ESC 1958 - Sweden Performed by: Alice Babs Music by: Åke Gerhard Lyrics by: Gunnar Wersén Conductor: Dolf van der Linden Language: Swedish Placing: 4th (10 points) "Lilla stjärna" performed by Alice Babs was the Swedish entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1958 held in Hilversum, the Netherlands. This was Sweden's first song in the contest, and the first time that the Swedish language was performed on the Eurovision stage. Sweden's first participation in the contest was the source of some controversy between the artist Alice Babs and the composer; the song was originally titled "Samma stjärnor lysa för oss två" ("The same stars shine for the two of us"), but neither Sveriges Radio nor Babs approved of the lyrics and commissioned journalist and lyricist Gunnar Wersén (at the time an employee of the TV station) to rewrite the song as well as providing it with a new title: "Lilla stjärna" – this without the knowledge or approval of original composer Åke Gerhard. As a result of this, Gerhard in turn would not allow Alice Babs to make a studio recording of what legally still was his work, albeit in considerably rewritten form. The only existing audio recording of "Lilla stjärna" is consequently sourced from the TV footage of Babs' live performance at the Contest in Hilversum, which had its first commercial release as part of the Swedish CD compilation Rätt Låt Vann?! – Vinnarna in 1994. Dressed in the Leksand national costume, Babs performed 5th in the running order on the night of the contest, following Luxembourg's Solange Berry with "Un grand amour" and preceding Denmark's Raquel Rastenni with "Jeg rev et blad ud af min dagbog". The song received 10 points, placing 4th in a field of 10. After making her breakthrough in the film Swing it, magistern! ('Swing It, Teacher!', 1940), she appeared in more than a dozen Swedish-language films. Despite being cast as the well-behaved, good-hearted, cheerful girl, the youth culture forming with Babs as its icon caused outrage among members of the older generation. A vicar called the Babs cult the "foot and mouth disease of cultural life". A long and productive period of collaboration with Duke Ellington began in 1963. Among other works, Babs participated in performances of Ellington's second and third Sacred Concerts which he had written originally for her. Her voice had a range of more than three octaves; Ellington said that when she was not available to sing the parts that he had written for her, he had to use three different singers. In 1963, her recording of "After You've Gone" (Fontana) reached No. 29 in the British New Musical Express-chart. In 1972, she contributed to the recording of "Auntie", a Dutch song commemorating the beginning of British Broadcasting Corporation's radio broadcasts 50 years before. Personal life In 1943, Babs married Nils Ivar Sjöblom (1919–2011). Their three children are Lilleba Sjöblom Lagerbäck (born 1945), Lars-Ivar (Lasse) Sjöblom (born 1948), and Titti Sjöblom (born 1949). Alice Babs and daughter Titti Sjöblom in an advertisement for Toy chewing gum, 1960 Between 1973 and 2004, Babs and her husband resided in Costa del Sol (in Spain), while still working in Sweden and internationally. In their later years, they returned to Sweden. Babs died of complications from Alzheimer's disease at age 90 on 11 February 2014 in Stockholm. Lyrics: La la la la la la la la la.. Natt över land och stad, sovande hus Rutor som blänker av stjärnornas ljus Flicka i fönstret står, ser mot det blå Är bara femton år, tänker ändå Lilla stjärna i det höga, svara mig, svara mig Kommer han som jag ska få så kär? Ja, du vet nog vem han är Får jag läsa i hans öga, samma svar, samma svar Som jag tycker att du blinkar nu Lilla stjärna, du? Kommer han? Kommer han? Ja, du vet nog vem han är Får jag läsa i hans öga, samma svar, samma svar Som jag tycker att du blinkar nu Lilla stjärna, du? The song originally had lyrics written by Åke Gerhard with the title "Samma stjärnor lysa för oss två" ("The same stars shine for us two"), but following a demand from Alice Babs the lyrics were replaced before the contest. English: Little star La la la la la la la la la... la la la la la la la la la... La la la la la la la la la... la la la la la la la la la... Night over countryside and town, sleeping houses The windows glitter, because of the star light A girl standing by the window, looking up to the blue Just fifteen years old, but still she's thinking Little star up above, answer me, answer me Is he coming, the man that I will love? Yes, you'll probably know who he is Will I read in his eye, the same answer, the same answer That I think I see you twinkling to me now You, little star? Is he coming? Is he coming? Yes, you'll probably know who he is Will I read in his eye, the same answer, the same answer That I think I see you twinkling to me now You, little star? ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUjxn9uaxEo

