Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1976

52°5′35.3″N 4°17′0.2″E

Eurovision Song Contest 1976
Country Germany
National selection
Selection processEin Lied für Den Haag
Selection date(s)31 January 1976
1 February 1976
Selected entrantLes Humphries Singers
Selected song"Sing Sang Song"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Final result15th, 12 points
Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄1975 • 1976 • 1977►

Germany was represented by the Les Humphries Singers, with the song "Sing Sang Song", at the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 3 April in The Hague. "Sing Sang Song" originally placed runner-up in the German national final but became the German entry when the winner, "Der Star" by Tony Marshall, was disqualified.

Before Eurovision

Ein Lied für Den Haag

The final was held over two nights – 31 January and 1 February – at the TV studios in Frankfurt, hosted by Max Schauzer. 12 songs took part with six performed on each evening, with the winner chosen by postcard voting, the results of which were announced on 18 February. "Der Star" was the public choice by a margin of over 20,000 votes, but was later disqualified when it was discovered that the song had been performed in public prior to the national final. "Sing Sang Song" was therefore promoted and announced as the 1976 German entry.

Other participants with Eurovision connections were Ireen Sheer (Germany 1978, Luxembourg 1974 and 1985), Lena Valaitis (Germany 1981) and Piera Martell (Switzerland 1974).[1]

Draw Artist Song Songwriters Votes Place
1 Tina York "Das alte Haus" Frank Cornely 17,562 12
2 Love Generation "Thomas Alva Edison" Günther-Eric Thöner, Erich Offierowski 58,846 5
3 Lena Valaitis "Du machst Karriere" Hans-Georg Moslener, Wolfgang Mürmann 47,714 7
4 Bruce Low "Der Jahrmarkt unserer Eitelkeit" Horst-Heinz Henning, Christine Neuhausen 43,352 9
5 Ina Deter "Wenn du so bist wie dein Lachen" Ina Deter 27,903 10
6 Nina & Mike "Komm geh mit mir" Karl-Heinz Bardo 61,944 4
7 Maggie Mae "Applaus für ein total verrücktes Haus" Werner Twardy, Dieter Lieffers 71,882 3
8 Les Humphries Singers "Sing Sang Song" Ralph Siegel, Kurt Hertha 96,705 2
9 Ireen Sheer "Einmal Wasser, einmal Wein" Günther-Eric Thöner, Erich Offierowski 45,032 8
10 Meeting Point "Es ist ein Mensch" Wilton Kullmann 53,568 6
11 Tony Marshall "Der Star" Detlef Petersen 118,250 1
12 Piera Martell "Ein neuer Tag" Jürgen Triebel, Horst-Herbert Krause 24,525 11

At Eurovision

On the night of the final the Les Humphries Singers performed 3rd in the running order, following Switzerland and preceding Israel. In comparison to the slickly presented, precisely choreographed stage routines put together by other acts in the early part of the show (such as the United Kingdom's Brotherhood of Man and Chocolate, Menta, Mastik from Israel), the German presentation came across on screen as ragged and untidy in the extreme, with no apparent thought having been given to providing a focused ensemble performance, and the audience response at the end of the song was noticeably muted and unenthusiastic. At the close of voting "Sing Sang Song" had received 12 points, placing Germany 15th of the 18 entries.[2] The German jury awarded its 12 points to France.[3]

The show was watched by 11.6 million viewers in Germany.[4]

"Sing Sang Song" has a very negative reputation, with both song and performance often being mentioned as among the worst ever heard and seen in a Eurovision final. An open online poll of Eurovision fans rated the song as the worst of the 1970s. The Les Humphries Singers had enjoyed considerable success prior to the contest but disbanded shortly thereafter: the Eurovision disaster is thought to have been a major factor in this decision.

Voting

References
  1. ESC National Finals database 1976
  2. "Final of The Hague 1976". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  3. ESC History - Germany 1976
  4. Quotenmeter; AGF; GfK. "TV-Reichweite des Eurovision Song Contests in den Jahren 1976 bis 2023 nach der Anzahl der Zuschauer". Statista. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  5. "Results of the Final of The Hague 1976". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
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