Eurovision Song Contest 1972
| Eurovision Song Contest 1972 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dates | |
| Final | 25 March 1972 |
| Host | |
| Venue | Usher Hall Edinburgh, United Kingdom |
| Presenter(s) | Moira Shearer |
| Musical director | Malcolm Lockyer |
| Directed by | Terry Hughes |
| Executive supervisor | Clifford Brown |
| Executive producer | Bill Cotton |
| Host broadcaster | British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) |
| Website | eurovision |
| Participants | |
| Number of entries | 18 |
| |
| Vote | |
| Voting system | Two-member juries (one aged 16 to 25 and the other 25 to 55) rated songs between one and five points. |
| Winning song |  Luxembourg"Après toi" |
The Eurovision Song Contest 1972 was the 17th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Edinburgh, United Kingdom and was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), who agreed to stage the event after Monaco, who won in 1971, were unable to meet the demands of hosting the event and could not find a suitable venue. The contest was held at the Usher Hall on 25 March 1972 and was hosted by Scottish ballet dancer Moira Shearer.
Eighteen countries took part in the contest, the same countries as the previous year.
The winner was Luxembourg with the song "Après toi", performed by Vicky Leandros, with lyrics by Yves Dessca, and music composed by Mario Panas (which was the writing pseudonym of Vicky's father Leo Leandros). "Après toi" became the winner with the lowest percentage of the total vote, winning with just 8.30% of the points available. Yves Dessca also wrote "Un Banc, Un Arbre, Une Rue" that had won the previous edition, and became the second person to win the contest twice, the first person to win for two different countries and the first person to win two years in a row.[1] Germany finished in third place for the third consecutive year, equalling their highest placement from the previous two editions.
Location
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2022) |
Following Séverine's win for Monaco at the 1971 contest in Dublin, Ireland with the song "Un banc, un arbre, une rue", the principality were unable to meet the demands of hosting the event. Rainier III of Monaco received a letter from the European Broadcasting Union about hosting the 1972 contest in the principality, but he was unable to provide a venue, the props and the remainder of the requirements. Therefore the BBC from the United Kingdom stepped in, and chose to stage the contest in Edinburgh, making it the first of four times that the BBC had chosen a venue outside London with the 1974, 1982 and 1998 contests held in Brighton, Harrogate and Birmingham respectively. It is also the only time that the contest has been held in Scotland. It is the only UK hosted Eurovision Song Contest to have been held outside England as of 2022
The Usher Hall, the venue for the 1972 contest, is a concert hall, situated on Lothian Road, in the west end of the city. It has hosted concerts and events since its construction in 1914 and can hold approximately 2,900[2] people in its recently restored auditorium, which is well loved by performers due to its acoustics. The Hall is flanked by The Royal Lyceum Theatre on the right and The Traverse Theatre on the left. Historic Scotland has registered the Hall with Category A listed building status.
Format
|
The stage design included a screen to introduce and accompany the on stage competing performances, and to show an interval act and voting sequence that were done at Edinburgh Castle. Before each country's performance, a picture of each song's performers along with their names and the song's title were projected on the screen, and during each performance, animated spiral shapes were projected as additional visual effect. The interval act was performed at the outside vast Esplanade of the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle. The jurors were stationed in the castle, and watched the competing performances at Usher Hall on TV.
Each country had two jury members, one aged between 16 and 25 and one aged between 26 and 55. They each awarded 1 to 5 points for each song, other than the song of their own country. They cast their votes immediately after each song was performed and the votes were then collected and counted. For the public voting sequence after the interval act, the jury members were shown on the stage's screen with each lifting a signboard with the number between 1 and 5 for each song, as a visual verification of the scores they had awarded earlier. The eventual winner, Luxembourg, remained in a strong scoring position throughout the voting.
Séverine made the trip to Edinburgh to pass on the winning trophy to Vicky Leandros. However, she looked thoroughly uninterested in the Monegasque entry when seen by viewers checking her watch before the song was performed.[1]
1972 was the first year that had no ties in the voting. Every year prior to 1972, at least two countries had received the same score.
