Ein Bißchen Frieden
Encyclopedia
"Ein bißchen Frieden" ("A Little Peace" in English
) is a song in German
, written by prolific German Eurovision-writing duo Ralph Siegel (music) and Bernd Meinunger
(lyrics) for the Eurovision Song Contest 1982
in Harrogate
, Yorkshire
, England
.
's first win at the Eurovision Song Contest
by a record margin of sixty-one points, setting a new record for the largest winning margin that lasted until the Eurovision Song Contest 1997
, at which "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina and the Waves
won by 70 points.
"Ein bißchen Frieden" was the eighteenth and final song performed that evening (following Ireland
's The Duskeys with "Here Today Gone Tomorrow
"). At the close of voting, it had received 161 points, placing first in a field of 18.
The performance was unlike most other Eurovision entrants in that Nicole performed while seated on a stool, playing a white acoustic guitar and accompanied by a backing group which included a harpist. The gentle ballad describes a wish for world peace, with the lyrics sung in first person, and also describes the beauty of the natural world.
After winning the contest, Nicole performed the reprise in four different languages: German
, English
, French
and Dutch
, and released recordings in five additional languages across Europe
: Danish
, Italian
, Russian
, and a German-English-Dutch combination and a German-English-Italian combination. It topped the charts in many countries, selling more than three million copies and the English version was the last Eurovision winner to top the charts in the United Kingdom
. The English version also holds the honour of becoming the 500th British Number One.
The song was chosen in an internet poll conducted by the European Broadcasting Union
in 2005 as one of the 14 most popular songs in the history of the Eurovision, and was one of the entrants in the Congratulations
50th anniversary concert in Copenhagen
, Denmark
, held in October 2005. Although Nicole was not at the concert, it was re-enacted by dancers equipped with white guitars and a live orchestra
as the original footage was shown in the background. "Ein bißchen Frieden" finished as the seventh most popular song in the history of the contest.
The song was succeeded as Contest winner in 1983 by "Si la vie est cadeau
" by Corinne Hermès
representing Luxembourg
.
It was succeeded as German representative
at the 1983 Contest
by Hoffmann & Hoffmann
with "Rücksicht
".
In 1982 "Ein bißchen Frieden" was covered in Czech as "Jsme deti slunce" by Jaromír Mayer, in Croatian as "Malo Mira" by Ana Štefok, in Danish as "En smule fred" by Susanne Lana, and in Finnish as "Vain Hieman Rauhaa" by Katri Helena
. The song has since been rendered in English as "A Little Peace" recorded by Daniel O'Donnell
for his 1997 album I Believe, and in Dutch as "Een Beetje Vrede" recorded by Kathleen Aerts
for her 2009 album In Symfonie.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) is a song in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, written by prolific German Eurovision-writing duo Ralph Siegel (music) and Bernd Meinunger
Bernd Meinunger
Bernd Meinunger is a German lyricist and record producer who frequently works with Ralph Siegel and David Brandes...
(lyrics) for the Eurovision Song Contest 1982
Eurovision Song Contest 1982
The Eurovision Song Contest 1982 was the 27th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 24 April 1982 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. The presenter was Jan Leeming. The opening of the contest showed a map of Europe, with the translation "Where is Harrogate?" popping up on-screen from...
in Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Background
The song was performed by 17-year-old high-school student Nicole, resulting in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's first win at the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
by a record margin of sixty-one points, setting a new record for the largest winning margin that lasted until the Eurovision Song Contest 1997
Eurovision Song Contest 1997
The Eurovision Song Contest 1997, was the 42nd Eurovision Song Contest and it was held at the Point Theatre Dublin, Ireland, on 3 May 1997. Boyzone member Ronan Keating and Carrie Crowley were the presenters of the show....
, at which "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves was an English pop rock band, best known for their 1985 hit "Walking on Sunshine" and their 1997 Eurovision Song Contest victory with the song "Love Shine a Light".-Pre-history: The Waves and Mama's Cookin' :...
won by 70 points.
"Ein bißchen Frieden" was the eighteenth and final song performed that evening (following Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
's The Duskeys with "Here Today Gone Tomorrow
Here Today Gone Tomorrow
"Here Today Gone Tomorrow" was the Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1982, performed in English by the Welsh family quartet The Duskeys...
