Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest

Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
Denmark
Participating broadcasterDanish Broadcasting Corporation (DR)
Participation summary
Appearances51 (44 finals)
First appearance1957
Highest placement1st: 1963, 2000, 2013
Host1964, 2001, 2014
Related articles
Dansk Melodi Grand Prix
External links
DR page
Denmark's page at Eurovision.tv Edit this at Wikidata
For the most recent participation see
Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023

Denmark has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 51 times, making its first appearance in 1957. Having competed in ten consecutive contests until 1966, Denmark was absent for eleven consecutive contests from 1967 to 1977. Since 1978, it has been absent from only four contests. Denmark has won the contest three times: in 1963, 2000 and 2013. The Danish national selection for the contest is Dansk Melodi Grand Prix.

Denmark finished third on its debut in 1957 with Birthe Wilke and Gustav Winckler, before winning the contest for the first time in 1963 with the song "Dansevise" performed by Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann. The country returned to the top three 25 years later, with third-place finishes for Hot Eyes in 1988 and Birthe Kjær in 1989, while Denmark's only top five result of the 1990s was Aud Wilken's fifth place in 1995.

Denmark won the contest for the second time in 2000 with the Olsen Brothers and the song "Fly on the Wings of Love". Denmark then finished second as hosts in 2001 with "Never Ever Let You Go" performed by Rollo and King, before Malene Mortensen became the first Danish entry to finish last in 2002. Denmark won the contest for the third time in 2013, with "Only Teardrops" performed by Emmelie de Forest. Denmark has placed in the top five 14 times.

History

Denmark's debut

Denmark first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957, held in Frankfurt, Germany. The country had intended to compete at the first contest in 1956, but had submitted its application past the deadline and was, therefore, not allowed to compete. Denmark was the first Nordic country to take part in the contest, with Sweden, Norway and Finland following soon after. Iceland, however, did not take part until 1986.

Denmark's first participants were Birthe Wilke and Gustav Winckler, who sang the song "Skibet skal sejle i nat". Their performance was controversial as, at the end of the song, the couple performed an 11-second kiss, which caused outcry in some countries. Nevertheless, the performance achieved third place.

First victory

Denmark won the contest for the first time in 1963, when Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann sang "Dansevise". The victory, however, was controversial. When Norway announced its votes, the presenter Katie Boyle had to correct the spokesperson and said that she would call them again later. Viewers around Europe could then see the votes had been changed, changing the outcome of the contest and giving the victory to Denmark at the expense of Switzerland. In fact, the reason why Norway had to announce its votes again was that the Norwegian spokesperson did not follow the right procedure the first time and, therefore, there was doubt whether he gave the correct votes on the first occasion.

The final result was valid and the victory went to Denmark. Accordingly, in 1964, the contest was held in Denmark for the first time.

Absence and return

After the 1966 contest and a record low 14th place, Denmark withdrew from the contest, as DR's new head of entertainment Niels Jørgen Kaiser did not view the contest as being quality entertainment. Dansk Melodi Grand Prix was not held from that year onwards.

However, in the 1978 contest, after 11 years of absence, and following Niels Jørgen Kaisers departure from DR, Denmark returned to the contest, represented by Mabel and the song "Boom Boom".

1980s

Denmark's most successful time at the contest came between 1984 and 1990, with the country reaching the top eight in six out of seven contests, including four top-five placings. The duo of Hot Eyes represented the nation three times during this period. In 1984, they sang the song "Det' lige det" and finished fourth. In 1985, they became the first and, as of 2020 only act to represent Denmark in two consecutive years. Singing "Sku' du spørg' fra no'en?", they could not repeat their success of the previous year and came 11th. In 1988, Hot Eyes represented Denmark again with "Ka' du se hva' jeg sa'?". The duo scored its best result to date, finishing in third place, losing only to Céline Dion and Scott Fitzgerald. Denmark's other good results during this time were sixth place for Lise Haavik in 1986, fifth for Anne-Cathrine Herdorf and Bandjo in 1987, third for Birthe Kjær in 1989 and eighth for Lonnie Devantier in 1990.