Participating countries
All countries that participated in the 1971 contest were present this year.
Conductors
Each performance had a musical director who conducted the orchestra.[3][4]
Germany – Paul Kuhn
France – Franck Pourcel
Ireland – Colman Pearce
Spain – Augusto Algueró
United Kingdom – David Mackay
Norway – Carsten Klouman
Portugal – Richard Hill
Switzerland – Jean-Pierre Festi
Malta – Charles Camilleri
Finland – Ossi Runne
Austria – Erich Kleinschuster
Italy – Gian Franco Reverberi
Yugoslavia – Nikica Kalogjera
Sweden – Mats Olsson
Monaco – Raymond Bernard
Belgium – Henri Segers
Luxembourg – Klaus Munro
Netherlands – Harry van Hoof
Returning artists
| Artist | Country | Previous year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Tereza Kesovija |  Yugoslavia
|
1966 (for  Monaco)
|
| Vicky Leandros | Luxembourg
|
1967 |
| Carlos Mendes |  Portugal
|
1968 |
| Family Four |  Sweden
|
1971 |
Participants and results
| R/O | Country | Artist | Song | Language[5][6] | Points | Place[7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Germany
|
Mary Roos | "Nur die Liebe läßt uns leben" | German | 107 | 3 |
| 2 |  France
|
Betty Mars | "Comé-comédie" | French | 81 | 11 |
| 3 |  Ireland
|
Sandie Jones | "Ceol an Ghrá" | Irish | 72 | 15 |
| 4 |  Spain
|
Jaime Morey | "Amanece" | Spanish | 83 | 10 |
| 5 |  United Kingdom
|
The New Seekers | "Beg, Steal or Borrow" | English | 114 | 2 |
| 6 |  Norway
|
Grethe Kausland and Benny Borg | "Småting" | Norwegian | 73 | 14 |
| 7 | Portugal
|
Carlos Mendes | "A festa da vida" | Portuguese | 90 | 7 |
| 8 |  Switzerland
|
Véronique Müller | "C'est la chanson de mon amour" | French | 88 | 8 |
| 9 |  Malta
|
Helen and Joseph | "L-imħabba" | Maltese | 48 | 18 |
| 10 |  Finland
|
Päivi Paunu and Kim Floor | "Muistathan" | Finnish | 78 | 12 |
| 11 |  Austria
|
Milestones | "Falter im Wind" | German | 100 | 5 |
| 12 |  Italy
|
Nicola Di Bari | "I giorni dell'arcobaleno" | Italian | 92 | 6 |
| 13 | Yugoslavia
|
Tereza Kesovija | "Muzika i ti" (Музика и ти) | Serbo-Croatian | 87 | 9 |
| 14 | Sweden
|
Family Four | "Härliga sommardag" | Swedish | 75 | 13 |
| 15 | Monaco
|
Anne-Marie Godart and Peter MacLane | "Comme on s'aime" | French | 65 | 16 |
| 16 |  Belgium
|
Serge and Christine Ghisoland | "À la folie ou pas du tout" | French | 55 | 17 |
| 17 | Luxembourg
|
Vicky Leandros | "Après toi" | French | 128 | 1 |
| 18 |  Netherlands
|
Sandra and Andres | "Als het om de liefde gaat" | Dutch | 106 | 4 |
Detailed voting results
Total score
|
Germany
|
France
|
Ireland
|
Spain
|
United Kingdom
|
Norway
|
Portugal
|
Switzerland
|
Malta
|
Finland
|
Austria
|
Italy
|
Yugoslavia
|
Sweden
|
Monaco
|
Belgium
|
Luxembourg
|
Netherlands
| ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestants
|
Germany | 107 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | |
| France | 81 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | ||
| Ireland | 72 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | ||
| Spain | 83 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 | ||
| United Kingdom | 114 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 8 | ||
| Norway | 73 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | ||
| Portugal | 90 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 5 | ||
| Switzerland | 88 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | ||
| Malta | 48 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| Finland | 78 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 8 | ||
| Austria | 100 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 | ||
| Italy | 92 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | ||
| Yugoslavia | 87 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | ||
| Sweden | 75 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | ||
| Monaco | 65 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Belgium | 55 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | ||
| Luxembourg | 128 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||
| Netherlands | 106 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | ||
10 points
Below is a summary of all perfect 10 scores that were given during the voting.
