Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974
Encyclopedia
The Netherlands was represented by duo Mouth & MacNeal
(Willem Duyn and Maggie MacNeal
), with the song '"I See a Star
", at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Brighton
, England
on 6 April. Mouth & MacNeal were internally selected by broadcaster NOS
to be the Dutch representatives .
, hosted by Willem Duys. Only three songs were performed and voted on by a jury. "Ik zie een ster" emerged the runaway winner.
and preceding Ireland
. In 1974 the voting system reverted to the ten jury members in each country with one vote each model, and at the close of voting "I See a Star" had received 15 points from ten countries, placing the Netherlands 3rd of the 17 entries. The Dutch jury awarded its highest score (4) to Greece
. Mouth & MacNeal's upbeat and engaging performance at Eurovision proved memorable, and following the contest "I See a Star" went on to become a major hit across Europe. It reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart
, making it one of only three non-UK / non-winning Eurovision entries to have reached the British top 10 performed by its original artists (the others being "Volare
" by Domenico Modugno
, third in 1958, and Gigliola Cinquetti
's runner-up "Sì
", also from 1974).
Mouth & MacNeal
Mouth & MacNeal was a pop duo from the Netherlands. They are best known for their million selling recording of "How Do You Do".-Career:They were formed in 1971 when record producer Hans van Hemert brought together the solo talent of Mouth and Maggie MacNeal...
(Willem Duyn and Maggie MacNeal
Maggie macneal
Maggie MacNeal is a Dutch singer.-Biography:After her first solo record in 1971, she teamed up with Willem Duyn, and the duo became known as Mouth & MacNeal...
), with the song '"I See a Star
I See a Star
"I See a Star" was the Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, performed in English by Mouth & MacNeal....
", at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, 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...
on 6 April. Mouth & MacNeal were internally selected by broadcaster NOS
Nederlandse Omroep Stichting
The Nederlandse Omroep Stichting , English: Netherlands Broadcasting Foundation, is one of the broadcasters in the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system...
to be the Dutch representatives .
Final
The national final was held on 27 February at the Jaarbeurs in UtrechtUtrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, hosted by Willem Duys. Only three songs were performed and voted on by a jury. "Ik zie een ster" emerged the runaway winner.
| Draw | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Liefste" | 19 | 2 |
| 2 | "Zoals de oudjes zongen" | 12 | 3 |
| 3 | "Ik zie een ster" | 79 | 1 |
At Eurovision
The free-language rule applied in 1974, so prior to the contest the song was translated into English as "I See a Star" and performed in English at the final. On the night of the final Mouth & MacNeal performed 12th in the running order, following BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and preceding 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...
. In 1974 the voting system reverted to the ten jury members in each country with one vote each model, and at the close of voting "I See a Star" had received 15 points from ten countries, placing the Netherlands 3rd of the 17 entries. The Dutch jury awarded its highest score (4) to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Mouth & MacNeal's upbeat and engaging performance at Eurovision proved memorable, and following the contest "I See a Star" went on to become a major hit across Europe. It reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, making it one of only three non-UK / non-winning Eurovision entries to have reached the British top 10 performed by its original artists (the others being "Volare
Volare (song)
"Nel blu dipinto di blu" , popularly known as "Volare" , is Domenico Modugno's signature song....
" by Domenico Modugno
Domenico Modugno
Domenico Modugno was an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu "...
, third in 1958, and Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti is an Italian singer, TV presenter and journalist.-Biography:At the age of 16 she won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1964 singing "Non ho l'età" , with music composed by Nicola Salerno and lyrics by Mario Panzeri...
's runner-up "Sì
Sì (song)
"Sì" is the name of the Italian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, which finished second behind the Swedish entry "Waterloo" sung by ABBA.-Background:...
", also from 1974).