The Netherlands: The Top Ten
Feel that? It's the gentle breeze of summer coming through. We have made it through another year of Eurovision and it's time for that beautiful reflection period that allows us to have a breath, take stock and begin looking forward to doing it all again in a few months time. This year brings some added excitement since a full-scale bidding war is now breaking out in the Netherlands and even though Rotterdam is the favourite, I definitely wouldn't say it's a done deal by any stretch of the imagination. So as the many Dutch cities fight it out for the chance to host the 2020 contest, let's take this opportunity to celebrate Dutch heritage within Eurovision history. This is my list of the top ten Dutch Eurovision entries of all time and I think it's a list that will surprise many.
10) 'Amsterdam' by Maggie MacNeal (1980)
Perhaps it is apt that we kick off this top 10 with a celebration of the Dutch capital sung as the home entry during the last contest on Dutch soil in 1980. When you translate the lyrics to this song, it is a very classic song about the atmosphere and connectedness of Amsterdam with nothing particularly poetic in the middle of it. However, Maggie was a Eurovision participant previously and she brought confidence and charisma in spades when she stepped onto the stage in The Hague. Her delivery of the song is superb, classic and timeless. I sincerely hope that whether the Dutch opt to host the contest in their capital or not that Maggie gets to take to the stage at some point to remind us not only of her capability as a performer but also of how well the Dutch did when they hosted one of the best Eurovision Song Contests ever at a financially-pressured time for Europe in 1980.
9) 'Hemel en aarde' by Edsilia Rombley (1998)
As explored in previous top 10 countdowns, the 1990s were the chosen period in which former colonial nations decided to explore the wider cultural heritage that made up their national identity. The Dutch did a fair bit of this during this period but had their best result of this strategy with Edsilia Rombley in Birmingham. 'Hemel en aarde' means 'Heaven and Earth' and the song is most definitely a ballad but a ballad with much identity and soul with Edsilia delivering a strong performance on the night. In the last year before the national language rule was scrapped, Edsilia deserves at least a bit of credit for being the second highest-ranking non-English song that year.
8) 'Rechtop in de wind' by Marcha (1987)
And on the subject of Dutch ballads, number 8 sees another dramatic song about love sung in Dutch but very different in makeup and feel. 'Rechtop in de wind' means 'Upright in the Wind' and tells a story of facing adversity in the face of difficult feelings following ended relationships. The song is very much one of its time with synths complementing Marcha's voice nicely and her big hair and costume very much dating the performance in a way that feels pleasantly nostalgic. The performance came 5th in Brussels but with the top 3 being Johnny Logan, Wind & Umberto Tozzi & Raf, this could easily have done even better in a different year.
7) 'Als het om de liefde gaat' by Sandra & Andres (1972)
Moving even earlier in the decades, the 1972 contest has a special place in my heart. As a young boy discovering Eurovision, I used to walk past the Usher Hall in Edinburgh every day on my way to school and think about when that great building once hosted the Eurovision Song Contest. This is the only song from that year's contest that I grew attached to. It is a duet by duo Sandra & Andres and it is centred around the game of love and how difficult it can be to be completely original and honest sometimes. Whilst the lyrical content would suggest the song is a ballad, it has the fun-loving, care-free feeling that make bangers so appealing to me. For those of you who haven't listened to this, I dare you not smile whilst watching the entirety of this performance.
6) 'Vrede' by Ruth Jacott (1993)
Though this may be controversial and many may write their complaints below, this is the highest ranking entry in Dutch on this list. It doesn't help my case that the Dutch entry has only sung in the native language once since the rule change but anyway, this was just my opinion. The top prize as best entry sung in Dutch at the contest goes to Ruth Jacott and 'Vrede' ('Peace'). Though the title might suggest that the song is a classic take on the Love-Love-Peace-Peace stereotype, the reality couldn't be more different. The song is actually centred around scientific progress, referencing the existence of airplanes, houses that are built to withstand hurricanes and light bulbs that never go out but that none of these things will keep the peace. She performs the song with a strong vocal and costumes supposedly inspired by science-fiction which fit nicely with the contest's stage. Ruth came into the contest as one of the favourites and even though she may have underperformed to those expectations, the song is still my favourite of the Millstreet contest and will continue to be much loved as my favourite entry in Dutch to date.
