"Mata Hari" was the entry in the

Eurovision Song Contest 1976 The Eurovision Song Contest 1976 was the 21st edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in The Hague, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the with the song "Ding-a-dong" by Teach-In. Organised by the European Broad ...

, 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 ...

Anne-Karine Strøm Anne-Karine Strøm (born 15 October 1951) is a Norwegian singer, best known for having taken part in the Norwegian Eurovision Song Contest selection, Melodi Grand Prix, in six consecutive years between 1971 and 1976, winning on three occasions ( ...

. The song is an up-tempo number, in which Strøm sings about the difficulties she faces in life. The cure for these, she sings, is to borrow some of the mystique of

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed by ...

, to whom she addresses the song. The sexual exploits of the famous woman are implied to have been considerable.

Description

Composers Frode Thingnæs and Philip A. Kruse, one of Strøm's close friends were invited by the Norwegian Broadcaster NRK to write a song for the

Norsk Melodi Grand Prix Melodi Grand Prix (), commonly known as Grand Prix and MGP, sometimes as Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix ( no, Norsk Melodi Grand Prix), is an annual music competition organised by Norwegian public broadcaster Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK). It dete ...

1976, and the result was "Mata Hari". The song was inspired by the composers doing research about their deciptions about spies and romance to contemplate into a composition, the term describing to the 100th birth anniversary of the spy Mata Hari herself. The song was one of five that participated in the Norwegian final at NRK Marienlyst in Oslo on February 7, 1976. The song was last in the competition and was performed by Gudny Aspaas on the slow-beat rock tempo while Anne-Karine Strøm on a groovy style tune. A public jury of a thousand people chose the song until a clear winner wins. "Mata Hari" got 643 points, almost twice the number of second place "Voodoo". Despite the superb victory, the winning song did not hit, and it did not enter the VG list. While VG thought Norway had finally chosen a winning song with a advance in the Eurovision Song Contest, the people were not very positive. After the finale, the newspaper's watch phone glowed, and the comments were numerous: "After this muck, I'll give away my color television if you come and pick it up," said a man from Ålesund. An unknown woman said that her 6-year-old daughter had urged to turn off the sound while the Grand Prix went on air and She was admired by pictures. NRK's switchboard was also called down by irritated TV viewers, and Aftenposten summarized the finale as stated "possibly worse than ever".«Telefonstorm mot TV». Aftenposten. 9. februar 1976. s. 40.

Eurovision Song Contest

The song was recorded and revamped in English while the preparation for the Eurovision Song Contest as stated in the rules. The song was performed ninth on the night, following the '

Sandra Reemer Barbara Alexandra "Sandra" Reemer (17 October 1950 – 6 June 2017) was an Indo-Dutch singer and television presenter. She represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest on three occasions, tying with Corry Brokken for most app ...

with "

The Party's Over The Party's Over may refer to: Film and TV * ''The Party's Over'' (1934 film), starring Stuart Erwin and Ann Sothern, based on the 1933 Broadway play * ''The Party's Over'' (1965 film), directed by Guy Hamilton, starring Oliver Reed, with a ...

" and preceding 's

Mariza Koch Mariza Koch ( el, Μαρίζα Κωχ; born 14 March 1944) is a Greek folk music singer who has recorded many albums since starting her career in 1971. On the wider stage she is best remembered for representing her homeland at the Eurovision Song ...

with " Panayia Mu, Panayia Mu". At the close of voting, it had received 7 points, placing 18th (last) in a field of 18. Strøm had represented Norway at Eurovision twice before, once in as part of vocal group the

Bendik Singers The Bendik Singers were a four-member Norwegian vocal group, brought together by singer and composer Arne Bendiksen to participate in the Norwegian Eurovision Song Contest selection, Melodi Grand Prix, in 1973. The group consisted of Anne-Karine S ...

and again as a solo performer in the 1974 contest. As of 2022, Strøm still holds the record as the only artist in the history of Eurovision to have finished in last place twice. The first time came in 1974 with the song "

The First Day of Love Norway was represented by Anne-Karine Strøm, with the song "The First Day of Love", at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 6 April in Brighton, England. "The First Day of Love" was chosen as the Norwegian entry at the Melodi G ...

". Anne was succeeded as Norwegian representative at the 1977 contest by

Anita Skorgan Anita Skorgan (born 13 November 1958) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter. She represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest in (14th), (11th) and with Jan Teigen in (12th). She was also a backing singer at the and contests, and co-wrote th ...

with "

Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...

References

{{authority control Eurovision songs of Norway Eurovision songs of 1976 English-language Norwegian songs 1976 songs Songs with music by Frode Thingnæs Songs about Mata Hari

Description

Eurovision Song Contest

See also

References