"I See a Star" (original Dutch title: "Ik zie een ster") was the entry in the

Eurovision Song Contest 1974 The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Brighton, United Kingdom and was organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporati ...

, performed in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

(the first time the Dutch entry was not entirely in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

) by

Mouth & MacNeal Mouth and MacNeal was a Dutch pop duo that enjoyed some commercial success in the 1970s. They are best known for their million selling recording of " How Do You Do" in 1972, which topped the Dutch chart and became a US top ten hit, also reaching ...

. The song was composed by

Hans van Hemert Hans van Hemert (born 7 April 1945 in Voorburg, Netherlands) is a Dutch ASCAP award-winning record producer and songwriter. Mouth & MacNeal and Luv' are among the pop acts he produced. He also composed three songs for the Eurovision Song Contest ...

and written by

Gerrit den Braber Gerrit den Braber (23 March 1929 – 3 May 1997) was born in Rotterdam and was a Dutch songwriter and lyricist. Braber took music lessons in Rotterdam and Hilversum. He then went into Hospital Radio and joined the Dutch radio and television compa ...

, a duo with several previous entries to their credit. Lyrically, the song is a love duet, with the singers telling each other that their love has helped them see the world in a new way. The "star" of the title is in other words to be found in one's lover's eyes. A second explanation of the lyrics was later revealed by Mouth when he stated in an interview that the song was about the similarities between falling in love and using cannabis. Musically it is a simple melody, which is embellished by a number of different instruments, including a

barrel organ A barrel organ (also called roller organ or crank organ) is a French mechanical musical instrument consisting of bellows and one or more ranks of pipes housed in a case, usually of wood, and often highly decorated. The basic principle is the sa ...

with a collection of

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...

s on it. The brightly coloured performance has become a favourite among Contest fans, with the song being selected as one of the non-winning "classics" to appear on the double-CD and double-DVD sets produced to support the ''

Congratulations Congratulations may refer to: Film and television *'' Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'', 2005 television programme to commemorate its fiftieth anniversary Music Albums * ''Congratulations'' (album), an album by ...

'' special of late 2005. At one point in the performance, Mouth in fact played the barrel organ himself – something referenced in the Dutch lyrics ( "then I'll add some organ"). Contest historian and author John Kennedy O'Connor argues in his book ''The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History'' that the "antics" involved in the presentation may ultimately have hurt the song's chances of winning. The winning song at this Contest was " Waterloo" by 's

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...

. Besides the Dutch and English versions, Mouth & MacNeal also recorded the song in German and French, entitled "Ein goldner Stern" and "L'amour au pas" respectively. The song was performed twelfth on the night, following 's

Jacques Hustin Jacques Hustin (15 March 1940 – 6 April 2009) was a Belgian singer-songwriter and artist who was successful in his homeland in both fields, and is best known internationally for his participation in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. Early caree ...

with "

Fleur de liberté Belgium was represented by Jacques Hustin, with the song "Fleur de liberté", at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 6 April in Brighton, England. Hustin was the winner of the Belgian national final for the contest, held on 14 ...

" and preceding 's

Tina Reynolds Philomena "Phil" Tully (née Quinn; born 1949/50), known by the stage name Tina Reynolds or simply Tina, is an Irish people, Irish singer. Early life Born Philomena Quinn, she has tuberculosis from a young age and grew up in hospitals. Career Ti ...

with " Cross Your Heart". At the close of voting, it had received 15 points, placing third in a field of 17. It was succeeded as Dutch representative at the 1975 contest by

Teach-In A teach-in is similar to a general educational forum on any complicated issue, usually an issue involving current political affairs. The main difference between a teach-in and a seminar is the refusal to limit the discussion to a specific time fr ...

with "

Ding-A-Dong "Ding-a-dong" (original Dutch title: "Ding dinge dong", as it was introduced in the titles when broadcast) was the title of the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1975. It was sung by Teach-In, representing the , and was written by Dick ...

Maggie MacNeal Maggie MacNeal (born Sjoukje Lucie van 't Spijker; 5 May 1950) is a Dutch singer. She was a member of Mouth & MacNeal, a pop duo from the Netherlands, who are best known for their million-selling recording of " How Do You Do" in 1972, which to ...

returned to the Contest as a solo artist in with "

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Charts

References

* * * {{authority control Eurovision songs of the Netherlands Male–female vocal duets Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Eurovision songs of 1974 English-language Dutch songs Songs written by Hans van Hemert Decca Records singles 1974 singles 1974 songs Mouth & MacNeal songs