Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996
Belgium was represented by Lisa del Bo with the song "Liefde is een kaartspel" at the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest.
| Eurovision Song Contest 1996 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | .svg.png){kind=small} | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | De gouden zeemeermin | |||
| Selection date(s) | Semi-finals: 3 February 1996 10 February 1996 17 February 1996 24 February 1996 Final: 9 March 1996 | |||
| Selected entrant | Lisa del Bo | |||
| Selected song | "Liefde is een kaartspel" | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 16th, 22 points | |||
| Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Before Eurovision
De gouden zeemeermin
40 songs in total took part in the De gouden zeemeermin, which consisted of four semi-finals between 3 and 24 February 1996 and a final on 9 March 1996. All five shows took place at the Knokke Casino studios in Knokke, hosted by Michel Follet and Alexandra Potvin.
Ten songs competed in each semi-final with the top three from each qualifying for the final. The results for the semi-finals were determined exclusively by a seven-member jury, who each awarded 12, 10, 8–1 points to their top ten songs, although they could give each song any mark they wished (i.e. they could award 12 points to more than one song if they chose). The results in the final were determined by the votes of five regional juries in Belgium, a press jury and an expert jury.
Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place on 3 February 1996 where ten entries were performed. The top three entries voted upon by a seven-member jury advanced to the final. As there was a tie between the third and fourth place, the tie for third place was broken by each judge naming their preferred song, with 5 choosing Garry Hagger against 2 choosing Chris.
| Semi-final 1 – 3 February 1996 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Dave & Steve | "Geen illusie" | 57 | 6 |
| 2 | Chris | "De toekomst" | 60 | 4 |
| 3 | Garry Hagger | "Dat ik van je hou" | 60 | 3 |
| 4 | Chalina | "Toon wat" | 37 | 9 |
| 5 | Scharnier | "Oorlog" | 44 | 8 |
| 6 | Patrick Alessi | "Een andere wereld" | 71 | 1 |
| 7 | Marleen | "De kleine dingen" | 50 | 7 |
| 8 | Frank Valentino | "Hey Mister Lennon" | 58 | 5 |
| 9 | Mario Caselli | "Mademoiselle" | 67 | 2 |
| 10 | Rindu Rindu | "Golven van verlangen" | 30 | 10 |
| Detailed Jury Votes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Song | G. De Pré | L. Demaré | M. Bilouet | S. Devos | M. Deschuyter | N. Nijs | R. Burms | Total |
| 1 | "Geen illusie" | 10 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 57 |
| 2 | "De toekomst" | 8 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 60 |
| 3 | "Dat ik van je hou" | 8 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 60 |
| 4 | "Toon wat" | 6 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 37 |
| 5 | "Oorlog" | 5 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 44 |
| 6 | "Een andere wereld" | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 71 |
| 7 | "De kleine dingen" | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 50 |
| 8 | "Hey Mister Lennon" | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 58 |
| 9 | "Mademoiselle" | 10 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 67 |
| 10 | "Golven van verlangen" | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 30 |
Semi-final 2
The second semi-final took place on 10 February 1996 where ten entries were performed. The top three entries voted upon by a seven-member jury advanced to the final.
| Semi-final 2 – 10 February 1996 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Beau Geste | "Overmoed" | 50 | 7 |
| 2 | Axel Lane | "Laat me" | 45 | 10 |
| 3 | Chelsy | "Kijk me aan" | 66 | 2 |
| 4 | Gunther Levi | "Vandaag" | 63 | 4 |
| 5 | Angie C | "Ritme van een lach" | 47 | 9 |
| 6 | William Reven | "Zo voel ik vandaag" | 64 | 3 |
| 7 | Davy Gilles | "Elke nacht" | 48 | 8 |
| 8 | Mieke | "Op dit moment" | 63 | 4 |
| 9 | Fair Play | "Laat haar niet alleen" | 51 | 6 |
| 10 | Sabien Tiels | "Nooit meer alleen" | 70 | 1 |
| Detailed Jury Votes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Song | G. De Pré | L. Demaré | M. Bilouet | S. Devos | M. Deschuyter | N. Nijs | R. Burms | Total |
| 1 | "Overmoed" | 6 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 50 |
| 2 | "Laat me" | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 45 |
| 3 | "Kijk me aan" | 6 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 66 |
| 4 | "Vandaag" | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 63 |
| 5 | "Ritme van een lach" | 8 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 47 |
| 6 | "Zo voel ik vandaag" | 10 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 64 |
| 7 | "Elke nacht" | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 48 |
| 8 | "Op dit moment" | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 63 |
| 9 | "Laat haar niet alleen" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 51 |
| 10 | "Nooit meer alleen" | 10 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 70 |
Semi-final 3
The third semi-final took place on 17 February 1996 where ten entries were performed. The top three entries voted upon by a seven-member jury advanced to the final.
