Eurovision Song Contest 1961

The Eurovision Song Contest 1961 was the 6th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 18 March 1961 in the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in Cannes, France. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (RTF), and originally known as the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Langx<ref name="Radio Times" />), the contest was held in Template:Esccnty following the country's victory at the Template:Escyr with the song "Tom Pillibi" by Jacqueline Boyer. It was the second time that France had hosted the contest, becoming the first country to host the contest on two separate occasions, following the Template:Escyr which was also held in the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in Cannes. Just as in 1959, the event was presented by Jacqueline Joubert, one of only three individuals to have hosted more than one Eurovision Song Contest. A new record of sixteen countries competed in this event, with the thirteen nations which competed in 1960 returning alongside Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty and Template:Esccnty, all three making their first contest appearances.

The winner was Template:Esccnty with the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}", composed by Jacques Datin, written by Template:Ill and performed by Jean-Claude Pascal, the first of an eventual five contest victories for the country. Although not interpreted as such at the time, the winning song has since been reevaluated and reinterpreted as a song about homosexual love, a topic which would have been considered taboo if publicly spoken in 1961. The Template:Esccnty placed second for the third consecutive contest, while Template:Esccnty came third.

Location

File:Palais des festivals et des congrès, Cannes, 1949.jpg

lang}}, Cannes – host venue of the 1961 contest

The 1961 contest took place in Cannes, France, following the nation's victory at the Template:Escyr in London, the United Kingdom, with the song "Tom Pillibi", performed by Jacqueline Boyer. The selected venue was the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, built in 1949 to host the Cannes Film Festival and located on the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Due to the growth in the film festival a new building bearing the same name was opened in 1982, with the original building renamed as the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

This was the second time that the contest was staged in France, with the same venue having already hosted the Template:Escyr.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn<ref name="ESC1961">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It also marked the first time that a country and city had staged the contest on two separate occasions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Other events held during the week of the contest included a supper for the participating delegations, which was held after the contest in the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in the city's Template:Ill.<ref name="Espoir2" />

Participants

File:Nora Brockstedt, 1962.jpg

Nora Brockstedt represented Template:Esccnty in the contest for a second consecutive year.

The 1961 contest saw the first entries from Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty and Template:Esccnty. Joining the thirteen countries which had competed in the previous year's event, this led to the contest growing to a record number of sixteen participants.Template:Sfn<ref name="ESC1961" />

Bob Benny and Nora Brockstedt both made a second appearance in the contest for their respective countries. Benny had placed sixth for Template:Esccnty with the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}", while Brockstedt had placed fourth for Template:Esccnty with "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}".Template:Sfn Also among the participating artists was Template:Esccnty's Lale Andersen, who had gained significant international fame and popularity during World War II, both in Allied and Axis countries, for her interpretation of "Lili Marleen".Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At 56 years old, Andersen was the oldest performer to have competed in the contest, and held this record until Template:Escyr, when 75-year-old Ladislav Demeterffy (also known as 75 Cents) competed for Template:Esccnty with the group {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Eurovision Song Contest 1961 participantsTemplate:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Country	Broadcaster	Artist	Song	Language	Songwriter(s)	Conductor
Template:Esc	ORF	Jimmy Makulis	lang}}"	German	Leopold Andrejewitsch	Franck Pourcel
Template:Esc	BRT	Bob Benny	lang}}"	Dutch	Template:Hlist	Francis Bay
Template:Esc	DR	Dario Campeotto	"Angelique"	Danish	Aksel V. Rasmussen	Kai Mortensen
Template:Esc	YLE	Laila Kinnunen	lang}}"	Finnish	Template:Hlist	George de Godzinsky
Template:Esc	RTF	Jean-Paul Mauric	lang}}"	French	Template:Hlist	Franck Pourcel
Template:Esc	HRTemplate:Efn	Lale Andersen	lang}}"	German, French	Template:Hlist	Franck Pourcel
Template:Esc	RAI	Betty Curtis	lang}}"	Italian	Template:Hlist	Gianfranco Intra
Template:Esc	CLT	Jean-Claude Pascal	lang}}"	French	Template:Hlist	Léo Chauliac
Template:Esc	TMC	Colette Deréal	lang}}"	French	Template:Hlist	Raymond Lefèvre
Template:Esc	NTS	Greetje Kauffeld	lang}}"	Dutch	Template:Hlist	Dolf van der Linden
Template:Esc	NRK	Nora Brockstedt	lang}}"	Norwegian	Template:Hlist	Øivind Bergh
Template:Esc	TVE	Conchita Bautista	lang}}"	Spanish	Template:Hlist	Template:Ill
Template:Esc	SR	Lill-Babs	lang}}"	Swedish	Template:Hlist	Template:Ill
Template:Esc	SRG SSR	Franca di Rienzo	lang}}"	French	Template:Hlist	Fernando Paggi
Template:Esc	BBC	The Allisons	"Are You Sure?"	English	Template:Hlist	Harry Robinson
Template:Esc	JRT	Ljiljana Petrović	lang}}" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})	Serbo-Croatian	Template:Hlist	Jože Privšek

