Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980
Encyclopedia
The Netherlands was represented by Maggie MacNeal
, with the song '"Amsterdam", at the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in The Hague
on 19 April. 1980 was one of only three years in Dutch Eurovision history (1961 and 2008 being the others) when both performer and song were chosen internally by broadcaster NOS
. MacNeal had previously finished third in the 1974 Eurovision
as part of duo Mouth and MacNeal.
had announced that they would not be participating, and 1979 runners-up Spain
declined to host the event (as also, reportedly, did the BBC
, the European Broadcasting Union
's traditional fall-back choice when a winning nation could or would not host the following year). NOS had finally agreed to host at the same venue (the Congresgebouw) in which the 1976 contest had been held.
On the night of the final MacNeal performed 15th in the running order, following Portugal
and preceding France
. "Amsterdam" made a very strong start in the voting and was in the lead for the first five rounds, before fading away to finish the evening in 5th place with 93 points from 14 countries (including maximum 12s from Austria
, France, Luxembourg
and Turkey
). The Dutch jury awarded its 12 points to Germany
.
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 '"Amsterdam", at the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
on 19 April. 1980 was one of only three years in Dutch Eurovision history (1961 and 2008 being the others) when both performer and song were chosen internally 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...
. MacNeal had previously finished third in the 1974 Eurovision
Eurovision Song Contest 1974
The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom...
as part of duo Mouth and MacNeal.
At Eurovision
The 1980 contest was held in The Hague as the previous year's winners IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
had announced that they would not be participating, and 1979 runners-up Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
declined to host the event (as also, reportedly, did the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, 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...
's traditional fall-back choice when a winning nation could or would not host the following year). NOS had finally agreed to host at the same venue (the Congresgebouw) in which the 1976 contest had been held.
On the night of the final MacNeal performed 15th in the running order, following Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
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...
. "Amsterdam" made a very strong start in the voting and was in the lead for the first five rounds, before fading away to finish the evening in 5th place with 93 points from 14 countries (including maximum 12s from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, France, 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...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
). The Dutch jury awarded its 12 points to Germany
Germany
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...
.