1978 EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

Edition number - 23

Date - April 22, 1978

Official name - Concours Eurovision de la Chanson 1978

Host broadcaster - TF1, France

Host city - Paris

Venue - Palais des Congrès

Hosts - Léon Zitrone / Denise Fabre

Director - Bernard Lion

Producer - Bernard Lion assisted by Nicole Patin

Stage designer - Francis Robin

Executive producer - Michel Collignon

Musical director - François Rauber

Orchestra - freelance orchestra

Interval act - "My Heart Stood Still" Stéphane Grappelli (violin) & Oscar Peterson (piano) feat. Yehudi Menuhin (violin) / Kenny Clarke (drums) / Nils-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (bass)

Scrutineer - Frank Naef

Number of entries - 20

Winning entry - 'Abanibi' Izhar Cohen & The Alpha Beta (Israel)

Winning songwriters - Ehud Manor / Nurit Hirsh

Winning orchestrator - Nurit Hirsh

Winning conductor - Nurit Hirsh

Note - Greece's broadcaster ERT originally picked the title 'Na xeris s'agapo (Oh Maria)', to be performed by Anna Vissi as its entrant for Paris. Allegedly, a row broke out between its songwriter, Robert Williams, and the composer of another song for Anna Vissi, Doros Georgiadis, who claimed Williams did not have the right to represent Greece given that he did not have a Greek passport. Due to all this, the ERT decided to pick another song, 'Charlie Chaplin' by Sakis Tsikilis. Anna Vissi recorded 'Na xeris s'agapo (Oh Maria)' later in 1978 as the B-side of the single 'O cyrios Nobel', which was the song suggested by Georgiadis; strikingly, though, on the record sleeve, the song is given as having been composed by Georgiadis himself rather than Williams. 'Na xeris s'agapo (Oh Maria)' is given at the bottom of the results' list below as a withdrawn entry.

Charis Andreadis making his debut as a conductor in the Eurovision Song Contest, leading the orchestra in Paris for Tania Tsanaclidou

RESULT

1st place (157 votes)

ISRAEL

Song title – "Abanibi"

Rendition – Izhar Cohen & The Alpha Beta (Reuven Eretz / Lisa Gold-Rubin / Yitzhak Okev / Nehama Shutan / Ester Tzuberi)

Lyrics – Ehud Manor

Composition – Nurit Hirsh

Studio arrangement – Nurit Hirsh

Live orchestration – Nurit Hirsh

Conductor – Nurit Hirsh

2nd place (125 votes)

BELGIUM

Song title – “L’amour ça fait chanter la vie”

Rendition – Jean Vallée (Paul Goeders)

Lyrics – Jean Vallée

Composition – Jean Vallée

Studio arrangement – Jean Musy

Live orchestration – Jean Musy

Conductor – Jean Musy

3rd place (119 votes)

FRANCE

Song title – "Il y aura toujours des violons"

Rendition – Joël Prévost 

Lyrics – Didier Barbelivien

Composition – Gérard Stern

Studio arrangement – Alain Goraguer

(studio orchestra conducted by Alain Goraguer)

Live orchestration – Alain Goraguer

Conductor – Alain Goraguer

4th place (107 votes)

MONACO

Song title – “Les jardins de Monaco”

Rendition – Caline & Olivier Toussaint

Lyrics – Jean Albertini / Didier Barbelivien

Composition – Paul De Senneville / Olivier Toussaint

Studio arrangement – Yvon Rioland

Live orchestration – Yvon Rioland

Conductor – Yvon Rioland

5th place (86 votes)

IRELAND

Song title – “Born To Sing”

Rendition – Colm C.T. Wilkinson

Lyrics – Colm C.T. Wilkinson

Composition – Colm C.T. Wilkinson

Studio arrangement – Daryl Runswick

Live orchestration – unknown

Conductor – Noel Kelehan

6th place (84 votes)

WEST GERMANY

Song title – "Feuer"

Rendition – Ireen Sheer

Lyrics – John Möring

Composition – Jean Frankfurter

Studio arrangement – Jean Frankfurter

Live orchestration – Jean Frankfurter

Conductor – Jean Frankfurter

7th place (73 votes)

LUXEMBOURG

Song title – "Parlez-vous français?"

Rendition – Baccara (Mayté Mateos / María Mendiola)

Lyrics – Frank Dostal / Peter Zentner

Composition – Rolf Soja

Studio arrangement – Rolf Soja

Live orchestration – Rolf Soja

Conductor – Rolf Soja

8th place (66 votes)

GREECE

Song title – "Charlie Chaplin"

Rendition – Tania Tsanaclidou

Lyrics – Giannis Xantoulis

Composition – Sakis Tsilikis

Studio arrangement – Charis Andreadis

Live orchestration – Charis Andreadis

Conductor – Charis Andreadis

9th & 10th place (ex aequo, 65 votes)

SPAIN

Song title – "Bailemos un vals"