1990s

After 1990, Denmark fell from its high positions of the 1980s and was relegated from the contest on three occasions in the 1990s. In 1993, Tommy Seebach, who had previously represented Denmark in 1979 and 1981, finished 22nd, resulting Denmark being relegated from the contest in 1994. Aud Wilken sang "Fra Mols til Skagen" for the nation at the 1995 contest and came 5th, but this high placing could not be repeated in 1996, as Denmark's entry, "Kun med dig" sung by Dorthe Andersen and Martin Loft, did not qualify from the pre-qualifying round of the contest. In 1998, Denmark was once again relegated from the contest following a poor result in 1997. In 1999, the abolition of the language rule, which had required all countries to sing in their official languages, brought a return to success for Denmark, when Michael Teschl and Trine Jepsen finished 8th with "This Time I Mean It".

2000s and 2010s

In 2000, Denmark won the contest with brothers Jørgen and Niels Olsen defying the odds (they were considerably older than their competitors and only one male duo had won before), to win with "Fly on the Wings of Love". The song went on to enjoy huge success around Europe.

At the 2001 contest, held in Copenhagen, Rollo and King came second with the song "Never Ever Let You Go". However, in 2002, Malene Mortensen came 24th (last) with "Tell Me Who You Are", giving Denmark its worst result ever. Therefore, Denmark was relegated from the 2003 contest.

In 2005, Copenhagen hosted Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest, an event to commemorate the 50th anniversary.

Since the introduction of semifinals in 2004, Denmark has qualified for the final on eleven out of 16 occasions. Another string of successful participations started in 2010, when Denmark reached the top five for the first time in nine years, finishing fourth with "In a Moment like This" performed by Chanée and N'evergreen. A year later, Denmark finished fifth with "New Tomorrow" performed by the band A Friend in London, and in 2013, Denmark won the contest for the third time, when Emmelie de Forest represented the country with the song "Only Teardrops", winning with Denmark's highest-ever score of 281 points.

In 2014, Denmark reached the top ten for the fourth time in five years, when Basim finished ninth. However, the success did not continue into 2015 and 2016, as Denmark failed to qualify for the final in those years. In 2017, the country returned to the final, finishing 20th with Anja Nissen. Denmark achieved its fifth top ten result of the decade in 2018, with Rasmussen and the song "Higher Ground" finishing ninth. In 2019, Leonora took Denmark to their 12th final with the song "Love Is Forever" and finished 12th in the final with 120 points.

2020s

In 2021, the duo Fyr og Flamme with "Øve os på hinanden", Denmark's first entry fully in Danish since 1997, failed to qualify for the final, finishing 11th in the second semi-final with 89 points. Further non-qualifications followed with Reddi in 2022 and Reiley in 2023.

