Retrovision: Eurovision 1964

Retrovision – Welcome to a new feature on the Eurovision Times, Retrovision! This will be a series of articles that take a look at a piece of each of the past 58 Eurovision Song Contests.  Based on the results of the annual ESC 250 poll run by escradio.com and 12points.tv, we saw a notable lack of entries from contests from the past millennium. To change this, we decided to give five entries from each contest a spot in the limelight; we’ll highlight the winner, the last placed entry, a fan favorite, an author favorite, and one random country. Also, each article will end with a brief editorial on the year by the author.

For the first installment of this series, we’re looking back to the first contest hosted by Copenhagen, which is also celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year, the Eurovision Song Contest 1964!

The Winner: Italy

“Non ho l’età” – Gigliola Cinquetti

Italy took home its first of two gold medals thanks to this song, emotively performed by 16 year-old Cinquetti. The song is a classic ballad, which starts out with a soft melody driven by a harp. However, those who mistook it as a lullaby would’ve been surprised by the rousing chorus that ends the song, capped by a flair of piano and a standing ovation in the hall.

The teenaged Cinquetti sings of her strained relationship with someone older than herself. She asks to have a time of young romance now while “waiting for that day to come” when she can give this person all of her love. The simple lyrics were intensely delivered on stage, creating a more emotional atmosphere than they would have on their own.

Last Place: Yugoslavia

“Život je sklopio krug” – Sabahudin Kurt

There were actually four countries tied for last place along with Yugoslavia (Switzerland, Germany, and debutant Portugal) but “Život je sklopio krug” won the draw for this spot. As such, we’ll take a look at this subtle lounge-style song. In a complete change of pace from Italy, the orchestration here is very soft and flowing, augmented by a classy modern piano. There’s a sense of peace attached to the music, which works in tandem with the lyrics.

The lyrics are a poetic look at a world that has made conflict impossible, where fighters like “the plant and the bird” will become “like humans, like friends” and when tress would not have to change for the seasons. Like the music, Kurt’s performance of the song was simple and understated. This classy number fits in very well with a majority of the songs from this era, which might explain its poor finish in Copenhagen.

Fan Favorite: Monaco

“Où sont-elles passées” – Romuald

This fan favorite was also a jury favorite, as Monaco took home 3^rd place. Somewhat unique in this setting, Romuald sang this rhythmic ballad with modern influences such as the piano that relied on key changes to create definition and development in the music. Unlike many big schlager anthems, this song used the changes to mark a change in the lyrics.

Part of what makes this song interesting is the lyrics, which are somewhat mysterious. There are fragments of a story about first loves and “the forbidden fruit,” but the ultimate meaning is left to the listener. An engaging vocal effort by Romuald ensured that “Où sont-elles passées” would be remembered fondly.

Author Favorite: Austria

“Warum nur warum?” – Udo Jürgens

Contest darling Jürgens was the original Valentina Monetta; this was his first of three consecutive contests as the Austrian representative. “Warum nur warum” joins “Non ho l’età” as another big cresendo-filled ballad, however, Jürgens’ effort uses the piano to drive his song forward. The music grows with the singer’s desperation as he pleads for an answer to his question of a failed love.

As he contemplates why his love is leaving him, he questions why “nothing stays forever,” “why flowers bloom so beautifully, only to die,“ and other existential musings in his passionate plea. Jürgens’ performance is earnest and believable; the pang of sadness is transferred perfectly from singer to listener. On the back of this big ballad, Austria finished 6^th.

Random Country: United Kingdom

“I Love the Little Things” – Matt Monro

During this era of Eurovision, the United Kingdom had a reputation of sending its most popular songs to succeed at the contest, hence a medal cabinet filled with 15 silvers. Monro’s proto-Beatles song added a lighter sound to the contest, as guitars hummed and trumpets carried the song.

The song itself is Monro’s tribute to “the little things” that his love does to enchant him, like “hold him and kiss him tenderly.” With a solid vocal outing, Monro was able to fetch his country’s fourth second place.

Here’s a playlist of all 16 entries for this contest:

As for what I think, 1964 is mostly made up of inoffensive stuff like Yugoslavia. Thankfully, each entry had one thing that was done superbly, therefore elevating everything above average. Austria’s entry is actually my second favorite entry of all-time (so far), while the British one is near the bottom. Other songs I like from this edition include Spain, Luxembourg, and France. I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Retrovision.