| Semi-final 3 – 17 February 1996 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Enzo | "Mooi" | 74 | 1 |
| 2 | Hans van den Stock | "Blijf steeds bij mij" | 42 | 7 |
| 3 | Chadia | "Hou van mij" | 40 | 8 |
| 4 | Phil Kevin | "Als ik er niet meer ben" | 33 | 10 |
| 5 | Kaye | "Het nieuwe begint" | 34 | 9 |
| 6 | Rudy Meyns | "Ik hou van jou" | 49 | 6 |
| 7 | Corina | "Wereld van muziek" | 53 | 5 |
| 8 | Marijn Devalck | "Hou me in je hart" | 57 | 4 |
| 9 | Splinter | "Ik laat je nooit meer gaan" | 67 | 3 |
| 10 | Lisa del Bo | "Liefde is een kaartspel" | 72 | 2 |
| Detailed Jury Votes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Song | G. De Pré | L. Demaré | M. Bilouet | S. Devos | M. Deschuyter | N. Nijs | R. Burms | Total |
| 1 | "Mooi" | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 74 |
| 2 | "Blijf steeds bij mij" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 42 |
| 3 | "Hou van mij" | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 40 |
| 4 | "Als ik er niet meer ben" | 6 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 33 |
| 5 | "Het nieuwe begint" | 5 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 34 |
| 6 | "Ik hou van jou" | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
| 7 | "Wereld van muziek" | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 53 |
| 8 | "Hou me in je hart" | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 57 |
| 9 | "Ik laat je nooit meer gaan" | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 67 |
| 10 | "Liefde is een kaartspel" | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 72 |
Semi-final 4
The fourth semi-final took place on 24 February 1996 where ten entries were performed. The top three entries voted upon by a seven-member jury advanced to the final.
| Semi-final 4 – 24 February 1996 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Cold Pizza | "Vertrouwen" | 55 | 4 |
| 2 | Peter van Laet | "Er is iets" | 62 | 3 |
| 3 | Onah | "Neem de biezen" | 43 | 7 |
| 4 | P C Brown | "Dans met mij" | 40 | 9 |
| 5 | Nadia | "Morgen komt de lente" | 66 | 1 |
| 6 | Tempo | "M'n liefste" | 54 | 5 |
| 7 | Pino | "Onbereikbaar maar dichtbij" | 43 | 7 |
| 8 | Aperitivo | "Jij" | 28 | 10 |
| 9 | Doran | "Jij alleen" | 64 | 2 |
| 10 | Chrissy | "Ik wil so graag bij jou zijn" | 47 | 6 |
| Detailed Jury Votes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Song | G. De Pré | L. Demaré | M. Bilouet | S. Devos | M. Deschuyter | N. Nijs | R. Burms | Total |
| 1 | "Vertrouwen" | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 55 |
| 2 | "Er is iets" | 7 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 62 |
| 3 | "Neem de biezen" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 43 |
| 4 | "Dans met mij" | 6 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 40 |
| 5 | "Morgen komt de lente" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 66 |
| 6 | "M'n liefste" | 10 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 54 |
| 7 | "Onbereikbaar maar dichtbij" | 7 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 43 |
| 8 | "Jij" | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 28 |
| 9 | "Jij alleen" | 10 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 64 |
| 10 | "Ik wil so graag bij jou zijn" | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 47 |
Final
The final took place on 9 March 1996 where the twelve entries that advanced from the preceding four semi-finals were performed. The winner was selected by a combination of votes from five regional juries in Belgium (5% each), a press jury (25%) and an expert jury (50%). "Liefde is een kaartspel" performed by Lisa del Bo was selected as the winner, having been ranked first by all but the press jury. The top three songs had all come from the third semi-final.[1]
