Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959
| Eurovision Song Contest 1959 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Switzerland | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | National final | |||
| Selection date(s) | 22 February 1959 | |||
| Selected entrant | Christa Williams | |||
| Selected song | "Irgendwoher" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) | Lothar Löffler | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 4th, 14 points | |||
| Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Switzerland competed for the fourth time in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1959 and used a national final to select their entry after having used one previously in 1956 and 1957, but choosing to internally select in 1958.
Before Eurovision
Grand Prix Suisse de la Chanson Eurovision 1959
Format
Grand Prix Suisse de la Chanson Eurovision 1959 consisted of two semi-finals, each consisting of eight songs, and a final with nine songs. Each semi-final was voted on by a 40-member jury in Basel, Geneva, Lugano, and Zurich, which were a combination of representatives of the public and representatives from the music industry. In the final, four fifteen-member juries Basel, Lausanne, Lugano, and Zurich voted on the nine songs. The composers of the songs were kept anonymous until after the results of the final were announced.[1]
Competing Entries
SSR received 262 submissions, from which 16 were chosen to compete in Grand Prix Suisse de la Chanson Eurovision 1959. Eight entries were sung in French, seven in German, and one in Italian.[1][2]
First Semi-Final
The first semi-final of Grand Prix Suisse de la Chanson Eurovision 1959 was held on 15 December 1958 in Geneva, and hosted by Colette Jean, and Pierre Billon. All eight French songs were performed in this semi-final.[1][2][3]
| Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Jo Roland | "Adieu Madeleine" | Advanced |
| Jo Roland | "Sire le roi" | Advanced |
| Lucie Dolène | "Fallait pas faire ça" | Advanced |
| Lucie Dolène | "Marie-toi, Marie, marie-toi" | Advanced |
| Claude Evelyne | Unknown | Eliminated |
| Claude Evelyne | Unknown | Eliminated |
| Dominique Rolland | Unknown | Eliminated |
| Pierre Cavalli | Unknown | Eliminated |
Second Semi-Final
The second semi-final of Grand prix Suisse de la Chanson Eurovision 1959 was held on 12 January 1959 in the Bâsel Studios, in Basel, and hosted by Trudi Roth and Albert Werner. The seven German songs and one Italian song were performed in this semi-final. Christa Williams, Anita Traversi, and Jo Roland performed all the songs in this semi-final. The songs that qualified from this semi-final were "Ein kleines Schiff in einer alten Branntweinflasche", "Irgendwoher", "Die Spieldose", "Mit küssen fängt die Liebe an", and "Mein kleines Lied", but it is unknown who performed them in the semi-final.[1][4]
Final
The final was held on 22 February 1959 in the Théâtre de Beaulieu in Lausanne and was presented by Claude Evelyne and Joël Curchod.[4][5]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jo Roland | "Ein kleines Schiff in einer alten Branntweinflasche" | - |
| 2 | Mathé Altéry | "Marie-toi, Marie, marie-toi" | - |
| 3 | Christa Williams | "Irgendwoher" | 1 |
| 4 | Jo Roland | "Adieu Madeleine" | - |
| 5 | Christa Williams & Jo Roland | "Die Spieldose" | - |
| 6 | Mathé Altéry | "Fallait pas faire ça" | - |
| 7 | Christa Williams | "Mit küssen fängt die Liebe an" | - |
| 8 | Jo Roland | "Sire le roi" | - |
| 9 | Christa Williams & Jo Roland | "Mein kleines Lied" | - |
At Eurovision
At the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 in Cannes, the Swiss entry was the eighth entry of the night following Sweden and preceding Austria. At the close of voting, Switzerland had received fourteen points in total; finishing in fourth place out of eleven countries.
The Swiss entry was conducted at the contest by Franck Pourcel.
Voting
Every country had a jury of ten people. Every jury member could give one point to his or her favourite song.
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References
- ^ a b c d "GRAND PRIX SUISSE DE LA CHANSON EUROVISION 1959. DEUXIÈME DEMI-FINALE". Radio Je vois tout - télévision. 8 January 1959. p. 27.
- ^ a b "Le Grand.Prix européen de la chanson". Radio Je vois tout - télévision. 11 December 1958. p. 26.
- ^ "2es Eliminatoires suisses du Grand Prix Eurovision de la chanson". Radio Je vois tout - télévision. 8 January 1959. p. 20.
- ^ a b "C'est' à Lausanne qu'aura lieula finale suisse du Grand Prixde la chanson Eurovision". Radio Je vois tout - télévision. 19 February 1959. p. 11.
- ^ "SWISS NATIONAL FINAL 1959". natfinals.50webs.com. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Results of the Final of Cannes 1959". Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2024.