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Eurovision Song Contest 1996
Country Belgium
National selection
Selection processDe gouden zeemeermin
Selection date(s)Semi-finals:
3 February 1996
10 February 1996
17 February 1996
24 February 1996
Final:
9 March 1996
Selected entrantLisa del Bo
Selected song"Liefde is een kaartspel"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • John Terra
  • Siirak Brogden
  • Daniël Ditmar
Finals performance
Final result16th, 22 points
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄1995 1996 1998►

Belgium was represented by Lisa del Bo with the song "Liefde is een kaartspel" at the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest.

Before Eurovision

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De Gouden Zeemeermin

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De Gouden Zeemeermin (The Golden Mermaid) was the national final format developed by BRTN in order to select Belgian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1996. 40 songs in total took part in the national final, 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 and were hosted by Michel Follet and Alexandra Potvin.[1]

Competing Entries

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Artists wishing to compete in De Gouden Zeemeermin had to submit a photograph, biography, and at least two recorded songs to BRTN. Out of 117 applications, 40 were chosen to compete and they had until 8 January 1996 to submit a song. Prior to 8 January 1996, two candidates withdrew their participation: Katja Vandl and Ann Swartenbroeckx. They were replaced by Kaye and Chrissy.[1]

Artist Song Songwriter(s)
Angie C "Ritme van een lach" Bauwens, Anne Clicteur
Aperitivo "Jij" Unknown
Axel Lane "Laat me" Unknown
Beau Geste "Overmoed" Dirk De Groef
Chadia "Hou van mij" Unknown
Chalina "Toon wat" Unknown
Chelsy "Kijk me aan" Sander Van der Heide
Chris "De toekomst" Ernst Vranckx, M. Geyskens
Chrissy "Ik wil so graag bij jou zijn" Chrissy Degraef, J. Lake, U. Vaneylen
Cold Pizza "Vertrouwen" Bart Tsiobbel
Corina "Wereld van muziek" Peter Keereman
Dave & Steve "Geen illusie" Fred Beekmans
Davy Gilles "Elke nacht" Jean-Pierre Daghelet, Dennis Peirs
Doran "Jij alleen" Piet Triest, Vira Bontemps, Christel Devos
En Zo "Mooi" Koen De Beir, Adriaan Larson, Filip D'haeze
Fair Play "Laat haar niet alleen" Carl Coenen, Marc Roefs, Ivo Roefs
Frank Valentino "Hey Mister Lennon" Sidro, Dennis Peirs
Garry Hagger "Dat ik van je hou" Fred Beekmans
Gunther Levi "Vandaag" Gunther Levi
Hans van den Stock "Blijf steeds bij mij" Unknown
Kaye "Het nieuwe begint" Unknown
Lisa del Bo "Liefde is een kaartspel" John Terra, Daniël Ditmar
Marijn De Valck "Hou me in je hart" Marc Malyster, Marijn De Valck
Mario Caselli "Mademoiselle" Chrystoff Wybouw, Patrick Hamilton
Marleen "De kleine dingen" Alides Hiding
Mieke "Op dit moment" Edwin Schimscheimer
Nadia "Morgen komt de lente" Lou Roman, Paul Vermeulen, Dieter Troubleyn
Onah "Neem de biezen" Verhelst
P.C. Brown "Dans met mij" Jan Pieter Liedmann
Patrick Alessi "Een andere wereld" Patrick Alessi
Peter Van Laet "Er is iets" Marc Van Hie, Walter Mannaerts, Peter Van Laet
Phil Kevin "Als ik er niet meer ben" Unknown
Pino "Onbereikbaar maar dichtbij" Bongiovanni, Alexandre
Rindu Rindu "Golven van verlangen" Fernande
Rudy Meyns "Ik hou van jou" Raymond Felix, Jacques Verburgt
Sabien Tiels "Nooit meer alleen" Sabien Tiels
Scharnier "Oorlog" Unknown
Splinter "Ik laat je nooit meer gaan" Guido Sergooris, Hedwig Desmesmaeker
Tempo "M'n liefste" Yves Segers
William Reven "Zo voel ik vandaag" Constant Verfaillie, Rodrigo Salgado, William Reven, Dennis Peirs

