The Eurovision Song Contest 1959 was the fourth to be held, and it was in Cannes, in France. Teddy Scholten won this contest, making it the second win for the Netherlands - the first country to do so. She won with the song Een beetje.
The United Kingdom returned to the contest, and were runners up; starting a what would-be record of 16 second places as well as the longest run of participations. Luxembourg withdrew for this year, and Monaco made its debut. A new rule this year stated that music experts (songwriters, singers, musicians, etc.) were not allowed in the Jury anymore.
The lyricist of this song, Willy van Hemert, also wrote Net Als Toen, the winner in 1957. Teddy Scholten reprised, and not only that, Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson, and Jean Philippe also reprised their entries as part of being the top three, this is the only time this happend. Domenico Modugno, however, outscored the winners yet again by scoring another hit worldwide with Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina).
The stage was a simple rotating backdrop of a scene from the participant's country, for example, Teddy Scholten performed in front of a windmill scene in The Netherlands, and Birthe Wilke in front of some cottages in Denmark.
Gallery[]
Returning Artists[]
| Country | Artist | Year |
|---|---|---|
 Denmark
|
Birthe Wilke | 1957 (with Gustav Winckler) |
 Italy
|
Domenico Modugno | 1958 |
Participants[]
| Draw | Country | Artist | Song | Language | Translation | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 |  France
|
Jean Philippe | Oui, oui, oui, oui | French | Yes, yes, yes, yes | 3 | 15 |
| 02 | Denmark
|
Birthe Wilke | Uh, jeg ville ønske jeg var dig | Danish | Ooh, I'd wish I were you | 5 | 12 |
| 03 | Italy
|
Domenico Modugno | Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina) | Italian | It's raining (Bye, bye baby) | 6 | 9 |
| 04 |  Monaco
|
Jacques Pills | Mon ami Pierrot | French | My friend Pierrot | 11 | 1 |
| 05 |  The Netherlands
|
Teddy Scholten | Een beetje | Dutch | A bit | 1 | 21 |
| 06 |  Germany
|
Alice & Ellen Kessler | Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n | German | Tonight we want to go dancing | 8 | 5 |
| 07 |  Sweden
|
Brita Borg | Augustin | Swedish | -- | 9 | 4 |
| 08 |  Switzerland
|
Christa Williams | Irgendwoher | German | From somewhere | 4 | 14 |
| 09 |  Austria
|
Ferry Graf | Der K und K Kalypso aus Wien | The K & K Calypso from Vienna | 9 | 4 | |
| 10 |  United Kingdom
|
Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson | Sing, Little Birdie | English | -- | 2 | 16 |
| 11 |  Belgium
|
Bob Benny | Hou toch van mij | Dutch | Do love me | 6 | 9 |
Trivia[]
- 1959 was the first year the United Kingdom placed second, and they will place second in the next two contests. Also, it marks the first time they placed second out of some sixteen contests in the years between 1959 and 2022 - a Eurovision record.
- Additionally, this was the start of a participation streak for the United Kingdom that remains uninterrupted to this very day.