Eurovision Song Contest 1964

The Eurovision Song Contest 1964 was the 9th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, following the country's victory at the 1963 contest with the song "Dansevise" by Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR), the contest was held at Tivolis Koncertsal on Saturday 21 March 1964, and was hosted by Danish TV speaker Lotte Wæver.

Eurovision Song Contest 1964
Dates
Final21 March 1964
Host
VenueTivolis Koncertsal
Copenhagen, Denmark
Presenter(s)Lotte Wæver
Musical directorKai Mortensen
Directed byPoul Leth Sørensen
Executive supervisorMiroslav Vilček
Host broadcasterDanmarks Radio (DR)
Opening actTivoli Youth Guard
Interval actBallet-Harlequinade
Websiteeurovision.tv/event/copenhagen-1964
Participants
Number of entries16
Debuting countries Portugal
Returning countriesNone
Non-returning countries Sweden
Participation map
  •      Participating countries     Countries that participated in the past but not in 1964
Vote
Voting systemTen-member juries awarded points (5, 3 and 1) to their three favourite songs.
Nul points in final
Winning song Italy
"Non ho l'età"

Sixteen countries participated in the contest. Portugal made its debut this year, while Sweden decided not to enter.

The winner of the contest was Italy with the song "Non ho l'età", performed by Gigliola Cinquetti, written by Nicola Salerno and composed by Mario Panzeri. At the age of 16 years and 92 days, Gigliola Cinquetti became the youngest winner of the contest yet; a record she held until 1986.[1] The entry had one of the widest margins of victory ever witnessed in the competition. It garnered almost thrice as many points as the second-placed song.

Location
Tivolis Koncertsal, Copenhagen - host venue of the 1964 contest.

The host venue for the contest was Tivolis Koncertsal (Tivoli Concert Hall) in Denmark's capital city Copenhagen, which lies within Denmark's famous amusement park and pleasure garden Tivoli Gardens. The park, alluding by its name to the Jardin de Tivoli that existed in Paris, was opened on 15 August 1843, and is the second oldest amusement park in the world, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Klampenborg.[2]

Format

Each country had 10 jury members who distributed three points among their one, two, or three favourite songs. The points were totaled and the first, second, and third placed songs were awarded 5, 3, and 1 votes in order. If only one song got every point within the jury it would get all 9 points. If only two songs were chosen, the songs would get 6 and 3 points in order.[3]

The contest this year was highly politicised with demands that right-wing dictatorships in Spain and Portugal should be excluded from the contest. This controversy became apparent during the contest as just before the Belgian entry, a man entered the stage holding a banner saying "Boycott Franco and Salazar". He was quickly removed from the stage. This alarmed the audience, to where the camera footage cut to the scoreboard, however, photographs were taken and released after the event. This would be the very first stage invasion in the contest's history.

The immediate response of the Koncertsal audience to the Italian entry was markedly enthusiastic and prolonged and, most unusually for a contest performance, after leaving the stage Gigliola Cinquetti was allowed to return to take a second bow. Her performance was given an unscheduled repeat on British television the following afternoon. In the event, she won the most crushing victory in the history of the contest, with a score almost three times that of her nearest rival, a feat extremely unlikely ever to be beaten under the post-1974 scoring system.

Lost recordings

As with the 1956 contest, no complete video recording of the actual contest is known to have survived; however, unlike the 1956 contest (where the interval act is mostly missing), a complete audio recording does exist in the form of the DR radio broadcast. Some clips of the contest have survived, including part of the opening ceremonies, including some of presenter Lotte Wæver's welcoming remarks, as well as the majority of the repeat performance of "Non ho l'età" from the end of the broadcast. For some time, there was a rumour that a copy of the entire contest existed in the French television archives.[4] In 2021, INA confirmed to Wiwibloggs that the French television archives do not possess a copy of the contest.[5]

A persistent myth, even repeated on the official Eurovision site, is that the tape was destroyed in a fire in the 1970s. More recent interviews with DR, however, state that the broadcast was never recorded in the first place, allegedly due to no tape machines being available at the studio at the time.[6] The audio of the entire show, however, is still available online, and fan reconstructions using available clips, press photos and other sources have been made.

It is currently unknown whether any of the former countries in the Eastern Bloc can have this competition preserved.

YouTube channel ESCstuff released their full reconstruction of the contest in December 2020, using footage recovered from Germany.[7] It is the second reconstruction using the German footage uploaded on YouTube, as an earlier reconstruction uploaded by the channel ESCplus from 2013 was taken down.

