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It was exciting until the last minute: Canadian Céline Dion won the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in 1988 – by just one point.
The shoulder pads were wide and perms were standard: in 1988 the Eurovision Song Contest was still called the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson. Its hosting was an event for which people gathered with friends and neighbors in front of the television – even if only to gossip about it.
The evening is an exciting one for the Swiss spectators. Because until the last voting, the English pop singer Scott Fitzgerald is in the lead.
Legend: The Canadian Céline Dion competes for Switzerland in 1988 – no native Swiss could be found for ESC. KEYSTONE/LEHTIKUVA/Heikki Saukkomaa
The 20-year-old Quebecer Céline Dion is running for Switzerland – in a dress that “Der Bund” mocks the next day: “A top à la Maggie Thatcher, combined with a tulle crinoline sawn off just above the knees.”
From the gymnastic bars to the microphone
Dion had already clearly dominated the national elimination, although the Swiss expert jury only awarded her six out of ten possible points. The song “Ne partez pas sans moi”, composed by Atilla Şereftuğ with lyrics by Nella Martinetti, has everything that makes a hit. Dion is already a star in Canada, but nobody knows her in Europe.
Celine Dion comes from a musical family. The father plays the accordion, the mother the violin. All 14 siblings play an instrument. She made her first appearance at the age of five. But she almost didn’t become a singer but a gymnast.
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Legend: Switzerland wins with 137 to 136 votes – and the crew celebrates: composer Atilla Şereftuğ (left), songwriter Nella Martinetta and Céline Dion (right). KEYSTONE/Str
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Legend: Ten years later, Céline Dion celebrates another big victory: with the “Titanic” song “My Heart Will Go On” she won the Oscar for “best film song” in 1998. Getty Images/Frank Trapper/Corbis
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Legend: The Canadian has won numerous awards over the past few years, including five Grammys. In 2004, the star also received her own “Walk of Fame” star. EPA/ARMANDO ARORIZO
When the Summer Olympics took place in Montreal in 1976, Céline Dion saw the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci on the uneven bars. Comăneci achieved a perfect grade of 10 – the first artistic gymnast in history.
This success impressed Céline Dion: “I wanted to be as good as Nadia Comăneci. I knew I had the courage, will and discipline to do it. But then I held a microphone in my hand instead of a gymnastics bar.”
Victory in the Hitchcock finale
The Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson 1988 in Dublin begins optimistically for Céline Dion. The bookmakers see her as the favorite. But after the first test, their rate drops.
On the final day, an incredible 600 million viewers watched the show on TV. You are served a crime thriller that remains gripping until the end.
Scottish singer Scott Fitzgerald delights the audience with his ballad “Go”. Until the last vote, Great Britain was leading by five points. The TV production manager is already instructing Scott what to do if he wins. But then the impossible happens: Yugoslavia gives Switzerland six points and Great Britain not a single one.
Declining career
Nobody expected this, especially not Scott Fitzgerald. “And then, all of a sudden, when the last points were awarded, all the cameras turned away from me,” remembers the Brit. «From one second to the next I was alone. There was no one there anymore and I felt more lonely than ever before.”
For Scott Fitzgerald, second place was the slow end to his career. He earned his living on cruise ships, while Céline Dion launched a global career and sank the Titanic with “My Heart Will Go On”.
ESC 2024 at SRF
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SRF will show the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on Saturday, May 11, 2024, live from 9:00 p.m.
- On the News App you can watch the finale with Nemo Stream and in ours entertaining live ticker track.
- SRF 1 also shows the show. We’ll already coordinate with you there 8:15 p.m with the program “ESC – the countdown” towards the big finale.
Here you can find all our content about ESC 2024.
SRF 1, great hour of music, May 9th, 2024, 12 p.m.