Performed by: Silver Convention Music by: Sylvester Levai Lyrics by: Michael Kunze Conductor: Ronnie Hazlehurst Language: English Placing: 8th (55 points) If you want to read the original lyrics please click the SUBTITLES button. "Telegram" was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977, performed in English (the first time in which the German entry had not featured at least some lyrics in German) by Silver Convention, a trio at the time consisting of Austrian Penny McLean (born Gertrude Wirschinger), German-American Ramona Wulf (born Ramona Kraft) and American Rhonda Heath. When Silver Convention entered the Contest in 1977 they were arguably that year's most established and well-known act; they had had a series of major disco hits in Continental Europe, Scandinavia, the UK and the US; "Save Me", "Fly, Robin, Fly", "Get Up and Boogie", "No, No, Joe", "Tiger Baby", and "Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Love" and Penny McLean had also scored several solo hits in her own right in Europe, "Lady Bump", "1, 2, 3, 4, Fire!". "Devil Eyes", "Nobody's Child" and "Dance, Bunny Honey, Dance". All of these were written and produced by the same team as their Eurovision entry, Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze. The language rule was brought back in the 1977 Contest, four years after it had been dropped in 1973, meaning that each country again had to sing in one of their official languages, in Silver Convention's case German. However, both Germany and Belgium had already selected their respective entries when the rule was reintroduced by the EBU, thus Silver Convention and Belgium's Dream Express were allowed to sing their songs in English. The song is inspired by the disco music popular at the time, with the group singing about their need to send a telegram to a lover to bring him to them. A carefully choreographed dance was performed with the song, with a uniting theme throughout being "connection," ostensibly with the woman and her lover, in which all three ladies linked themselves to one another by touching each other's shoulders, and then hips, as the connection "came back." "Telegram" only turned out to be a minor commercial success for Silver Convention (#27 Germany), with one notable exception, in Sweden the song reached #4 and became their best-selling single. The song was also released as an extended 12" remix, the 5.50 version was subsequently included on the band's fifth studio album Summer Nights. Silver Convention scored two major US and Canadian hit singles. "Fly, Robin, Fly," of which the complete lyrics consisted of only six different words (Fly, Robin, Up, To, The, Sky), maintained three weeks at #1 in late November and early December 1975, and won the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in December 1975. Initially the song was titled "Run, Rabbit, Run", changed by the writers moments before the recording took place. Their next success "Get Up And Boogie", which also consisted of only six different words (Get, Up, And, Boogie, That's, Right), hit #1 in Canada on June 15, 1976, had 3 weeks at #2 in the U.S in June 1976 and also peaked at #7 in the UK, in May 1976. Their next release, "No No Joe," only scored #60 in September 1976. The further singles released by the trio attempted to duplicate the sound that had made them successful briefly, but they were only minor successes. At this time, Linda G. Thompson left the group and was replaced by New Yorker Rhonda Heath. In 1994, Rhonda Heath returned to Eurovision, providing backing vocals and keyboards for the German entry "Wir Geben 'Ne Party" performed in German by Mekado. This entry did better than Silver Convention's effort, finishing third out of the 25 entries in Dublin. The three performed their song again here in 2016. Almost 40 years after London. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AGg9iQ9Z-M Lyrics: Telegram Since you're gone I'm all alone – Stop Just can't make it on my own – Stop Operator, did you get the line? Rush a cable, for I've got no time Gotta send a telegram, telegram to my baby Yes, I'm gonna send a telegram, telegram, and then maybe He won't keep me yearnin' Tonight he'll be on his way, tomorrow he'll be here to stay Help me, ma'am, I can't wait another day Please forgive the things I said – Stop Didn't mean to make you sad – Stop Operator, I'll pay any rate If my message will not be too late Gotta send a telegram, telegram to my baby Yes, I'm gonna send a telegram, telegram, and then maybe He won't keep me yearnin' Tonight he'll be on his way, tomorrow he'll be here to stay Help me, ma'am, I can't wait another day I was such a fool to let him go Too proud to show that I love him so Gotta send a telegram, telegram to my baby Yes, I'm gonna send a telegram, telegram, and then maybe He won't keep me yearnin' Tonight he'll be on his way, tomorrow he'll be here to stay Help me, ma'am, gotta send a telegram ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oW5mj_TBus