Eurovision Song Contest 1965
The Eurovision Song Contest 1965 was the tenth edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Naples, Italy, following the country's victory at the 1964 contest with the song "Non ho l'età" by Gigliola Cinquetti. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), the contest was held at Sala di Concerto della RAI on 20 March 1965, and was hosted by Italian singer Renata Mauro.
Eurovision Song Contest 1965 | |
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Dates | |
Final | 20 March 1965 |
Host | |
Venue | Sala di Concerto della RAI Naples, Italy |
Presenter(s) | Renata Mauro |
Musical director | Gianni Ferrio |
Directed by | Romolo Siena |
Executive supervisor | Miroslav Vilček |
Host broadcaster | Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) |
Website | eurovision |
Participants | |
Number of entries | 18 |
Debuting countries | ![]() |
Returning countries | ![]() |
Non-returning countries | None |
Participation map
| |
Vote | |
Voting system | Ten-member juries awarded points (5, 3 and 1, or combinations thereof) to their three favourite songs. |
Nul points | |
Winning song | ![]() "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" |
Eighteen countries participated in the contest - setting a new record for the highest number of entrants in the competition until that point. Sweden returned after being absent from the previous edition, while Ireland made its debut.
Luxembourg won for the second time with the highly controversial "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" sung by the French singer France Gall, and written by Serge Gainsbourg, which later went on to be a massive hit in almost all European countries. It was the first winning song since the Netherlands' "Een beetje" in 1959 to not be a ballad, being the first pop song to ever win the competition. For the fourth consecutive year, four countries all scored nul points; Belgium, Finland, Germany, and Spain - all of which finished with no points for the second time in the contest's history.[1]
Location

The contest took place in Naples, the capital of region Campania in southern Italy and the third-largest city in Italy, after Rome and Milan. This was Italy's first hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest. The host venue was the then new Sala di Concerto della RAI (RAI Concert Hall) belonging to the RAI Production Centre of Naples, founded few years prior to the contest. It is located in Viale Marconi in the district of Fuorigrotta. The structure has three TV studios for a total of 1227 m2 and capacity of 370 persons, used for the filming of programs and fiction and an auditorium. The Neapolitan song archives are also housed in it.[1][2]
Format
Each country had 10 jury members who distributed three points among their one, two, or three favourite songs. The points were totalled and the first, second, and third placed songs were awarded 5, 3, and 1 votes in order. If only one song got every point within the jury it would get all 9 points. If only two songs were chosen, the songs would get 6 and 3 points in order.
Ingvar Wixell, the Swedish participant performed his song in English instead of the original Swedish title "Annorstädes vals". The native languages were used for all of the other participants. This led to a rule being introduced for the next 1966 edition, that meant all participants had to perform their songs using one of their national languages.[1]
Participating countries
18 countries took part, with the Eurovision Song Contest reaching its highest number until then. Sweden returned after a one-year absence, and Ireland entered for the first time. Ireland would later become the most successful country in the competition, scoring seven wins in total.