5) 'Without You' by Re-Union (2004)
So I will admit that starting my top 5 Dutch entries with a song that placed 20th in 2004 might seem a bit odd. This song has the strange misfortune of being the last Dutch song in the Eurovision Grand Final until 2013. Whilst blaming Re-Union for this wouldn't be entirely fair, the fact is that their low placing meant no direct qualification for the following year's final in Kiev and so began a series of Semi-Final non-qualifications that was finally ended by Anouk and her 'Birds'. In any case, Re-Union qualified through their Semi-Final in Istanbul and then got somewhat unlucky in the running order draw (7th). Some believe their poor placing was owing to the loud "Thank you" at the end. Personally, I just like how laid-back, simple and subdued the entire performance is, oozing with passion without feeling like too much and getting the camera angles perfect. There were no gimmicks or madness, just two guys on a stage with an acoustic guitar singing about love and longing. This will always be a forgotten treasure of the noughties, but I love enjoying it when it comes on my playlist.
4) 'Calm After the Storm' by The Common Linnets (2014)
Of course, we can't talk about the modern history of the Dutch at Eurovision without somehow marking the chronicle of Ilse and Waylon. Put purely and simply, nobody saw this coming. Yes, every year there is a song that has success that nobody predicts but the extent to which this did well was a pleasant surprise. The studio version of the song was admittedly good and the song benefitted from being in an era when folk and country music were more mainstream than today but what really brought this to another stratosphere was the intimate staging of the singers, creating a tight and tense yet emotional atmosphere. For all the attempts that nations make every year to take songs that have done well in previous years and try to replicate the success, there never had been previously, nor ever will be a song quite like 'Calm After the Storm' on the Eurovision stage. This was in many ways the start of the modern Dutch conquests at Eurovision and most definitely set the tone for the Dutch acts in 2016, 2018 (the return of Waylon) and of course Duncan's victory this year with the return of Ilse to the Eurovision bubble.
3) 'I See a Star' by Mouth & MacNeal (1974)
When people think of the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, they are going to think of four Swedes and their conductor who came in full costume for the occasion. Whilst the contest actually brought many classic and brilliant Eurovision moments, 'Waterloo's victory is the only thing about the Brighton contest that some people remember. This is a shame because aside from Gigliola Cinquetti returning to the contest with a song that surely would have won in any other year, 1974 was also the year of Mouth & MacNeal. For anybody who hasn't seen this performance, it is well worth a watch for the barrel organ, the puppets, their hair and the general sense of bonkers that has made Eurovision the entertaining programme that it remains to this day. Whilst it is clear that Sweden and Italy were always going to be better songs, 'I See a Star' was elevated by the spectacle of its performance and was made a Eurovision classic because of it.
2) 'One More Night' by Esther Hart (2003)
Again, I may take some flack for including an under-performing Dutch entry from the mid-noughties so high on this list, but purely and simply I love this song. Having failed to make the cut for the 2002 contest, the Netherlands organised a five-show national final process with Esther Hart winning the final comfortably. Once she got to Riga, she was bang in the middle of the running order with a middle of the road performance that got a middle of the pack result. If you don't like this type of music, you are probably tearing your hair out as to why I have this so high, but I love this fun, bright, upbeat song with a strong vocal and lyrics about believing in the power of love with a cheeky little key change to match. Many of the songs included in this top 10 have been placed based on my critical appreciation of them whilst some have just been the pure joy and love I feel when I hear the song. Esther is the latter and even though she will be forgotten in the context of general Eurovision history, she will be remembered and loved by me "now and forever baby, come what may".
1) 'Lights & Shadows' by OG3NE (2017)
And so we come to my favourite Dutch entry of all time. When I heard OG3NE's song for the first time, I thought it was dull and dated and no way was it going to do anything in Kiev. Then I heard it again and I began to appreciate the simplicity of this song. 'Lights & Shadows' doesn't try to re-invent the wheel, it is three beautiful voices harmonising together perfectly and I just love it. That is of course all before you read into their being sisters and the medical situation of their mother and the courage of bringing what would have been a lot of pain onto the Eurovision stage and showing that any terrible situation could be fought through. Throughout this top 10, it has been clear that the Dutch do best when they keep things simple with high quality and that is why for all the brash and bold music that 2019 brought us, 'Arcade' won out in the end. This Dutch victory has been a long time coming but has ultimately been built on foundations of charismatic artists with confidence to be themselves. OG3NE brought that in spades and that is why for me, they are the finest act that the Dutch have ever sent to Eurovision.
I am almost certain that all of you reading this will disagree with me, so what do you think? Who are your top 10 Dutch Eurovision acts? Who would you like to see perform on the Eurovision 2020 stage? What is the Dutch cultural legacy? Please tell me in the comments section. If you were fascinated by this list, why not subscribe to the blog and you will be kept up to date with the many opinion pieces coming out over the next few months, taking advantage of our summer of reflection before the whole shebang begins all over again!
