and Ian Curnow. The song was performed by Agnete. The Norwegian broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2016 in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Ten entries competed in a show that took place on 27 February 2016 and the winner was determined over two rounds of public televoting. The top four entries in the first round of voting advanced to the competition's second round—the Gold Final. In the second round of public televoting, "Icebreaker" performed by Agnete was selected as the winner with 166,728 votes.

References

  1. ↑ ESC National Finals database 1978
  2. ↑ "TV-radio programmene" [TV-radio programmes]. Oppland Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). Gjøvik, Norway. 22 April 1978. p. 35. Retrieved 10 January 2023– via National Library of Norway.
  3. ↑ "Final of Paris 1978". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  4. ↑ ESC History - Norway 1978
  5. 1 2 "Results of the Final of Paris 1978". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.