Rendition – José Vélez

Lyrics – Ramón Arcusa / Manuel de la Calva

Composition – Ramón Arcusa / Manuel de la Calva

Studio arrangement – Ramón Arcusa

Live orchestration – Ramón Arcusa

Conductor – Ramón Arcusa

SWITZERLAND

Song title – "Vivre"

Rendition – Carole Vinci

Lyrics – Pierre Alain

Composition – Alain Morisod

Studio arrangement – Daniel Janin

Live orchestration – Daniel Janin

Conductor – Daniel Janin

11th place (61 votes)

UNITED KINGDOM

Song title – "The Bad Old Days"

Rendition – Co Co (= Josie Andrews / Cheryl Baker / Terry Bradford / Charlie Brennan / Keith Haslar / Paul Rogers)

Lyrics – Stuart Slater / Stephanie De Sykes

Composition – Stuart Slater / Stephanie De Sykes

Studio arrangement – Terry Bradford / Colin Frechter

Live orchestration – Colin Frechter

Conductor – Alyn Ainsworth

12th place (53 votes)

ITALY

Song title – "Questo amore"

Rendition – Ricchi & Poveri 

Lyrics – Sergio Bardotti

Composition – Dario Farina / Mauro Lusini

Studio arrangement – Toto Torquati

Live orchestration – Toto Torquati

Conductor – Nicola Samale

13th place (37 votes)

NETHERLANDS

Song title – "’t Is OK"

Rendition – Harmony (Rosina Lauwaars / Donald Lieveld / 

Ab van Woudenberg)

Lyrics – Toon Gispen / Dick Kooyman 

Composition – Eddy Ouwens

Studio arrangement – Dick Bakker

Live orchestration – Dick Bakker

Conductor – Harry van Hoof

14th place (26 votes)

SWEDEN

Song title – “Det blir alltid värre framåt natten”

Rendition – Björn Skifs

Lyrics – Peter Himmelstrand

Composition – Peter Himmelstrand

Studio arrangement – Peter Himmelstrand / Bengt Palmers

Live orchestration – Peter Himmelstrand / Bengt Palmers

Conductor – Bengt Palmers

15th place (14 votes)

AUSTRIA

Song title – “Mrs. Caroline Robinson”

Rendition – Springtime (Gerhard Markel / Walter Markel / Norbert Niedermayer)

Lyrics – Gerhard Markel / Walter Markel / Norbert Niedermayer

Composition – Gerhard Markel / Walter Markel

Studio arrangement – Richard Oesterreicher

Live orchestration – Richard Oesterreicher

Conductor – Richard Oesterreicher

16th place (13 votes)

DENMARK

Song title – “Boom boom”

Rendition – Mabel (Chris O. Have / Andy Larsen / Peter Nielsen / Mike Tramp)

Lyrics – Mabel (Christian Have / Andy Kulmbak / Peter Nielsen / Michael Trempenau)

Composition – Mabel (Christian Have / Andy Kulmbak / Peter Nielsen / Michael Trempenau)

Studio arrangement – Helmer Olesen

Live orchestration – Helmer Olesen

Conductor – Helmer Olesen

17th place (5 votes)

PORTUGAL

Song title – Dai-li-dou

Rendition – Gemini (Tozé Brito / Teresa Miguel / Fatima Padinha / Mike Sergeant)

Lyrics – Carlos Quintas

Conductor – Vitor Mamede

Studio arrangement – Thilo Krasmann / Guy Matteoni

Live orchestration – Thilo Krasmann

Conductor – Thilo Krasmann

18th & 19th place (ex aequo, 2 votes)

FINLAND

Song title – “Anna rakkaudelle tilaisuus”

Rendition – Seija Simola

Lyrics – Reijo Karvonen / Seija Simola

Composition – Reijo Karvonen

Studio arrangement – Reijo Karvonen

Live orchestration – Reijo Karvonen

Conductor – Ossi Runne

TURKEY

Song title – “Sevinçe”

Rendition – Nazar (Dağhan Baydur / Olcayto Ahmet Tuğsuz / Zeynep Tuğsuz / Nilüfer Yumlu)

Lyrics – Hülki Aktunç

Composition – Dağhan Baydur / Onno Tunç

Studio arrangement – Onno Tunç

Live orchestration – Onno Tunç

Conductor – Onno Tunç

20th place (0 votes)

NORWAY

Song title – "Mil etter mil"

Rendition – Jahn Teigen

Lyrics – Kai Eide

Composition – David Cooper / Kai Eide

Studio arrangement – Tore Syvertsen / Jahn Teigen / Pete Knutsen

Live orchestration – Carsten Klouman

Conductor – Carsten Klouman

Withdrawn entry

GREECE

Song title – “Na xeris s'agapo (Oh Maria)”

Rendition – Anna Vissi

Lyrics – Sotia Tsotou

Composition – Robert Williams / Doros Georgiadis

Studio arrangement – Doros Georgiadis

Live orchestration – Doros Georgiadis

Conductor – unknown (possibly Lefteris Chalkiadakis)