If you are reading this far, I also want to take this opportunity to say that this is post number 50 of The Internationalist Eurovision Blog and I want to say thank you to you for reading this content and commenting back with all views and opinions. I started the blog a couple of years ago to explore and analyse the contest I love and it has been a fantastic addition to my experiencing of the contest and hopefully to yours as well. There are still so many paths to discover and I look forward to exploring those paths with you, the readers. For this milestone though, thank you so much for the support and the comments!
10) 'Amsterdam' by Maggie MacNeal (1980)
Perhaps it is apt that we kick off this top 10 with a celebration of the Dutch capital sung as the home entry during the last contest on Dutch soil in 1980. When you translate the lyrics to this song, it is a very classic song about the atmosphere and connectedness of Amsterdam with nothing particularly poetic in the middle of it. However, Maggie was a Eurovision participant previously and she brought confidence and charisma in spades when she stepped onto the stage in The Hague. Her delivery of the song is superb, classic and timeless. I sincerely hope that whether the Dutch opt to host the contest in their capital or not that Maggie gets to take to the stage at some point to remind us not only of her capability as a performer but also of how well the Dutch did when they hosted one of the best Eurovision Song Contests ever at a financially-pressured time for Europe in 1980.
9) 'Hemel en aarde' by Edsilia Rombley (1998)
As explored in previous top 10 countdowns, the 1990s were the chosen period in which former colonial nations decided to explore the wider cultural heritage that made up their national identity. The Dutch did a fair bit of this during this period but had their best result of this strategy with Edsilia Rombley in Birmingham. 'Hemel en aarde' means 'Heaven and Earth' and the song is most definitely a ballad but a ballad with much identity and soul with Edsilia delivering a strong performance on the night. In the last year before the national language rule was scrapped, Edsilia deserves at least a bit of credit for being the second highest-ranking non-English song that year.
8) 'Rechtop in de wind' by Marcha (1987)
And on the subject of Dutch ballads, number 8 sees another dramatic song about love sung in Dutch but very different in makeup and feel. 'Rechtop in de wind' means 'Upright in the Wind' and tells a story of facing adversity in the face of difficult feelings following ended relationships. The song is very much one of its time with synths complementing Marcha's voice nicely and her big hair and costume very much dating the performance in a way that feels pleasantly nostalgic. The performance came 5th in Brussels but with the top 3 being Johnny Logan, Wind & Umberto Tozzi & Raf, this could easily have done even better in a different year.
7) 'Als het om de liefde gaat' by Sandra & Andres (1972)
Moving even earlier in the decades, the 1972 contest has a special place in my heart. As a young boy discovering Eurovision, I used to walk past the Usher Hall in Edinburgh every day on my way to school and think about when that great building once hosted the Eurovision Song Contest. This is the only song from that year's contest that I grew attached to. It is a duet by duo Sandra & Andres and it is centred around the game of love and how difficult it can be to be completely original and honest sometimes. Whilst the lyrical content would suggest the song is a ballad, it has the fun-loving, care-free feeling that make bangers so appealing to me. For those of you who haven't listened to this, I dare you not smile whilst watching the entirety of this performance.
6) 'Vrede' by Ruth Jacott (1993)
Though this may be controversial and many may write their complaints below, this is the highest ranking entry in Dutch on this list. It doesn't help my case that the Dutch entry has only sung in the native language once since the rule change but anyway, this was just my opinion. The top prize as best entry sung in Dutch at the contest goes to Ruth Jacott and 'Vrede' ('Peace'). Though the title might suggest that the song is a classic take on the Love-Love-Peace-Peace stereotype, the reality couldn't be more different. The song is actually centred around scientific progress, referencing the existence of airplanes, houses that are built to withstand hurricanes and light bulbs that never go out but that none of these things will keep the peace. She performs the song with a strong vocal and costumes supposedly inspired by science-fiction which fit nicely with the contest's stage. Ruth came into the contest as one of the favourites and even though she may have underperformed to those expectations, the song is still my favourite of the Millstreet contest and will continue to be much loved as my favourite entry in Dutch to date.
5) 'Without You' by Re-Union (2004)
So I will admit that starting my top 5 Dutch entries with a song that placed 20th in 2004 might seem a bit odd. This song has the strange misfortune of being the last Dutch song in the Eurovision Grand Final until 2013. Whilst blaming Re-Union for this wouldn't be entirely fair, the fact is that their low placing meant no direct qualification for the following year's final in Kiev and so began a series of Semi-Final non-qualifications that was finally ended by Anouk and her 'Birds'. In any case, Re-Union qualified through their Semi-Final in Istanbul and then got somewhat unlucky in the running order draw (7th). Some believe their poor placing was owing to the loud "Thank you" at the end. Personally, I just like how laid-back, simple and subdued the entire performance is, oozing with passion without feeling like too much and getting the camera angles perfect. There were no gimmicks or madness, just two guys on a stage with an acoustic guitar singing about love and longing. This will always be a forgotten treasure of the noughties, but I love enjoying it when it comes on my playlist.
