Skip to main content

Do you remember... Amsterdam 1970?

25 December 2008 at 15:16 CET
The 1970 Eurovision Song Contest, the 15th running, took place on the 21st of March at the RAI Congrescentrum in Amsterdam, and was hosted by Willy Dobbe. Only 12 countries were represented, mainly due to the fact that four countries won the previous running of the contest.

Critics referred to the 1969 contest as "a voting scandal". Out of the winning countries, the Netherlands was drawn to host the competition.

The show was produced and directed by Theo Ordeman, the stage was designed by Roland de Groot. They would do the same job for the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest in The Hague.

Conductor Dolf van der Linden would not only conduct the Dutch entry by Hearts of Soul, he also lead the orchestra for the Irish contestant.

Dana from Ireland then won the competition with All Kinds Of Everything. It would be the first of many Irish victories. The female Irish commentator said, on air: "When I heard I was going to Amsterdam, I thought it would be too good to be true to be here when Ireland would win. And now it has actually happened!"

Only three photos of the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest were available in the official archive. The name of the photographer is unknown.

Facts & figures

  • Brazil and Chile broadcast the contest live by satellite. The show was also broadcast in the Soviet Union, Hungary and Czechoslovakia;
  • Of the singers who competed on the stage this year a number were already established performers. Notably, the United Kingdom sent Mary Hopkin while David Alexandre Winter represented Luxembourg;
  • The contest also featured an appearance of the then unknown Julio Iglesias, singing for Spain.