Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988

Summary

Switzerland competed at the Eurovision Song Contest 1988, held in Dublin, Ireland.

Eurovision Song Contest 1988
Country  Switzerland
National selection
Selection processNational final
Selection date(s)6 February 1988
Selected entrantCéline Dion
Selected song"Ne partez pas sans moi"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Final result1st, 137 points
Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄1987 1988 1989►

The Swiss entry, which won the competition, was Céline Dion with the French language song "Ne partez pas sans moi", composed by Atilla Şereftuğ and Nella Martinetti.

Before Eurovision edit

National final edit

The Swiss entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1988 was selected through a national final. The final was held on 6 February 1988 at the Théâtre de Beausobre in Morges, hosted by Serge Moisson. There were originally meant to be ten songs competing, but the song "Smile" by Yama was disqualified as the singer did not meet the minimum age requirements.[1] The winner was selected by three regional juries, a press jury and another jury of experts.

Final – 6 February 1988
Draw Artist Song Regional Juries Press
Jury
Expert
Jury
Total Place
DRS TSR TSI
1 Hertz "Muet" 4 1 1 3 5 14 7
2 Isabelle Alba "Clown dans la sciure" 1 3 2 4 3 13 8
3 Renato Mascetti "L'isola" 6 4 10 8 7 35 3
4 Bernadette "Balalaika in der Sommernacht" 5 8 3 6 2 24 5
5 Furbaz "Sentiments" 7 7 6 7 10 37 2
6 Cocktail Band "Tu sei" 8 6 7 5 4 30 4
7 Gemo "Prisonnier de l'amour" 3 5 5 2 8 23 6
8 Manuela Felice "Gibt es auf der Welt denn keine Liebe mehr?" 2 2 4 1 1 10 9
9 Céline Dion "Ne partez pas sans moi" 10 10 8 10 6 44 1

At Eurovision edit

Dion performed 9th on the night of the contest, following Israel and preceding Ireland. She went on to win the contest, receiving 137 points in total.[2]

The Swiss conductor at the contest was the composer of the song, Atilla Şereftuğ.

Voting edit

Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest edit

In 2005, "Ne partez pas sans moi" was one of fourteen songs chosen by Eurovision fans and an EBU reference group to participate in the Congratulations anniversary competition. It was the only Swiss entry featured, although several Swiss entries were featured in clip montages and Lys Assia, who won the first-ever contest on behalf of Switzerland, made an appearance performing her winning entry "Refrain." The special was broadcast live on all three major Swiss public broadcasters, with 1991 Swiss entrant Sandra Studer commentating in German, Serge Moisson commentating in French, and Sandy Altermatt commentating in Italian.

"Ne partez pas sans moi" appeared eleventh in the running order, following "Everyway That I Can" by Sertab Erener and preceding "Hold Me Now" by Johnny Logan. Like the majority of entries that night, the performance was mostly by a group of dancers alongside footage of Dion's Eurovision performance; however, Dion was unavailable to make an in-person appearance (perhaps understandably, as her fame had increased significantly in the wake of her victory). At the end of the first round, "Ne partez pas sans moi" was not one of the five entries announced as proceeding to the second round. It was later revealed that the song finished tenth with 98 points.[4]

Voting edit

Points awarded to "Ne partez pas sans moi" (Round 1)[4]
Score Country
12 points    Switzerland
10 points
8 points
7 points   Andorra
6 points
5 points
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point

References edit

  1. ^ "Nationales Eurovisions-Finale 1988: Wer vertritt die Schweiz in Dublin?". Bieler Tagblatt. 6 February 1988.
  2. ^ "Final of Dublin 1988". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Results of the Final of Dublin 1988". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Congratulations: Results from the voting (Round 1)" (PDF). Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 May 2006. Retrieved 6 April 2021.