"). At the close of voting, it had received 161 points, placing first in a field of 18.
The performance was unlike most other Eurovision entrants in that Nicole performed while seated on a stool, playing a white acoustic guitar and accompanied by a backing group which included a harpist. The gentle ballad describes a wish for world peace, with the lyrics sung in first person, and also describes the beauty of the natural world.
After winning the contest, Nicole performed the reprise in four different languages: German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, and released recordings in five additional languages across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
: Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, and a German-English-Dutch combination and a German-English-Italian combination. It topped the charts in many countries, selling more than three million copies and the English version was the last Eurovision winner to top the charts in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The English version also holds the honour of becoming the 500th British Number One.
The song was chosen in an internet poll conducted by the European Broadcasting Union
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...
in 2005 as one of the 14 most popular songs in the history of the Eurovision, and was one of the entrants in the Congratulations
Congratulations (Eurovision)
Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest was a television programme organised by the European Broadcasting Union to commemorate the Eurovision Song Contest's fiftieth anniversary and to determine the Contest's most popular entrant of its fifty years. It took place at Forum,...
50th anniversary concert in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, held in October 2005. Although Nicole was not at the concert, it was re-enacted by dancers equipped with white guitars and a live orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
as the original footage was shown in the background. "Ein bißchen Frieden" finished as the seventh most popular song in the history of the contest.
The song was succeeded as Contest winner in 1983 by "Si la vie est cadeau
Si La Vie Est Cadeau
"Si la vie est cadeau" by Jean-Pierre Millers and Alain Garcia , was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1983, performed in French by French singer Corinne Hermès for Luxembourg....
" by Corinne Hermès
Corinne Hermès
Corinne Hermès is a French singer.She represented Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest 1983 where she won with "Si la vie est cadeau" with music by Jean-Pierre Millers and words by Alain Garcia.-External links: * at Bide et Musique...
representing 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...
.
It was succeeded as German representative
Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest
Germany has participated in every Eurovision Song Contest since its beginning in 1956, although its entry in 1996 did not qualify past the pre‐selection round, and therefore was not seen in the broadcast final. No other country has been represented as often. France and the United Kingdom come in a...
at the 1983 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1983
The Eurovision Song Contest 1983, the 28th in the series, was held in Munich, then West Germany, on 23 April 1983. The presenter was Marlene Charell. Corinne Hermes was the winner of this Eurovision with the song, "Si la vie est cadeau". This was Luxembourg's fifth victory in the contest which...
by Hoffmann & Hoffmann
Hoffmann & Hoffmann
Hoffmann & Hoffmann were a German singing duo consisting of brothers Michael Hoffmann and Günter Hoffmann...
with "Rücksicht
Rücksicht
"Rücksicht" was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1983, held in Munich after Nicole's win with "Ein bißchen Frieden"...
".
In 1982 "Ein bißchen Frieden" was covered in Czech as "Jsme deti slunce" by Jaromír Mayer, in Croatian as "Malo Mira" by Ana Štefok, in Danish as "En smule fred" by Susanne Lana, and in Finnish as "Vain Hieman Rauhaa" by Katri Helena
Katri Helena
Katri Helena is a Finnish singer who has been performing since the 1960s. She has been married three times and is now living as a single mother....
. The song has since been rendered in English as "A Little Peace" recorded by Daniel O'Donnell
Daniel O'Donnell
Daniel or Danny O'Donnell may refer to:* Daniel O'Donnell, Irish singer* Daniel O'Donnell , American legislator from the state of New York* Danny O'Donnell * Danny O'Donnell...
for his 1997 album I Believe, and in Dutch as "Een Beetje Vrede" recorded by Kathleen Aerts
Kathleen Aerts
Kathleen Aerts is a Flemish singer, actress and host and she was a member of the successful Flemish girl group K3.-Personal life:...
for her 2009 album In Symfonie.
Chart positions
| Country | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Charts | 1 |
| The Netherlands | 1 |
| Ireland Chart | 1 |
| Germany Top 100 | 1 |
| Austria Top 75 | 1 |
| Norway Chart | 1 |
| Sweden Top 50 | 1 |
| Swiss Chart | 1 |