| Final – 9 March 1996 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Lisa del Bo | "Liefde is een kaartspel" | 215 | 1 |
| 2 | Patrick Alessi | "Een andere wereld" | 73 | 11 |
| 3 | Chelsy | "Kijk me aan" | 128 | 8 |
| 4 | William Reven | "Zo voel ik vandaag" | 119 | 9 |
| 5 | Nadia | "Morgen komt de lente" | 135 | 7 |
| 6 | Peter van Laet | "Er is iets" | 143 | 4 |
| 7 | Sabine Tiels | "Nooit meer alleen" | 139 | 6 |
| 8 | Doran | "Jij alleen" | 37 | 12 |
| 9 | Garry Hagger | "Dat ik van je hou" | 141 | 5 |
| 10 | Splinter | "Ik laat je nooit meer gaan" | 189 | 2 |
| 11 | Enzo | "Mooi" | 151 | 3 |
| 12 | Mario Caselli | "Mademoiselle" | 90 | 10 |
| Detailed Jury Votes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Song | Regional Juries | Press Jury |
Expert Jury |
Total | ||||
| Antwerp | Limburg | East Flanders |
Flemish Brabant |
West Flanders | |||||
| 1 | "Liefde is een kaartspel" | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 35 | 120 | 215 |
| 2 | "Een andere wereld" | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 40 | 20 | 73 |
| 3 | "Kijk me aan" | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 90 | 128 |
| 4 | "Zo voel ik vandaag" | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 50 | 60 | 119 |
| 5 | "Morgen komt de lente" | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 25 | 80 | 135 |
| 6 | "Er is iets" | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 55 | 40 | 143 |
| 7 | "Nooit meer alleen" | 4 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 100 | 139 |
| 8 | "Jij alleen" | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 37 |
| 9 | "Dat ik van je hou" | 6 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 45 | 70 | 141 |
| 10 | "Ik laat je nooit meer gaan" | 11 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 30 | 110 | 189 |
| 11 | "Mooi" | 9 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 60 | 50 | 151 |
| 12 | "Mademoiselle" | 7 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 30 | 90 |
At Eurovision
In 1996, for the only time in Eurovision history, an audio-only pre-qualifying round of the 29 songs entered (excluding hosts Norway who were exempt) was held in March in order for the seven lowest-scoring songs to be eliminated before the final. "Liefde is een kartspel" placed 12th, thus qualifying for the final. As of 2020, this is the last time Belgium had sung its entry in Dutch.
On the night of the final del Bo performed 16th in the running order, following the Netherlands and preceding the eventual winner Ireland. At the close of the voting "Liefde is een kaartspel" placed 16th of the 23 entries, having received 22 points. Oddly, 17 of its points came from two of the first three countries to vote: the maximum 12 from Spain and 5 from the United Kingdom. The result was not good enough to prevent Belgium from being relegated from the 1997 contest on the cumulative countback rule. The Belgian jury awarded its 12 points to the United Kingdom.[2]
"Liefde is een kaartspel" later became embroiled in controversy when it was alleged that it had been plagiarised by Sweden's 2001 Eurovision entry "Listen To Your Heartbeat". This was initially denied by the writers of the Swedish song, but Belgian songwriters' association SABAM threatened legal action, and a cash settlement was agreed to forestall this.[3]
Voting
Points awarded to Belgium
| 12 points | 10 points | 8 points | 7 points | 6 points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 points | 4 points | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
Points awarded by Belgium
| 12 points |  |
| 10 points |  |
| 8 points |  |
| 7 points |  |
| 6 points |  |
| 5 points |  |
| 4 points |  |
| 3 points |  |
| 2 points |  |
| 1 point |  |
External links
References
- ESC National Finals database 1996
- ESC History - Belgium 1996
- "Sweden's entry 2001 now officially plagiarism" ESCToday.com, 9 August 2003