| N. | Contestant | Nation(s) giving 10 points |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Luxembourg
|
United Kingdom, Yugoslavia
|
| 1 | Austria
|
Sweden
|
| Portugal
|
Luxembourg
| |
| United Kingdom
|
Norway
|
Jury members
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2021) |
Listed below is the order in which votes were cast during the 1972 contest along with the names of the two jury members who voted for their respective country. Each country announced their results in groups of three.
- Germany – Unknown
- France – Unknown
- Ireland – Unknown
- Spain – Emma Cohen and Luis María Ansón
- United Kingdom – Doreen Samuels and Robert Walker[4][10]
- Norway – Rachel Nord and Signe Abusdal
- Portugal – Pedro Sousa Macedo and Maria João Aguiar[11]
- Switzerland – Unknown
- Malta – Mary Rose Mallia and Joe Zerafa[12]
- Finland – Merita Merikoski and Åke Granholm
- Austria – Unknown
- Italy – Unknown
- Yugoslavia – Vera Zloković and Veljko Bakasun
- Sweden – Titti Sjöblom and Arne Domnérus[13]
- Monaco – Unknown
- Belgium – Unknown
- Luxembourg – Unknown
- Netherlands – Jennifer Baljet and Cornelis Wagter
Broadcasts
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2021) |
Each national broadcaster also sent a commentator to the contest, in order to provide coverage of the contest in their own native language. In addition to the participating countries, the contest was also reportedly broadcast in Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand.[14]
| Country | Broadcaster(s) | Commentator(s) | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
 Greece
|
EIRT | Mako Georgiadou | |
 Iceland
|
Sjónvarpið | Björn Matthíasson | |
 Israel
|
Israeli Television | No commentator |
References
- ^ a b O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. 2007 ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3
- ^ "Geograph:: The Usher Hall, Edinburgh (C) Kevin Rae". geograph.org.uk.
- ^ "And the conductor is..." Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Roxburgh, Gordon (2014). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume Two: The 1970s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 76–98. ISBN 978-1-84583-093-9.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1972". The Diggiloo Thrush. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1972". 4Lyrics.eu. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ "Final of Edinburgh 1972". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ "Results of the Final of Edinburgh 1972". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1972 – Scoreboard". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ "Dubliner Jury bestochen?", Hamburger Abendblatt, 6 April 1971
- ^ Vasco Hogan Teves, 1964–1983 20 anos de Festival RTP da Canção
- ^ "Views and comments on the Eurovision Song Contest", Times of Malta, 29 March 1972
- ^ a b Thorsson, Leif (2006). Melodifestivalen genom tiderna [Melodifestivalen through time]. Stockholm: Premium Publishing AB. p. 94. ISBN 91-89136-29-2.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest: Edinburgh 1972". eurovision.tv. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Radio ja televisio". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 3 April 1971. p. 35. Retrieved 11 November 2022. (subscription required)
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1972", Times of Malta, 25 March 1972
- ^ "Nederlandse televisiecommentatoren bij het Eurovisie Songfestival" (in Dutch). Eurovision Artists. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ "Au Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson". Radio TV - Je vois tout. Lausanne, Switzerland: Le Radio SA. 23 March 1972.
- ^ "Au Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson". Radio TV - Je vois tout. Lausanne, Switzerland: Le Radio SA. 23 March 1972.
- ^ "Au Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson". Radio TV - Je vois tout. Lausanne, Switzerland: Le Radio SA. 23 March 1972.
External links
