Over the next month or two ESC NORGE will look at several memorable songs that AUSTRIA sent to the Eurovision song contest. ESC Covers have again google translated it from Norwegian to English.

This is a blog post and only represents the writer Morten Thomassen’s own views.

Before the year ends, I think it might be a good idea to look at some memorable songs from Austrian ESC history, and this time I’m focusing on 1962.

This year was the first year a contribution received 0 points and no less than 4 countries were given the honor of being first in this area, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and our focus country Austria shared this “joy” if you can call it that.

Now it should be said that 1962 was the first year where the different juries had to rank the song. Before this time, each jury member gave points to the one song they liked best. From this year on, 3, 2 and 1 points were given to the three songs they liked best together, and then some were given no points.

Now, it’s not the result that’s the main reason why I’m including Eleonore Schwarz’s song, no, it’s the title “Nur in der Wiener luft” and the fact that she also sings a song with clear operatic tones, so you could almost say that it’s a kind of precursor to the winning song that took us to Vienna next year.

Only in the Viennese air does the title mean anything, and if that air gives you such a good voice as Eleonore has, perhaps you should spend some time in that city, although the esteemed jury members in 1962 clearly had no taste for the kind of music in what many believe should have been reserved for songs more in the pop segment.

It probably comes as no great surprise that Madam Schwarz was a vocalist at the Vienna Opera in the 60s and 70s and her song was about the beauty of Vienna, which has many fine buildings and has fostered things like the Viennese waltz and Johann Strauss and will soon have its third international ESC final, and those who travel there should remember to take a good breath of the air there.

Featured image – Youtube