Eurovision Song Contest 1969 - Madrid
Entry for Sweden
Performer: Tommy Körberg
Song title: Judy, Min Vän
Song writer(s): Britt Lindeborg
Song composer(s): Roger Wallis
Sang in Position: 9
Final Position: 9
Total Points: 8
For the first time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, the outcome of the voting resulted in a tie for the first place. Four countries gained 18 points each: France, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. Since there was no solution for this situation, all four countries were declared winners. Luckily, there were four medals available to the four winning singers - the four medals were intended for the winning singer and three winning songwriters.
The four winners differed a lot from one another: France had a haunting ballad performed by Frida Boccara, the Netherlands sent in Lenny Kuhr with a guitar, Spain and Salomé performed the energetic Vivo Cantando whereas the star from the British islands, Lulu, had a happy, clap-along song. However, having four winners caused lots of criticism from the media and several TV-stations re-considered participating in the following Eurovision Song Contest. Had the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest still attracted 16 countries, the number went down to only 12 in the 1970 edition of the contest.
Eurovision Song Contest 1988 - Dublin
Entry for Sweden
Performer: Tommy Körberg
Song title: Stad I Ljus
Song writer(s):
Song composer(s): Py Bäckman
Sang in Position: 2
Final Position: 12
Total Points: 52
The 1988 Eurovision Song Contest was hosted in Dublin for the third time, and featured one of the most exciting votings in the long history of the contest. Switzerland's entry Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi performed by Céline Dion beat the runner-up, the United Kingdom's Scott Fitzgerald by just a single point. Before the last vote, the UK entry was leading with 136 points to Switzerland's 131 but then Yugoslavia, the last country to vote, gave six points to Switzerland while ignoring the British song Go completely.
For Céline Dion, winning the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest was the starting point of her globe-wide career. Had she only been known in Canada and France before 1988, the Eurovision Song Contest gave her the opportunity to record songs which would sell millions of copies all around the world. But not only Céline Dion made a huge profit from the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, also her colleague Lara Fabian who was singing for Luxembourg started a successful career after the contest with a mainly French-sung repertoire.
In 1988, 21 countries participated in the Eurovision Song Contest. Cyprus decided to withdraw because their entry did not match the rules of the contest: it had already been published previously. The venue of the 1988 contest was the same as in 1981, but this time, RTÉ managed to create a very special stage that created the illusion of a spage age-style grid which suggested that it was a huge arena with lots of lighting and special effects. Even nowadays, this set is still praised by experts.
Minns du hans ögon
Tommy Körberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Och vill gå med mig en bit, vi återvänder
Med klara ögon till barnets hus
Så tänder vi ett ljus...
Hans låga rör sig och andas som om den var livet
Och stjärnan darrar i skyn som det är skrivet
Och inget skrämmer där utanför
Och långt därute finns alla svar
På alla frågor som barnet har
Minns du hans ögon (Minns du hans...)
Så växer barnet och blir till man
Så växer barnet och jag blir han
Minns du hans ögon
Tindrande klara
Minns du...
Det finns ett barn i min väg som griper mina händer
Och tar mig med några steg mot våldets länder
Jag ser en pojke som gråter tyst
Pappa dog helt nyss
Han är ett barn med en blick som speglar sig i ljusen
Från eld och flammor, men plötsligt blir den frusen
Och när det faller en tung granat
Speglar hans ögon hat
Och långt därute finns alla svar
På alla frågor som barnet har
Minns du hans ögon (Minns du hans...)
Så växer vreden och blir till hat
Så växer barnet och blir soldat
Minns du hans ögon
Skräckslagna bara
Minns du...
Och långt därute finns alla svar
På alla frågor som barnet har
Minns du hans ögon (Minns du hans...)
Så växer barnet och blir till man
Så växer barnet och vi blir han
Minns du hans ögon
Tindrande klara
Minns du...
Minns du hans ögon
Tindrande klara
Minns du...
The song "Minns du hans ögon" by Tommy Körberg is a poignant reflection on the eyes of a child, who represents the vulnerability and fragility of the human spirit. The song consists of two verses, each one portraying a different child with different experiences. The first verse represents a child who seeks comfort in the arms of an adult, and the second describes a child who has just lost his father and is forced to confront the violent and brutal realities of war.
In the first verse, the singer describes how the child seeks the comfort of the adult's hand, and the two begin to walk towards the child's home. They light a candle, and as the flame dances in the darkness, they find peace and solace. In the second verse, the child is portrayed as a victim of war, left alone to deal with the harsh realities of life. The child's eyes reflect the hatred and fear that war brings, and the singer reflects on how this child's anger and pain will grow, eventually leading him to become a soldier.
The repeated refrain of "Minns du hans ögon" ("Do you remember his eyes") emphasizes the idea that we must not forget the children's experiences and that their innocent eyes reflect the struggles of humanity. The song urges the listener to remember the pain and struggles of these children, to recognize that their experiences shape them into the adults they will become, and to consider the power of empathy in shaping a more peaceful world.
Line by Line Meaning
Det finns ett barn i mitt liv som söker mina händer
There is a child in my life who seeks my hands
Och vill gå med mig en bit, vi återvänder
And wants to walk with me for a while, we return
Med klara ögon till barnets hus
With clear eyes to the child's house
Så tänder vi ett ljus...
So we light a candle...
Hans låga rör sig och andas som om den var livet
His flame moves and breathes as if it was life itself
Och stjärnan darrar i skyn som det är skrivet
And the star is trembling in the sky as it is written
Och inget skrämmer där utanför
And nothing scares outside
Fast vinterkvällen dör
Although the winter evening is dying
Och långt därute finns alla svar
And far away all the answers are
På alla frågor som barnet har
To all the questions the child has
Minns du hans ögon (Minns du hans...)
Do you remember his eyes (Do you remember his...)
Så växer barnet och blir till man
So the child grows up and becomes a man
Så växer barnet och jag blir han
So the child grows up and I become him
Det finns ett barn i min väg som griper mina händer
There is a child in my path who grabs my hands
Och tar mig med några steg mot våldets länder
And takes me with a few steps towards the lands of violence
Jag ser en pojke som gråter tyst
I see a boy crying silently
Pappa dog helt nyss
Dad died just recently
Han är ett barn med en blick som speglar sig i ljusen
He is a child with a gaze reflected in the lights
Från eld och flammor, men plötsligt blir den frusen
From fire and flames, but suddenly it becomes frozen
Och när det faller en tung granat
And when a heavy grenade falls
Speglar hans ögon hat
His eyes reflect hatred
Så växer vreden och blir till hat
So the anger grows and becomes hatred
Så växer barnet och blir soldat
So the child grows up and becomes a soldier
Skräckslagna bara
Only terror-stricken
Minns du hans ögon (Minns du...)
Do you remember his eyes (Do you remember his...)
Minns du hans ögon
Do you remember his eyes
Tindrande klara
Sparkling bright
Minns du...
Do you remember...
Contributed by Leo M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.