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Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1961

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Eurovision Song Contest 1961
Participating broadcasterYleisradio (Yle)
Country Finland
National selection
Selection processNational Final
Selection date(s)12 February 1961
Selected artist(s)Laila Kinnunen
Selected song"Valoa ikkunassa"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Eino Hurme
  • Sauvo Puhtila
Finals performance
Final result10th, 6 points
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest
1961 • 1962►

Finland was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 1961, held in Cannes, France, with the song "Valoa ikkunassa", composed by Eino Hurme, with lyrics by Sauvo Puhtila, and performed by Laila Kinnunen. The Finnish participating broadcaster, Yleisradio (Yle), selected its entry through a national final. This was the first-ever entry from Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest, and the first-ever entry performed in Finnish in the contest.

Before Eurovision

National final

Yleisradio (Yle) held a national final at the Työväenopisto in Helsinki, hosted by Aarno Walli. Four songs took part, having qualified from a radio-only semi-final. The winning song was chosen by an "expert" jury.

Brita Koivunen was supposed to perform "Puuttuva lehti" in the final but for unknown reasons she withdrew and was replaced by Christina Hellman.

Finnish National Final - 12 February 1961
Draw Artist Song Songwriter(s) Place
1 Ritva Mustonen [fi] "Portinvartija" Erik Lindström [fi], Hillevi 3
2 Laila Kinnunen "Valoa ikkunassa" Eino Hurme, Sauvo Puhtila [fi] 1
3 Kai Lind [fi] "Pikku ikkuna" Kari Tuomisaari [fi] 4
4 Christina Hellman "Puuttuva lehti" Erkki Rahkola 2

Songs eliminated in the semi-final

The songs eliminated in the semi-final were:

Artist Song
Laila Kinnunen "Jossain meren rannalla"
Brita Koivunen "Pikku piccolo"
Ritva Mustonen [fi] "Kun kevät saapuu"
Kai Lind [fi] "Pistäydyn naapurissa"

At Eurovision

On the evening of the final Laila Kinnunen performed "Valoa ikkunassa" 4th in the running order, following Austria and preceding Yugoslavia. At the close of voting the song had received 6 points (2 from Italy and the United Kingdom and 1 from Denmark and France), placing Finland joint 10th (with Monaco and the Netherlands) of the 16 entries. The Finnish jury awarded its highest marks (3) to Luxembourg and Monaco.

Voting

Each participating broadcaster assembled a ten-member jury panel. Every jury member could give one point to his or her favourite song.

Points awarded to Finland
Score Country
2 points
1 point
Points awarded by Finland
Score Country
3 points
2 points  Norway
1 point

Notes

  1. Lyricist unknown

References

  1. ESC National Finals database - Finland 1961
  2. "Finnish Semi-final 1961".
  3. "ESC History - Finland 1961". Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  4. ^ "Results of the Final of Cannes 1961". Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest
National selection: Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu
Participation
Artists
Songs
  • "Aava"
  • "Addicted to You"
  • "Aina mun pitää"
  • "Anna rakkaudelle tilaisuus"
  • "Aurinko laskee länteen"
  • "Blackbird"
  • "Bye Bye Baby"
  • "Cha Cha Cha"
  • "Da Da Dam"
  • "Dark Side"
  • "La dolce vita"
  • "Eläköön elämä"
  • "Fantasiaa"
  • "Fri?"
  • "Hard Rock Hallelujah"
  • "Hengaillaan"
  • "Huilumies"
  • "Hullu yö"
  • "Jezebel"
  • "Katson sineen taivaan"
  • "Keep Me Warm"
  • "Kuin silloin ennen"
  • "Kun kello käy"
  • "Laiskotellen"
  • "Lapponia"
  • "Leave Me Alone"
  • "A Little Bit"
  • "Look Away"
  • "Looking Back"
  • "Lose Control"
  • "Marry Me"
  • "Missä miehet ratsastaa"
  • "Monsters"
  • "Muistathan"
  • "Muistojeni laulu"
  • "När jag blundar"
  • "Nauravat silmät muistetaan"
  • "Never the End"
  • "Niin kaunis on taivas"
  • "No Rules!"
  • "Nuku pommiin"
  • "Old Man Fiddle"
  • "Playboy"
  • "Pump-Pump"
  • "Reggae OK"
  • "Sata salamaa"
  • "Sing It Away"
  • "Something Better"
  • "Takes 2 to Tango"
  • "Tie uuteen päivään"
  • "Tipi-tii"
  • "Tom Tom Tom"
  • "Tule luo"
  • "Työlki ellää"
  • "Valoa ikkunassa"
  • "Varjoon – suojaan"
  • "Why?"
  • "Yamma, yamma"
Note: Entries scored out signify where Finland did not compete. Italics indicate an entry in a future contest.
Eurovision Song Contest 1961
Countries
Artists
Songs
  • "Al di là"
  • "Allons, allons les enfants"
  • "Angelique"
  • "April, april"
  • "Are You Sure?"
  • "Einmal sehen wir uns wieder"
  • "Estando contigo"
  • "Neke davne zvezde"
  • "Nous aurons demain"
  • "Nous les amoureux"
  • "Printemps, avril carillonne"
  • "Sehnsucht"
  • "September, gouden roos"
  • "Sommer i Palma"
  • "Valoa ikkunassa"
  • "Wat een dag"
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