Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970
Encyclopedia
Belgium was represented by Jean Vallée
, with the song '"Viens l'oublier
", at the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Amsterdam
on 21 March. "Viens l'oublier" was chosen at the Belgian national final on 3 February. Future Belgian representatives Serge & Christine Ghisoland
(1972
) and Ann Christy
(1975
) also took part in the 1970 preselection.
and preceding France
. At the close of voting "Viens l'oublier" had received 5 points (3 from France and 1 apiece from Ireland
and Luxembourg
), placing Belgium joint 8th (with Italy
and Monaco
) of the 12 entries. The Belgian jury awarded 9 of its 10 points to contest winners Ireland, the highest ever mark given by one country to another under the 10-points-per-jury system.
Jean Vallée
Jean Vallée is a Belgian song writer and performer. Vallée was made Knight in the Order of the Crown by HM Albert II in 1999.-Career:...
, with the song '"Viens l'oublier
Viens L'Oublier
"Viens l'oublier" was the Belgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970, performed in French by Jean Vallée.It was the fifth song to be performed at the contest, following Yugoslavia's Eva Sršen with "Pridi, dala ti bom cvet" and preceding France's Guy Bonnet with "Marie-Blanche"...
", at the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
on 21 March. "Viens l'oublier" was chosen at the Belgian national final on 3 February. Future Belgian representatives Serge & Christine Ghisoland
Serge & Christine Ghisoland
Serge & Christine Ghisoland are a singing duo from Mouscron, Belgium, best known for their participation in the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest.- Eurovision Song Contest :...
(1972
Eurovision Song Contest 1972
The Eurovision Song Contest 1972 was the 17th edition series. Monaco was unable to host this year's Eurovision as they were unable to provide the resources. They approached French TV, who agreed to produce the contest, but only if the contest was staged in France and not the planned Monte Carlo...
) and Ann Christy
Ann Christy (singer)
Ann Christy was a Belgian singer who enjoyed success in her native country and is best known internationally for her participation in the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest....
(1975
Eurovision Song Contest 1975
The Eurovision Song Contest 1975 was the 20th edition of the contest hosted by SR and held in Stockholm, Sweden. The arena for the event was the newly built Stockholm International Fairs in Älvsjö in southern Stockholm. ABBA's victory in Brighton the previous year gave Sweden the right to host the...
) also took part in the 1970 preselection.
Semi-finals
The selection process began with six heats of six songs each, from which two songs per heat were chosen to progress by a combination of "expert" jury and postcard voting. Full details of the heats are not currently available. Two semi-finals were then held from which three songs qualified for the final; one chosen by an expert jury, one chosen by postcard voting and one chosen by a panel of 100 young people.Semi-final 1
| Draw | Artist | Song | Qualify |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrée Simons | "Perle d'étoile" | Y |
| 2 | Serge & Christine Ghisoland | "Nous serons toi et moi" | Y |
| 3 | Ann Christy | "Le temps, le vent" | N |
| 4 | Marc Bertrand | "Notre raison de vivre" | N |
| 5 | Eddy Pascal | "Virginia" | N |
| 6 | Jean Vallée | "Viens l'oublier" | Y |
Semi-final 2
| Draw | Artist | Song | Qualify |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnny White | "Quand on est amoureux" | Y |
| 2 | Andrée Simons | "La belle époque" | Y |
| 3 | Marc Bertrand | "Ne prends pas la vie comme elle vient" | N |
| 4 | Serge & Christine Ghisoland | "Lai lai lai" | Y |
| 5 | Frédéric François | "Comme tous les amoureux" | N |
| 6 | Serge Davignac | "Monsieur le printemps" | N |
Final
Serge & Christine Ghisoland and Andrée Simons, who had each qualified two songs for the final, both decided in advance to withdraw one of their songs ("Nous serons toi et moi" and "Perle d'étoile" respectively) in order not to risk splitting their vote, leaving only four songs in the final. The winning song was chosen by a combination of an expert jury and a panel of 600 TV viewers.| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrée Simons | "La belle époque" | 376 | 3 |
| 2 | Serge & Christine Ghisoland | "Lai lai lai" | 270 | 4 |
| 3 | Johnny White | "Quand on est amoureux" | 524 | 2 |
| 4 | Jean Vallée | "Viens l'oublier" | 813 | 1 |
At Eurovision
On the night of the final Vallée performed 5th in the running order, following YugoslaviaYugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and preceding France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. At the close of voting "Viens l'oublier" had received 5 points (3 from France and 1 apiece from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
), placing Belgium joint 8th (with Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
) of the 12 entries. The Belgian jury awarded 9 of its 10 points to contest winners Ireland, the highest ever mark given by one country to another under the 10-points-per-jury system.