4) 'Calm After the Storm' by The Common Linnets (2014)
Of course, we can't talk about the modern history of the Dutch at Eurovision without somehow marking the chronicle of Ilse and Waylon. Put purely and simply, nobody saw this coming. Yes, every year there is a song that has success that nobody predicts but the extent to which this did well was a pleasant surprise. The studio version of the song was admittedly good and the song benefitted from being in an era when folk and country music were more mainstream than today but what really brought this to another stratosphere was the intimate staging of the singers, creating a tight and tense yet emotional atmosphere. For all the attempts that nations make every year to take songs that have done well in previous years and try to replicate the success, there never had been previously, nor ever will be a song quite like 'Calm After the Storm' on the Eurovision stage. This was in many ways the start of the modern Dutch conquests at Eurovision and most definitely set the tone for the Dutch acts in 2016, 2018 (the return of Waylon) and of course Duncan's victory this year with the return of Ilse to the Eurovision bubble.
3) 'I See a Star' by Mouth & MacNeal (1974)
When people think of the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, they are going to think of four Swedes and their conductor who came in full costume for the occasion. Whilst the contest actually brought many classic and brilliant Eurovision moments, 'Waterloo's victory is the only thing about the Brighton contest that some people remember. This is a shame because aside from Gigliola Cinquetti returning to the contest with a song that surely would have won in any other year, 1974 was also the year of Mouth & MacNeal. For anybody who hasn't seen this performance, it is well worth a watch for the barrel organ, the puppets, their hair and the general sense of bonkers that has made Eurovision the entertaining programme that it remains to this day. Whilst it is clear that Sweden and Italy were always going to be better songs, 'I See a Star' was elevated by the spectacle of its performance and was made a Eurovision classic because of it.
2) 'One More Night' by Esther Hart (2003)
Again, I may take some flack for including an under-performing Dutch entry from the mid-noughties so high on this list, but purely and simply I love this song. Having failed to make the cut for the 2002 contest, the Netherlands organised a five-show national final process with Esther Hart winning the final comfortably. Once she got to Riga, she was bang in the middle of the running order with a middle of the road performance that got a middle of the pack result. If you don't like this type of music, you are probably tearing your hair out as to why I have this so high, but I love this fun, bright, upbeat song with a strong vocal and lyrics about believing in the power of love with a cheeky little key change to match. Many of the songs included in this top 10 have been placed based on my critical appreciation of them whilst some have just been the pure joy and love I feel when I hear the song. Esther is the latter and even though she will be forgotten in the context of general Eurovision history, she will be remembered and loved by me "now and forever baby, come what may".
1) 'Lights & Shadows' by OG3NE (2017)
And so we come to my favourite Dutch entry of all time. When I heard OG3NE's song for the first time, I thought it was dull and dated and no way was it going to do anything in Kiev. Then I heard it again and I began to appreciate the simplicity of this song. 'Lights & Shadows' doesn't try to re-invent the wheel, it is three beautiful voices harmonising together perfectly and I just love it. That is of course all before you read into their being sisters and the medical situation of their mother and the courage of bringing what would have been a lot of pain onto the Eurovision stage and showing that any terrible situation could be fought through. Throughout this top 10, it has been clear that the Dutch do best when they keep things simple with high quality and that is why for all the brash and bold music that 2019 brought us, 'Arcade' won out in the end. This Dutch victory has been a long time coming but has ultimately been built on foundations of charismatic artists with confidence to be themselves. OG3NE brought that in spades and that is why for me, they are the finest act that the Dutch have ever sent to Eurovision.
I am almost certain that all of you reading this will disagree with me, so what do you think? Who are your top 10 Dutch Eurovision acts? Who would you like to see perform on the Eurovision 2020 stage? What is the Dutch cultural legacy? Please tell me in the comments section. If you were fascinated by this list, why not subscribe to the blog and you will be kept up to date with the many opinion pieces coming out over the next few months, taking advantage of our summer of reflection before the whole shebang begins all over again!
If you are reading this far, I also want to take this opportunity to say that this is post number 50 of The Internationalist Eurovision Blog and I want to say thank you to you for reading this content and commenting back with all views and opinions. I started the blog a couple of years ago to explore and analyse the contest I love and it has been a fantastic addition to my experiencing of the contest and hopefully to yours as well. There are still so many paths to discover and I look forward to exploring those paths with you, the readers. For this milestone though, thank you so much for the support and the comments!
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