"Ding-a-dong" (original Dutch title: "Ding dinge dong", as it was introduced in the titles when broadcast) was the title of the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1975. It was sung by Teach-In, representing the Netherlands, and was written by Dick Bakker, Will Luikinga, and Eddy Ouwens.
Contents[]
History[edit][]
"Ding-a-dong" was notable for being one of the Eurovision winners that had quirky or entirely nonsensical titles or lyrics, following in the footsteps of Massiel's "La La La" in 1968 and Lulu's "Boom Bang-a-Bang" in 1969, later followed by theHerreys' "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" in 1984. "Ding-a-dong" was performed first on the performance night (preceding Ireland'sThe Swarbriggs with "That's What Friends Are For"). The song was the first winner under the now-familiar Eurovision voting system whereby each country awards scores of 1-8, 10 and 12. At the close of voting, it had received 152 points, placing first in a field of nineteen. As the first song performed during the evening, the victory ran contrary to the fact that success usually went songs performed later in the broadcast. According to author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor'sThe Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, this was the first of three occasions when the first song would win the contest, the second coming the following year in 1976.[1]
The song, performed entirely in English, was an up-tempo ode to positive thought. The band (only the second to win the Contest in a non-native language after ABBA the year before) sings that one should "sing a song that goes ding ding-a-dong" when one is feeling unhappy, and continues "Ding-a-dong every hour, when you pick a flower. Even when your lover is gone, gone, gone." On the night of the Dutch National Song Contest, the song had already been selected to be performed at Eurovision, but there were two other singers competing for the honor of performing the song: Albert West and Debbie.
In the UK the song reached number 13 in the singles chart. Teach-In also recorded "Ding-A-Dong" in German, as "Ding ding-a-dong".
Charts[edit][]
| Charts (1975) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 13 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 3 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 1 |
Covers[edit][]
Edwyn Collins did a cover of the song for Eurotrash. "Ding-a-Dong" was also recorded by German band beFour for their fourth studio album Friends 4 Ever and released as the second single in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
| "Ding-A-Dong" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [1] | ||||
| Single by beFour | ||||
| from the album Friends 4 Ever | ||||
| Released | 17 April 2009 | |||
| Format | CD single | |||
| Recorded | 2009 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:32 | |||
| Writer(s) | Will Luikinga, Eddy Ouwens | |||
| beFour singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Charts[edit][]
| Chart (2009) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart | 61 |
References[edit][]
- ^ O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. 2007 ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3
External links[edit][]
- Official Eurovision Song Contest site, history by year, 1975
- Detailed info and lyrics, Diggiloo Thrush, "Ding-A-Dong"
| Preceded by
"Griechischer Wein" by Udo Jürgens |
Swiss Singles Chart number-one single
18 April 1975 - 16 May 1975 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by
"I Can Help" by Billy Swan |
Norwegian Singles Chart number-one single
21 April 1975 - 9 June 1975 |
Succeeded by
"Love Hurts" by Nazareth |
| Preceded by | Eurovision Song Contest winners
1975 |
Succeeded by |