1963 was my 3rd Eurovision and I remember it well due to the controversy during the voting.
When it was Norway's turn to announce their votes, the Norwegian spokesman asked presenter Katie Boyle to return to them after all the other results were in! When she went back to Norway the votes had mysteriously altered, thus changing the outcome of the contest and giving the victory to Denmark at Switzerland's expense. Being Swiss I was fuming!
Host broadcaster BBC agreed to stage The Eurovision Song Contest 1963 after France, who had won the 1962 edition, declined to host it due to financial shortcomings. They also had hosted the competition in 1959 and 1961, a rehearsal for Liverpool in 2023?
Katie Boyle hosted for a second time and did again in 1968 and 1974.
All countries which participated in the 1962 edition also participated that year.
The 1962 edition was the only one to be held on a Sunday, but it was held again on a Saturday
Unusually, a boom microphone normally used for drama and comedy shows was employed but the viewer could not see this, so it appeared as if the artists were miming to their vocals. This was not the case, but this innovation was to create a new look for the contest.
Ronnie Carroll who had sang for the United Kingdom in 1962 returned with "Say Wonderful Things" and finished 4th It was the same result as his previous entry "Ring-a-Ding Girl"!
Some big names performed that year
Germany sent Heidi Brühl. She was a German singer and actress who came to prominence as a young teenager and had a prolific career in film and television. Her 1960 recording of "Wir wollen niemals auseinandergehn" had sold over one million copies
Italy sent Emilio Pericoli. His success was closely tied to the 1961 Sanremo Festival. He recorded a cover version of the song, "Al di là", by festival winner Betty Curtis but his version was an international success, hitting the charts in the U.S. # 3 and in UK #30. It sold over one million copies. In 1962, he entered the festival together with Tony Renis and sang the ballad "Quando, quando, quando", featured in the movie The Easy Life, and became one of the best-known Italian hits.
Switzerland sent Israeli singer Esther Ofarim, who was robbed of the victory with the song "T'en va pas". In 1963, Esther and her husband Abi started to have success on the charts in Europe. By 1965, she was well known throughout Europe. She headlined in the major concert halls and theaters, starred in German films and had her own television specials on BBC.Their greatest success in Germany was in 1967 with "Morning of My Life", which was written by the Bee Gees. In 1968 "Cinderella Rockefella" hit the top of the charts in a number of countries including the UK.
Sweden sent Monica Zetterlund. She was a Swedish jazz singer and actress and gained international fame. Through her career, she starred in over 10 Swedish film productions and recorded over 20 studio albums.
But the next 3 artists ended up being massive International superstars and record sellers.
France Alain Barrière. "Elle était si jolie" turned out to be a big seller all over Europe. "Tu t'en vas", a 1975 Summer duet with fellow Eurovision Noëlle Cordier, topped most European charts and was the third biggest-selling single of the year in Europe. He sold 5.400.000 million records including in South America.
Monaco sent one of my all-time favorite artist Françoise Hardy! She has been an important figure in French pop music since her debut, spanning a career of more than fifty years with over thirty studio albums released. Her first 1962 hit “Tous les garçons et les filles" sold over two million copies in France and got translated and re-recorded to be exported to Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese and English-speaking markets and charted even in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand including in the UK Chart. She became the most exportable French female singer after Edith Piaf, rose to international fame and released music sung in English, Italian and German. Her last release is the 2018 Album “Personne d'autre”. She has sold worldwide 6.700.000 million singles and 4.800.000 Albums. Click here for more.
And Luxembourg sent ….Nana Mouskouri!
She became well known throughout Europe for the song "The White Rose of Athens", recorded first in German. It became a success, selling more than 3 million copies worldwide. The song was later translated into several languages and it went on to become one of her signature tunes. Over the span of her career, she has released over 200 albums in at least twelve languages, including Greek, French, English, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Hebrew, Welsh, Mandarin Chinese and Corsican. Across a career of seven decades, She has performed more than 10,000 shows at venues around the world, including the Royal Albert Hall, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Sydney Opera and New York’s Lincoln Center. According to Universal Music she sold over 250,000,000 records (albums and singles) worldwide.
1963 Eurovision Song Contest Full Show BBC (English Commentary by David Jacobs) - Host Katie Boyle