We celebrate the winners here. We also celebrate the also-rans. And, indeed, we celebrate the last places too. After all, there are many last-placed songs that are better known than the songs that beat them.
Today we take a trip back to the early 1970s. The French language was dominating, as were small countries. It wasn’t to last, but some of their neighbours were having the opposite luck. Like Belgium. Today’s birthday boy Hugo Sigal – actually born in what’s now the Democratic Republic of Congo – teamed up with his wife Nicole. They made the short trip to Luxembourg in their purple jumpsuits. What could possibly, possibly go wrong? Well, mix in the 32 jurors that could give between one and five points per song, and it was obvious that Nicole & Hugo’s schtick wasn’t really the thing for 1973. Nevertheless, 46 – yes, 46 – years on, this three minutes of song is a joy to behold. And if you get bored with N&H, their backing singers should carry you through.
Hugo is 72 today.
Gefeliciteerd/Bonne anniversaire/Mbotama elamu, Hugo!