Returning artists
Artist | Country | Previous year(s) |
---|---|---|
Conchita Bautista | ![]() |
1961 |
Vice Vukov | ![]() |
1963 |
Udo Jürgens | ![]() |
1964 |
Conductors
Each performance had a conductor who led the orchestra.[3][4]
Netherlands – Dolf van der Linden
United Kingdom – Eric Robinson
Spain – Adolfo Ventas Rodríguez
Ireland – Gianni Ferrio
Germany – Alfred Hause
Austria – Gianni Ferrio
Norway – Øivind Bergh
Belgium – Gaston Nuyts
Monaco – Raymond Bernard
Sweden – William Lind
France – Franck Pourcel
Portugal – Fernando de Carvalho
Italy – Gianni Ferrio
Denmark – Arne Lamberth
Luxembourg – Alain Goraguer
Finland – George de Godzinsky
Yugoslavia – Radivoje Spasić
Switzerland – Mario Robbiani
Participants and results
R/O | Country | Artist | Song | Language[5][6] | Points | Place[7] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Conny Vandenbos | "'t Is genoeg" | Dutch | 5 | 11 |
2 | ![]() |
Kathy Kirby | "I Belong" | English | 26 | 2 |
3 | ![]() |
Conchita Bautista | "¡Qué bueno, qué bueno!" | Spanish | 0 | 15 |
4 | ![]() |
Butch Moore | "Walking the Streets in the Rain" | English | 11 | 6 |
5 | ![]() |
Ulla Wiesner | "Paradies, wo bist du?" | German | 0 | 15 |
6 | ![]() |
Udo Jürgens | "Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüßen" | German | 16 | 4 |
7 | ![]() |
Kirsti Sparboe | "Karusell" | Norwegian | 1 | 13 |
8 | ![]() |
Lize Marke | "Als het weer lente is" | Dutch | 0 | 15 |
9 | ![]() |
Marjorie Noël | "Va dire à l'amour" | French | 7 | 9 |
10 | ![]() |
Ingvar Wixell | "Absent Friend" | English | 6 | 10 |
11 | ![]() |
Guy Mardel | "N'avoue jamais" | French | 22 | 3 |
12 | ![]() |
Simone de Oliveira | "Sol de inverno" | Portuguese | 1 | 13 |
13 | ![]() |
Bobby Solo | "Se piangi, se ridi" | Italian | 15 | 5 |
14 | ![]() |
Birgit Brüel | "For din skyld" | Danish | 10 | 7 |
15 | ![]() |
France Gall | "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" | French | 32 | 1 |
16 | ![]() |
Viktor Klimenko | "Aurinko laskee länteen" | Finnish | 0 | 15 |
17 | ![]() |
Vice Vukov | "Čežnja" (Чежња) | Serbo-Croatian | 2 | 12 |
18 | ![]() |
Yovanna | "Non, à jamais sans toi" | French | 8 | 8 |
Detailed voting results
Each country had 10 jury members who distributed three points among their one, two, or three favourite songs. The points were totalled and the first, second, and third placed songs were awarded 5, 3, and 1 votes in order. If only one song got every point within the jury it would get all 9 points. If only two songs were chosen, the songs would get 6 and 3 points in order.
Netherlands | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 26 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||
Spain | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Ireland | 11 | 3 | 5 | 3 | |||||||||||||||
Germany | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Austria | 16 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | ||||||||||||||
Norway | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
Belgium | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Monaco | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
Sweden | 6 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
France | 22 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||
Portugal | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
Italy | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||||
Denmark | 10 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
Luxembourg | 32 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | ||||||||
Finland | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Yugoslavia | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
Switzerland | 8 | 3 | 5 |
5 points
Below is a summary of all 5 points in the final:
N. | Contestant | Nation(s) giving 5 points |
---|---|---|
4 | ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
2 | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
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![]() ![]() | |
![]() |
![]() ![]() | |
1 | ![]() |
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Spokespersons
Listed below is the order in which votes were cast during the 1965 contest along with the spokesperson who was responsible for announcing the votes for their respective country.
Netherlands – Dick van Bommel[10]
United Kingdom – TBD
Spain – Pepe Palau
Ireland – Frank Hall
Germany – Lia Wöhr
Austria – Walter Richard Langer
Norway – Sverre Christophersen
Belgium – Ward Bogaert
Monaco – TBC
Sweden – Edvard Matz[11]
France – Jean-Claude Massoulier
Portugal – Maria Manuela Furtado
Italy – Enzo Tortora
Denmark – Claus Toksvig
Luxembourg – TBC
Finland – Poppe Berg
Yugoslavia – Ljubo Jelčić
Switzerland – Alexandre Burger
Broadcasts
Each participating broadcaster was required to relay the contest via its networks. Non-participating EBU member broadcasters were also able to relay the contest as "passive participants". Broadcasters were able to send commentators to provide coverage of the contest in their own native language and to relay information about the artists and songs to their television viewers.[12]
Known details on the broadcasts in each country, including the specific broadcasting stations and commentators are shown in the tables below. In addition to the participating countries, the contest was also reportedly broadcast in Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and the Soviet Union via Intervision.[4]
Country | Broadcaster | Channel(s) | Commentator(s) | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
MTV | MTV[lower-alpha 2] | Unknown | [52] |
Notes
References
- "Eurovision Song Contest 1965". EBU. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- "Sala di Concerto della RAI". Radio.Rai. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- "andtheconductoris.eu". andtheconductoris.eu. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 369–381. ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6.
