Special Sub-Topic: Eurovision: 1962 Click Here To Play: Eurovision: 1962

In which country was the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest held?

Luxembourg. It was held in Luxembourg. The venue was the Villa Louvigny, headquarters for the Luxembourg television company.

Which country won the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest?

France. France won the contest with its entry "Un premier amour" ("A First Love"). It was sung by Isabelle Aubret, who had sung the French entry the year before and would go on to perform France's entry three times afterwards.

The UK's 1962 entry was a song called "Ring-A-Ding Girl". Who sang it?

Ronnie Carroll. Ronnie Carroll sang it. A singer from Northern Ireland, he had three charting hits in the 1950s and early 1960s, but otherwise had a less than stellar career, ending up as an entertainer on cruise ships (including the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II).

During the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest there were some lighting problems which caused the stage decorations occasionally not to be seen. With what was the stage decorated?

stars. Twinkling stars were the choice of stage decor. Unfortunately the lighting also went a bit twinkly, as for several periods of the show they disappeared from view.

How many entries in the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest were sung in French?

five. Five countries sang their entries in French this year. They were Belgium - "Ton nom" ("Your Name") France - "Un premier amour" ("A First Love") Luxembourg - "Petit bonhomme" ("Little Chap") Monaco - "Dis rien" ("Say Nothing") and Switzerland - "Le retour" ("The Return")

The 1962 contest introduced a change in the voting system. What was the new innovation?

each jury awarded three, two or one point to their three top choices. For the first time, each jury member awarded three, two or one point to his or her three top choices. The points were then added up and the one with the highest score would be awarded three points by the entire jury, second would get two points and the song with the third most points would get one point.

The German entry, "Zwei kleine Italiener" ("Two little Italians"), became a hit in Europe despite not winning at the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest. In which position did it finish?

sixth. Conny Froboess sang the entry. It's a ballad about two Italian guest workers in Germany who miss their home and girlfriends. This was the first time an entry was based upon a contemporaneous social situation, the influx of immigrant workers into Germany.

Who was the presenter at the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest?

Mireille Delannoy. The presenter was Mireille Delannoy, about whom I can find nothing at all online. The other choices are all television presenters - Brard in the Netherlands, Ventura in Italy, and Caurat in France.

There's always a halftime - what was the entertainment for the halftime of the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest?

Achille Zavatta. Achille Zavatta was a French clown and pantomimist, born in Tunisia. Gerhardt Behrendt was a German puppeteer and Carlos Vaquera is a Spanish magician. Le Petomane (and I am not making this up) was a professional farter, who used his rather unusual talent to imitate animals, musical instruments, and even the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.

Sixteen countries vied for the 1962 Eurovision Song crown. That there should have been a 1st position, 2nd position, 3rd etc, all the way to 16th, right? Wrong - or is it? How many countries, if any, tied for position?

eleven. Amazingly, eleven of the sixteen countries tied with at least one other. The United Kingdom and Yugoslavia tied for fourth place, with ten points each. Finland and Sweden tied for seventh, with each getting four points. Two points each went to Denmark, Norway and Switzerland, putting them in a three-way tie for tenth position. No points at all were awarded to Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain, who shared the dubious honour of jointly coming in last.