The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest.
It was held in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom. The BBC agreed to stage the event after Luxembourg, having won in both 1972 and 1973, declined on the grounds of expense to host the contest for a second consecutive year.[1]
The winner of the Contest was Sweden with the song "Waterloo" which was performed by the band ABBA, that went on to become one of the most popular recording acts of all time. ABBA are among the few Eurovision winners to achieve international superstar status. Sweden's win was their first.[1] Katie Boyle returned to host her fourth Eurovision Song Contest (after hosting the contest in 1960, 1963 and 1968). Sandie Shaw, who won the contest in 1967 with "Puppet on a String", was present as a spectator in the audience.
Contents
-
Location 1
-
Format 2
-
Incidents 3
-
Participating countries 4
-
Conductors 4.1
-
Returning artists 4.2
-
Results 5
-
Scoreboard 6
-
International broadcasts and voting 7
-
Non-participating countries 7.1
-
References 8
-
External links 9
Location
Brighton Dome, United Kingdom. Host venue of the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.
Brighton is the major part of the city of George IV) and completed in 1805.
Format
A two-night preview programme, Auftakt für Brighton (Prelude for Brighton), was coordinated by the German national broadcaster ARD in February and was hosted by the journalist Karin Tietze-Ludwig. It shares two special distinctions in that it was the first "preview"-type programme to be broadcast in many European countries simultaneously (traditionally each national broadcaster puts together their own preview programme), and also in that it aired nearly six weeks before the actual Contest, the earliest-ever airing of "preview week". The programme was also notable in being the European television debut for the winners, ABBA, who were peculiarly credited in previews as "The Abba".[1]
Incidents
The United Kingdom was represented in the contest by the (British-born) Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, who finished in fourth place with the song "Long Live Love". As noted by author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor in his book The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, Olivia disliked this song and preferred others from the UK heat, but "Long Live Love" was chosen as the UK's entry by a public postal vote.[2]
Anne-Marie David, who had won the first place for Luxembourg in 1973, could not come to Brighton to hand the prize to the 1974 winner.[1][2]
Malta had selected Enzo Guzman with the song "Paċi Fid Dinja" (Peace in the World) to represent them, but withdrew from the contest for unknown reasons. Malta returned to the competition in 1975.[1]
Italy refused to broadcast the televised contest on the state television channel RAI because the contest coincided with the intense political campaigning for the 1974 Italian referendum on divorce which was held a month later in May. RAI felt that Gigliola Cinquetti's song, which was titled "Sì" and repeatedly featured the word "si" (yes),[3] could be accused of being a subliminal message and a form of propaganda to influence the Italian voting public to vote "yes" in the referendum. The song was not played on most Italian state TV and radio stations for over a month.[2]
Portugal's entry "E depois do adeus" was used as the first of the two signals to launch the Carnation Revolution against the Estado Novo regime. Played on a Portuguese radio station late in the evening of 24 April 1974, the broadcasting of the song alerted the rebel, largely left-wing captains and soldiers to prepare to begin the successful military coup. (The second song to be broadcast, marking the actual start of military operations of the coup, was Grândola, Vila Morena by Zeca Afonso - with no Eurovision Song Contest connection). John Kennedy O'Connor described "E depois do adeus" as "the only Eurovision entry to have actually started a revolution", while Des Mangan suggests that other Portuguese entries (he mentions 1998's "Se Eu Te Pudesse Abraçar") would not be likely to inspire coups.[2]
Participating countries
Seventeen nations took part in this year's contest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Studio albums
|
|
|
|
|
Compilations
|
|
|
|
|
Other albums
|
|
|
|
|
Tours and TV specials
|
|
|
|
|
Films and musicals
|
|
|
|
|
Video games
|
|
|
|
|
Related music
|
|
|
|
|
Related individuals
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eurovision Song Contest 1974
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1950s
|
|
|
|
|
1960s
|
|
|
|
|
1970s
|
|
|
|
|
1980s
|
|
|
|
|
1990s
|
|
|
|
|
2000s
|
|
|
|
|
2010s
|
|
|
|
-
Songs of Europe (1981): Mysen
-
Congratulations: 50 Years of Eurovision (2005): Copenhagen
-
Best of Eurovision (2006): Hamburg
-
Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits (2015): London
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Venues
|
|
|
|
|
1950s
|
|
|
|
|
1960s
|
|
|
|
|
1970s
|
|
|
|
|
1980s
|
|
|
|
|
1990s
|
|
|
|
|
2000s
|
|
|
|
|
2010s
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
External links