In October 2021, YouTube user wilke qwieke reuploaded a low quality 3-minute rehearsal clip by Belgian broadcaster BRT, which featured a 7-second clip of Robert Cogoi performing his entry. The original video was uploaded by YouTube user qqtwee on 25 March 2011.

In December 2021, after purchasing it from the Finnish broadcaster Yle's archives, Reddit user DYLCWS uploaded a 3-minute clip of the televised broadcast of the contest, including Gigliola Cinquetti being presented as the winner, the presenter Lotte Wæver introducing the award presenter Svend Pedersen, a shot of the medal, a shot of the audience, and a portion of the winning reprise of "Non ho l'età" at a front facing angle unlike most of the preexisting footage.[8]

Participating countries
Further information: List of countries in the Eurovision Song Contest

Sweden did not participate this year because of a boycott by singers. They did however broadcast it. Portugal competed in the contest for the first time, however they became the first country to score nul points on their début entry. Germany, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia also scored nul points for the first time. The Netherlands became the first country to send a singer of non-European ancestry, Anneke Grönloh who was of Indonesian descent.[3] Spain decided to send the Spanish group Los TNT who were the first group of three or more participants in the history of the contest.

Returning artists
Artist Country Previous year(s)
Anita Traversi   Switzerland 1956 (backing vocals), 1960

Conductors

Each performance had a conductor who conducted the orchestra.[9][10]

Results
Draw Country Artist Song Language[11][12] Place[13] Points
01  Luxembourg Hugues Aufray "Dès que le printemps revient" French 4 14
02  Netherlands Anneke Grönloh "Jij bent mijn leven" Dutch 10 2
03  Norway Arne Bendiksen "Spiral" Norwegian 8 6
04  Denmark Bjørn Tidmand "Sangen om dig" Danish 9 4
05  Finland Lasse Mårtenson "Laiskotellen" Finnish 7 9
06  Austria Udo Jürgens "Warum nur, warum?" German 6 11
07  France Rachel "Le Chant de Mallory" French 4 14
08  United Kingdom Matt Monro "I Love the Little Things" English 2 17
09  Germany Nora Nova "Man gewöhnt sich so schnell an das Schöne" German 13 0
10  Monaco Romuald "Où sont-elles passées" French 3 15
11  Portugal António Calvário "Oração" Portuguese 13 0
12  Italy Gigliola Cinquetti "Non ho l'età" Italian 1 49
13  Yugoslavia Sabahudin Kurt "Život je sklopio krug" (Живот је склопио круг) Serbo-Croatian 13 0
14   Switzerland Anita Traversi "I miei pensieri" Italian 13 0
15  Belgium Robert Cogoi "Près de ma rivière" French 10 2
16  Spain Tim, Nelly and Tony "Caracola" Spanish 12 1

Scoreboard
Dutch contestant Anneke Grönloh's dress
Voting results[14][15]
Total score
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Denmark
Finland
Austria
France
United Kingdom
Germany
Monaco
Portugal
Italy
Yugoslavia
Switzerland
Belgium
Spain
Contestants
 Luxembourg 143353
Netherlands 211
Norway 651
Denmark 413
Finland 9333
Austria 11515
France 14135311
United Kingdom 171531115
Germany 0
Monaco 1535313
Portugal 0
Italy 4955555335535
Yugoslavia 0
Switzerland 0
Belgium 211
Spain 11

5 points

Below is a summary of all 5 points in the final:

N. Contestant Nation(s) giving 5 points
8  Italy  Austria,  Belgium,  Finland,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  Portugal,  United Kingdom,  Yugoslavia
2  Austria  Italy,  Spain
 United Kingdom  Norway,   Switzerland
1  France  Monaco
 Luxembourg  Germany
 Monaco  France
 Norway  Denmark

Spokespersons

Listed below is the order in which votes were cast during the 1964 contest along with the spokesperson who was responsible for announcing the votes for their respective country.

  1.  Luxembourg – TBC
  2.  Netherlands – Pim Jacobs
  3.  Norway – Sverre Christophersen
  4.  Denmark – Pedro Biker
  5.  Finland – Poppe Berg
  6.  Austria – Walter Richard Langer
  7.  France – Jean-Claude Massoulier
  8.  United Kingdom – Kenneth Kendall
  9.  Germany – Claudia Doren
  10.  Monaco – TBC
  11.  Portugal – Maria Manuela Furtado
  12.  Italy – Rosanna Vaudetti
  13.  Yugoslavia – Saša Novak
  14.   Switzerland – Alexandre Burger
  15.  Belgium – André Hagon
  16.  Spain – Julio Rico

Broadcasts

Each national broadcaster also sent a commentator to the contest, in order to provide coverage of the contest in their own native language.

