Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977
| Eurovision Song Contest 1977 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Belgium | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Eurosong | |||
| Selection date(s) | Semi-finals 15 January 1977 22 January 1977 29 January 1977 Final 5 February 1977 | |||
| Selected entrant | Dream Express | |||
| Selected song | "A Million in One, Two, Three" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) | Luc Smets | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 7th, 69 points | |||
| Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Belgium was represented by Dream Express, with the song "A Million in One, Two, Three", at the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in London on 7 May.
Before Eurovision
[edit]Eurosong
[edit]Format
[edit]Since the last three winners of the Eurovision Song Contest had been pop songs sung in the English language by a nationally famous group, the Flemish broadcaster BRT used this as inspiration for Eurosong 1977. Three pop groups were chosen for Eurosong 1977: Two Man Sound, Trinity, and Dream Express.[1]
The original format for the national final involved each group performing one song each. The best song would then be chosen and would be performed by all three groups, whereby the best combination of artist and song would win Eurosong 1977. This was the same as the format used in Nationaal Songfestival 1975, the Dutch national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 1975. However, Dream Express protested this and a new format for Eurosong 1977 was created: Each group received their own programme, where three songs would be presented and two would qualify to the final. In the final, the top song from each group would go to a second round and then the overall winner would be decided.[1]
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Two Man Sound | "Bye Bye Love" | Sylvain Vanholme |
| "Dancing Man" | Francis Deprijck, Sylvain Vanholme | |
| "It's Wonderful" | Sylvaine Vanholme, Penny Els | |
| Dream Express | "A Million in One, Two, Three" | Luc Smets |
| "Sold It for a Song" | Luc Smets | |
| "Spinning Top" | R. Cane | |
| Trinity | "Drop Drop Drop" | Fred Beekmans, Bob Baelemans |
| "Go Get Your Mother" | Fred Beekmans, Bob Baelemans, Hans van Hemert | |
| "Let Your Love Shine On" | Hans van Hemert |
Semi-finals
[edit]The semi-finals were held in the Amerikaans Theater in Brussels and were hosted by Luc Appermont. The semi-finals were recorded one week in advance. In each semi-final, the group performed their biggest hits and their three candidate songs, which were voted on by a 192-member jury in the audience. The audience jury was selected from a BRT study to ensure that it was diverse in age and gender. Each jury member voted by giving a score between 1 and 6 to each song and the lowest-scoring song was eliminated from each-semifinal.[1][2]
| Draw | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Dancing Man" | 842 | 2 |
| 2 | "It's Wonderful" | 761 | 3 |
| 3 | "Bye Bye Love" | 1,014 | 1 |
| Draw | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Go Get Your Mother" | 876 | 2 |
| 2 | "Let Your Love Shine On" | 791 | 3 |
| 3 | "Drop Drop Drop" | 1,075 | 1 |
| Draw | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A Million in One, Two, Three" | 978 | 2 |
| 2 | "Sold It for a Song" | 1,006 | 1 |
| 3 | "Spinning Top" | 745 | 3 |
Final
[edit]The final was broadcast live on 5 February 1977 in the Amerikaans Theater in Brussels and was hosted by Luc Appermont. Voting was done by the same 192-member audience jury from the semi-finals and in the same method. In the first round, each group performed their two songs and the highest scoring song qualified to the next round. The points from the first round weren't revealed until after the show in order to not bias the jury. In the second round, each group performed their song and the highest scoring song won.[1][3]
The winner of Eurosong 1977 was "A Million in One, Two, Three" by Dream Express. After the announcement of the results, Dream Express fans stormed the stage and Luc Appermont struggled to close the show.[1][4]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Two Man Sound | "Dancing Man" | 808 | Advanced |
| 2 | Two Man Sound | "Bye Bye Love" | 740 | Eliminated |
| 3 | Dream Express | "A Million in One, Two, Three" | 947 | Advanced |
| 4 | Dream Express | "Sold It for a Song" | 922 | Eliminated |
| 5 | Trinity | "Go Get Your Mother" | 860 | Eliminated |
| 6 | Trinity | "Drop Drop Drop" | 933 | Advanced |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Two Man Sound | "Dancing Man" | 812 | 3 |
| 2 | Dream Express | "A Million in One, Two, Three" | 984 | 1 |
| 3 | Trinity | "Drop Drop Drop" | 932 | 2 |
At Eurovision
[edit]The free-language rule which had applied in Eurovision between 1973 and 1976 was abolished by the European Broadcasting Union before the 1977 contest and participants were now obliged once again to perform in an official language of their country. However, as Belgium (along with Germany) were already too far into their selection process, they were given dispensation to perform in English.[1]
On the night of the final Dream Express performed 17th in the running order, following Finland and preceding the eventual winner France. At the close of the voting "A Million in One, Two, Three" had received 69 votes from 11 countries (including the maximum 12 from The Netherlands and 10 from the United Kingdom), placing Belgium 7th of the 18 entries.[5][6] Although this was Belgium's highest placing since 1969 it was seen as something of a disappointment, as prior to the contest the song had been widely tipped as a contender for victory. The Belgian jury awarded its 12 points to the United Kingdom.
Voting
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References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Vermeulen, André (2021). Van Canzonissima tot Eurosong. 65 jaar Belgische preselecties voor het Eurovisiesongfestival. Leuven: Kritak. ISBN 978-94-014-7609-6. OCLC 1240241113.
- ^ ESC National Finals database - Belgium 1977 semi-finals
- ^ ESC National Finals database - Belgium 1977 final
- ^ badoerfan (3 May 2020). Eurosong 1977 - Belgian Eurovision national final FULL. Retrieved 22 July 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Final of London 1977". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ ESC History - Belgium 1977
- ^ a b "Results of the Final of London 1977". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.