It's_Just_a_Game
Norway was represented by the Bendik Singers, with the song "It's Just a Game", at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 7 April in Luxembourg City. "It's Just a Game" was chosen as the Norwegian entry at the Melodi Grand Prix on 17 February.
| Eurovision Song Contest 1973 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Norway | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Melodi Grand Prix 1973 | |||
| Selection date(s) | 17 February 1973 | |||
| Selected entrant | Bendik Singers | |||
| Selected song | "It's Just a Game" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) |
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| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 7th, 89 points | |||
| Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Melodi Grand Prix 1973
The Melodi Grand Prix 1973 was organised by broadcaster NRK at the Château Neuf in Oslo, hosted by Vidar Lønn-Arnesen. Five songs were presented in the final with each song sung twice by different singers, once with a small combo and once with a full orchestra. The winning song was chosen by voting from a 14-member public jury who each awarded between 1 and 5 points per song. "It's Just a Game" was performed in Norwegian at MGP, but with the introduction of the free-language rule in 1973 Norway was one of three countries (along with Finland and Sweden) who took the opportunity to translate their entry into English before the Eurovision final. The Bendik Singers included past and future Norwegian representatives Arne Bendiksen (1964), Anne-Karine Strøm (1974 & 1976) and Ellen Nikolaysen (1975).[1]
| Draw | Combo | Orchestra | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gro Anita Schønn | Stein Ingebrigtsen | "Rett deg opp" | 29 | 5 |
| 2 | Anne-Karine Strøm | Benny Borg | "Det var jo sant" | 40 | 2= |
| 3 | Ellen Nikolaysen | Anne Lise Gjøstøl | "Om du kunne" | 40 | 2= |
| 4 | Ola Neegaard, Gro Anita Schønn, Stein Ingebrigtsen & Inger Lise Rypdal |
Bendik Singers | "Å for et spill" | 50 | 1 |
| 5 | Lillian Harriet | Inger Lise Rypdal | "Alternativ" | 36 | 4 |
On the night of the final the Bendik Singers performed 5th in the running order, following Germany and preceding Monaco. "It's Just a Game" was an unusually structured song for Eurovision, featuring jazz-influenced freestyle vocal interplay, and proved distinctive enough to earn Norway its first top 10 placing since 1966, finishing the evening in 7th place with 89 points. This proved to be Norway's only top 10 ranking of the 1970s, and would not be bettered until the victory of Bobbysocks! in 1985.[2][3]
Each country nominated two jury members, one below the age of 25 and the other above, who voted for their respective country by giving between one and five points to each song, except that representing their own country. All jury members were colocated in a television studio in Luxembourg.[4] The Norwegian jury members were Inger Ann Folkvord and Johannes Bergh [no].[5]
Voting
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- "Final of Luxembourg 1973". Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- Roxburgh, Gordon (2014). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume Two: The 1970s. Prestatyn, United Kingdom: Telos Publishing. pp. 60, 124. ISBN 978-1-84583-093-9.
- "Grand Prix-finale i Luxembourg". Fremover (in Norwegian). Narvik, Norway. 29 March 1973. p. 9. Retrieved 6 January 2023 – via National Library of Norway.
- "Results of the Final of Luxembourg 1973". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.