Broadcasters and commentators in participating countries
Country Broadcaster(s) Commentator(s) Ref(s)
 Austria ORF Willy Kralik
 Belgium RTB French: Paule Herreman [16]
BRT Dutch: Herman Verelst
 Denmark DR TV No commentator
 Finland Suomen Televisio Aarno Walli
Yleisohjelma Erkki Melakoski
 France Première Chaîne RTF Robert Beauvais [16]
 Germany Deutsches Fernsehen Hermann Rockmann
 Italy Programma Nazionale Renato Tagliani
 Luxembourg Télé-Luxembourg Jacques Navadic
 Monaco Télé Monte Carlo Robert Beauvais
 Netherlands NTS Ageeth Scherphuis [17]
 Norway NRK, NRK P1 Odd Grythe
 Portugal RTP A. Gomes Ferreira
 Spain TVE Federico Gallo
  Switzerland TV DRS German: Theodor Haller
TSR French: Robert Burnier [18]
TSI Italian: Renato Tagliani
 United Kingdom BBC TV David Jacobs [10]
BBC Light Programme Tom Sloan
 Yugoslavia Televizija Beograd Serbo-Croatian: Miloje Orlović
Televizija Zagreb Serbo-Croatian: Gordana Bonetti
Televizija Ljubljana Slovene: Tomaž Terček
Broadcasters and commentators in non-participating countries
Country Broadcaster(s) Commentator(s) Ref(s)
 Sweden Sveriges TV, SR P1 Sven Lindahl [19]

Incidents

Stage invasion

A political protest occurred after the Swiss entry: a man trespassed onto the stage holding a banner that read "Boycott Franco & Salazar". Whilst this was going on, television viewers were shown a shot of the scoreboard; once the man was removed the contest went on.[20]

References
  1. O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official Celebration. Carlton Books, 2015. ISBN 978-1-78097-638-9. Pages 32-33
  2. Tivoli – Tivoli Gardens Copenhagen – Copenhagen Portal – Tourist Guide. Copenhagenet.dk. Retrieved on 15 August 2011.
  3. "Eurovision Song Contest 1964". EBU. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  4. "9eme-concours-eurovision-de-la-chanson-1964". inatheque.ina.fr. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  5. ten Veen, Renske (31 July 2021). "Lost in Copenhagen: French television archive INA confirms it does NOT possess a copy of missing Eurovision 1964 show". Wiwibloggs.com. Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  6. "BILLEDER: I denne uge er det 55 år siden, Danmark holdt sit første Eurovision i Tivoli" [Photos: This week, it is 55 years since Denmark held its first Eurovision in Tivoli]. DR (in Danish). 20 March 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. 1964 Eurovision Song Contest from Copenhagen/Denmark Full Show With Original Footage Reconstruction, retrieved 14 December 2021
  8. DYLCWS (r/eurovision) (13 December 2021). "NEVER SEEN BEFORE: ACTUAL TV BROADCAST FOOTAGE OF 1964 EUROVISION SONG CONTEST". Reddit. Retrieved 14 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. "And the conductor is..." Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  10. Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 348–358. ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6.
  11. "Eurovision Song Contest 1964". The Diggiloo Thrush. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  12. "Eurovision Song Contest 1964". 4Lyrics.eu. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  13. "Final of Copenhagen 1964". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  14. "Results of the Final of Copenhagen 1964". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  15. "Eurovision Song Contest 1964 – Scoreboard". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  16. Christian Masson. "1964 - Copenhague". Songcontest.free.fr. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  17. "Dokumentaire over Schiermonnikoog". De Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). 23 March 1964.
  18. "Programme TV du 15 au 21 mars". Radio TV - Je vois tout. Lausanne, Switzerland: Le Radio SA. 12 March 1964.
  19. Thorsson, Leif (2006). Melodifestivalen genom tiderna [Melodifestivalen through time]. Stockholm: Premium Publishing AB. p. 48. ISBN 91-89136-29-2.
  20. Tragaki, Dafni (2002). Empire of Song: Europe and Nation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 224. ISBN 9780810888173.

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