Belgium was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 with the song "", composed by Hans Flower, with lyrics by Ke Riema, and performed by Bob Benny. The Dutch-speaking department of the Belgian participating broadcaster, the (NIR/INR), selected its entry through a national final.
Before Eurovision
The (NIR/INR), whose official name in Dutch was (NIR), delegated its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 to its Dutch-speaking department, which developed the national final format in order to select its entry for contest. Eighteen entries competed in the competition that consisted of two semi-finals held on 1 and 8 February 1959 leading to a two-song final on 15 February 1959. All three shows were hosted by .
Format The format of the competition consisted of three shows: two semi-finals on 1 and 8 February 1959 and the final on 15 February 1959. Each semi-final featured nine competing entries from which one advanced from each show to complete the two song lineup in the final. Results during both semi-finals and final were determined by a jury of music experts.
Competing entries Nine composers were approached by NIR to create the songs for the contest. Each composer wrote two songs for the contest. Then, NIR selected performers for the songs. The selected composers were: Jef Trappeniers, Johnny Steggerda, , Jack Say, Pieter Leemans, Armand Preud'homme, , , and Jack Sels. It is unknown why "" was submitted twice.
+Competing entries Artist SongSongwriter(s)ComposerLyricist Al Verlane "Alles is nu voorbij"Pieter LeemansEric Franssen"In d'eenzaamheid"Jack SayEric FranssenBob Benny"Hou toch van mij""Riviera-riviera"Jan Marcken"Zingeling""Zoals heerlijk als nu (zoals nu)""Weekend melodie"Armand Preud'hommeA. FranckEric Franssen"Liefde"Marc de Corte"Twee harten, één gedachte (amore...)"Jack SayEric FranssenJean Walter"Alles is nu voorbij"Pieter LeemansEric Franssen"Als ik je verlaat"Armand Preud'hommeCusters"Mijn liedje is uit"Marc de CorteJo Leemans"Levenssymphonie"Jef TrappeniersJacques Mollé"Wij moeten dankbaar zijn"Johnny Steggerda "De klokkentoren""Een wiegje in witte satijn"Jef TrappeniersLuc VerbistTerry Lester"Eens in het leven"Jack Sels "Voor u alleen"Jack Sels
Semi-finals The first semi-final took place on 1 February 1959 at the Funkis Cinema in Herentals. The second semi-final took place on 8 February 1959 at the Apollo in Antwerp.
+ Semi-final 11 February 1959 Artist Song Votes Place Result 1Al Verlane"Alles is nu voorbij" 0 5 2"De klokkentoren" 0 5 3Eric Franssen"Twee harten, één gedachte (amore...)" 0 5 4Bob Benny"Riviera-riviera" 1 3 5Jo Leemans"Levenssymphonie" 5 1 Qualified 6"Zoals heerlijk als nu (zoals nu)" 1 3 7Jean Walter"Mijn liedje is uit" 0 5 8Jean Walter"Als ik je verlaat" 2 2 9Terry Lester"Voor u alleen" 0 5
+ Semi-final 28 February 1959 Artist Song Votes Place Result 1"Zingeling" 0 6 2Bob Benny"Hou toch van mij" 4 1 Qualified 3Jo Leemans"Wij moeten dankbaar zijn" 0 6 4Al Verlane"In d'eenzaamheid" 0 6 5Terry Lester"Eens in het leven" 0 6 6"Weekend melodie" 1 2 7Eric Franssen"Liefde" 1 2 8Jean Walter"Alles is nu voorbij" 1 2 9"Een wiegje in witte satijn" 1 2
Final The final was held on 15 February 1959 at 21:25 CET as part of NIR's TV show Show Band Show at the Cultural and Artistic Center in Uccle. The song "Hou toch van mij" written by Ke Riema, composed by Hans Flower and performed by Bob Benny, was selected as the winner.
+ Final15 February 1959 Artist Song Votes Place 1Jo Leemans"Levenssymphonie" 0 2 2Bob Benny"Hou toch van mij" 11 1
Artist selection An article by suggested that there might have been no guarantee that the artist who performed the winning song in the national final would be the same artist to perform the song at the Eurovision Song Contest. The article stated that Jo Leemans and Jean Walter had put themselves forward to sing the song and that Bob Benny had little chance of going to the Eurovision Song Contest, although he was eventually selected.
At Eurovision On the night of the final Bob Benny performed last in the running order, following the . Voting was by 10-member national juries with each member awarding 1 vote to his/her favourite song. At the close of the voting "" had received 9 votes (3 from , 2 from and the United Kingdom and 1 from and the ), placing Belgium joint 6th (with ) of the 11 entries.
Voting
+Votes awarded to Belgium Score Country 3 votes 2 votes 1 vote
+Votes awarded by Belgium Score Country 3 votes 2 votes 1 vote
Notes
References