Semi-finals

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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 professional jury, who each awarded 12, 10, or 8–1 points to each song (i.e. they could award 12 points to more than one song if they chose). The professional jury consisted of: Guy De Pré, Leen Demaré, Marc Brillouet, Sabine De Vos, Marc De Schuyter, Nora Nys, and Ro Burms. Former Belgian Eurovision representative, Jacques Raymond, acted as a non-voting chairman of the jury.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Semi-final 1 – 3 February 1996
Draw Artist Song Points Place
1 Dave & Steve "Geen illusie" 57 6
2 Chris "De toekomst" 60 4[a]
3 Garry Hagger "Dat ik van je hou" 60 3[a]
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
Semi-final 1 – Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song
G. De Pré
L. Demaré
M. Brillouet
S. De Vos
M. De Schuyter
N. Nys
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 – 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
Semi-final 2 – Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song
G. De Pré
L. Demaré
M. Brillouet
S. De Vos
M. De Schuyter
N. Nys
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 – 17 February 1996
Draw Artist Song Points Place
1 En Zo "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 De Valck "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
Semi-final 3 – Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song
G. De Pré
L. Demaré
M. Brillouet
S. De Vos
M. De Schuyter
N. Nys
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 – 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
Semi-final 4 – Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song
G. De Pré
L. Demaré
M. Brillouet
S. De Vos
M. De Schuyter
N. Nys
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

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The final took place on 9 March 1996 and the twelve entries that advanced from the preceding four semi-finals competed. The winner was selected by a combination of votes from five regional juries in Belgium (25%), a press jury (25%) and a professional jury (50%). The professional jury consisted of the same seven members as in the semi-finals. "Liefde is een kaartspel" performed by Lisa del Bo was selected as the winner, having been ranked first by all but the press jury.[1][7][8]

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 En Zo "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

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In 1996, for the only time in Eurovision history, an audio-only 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.[9] As of 2022, this is the last time that 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.[10] 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.[11]

"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.[12]

Voting

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Qualifying round

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Final

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b As there was a tie between third and fourth placed songs in the first semi-final, the tie for third place was broken by each judge naming their preferred song, with 5 choosing Garry Hagger against 2 choosing Chris.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Vermeulen, André (2021). Van Canzonissima tot Eurosong. 65 jaar Belgische preselecties voor het Eurovisiesongfestival. Leuven: Kritak. ISBN 978-94-014-7609-6. OCLC 1240241113.
  2. ^ "BELGIAN SEMI-FINALS 1996". natfinals.50webs.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  3. ^ Van Den Abeele, Chris. "The Belgian Preselection 1996: First Selection". Archived from the original on 22 April 2012.
  4. ^ Van Den Abeele, Chris. "The Belgian Preselection 1996: Second Selection". Archived from the original on 22 April 2012.
  5. ^ Van Den Abeele, Chris. "The Belgian Preselection 1996: Third Selection". Archived from the original on 22 April 2012.
  6. ^ Van Den Abeele, Chris. "The Belgian Preselection 1996: Fourth Selection". Archived from the original on 22 April 2012.
  7. ^ "BELGIAN NATIONAL FINAL 1996". natfinals.50webs.com. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  8. ^ Van Den Abeele, Chris. "The Belgian Preselection 1996". Archived from the original on 6 October 2011.
  9. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2020). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume Four: The 1990s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 255–261. ISBN 978-1-84583-163-9.
  10. ^ "Final of Oslo 1996". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  11. ^ ESC History - Eurovision - Belgium 1996
  12. ^ "Sweden's entry 2001 now officially plagiarism" ESCToday.com, 9 August 2003
  13. ^ a b Roxburgh, Gordon (2020). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume Four: The 1990s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-84583-163-9.
  14. ^ a b "Results of the Final of Oslo 1996". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.

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