- "Eurovision Song Contest 1965". The Diggiloo Thursh. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- "Eurovision Song Contest 1965". 4Lyrics.eu. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- "Final of Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- "Results of the Final of Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- "Eurovision Song Contest 1965 – Scoreboard". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
- "18 landen azen op het Eurovisie-goud". Limburgsch Dagblad. 20 March 1965. p. 25. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
- Thorsson, Leif; Verhage, Martin (2006). Melodifestivalen genom tiderna : de svenska uttagningarna och internationella finalerna (in Swedish). Stockholm: Premium Publishing. pp. 54–55. ISBN 91-89136-29-2.
- "The Rules of the Contest". European Broadcasting Union. 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- "Austria – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Belgium – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Radio en TV". Limburgs Dagblad (in Dutch). Heerlen, Netherlands. 20 March 1965. p. 33. Retrieved 28 December 2022 – via Delpher.
- "Radio-Télévision". Luxemburger Wort (in German and French). 20 March 1965. p. 22. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Radio – samedi 21 mars". Radio TV - Je vois tout (in French). Lausanne, Switzerland: Héliographia SA. 11 March 1965. pp. 70–72. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Denmark – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Programoversigt – 20/03/1965" (in Danish). LARM.fm. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Finland – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Radio ja televisio". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 20 March 1965. p. 33. Retrieved 7 November 2022. (subscription required)
- "18 iskelmää osallistuu tänään Eurovisiokilpailuun Napolissa". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 20 March 1965. p. 33. Retrieved 7 November 2022. (subscription required)
- "Programme TV". Radio TV - Je vois tout (in French). Lausanne, Switzerland: Héliographia SA. 11 March 1965. pp. 20–24. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "France – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Radio / Fernsehen". Bieler Tagblatt (in German). Biel, Switzerland. 20 March 1965. p. 35. Retrieved 27 December 2022 – via e-newspaperarchives.ch.
- "Germany – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Ireland – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Television and Radio". The Irish Times. 20 March 1965. p. 15. Retrieved 19 December 2022. (subscription required)
- Knox, David Blake (2015). Ireland and the Eurovision. Stillorgan, Dublin, Ireland: New Island Books. pp. 12–20. ISBN 978-1-84840-429-8.
- "Italy – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Oggi sul video". La Stampa (in Italian). 20 March 1965. p. 11. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Radio – sabato 20 marzo". Radiocorriere TV (in Italian). 14–20 March 1965. pp. 54–55. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- "Luxembourg – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Monaco – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Luxemburgs meijse bracht Napels in beweging". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Rotterdam, Netherlands. 20 March 1965. p. 13. Retrieved 28 December 2022 – via Delpher.
- "Netherlands – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Norway – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Radio-programmer". Moss Avis (in Norwegian). Moss, Norway. 20 March 1965. p. 12. Retrieved 28 December 2022 – via National Library of Norway.
- "Portugal – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Boletim do dia". Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese). 20 March 1965. p. 18. Retrieved 28 December 2022 – via Casa Comum.
- "Spain – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Radio y TV". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 20 March 1965. p. 31. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- HerGar, Paula (28 March 2018). "Todos los comentaristas de la historia de España en Eurovisión (y una única mujer en solitario)" (in Spanish). Los 40. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- "Sweden – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Radio–TV". Libera Stampa (in Italian). Lugano, Switzerland. 20 March 1965. p. 3. Retrieved 28 December 2022 – via Sistema bibliotecario ticinese.
- "Switzerland – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Eurovision Song Contest Grand Prix 1965". Radio Times. 20 March 1965. Retrieved 28 December 2022 – via BBC Genome Project.
- "United Kingdom – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Yugoslavia – Naples 1965". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Televizijske spored – sobota – 20. marca" (PDF). Glas (in Slovenian). Kranj, SR Slovenia, Yugoslavia. 20 March 1965. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Televizija – Subota, 20. ožujka". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Serbo-Croatian). Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia. 20 March 1965. p. 14. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "A TV műsora – szeptember 6-12". Rádió és Televízióújság (in Hungarian). 6 September 1965. p. 23. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022 – via MTVA Archívum.
External links