Production and format

The contest was organised and broadcast by the French public broadcaster {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (RTF).<ref name="ESC1961" /> Template:Ill served as producer and director, Template:Ill served as cinematographer, Gérard Dubois served as designer, and Franck Pourcel served as musical director, leading forty musicians of the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref name="Radio Times" /><ref name="Espoir1">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:Sfn Each country was allowed to nominate their own musical director to lead the orchestra during the performance of their country's entry, with the host musical director also conducting for those countries which did not nominate their own conductor.Template:Sfn The event was presented by Jacqueline Joubert, who had also hosted the 1959 contest; Joubert remains Template:As of one of only three individuals to have presented multiple Eurovision Song Contests, alongside the UK's Katie Boyle (1960, Template:Escyr, Template:Escyr and Template:Escyr) and Sweden's Petra Mede (Template:Escyr, Template:Escyr and Template:Escyr).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Each country, participating through a single EBU member broadcaster, was represented by one song performed by up to two people on stage. The results of the event were determined through jury voting, with each country's jury containing ten individuals who each gave one vote to their favourite song, with no abstentions allowed and with jurors unable to vote for their own country.<ref name="ESC1961" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Sfn The jury comprised members of the public who represented the average television viewer.<ref name="Télérama" /> Many of the other aspects of the show were however almost identical to the previous contest in Cannes, including the opening film, direction, production and the scoreboard used during the voting process.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

The stage design was notably larger than in previous years, featuring a central large staircase covered in flowers, trees and shrubs, with an painted outdoor scene in the background, giving an impression of a Mediterranean garden.Template:Sfn<ref name="Espoir1" />Template:Sfn Dubois chose the trees to be featured within the stage design with André Racot, the head of the Cannes municipal gardens, making sure that the trees were not too dark when shown on black-and-white television.<ref name="Espoir1" />Template:Sfn The original design featured the green room within the stage, with the artists remaining on stage after they had performed, however this idea ultimately did not feature in the final design constructed for the event.<ref name="Espoir1" /><ref name="contestAV">Template:Cite AV media</ref>

The draw to determine the running order took place on 16 March 1961 at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes, conducted by Jacqueline Joubert and assisted by two children aged six and four.<ref name="INA1">Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref name="Matin" /> The draw also featured interviews with some of the participating acts conducted by Robert Beauvais.<ref name="INA1" /> Rehearsals commenced in the contest venue on the same day.<ref name="Matin">Template:Cite news</ref>

Contest overview

File:Jean-Claude Pascal (Luxemburg), de winnaar van het Eurovisie Songfestival 1961 t, Bestanddeelnr 912-2446 (cropped).jpg

Jean-Claude Pascal, the winning artist of the 1961 contest

The contest was held on 18 March 1961 at 20:00 (CET) and lasted 1 hour and 39 minutes.<ref name="ESC1961" />Template:Sfn<ref name="INA2">Template:Cite AV media</ref> It was the first time that the contest was staged on a Saturday night, which has since become the traditional day on which the grand final of the contest is staged.<ref name="ESC1961" /> The interval act was a dance performance by Tessa Beaumont and Template:Ill titled {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, with music by Raymond Lefèvre.<ref name="INA2" />Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The prize for the winning artist and songwriters, an engraved medallion, was presented by Tessa Beaumont.<ref name="INA2" />Template:Sfn<ref name="INA3" />

The winner was Template:Esccnty represented by the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}", composed by Jacques Datin, written by Template:Ill and performed by the French singer and actor Jean-Claude Pascal.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This was the first of an eventual five contest victories that Luxembourg would go on to achieve.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Template:Esccnty came second for the third consecutive contest, while the Template:Esccnty placed third.<ref name="ESC1961" />Template:Sfn

Although not widely interpreted as such at the time of the contest, it has since become known that the winning song speaks clandestinely of a homosexual relationship: the lyrics refer to a love that is frowned upon by society and forbidden by religion, however the singer hopes that one day their relationship will continue without controversy.Template:Sfn<ref name="RTBF">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Songs of such subject matter would have been considered taboo, and would not have been allowed to be spoken of widely in 1961; same-sex sexual activities were illegal in almost half of the countries competing in the contest at the time, including in Austria, West Germany, the UK and Spain.Template:Sfn Therefore, the true meaning of the lyrics was required to be hidden behind subtext and double meanings, an interpretation later affirmed by Pascal, himself a gay man although not publicly out at the time.Template:Sfn<ref name="RTBF" /><ref name="BBC">Template:Cite news</ref> Given the song was released before the emergence of the modern gay liberation movement, it has since been interpreted as an early protest song in favour of rights for sexual minorities.<ref name="RTBF" /><ref name="BBC" /> The song has since been used more visibly to highlight LGBTQ rights, including in a promotional video by the French government to highlight homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Results of the Eurovision Song Contest 1961Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Template:Abbr	Country	Artist	Song	Votes	Place
1	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	8	9
2	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	6	10
3	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	1	15
4	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	6	10
5	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	9	8
6	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	6	10
7	Template:Esc	Lill-Babs	lang}}"	2	14
8	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	3	13
9	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	13	4
10	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	16	3
11	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	1	15
12	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	10	7
13	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	"Angelique"	12	5
14	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	31	1
15	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	"Are You Sure?"	24	2
16	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	12	5

