1963 NETHERLANDS EUROVISION SELECTION

Date - January 23, 1963 (cancelled)

Official title - Nationaal Songfestival 1963

Organising broadcaster - NTS

Location - Theater Tivoli, Utrecht

Selection committee - Dolf van der Linden (chairman) / Pi Scheffer / René Sleeswijk / Lex Karsemeijer / Ferry van Delden / Bert Paige / Jan de Cler / Gijs Stappershoef

Note 1 - The 1963 national final in the Netherlands was cancelled due to the musicians of the Metropole Orchestra taking part in a general musicians' strike. As a result the three songs which had been selected for the chosen candidate, Annie Palmen - and which had already been orchestrated - could not be performed with orchestral accompaniment of the Metropole Orchestra or any other broadcasting orchestra. Instead, the selection committee picked the song they felt was most suitable, 'Speeldoos'. This song was first performed by Annie Palmen (in playback!) in VARA's Rudi Carrell Show on February 8

Note 2 - 'Speeldoos' had had two different titles before taking on its final shape. Goemans had originally written it as 'Geen ander', but submitted it to the selection committee as 'Droombeeld'. At the request of the committee, though, he wrote a new version of the lyrics, 'Speeldoos'

Note 3 - Originally, Annie Palmen was scheduled to perform four rather than three songs in the 1963 Nationaal Songfestival. The fourth title, however, 'Bij jou', was excluded from the competition due to its lyricist, Karel Prior, being a producer at AVRO Television - and deemed to close to the fire to be eligible for the competition. This title, which Palmen recorded as the B side of the single release of 'Speeldoos', is given below as a withdrawn entry

Annie Palmen with Rudi Carrell during rehearsals of the show in which she revealed her Eurovision entry 'Speeldoos' to the Dutch TV audience

PARTICIPATING ENTRIES 

Song 1

Title – "Kijk daar is de zon"

Lyrics – Emile Lopez

Composition – Eddy de Jong

Studio arrangement – none

Live orchestration – Kees Bruyn

Song 2

Title – "Speeldoos"

Lyrics – Pieter Goemans

Composition – Pieter Goemans

Studio arrangement – Bert Paige

(studio orchestra conducted by Bert Paige)

Live orchestration – Bert Paige

Song 3

Title – "Hoor je mij"

Lyrics – Willy van Hemert

Composition – Dick Schallies

Studio arrangement – none

Live orchestration – Joop Elders

Withdrawn entry

Title – "Bij jou"

Lyrics – Karel Prior

Composition – Johnny Holshuysen

Studio arrangement – Bert Paige

(studio orchestra conducted by Bert Paige)

Live orchestration – none