CANNES 1961

The Eurovision Song Contest 1961 returned to the beautiful city of Cannes for the second time in it’s short life. The number of participants is rising, and the magnitude of the competition increases.

Just like in 1959, the Palais des Festivals was the venue of this year’s contest. The presenter of the show was Jacqueline Joubert, who already did this task in 1959. The stage used for the show was much bigger than in previous years, and it was magnificently decorated with flowers.

The number of participants of this year’s song contest rose to 16 as Spain, Yugoslavia and Finland entered the contest for the first time. For the first time, the contest took place on a Saturday night which would be its usual time-frame for the decades to come.

Luxembourg had its first of 5 victories in 1961 with the song Nous Les Amoureux performed by Jean-Claude Pascal. Critics called the song a lullaby, but Jean-Claude Pascal was awarded 31 points in total, with the UK entry by The Allisons comfortably behind with 24 points.

Germany’s entry Einmal Sehen Wir Uns Wieder was performed by Lale Andersen who shot to fame two decades earlier with her rendition of Lili Marleen. However, Mrs. Andersen only managed to score 3 points and a 13th place.

VOTING GRID: FINAL