Spokespersons

Each participating broadcaster appointed a spokesperson, connected to the contest venue via telephone lines and responsible for announcing, in English or French, the votes for its respective country.<ref name="Rules" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Known spokespersons at the 1961 contest are listed below.

• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndTemplate:IllTemplate:Sfn
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndTemplate:Ill<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndTemplate:IllTemplate:Sfn
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndMichael AspelTemplate:Sfn

Detailed voting results

Jury voting was used to determine the scores awarded by all countries. The announcement of the results from each country was conducted in reverse order to that which each country performed, with the spokespersons announcing their country's votes in English or French in performance order.Template:Sfn<ref name="contestAV" /> The detailed breakdown of the votes awarded by each country is listed in the tables below, with voting countries listed in the order in which they presented their votes.

citation

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rowspan="16" Template:Vert header	Spain	8		1			2			2		1	1				1
Monaco	6		1					1						3			1
Austria	1		1
Finland	6	2	2		1				1
Yugoslavia	9		1		1			1	2			1			3
Netherlands	6	2							1	1			2
Sweden	2								2
Germany	3				1						1				1
France	13		2	1						4	1			1		2	2
Switzerland	16	2	2								4	2	1		2	2	1
Belgium	1			1
Norway	10				1		5						1	2			1
Denmark	12					8					2	1		1
Luxembourg	31	3			1			1	1	5	1	1	5	3	4	4	2
United Kingdom	24	1		8	1		1	7				3					3
Italy	12				4		4		1			1	1			1

Broadcasts

Broadcasters competing in the event were required to relay the contest via its networks; non-participating EBU member broadcasters were also able to relay the contest.<ref name="Rules">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Broadcasters were able to send commentators to provide coverage of the contest in their own native language and to relay information about the artists and songs to their television viewers. These commentators were typically sent to the venue to report on the event, and were able to provide commentary from small booths constructed at the back of the venue.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Local press reported a total of 14 commentators reporting on the contest, with a total of 16 countries broadcasting the event.<ref name="Espoir2">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Espoir1" />

No official accounts of total international viewing figures are known to exist; an estimate given in the French press ahead of the contest suggested there would be 40 million viewers across Europe.<ref name="Espoir1" /> Known details on the broadcasts in each country, including the specific broadcasting stations and commentators are shown in the tables below.

Broadcasters and commentators

Country	Broadcaster	Channel(s)	Commentator(s)	Template:Refh
Template:Flagu	ORF	ORF	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	BRT	BRT	Template:Ill	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Mediapro">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	RTB	RTB	Robert Beauvais
Template:Flagu	DR	lang}}, Program 1	Sejr Volmer-Sørensen	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Flagu	YLE	lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	Template:Ill	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Sfn
Template:Flagu	RTF	RTF, France I	Robert Beauvais	<ref name="Télérama">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="LeSoir">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="INA3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Flagu	ARD	lang}}	Wolf Mittler	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Flagu	RAI	lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	Corrado Mantoni	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:Sfn
Template:Flagu	CLT	lang}}	Robert Beauvais	<ref name="Mediapro"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Radio Monte Carlo		Robert Beauvais	<ref name="Mediapro"/><ref name="LeSoir" />
Template:Flagu	NTS	NTS	Piet te Nuyl Jr.	<ref name="De Telegraaf">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	NRU	Hilversum 1	Coen Serré
Template:Flagu	NRK	lang}}, NRK	Leif Rustad	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	TVE	TVE	Template:Ill	<ref name="Vanguardia">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	RNE	RNE	Template:N/A	<ref name="Vanguardia" />
Template:Flagu	SR	lang}}, SR P1	Template:Ill	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	SRG SSR	TV DRS, Radio Bern	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
		TSR	Robert Beauvais	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
		TSI, Radio Monte Ceneri	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
		Radio Sottens	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Flagu	BBC	BBC TV	Tom Sloan	<ref name="Radio Times">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Flagu	JRT	lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
		lang}}	Saša Novak	<ref name="Delo">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
		lang}}	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
		Radio Ljubljana 2	Template:N/A	<ref name="Delo" />

Notes and references

Bibliography

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External links

• Template:Official website