-
^ a b c d e f g h i
-
^ a b c d O'Connor, John Kennedy The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History Carlton Books, UK, 2007 ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3
-
^ Sì - Lyrics The Diggiloo Thrush
-
^
-
^
-
^
-
^ a b Selostajat ja taustalaulajat läpi vuosien? (Finnish) Viisukuppila, 18 April 2005
-
^ a b Dyrseth, Seppo (OGAE Norway)
-
^ Eurovision Song Contest 1974 BBC Archives
-
^
-
^ Sumnja od Jugolasvenskog glasanja (Serbian) OGAE Serbia forum, 8 September 2011
-
^ "Um Waterloo onde faltou Cambronne", Diário de Lisboa, 7 April 1974
-
^
-
^ Infosajten.com Archived 16 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
-
^ Leif Thorsson Melodifestivalen genom tiderna ["Melodifestivalen through time"] (2006), p. 108; Stockholm: Premium Publishing AB ISBN 91-89136-29-2
-
^ Uribarri comentarista Eurovision 2010 (Spanish) FORO FESTIVAL DE EUROVISIÓN
-
^ "Facets of Eurovision Song Contest 1975", Times of Malta, 31 March 1975
-
^ CONCOURS EUROVISION DE LA CHANSON 1974 SongContest
References
Non-participating countries
[1]The table below shows the order in which votes were cast during the 1974 contest along with the spokesperson who was responsible for announcing the votes for their respective country. Each national broadcaster also sent a commentator to the contest, in order to provide coverage of the contest in their own native language. Details of the commentators and the broadcasting station for which they represented are also included in the table below.
Unusually, a separate draw was made for the order in which the participating countries would vote. In all previous contests either nations had voted in the same running order as the song presentation or in the reverse of that order. It wouldn't be until 2006 that the voting sequence was decided by draw again. Finland, Norway, Switzerland and Italy drew the same position in both draws. Countries revealed their votes in the following order:[1][6]
International broadcasts and voting
|
|
Results
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Finland
|
4
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
United Kingdom
|
14
|
1
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
|
3
|
|
Spain
|
10
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
3
|
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
2
|
|
|
Norway
|
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greece
|
7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
Israel
|
11
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
2
|
1
|
|
|
2
|
3
|
|
Yugoslavia
|
6
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2
|
|
Sweden
|
24
|
5
|
|
1
|
2
|
|
2
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
5
|
1
|
|
|
Luxembourg
|
14
|
|
|
1
|
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
3
|
1
|
|
|
2
|
|
Monaco
|
14
|
|
|
2
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
1
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
Belgium
|
10
|
|
|
|
2
|
5
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Netherlands
|
15
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
|
|
1
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
|
Ireland
|
11
|
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
|
1
|
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Germany
|
3
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
Switzerland
|
3
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Portugal
|
3
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
Italy
|
18
|
2
|
5
|
2
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
4
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
|
Scoreboard
Results
Three artists returned to the contest this year. Gigliola Cinquetti winner of the 1964 Contest participated again for Italy. Romuald Figuier who also participated in the 1964 Contest for Monaco, as well as in 1969 Contest for Luxembourg. Norway's Bendik Singers also returned after last participating in Eurovision Song Contest 1973.[1]
Returning artists
Each performance had a conductor who maestro the orchestra.[4]
Conductors
[1]
This article was sourced from Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. World Heritage Encyclopedia content is assembled from numerous content providers, Open Access Publishing, and in compliance with The Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act (FASTR), Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Public Library of Science, The Encyclopedia of Life, Open Book Publishers (OBP), PubMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and USA.gov, which sources content from all federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government publication portals (.gov, .mil, .edu). Funding for USA.gov and content contributors is made possible from the U.S. Congress, E-Government Act of 2002.
Crowd sourced content that is contributed to World Heritage Encyclopedia is peer reviewed and edited by our editorial staff to ensure quality scholarly research articles.
By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. World Heritage Encyclopedia™ is a registered trademark of the World Public Library Association, a non-profit organization.