Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980
| Eurovision Song Contest 1980 | |
|---|---|
| Participating broadcaster | Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) |
| Country | Switzerland |
| National selection | |
| Selection process | Internal selection |
| Selection date(s) | 31 January 1980 |
| Selected artist(s) | Paola |
| Selected song | "Cinéma" |
| Selected songwriter(s) | |
| Placement | |
| Final result | 4th, 104 points |
| Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest | |
Switzerland was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 with the song "Cinéma", written by Peter Reber [fr] and Véronique Müller and performed by Paola. The Swiss participating broadcaster, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR), selected its entry for the contest through an internal selection following the cancellation of a national final.
Before Eurovision
[edit ]Cancellation of national final and internal selection
[edit ]The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) initially planned on holding a national final to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1980. Swiss German and Romansh broadcaster Schweizer Fernsehen der deutschen und rätoromanischen Schweiz (SF DRS) was to stage the national final on 3 March 1980 at the Schluefweg Center in Zürich. It would have used the same voting system as many previous Swiss finals; three 50-member regional public juries, a press jury, and an "expert" jury.[1]
The broadcaster received 104 total song submissions, 57 of which were in French and 47 in German. Not a single Italian song was submitted. A 14-member jury shortlisted 12 songs before attempting to select around ten to take part in the selection. Nine of the shortlisted songs were in German, while the other three were in French.[1] [2] [3]
However, when the jury reviewed the shortlisted songs to decide the final lineup, only three songs were valid for the contest. Due to the low amount of eligible songs set to compete, the broadcaster opted to cancel the event to save on the budget of 350,000 CHF and select their entrant via internal selection instead.[4] [5] It was reported by a jury member that the invalid songs strongly resembled works from ABBA.[6]
On 31 January in Bern, the 14-member jury internally selected "Cinéma, written by Peter Reber [fr] and Véronique Müller, composed by Reber, and performed by Paola— who represented Switzerland in 1969.[2] [4] [6] The three eligible songs the jury voted for are listed in the chart below, as well as any known information.
| Artist(s) | Song | Songwriter(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composer | Lyricist | ||
| Paola | "Cinéma" | Peter Reber [fr] | |
| Paola | "El Dorado" | Unknown | |
| Regard | "La maison vide" | Alain Morisod | Unknown |
At Eurovision
[edit ]At the Eurovision Song Contest 1980, held at the Nederlands Congresgebouw in The Hague, the Swiss entry was the ninth entry of the night following Sweden and preceding Finland. The Swiss conductor at the contest was Peter Reber [fr], who composed the song and frequently participated in the contest as part of Peter, Sue and Marc. At the close of voting, Switzerland had received 104 points in total; finishing in fourth place out of nineteen countries.
Voting
[edit ]Each participating broadcaster assembled a jury panel with at least eleven members. The jurors awarded 1-8, 10, and 12 points to their top ten songs. For the first time, the votes were given in ascending numerical order, rather than the order the awarded songs were performed in.
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References
[edit ]- ^ a b "Schweizer Ausscheidung für Concours Eurovision" [Swiss selection for Concours Eurovision]. Thuner Tagblatt (in German). Vol. 104, no. 23. 29 January 1980. p. 14. Retrieved 3 March 2025 – via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
- ^ a b c "Eurovision 1980: Paola chantera pour la Suisse" [Eurovision 1980: Paola will sing for Switzerland]. Nouvelle revue de Lausanne (in French). 2 February 1980. p. 5. Retrieved 3 March 2025 – via Scriptorium.
- ^ "La finale suisse de la chanson Eurovision annulée — Manque d'artistes ou d'argent? — Comme aux JO, les amateurs doivent égaler les «pros»" [Swiss Eurovision Song Contest Final Cancelled — Lack of Artists or Money? — Like at the Olympics, Amateurs Must Match the "Pros"]. Tribune de Genève (in French). No. 21. Geneva, Switzerland. 7 February 1980. p. 33. Retrieved 3 March 2025 – via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
- ^ a b c "Concours Eurovision de la Chanson 1980 — Paola reist nach Den Haag" [Eurovision Song Contest 1980 — Paola travels to The Hague]. Thuner Tagblatt (in German). Vol. 104, no. 23. 2 February 1980. p. 16. Retrieved 3 March 2025 – via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
- ^ a b "Alain Morisod: «Faire appel à des chanteurs étrangers ... ou bien changer de jury»" [Alain Morisod: "Call on foreign singers... or change the jury"]. Tribune de Genève (in French). No. 21. Geneva, Switzerland. 7 February 1980. p. 33. Retrieved 3 March 2025 – via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
- ^ a b "Les disques de la semaine — A propos du concours Eurovision de la chanson" [Records of the week — About the Eurovision Song Contest]. Le nouvelliste (in French). Vol. 13, no. 21. Geneva, Switzerland. 7 February 1980. p. 11. Retrieved 3 March 2025 – via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
- ^ a b "Results of the Final of The Hague 1980". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
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