Participation overview

Table key
1 First place
2 Second place
3 Third place
Last place
X Entry selected but did not compete
Upcoming event
Year Entrant Song Language Final Points Semi Points
1957 Birthe Wilke and Gustav Winckler "Skibet skal sejle i nat" Danish 3 10 No semi-finals
1958 Raquel Rastenni "Jeg rev et blad ud af min dagbog" Danish 8 3
1959 Birthe Wilke "Uh, jeg ville ønske jeg var dig" Danish 5 12
1960 Katy Bødtger "Det var en yndig tid" Danish 10 4
1961 Dario Campeotto "Angelique" Danish 5 12
1962 Ellen Winther "Vuggevise" Danish 10 2
1963 Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann "Dansevise" Danish 1 42
1964 Bjørn Tidmand "Sangen om dig" Danish 9 4
1965 Birgit Brüel "For din skyld" Danish 7 10
1966 Ulla Pia "Stop – mens legen er go'" Danish 14 4
1978 Mabel "Boom Boom" Danish 16 13
1979 Tommy Seebach "Disco Tango" Danish 6 76
1980 Bamses Venner "Tænker altid på dig" Danish 14 25
1981 Tommy Seebach and Debbie Cameron "Krøller eller ej" Danish 11 41
1982 Brixx "Video-Video" Danish 17 5
1983 Gry Johansen "Kloden drejer" Danish 17 16
1984 Hot Eyes "Det' lige det" Danish 4 101
1985 Hot Eyes "Sku' du spørg' fra no'en" Danish 11 41
1986 Lise Haavik "Du er fuld af løgn" Danish 6 77
1987 Bandjo with Anne-Cathrine Herdorf "En lille melodi" Danish 5 83
1988 Hot Eyes "Ka' du se hva' jeg sa'" Danish 3 92
1989 Birthe Kjær "Vi maler byen rød" Danish 3 111
1990 Lonnie Devantier "Hallo Hallo" Danish 8 64
1991 Anders Frandsen "Lige der hvor hjertet slår" Danish 19 8
1992 Lotte Nillson and Kenny Lübcke "Alt det som ingen ser" Danish 12 47
1993 Seebach Band "Under stjernerne på himlen" Danish 22 9 Kvalifikacija za Millstreet
1995 Aud Wilken "Fra Mols til Skagen" Danish 5 92 No semi-finals
1996 Dorthe Andersen and Martin Loft "Kun med dig" Danish Failed to qualify X 25 22
1997 Kølig Kaj "Stemmen i mit liv" Danish 16 25 No semi-finals
1999 Trine Jepsen and Michael Teschl "This Time I Mean It" English 8 71
2000 Olsen Brothers "Fly on the Wings of Love" English 1 195
2001 Rollo and King "Never Ever Let You Go" English 2 177
2002 Malene "Tell Me Who You Are" English 24 ◁ 7
2004 Tomas Thordarson "Shame on You" English Failed to qualify 13 56
2005 Jakob Sveistrup "Talking to You" English 9 125 3 185
2006 Sidsel Ben Semmane "Twist of Love" English 18 26 Top 11 in 2005 final
2007 DQ "Drama Queen" English Failed to qualify 19 45
2008 Simon Mathew "All Night Long" English 15 60 3 112
2009 Brinck "Believe Again" English 13 74 8 69
2010 Chanée and N'evergreen "In a Moment like This" English 4 149 5 101
2011 A Friend in London "New Tomorrow" English 5 134 2 135
2012 Soluna Samay "Should've Known Better" English 23 21 9 63
2013 Emmelie de Forest "Only Teardrops" English 1 281 1 167
2014 Basim "Cliche Love Song" English 9 74 Host country
2015 Anti Social Media "The Way You Are" English Failed to qualify 13 33
2016 Lighthouse X "Soldiers of Love" English 17 34
2017 Anja "Where I Am" English 20 77 10 101
2018 Rasmussen "Higher Ground" English 9 226 5 204
2019 Leonora "Love Is Forever" English 12 120 10 94
2020 Ben and Tan "Yes" English Contest cancelled X
2021 Fyr og Flamme "Øve os på hinanden" Danish Failed to qualify 11 89
2022 Reddi "The Show" English 13 55
2023 Reiley "Breaking My Heart" English 14 6
2024 TBD 17 February 2024 Upcoming

Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest

Artist Song Language At Congratulations At Eurovision
Final Points Semi Points Year Place Points
Olsen Brothers "Fly on the Wings of Love" English Failed to qualify 6 111 2000 1 195

Hostings

Year Location Venue Presenters Photo Ref.
1964 Copenhagen Tivolis Koncertsal Lotte Wæver
2001 Parken Stadium Natasja Crone Back and Søren Pilmark
2014 B&W Hallerne Lise Rønne, Nikolaj Koppel and Pilou Asbæk

Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest

Year Location Venue Presenters
2005 Copenhagen Forum Copenhagen Katrina Leskanich and Renārs Kaupers

Awards

Winner by OGAE members

Year Song Performer Place Points Host city Ref.
2010 "In a Moment like This" Chanée and N'evergreen 4 149 Norway Oslo
2013 "Only Teardrops" Emmelie de Forest 1 281 Sweden Malmö

Related involvement

Conductors

Year Conductor Musical Director Notes Ref.
1957 Kai Mortensen N/A
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964 Kai Mortensen
1965 Sweden Arne Lamberth N/A
1966
1978 Helmer Olesen
1979 Allan Botschinsky
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984 Henrik Krogsgård
1985 Germany Wolfgang Käfer
1986 Norway Egil Monn-Iversen Host conductor
1987 Henrik Krogsgård
1988
1989 Henrik Krogsgård and France Benoît Kaufman
1990 Henrik Krogsgård
1991
1992
1993 Norway George Keller
1995 Frede Ewert
1996 Failed to qualify
1997 Jan Glæsel
1999 No orchestra

Additionally, a live band has performed at the Danish national final since 2020, led by Peter Düring.

Heads of delegation

Year Head of delegation Ref.
2018 Molly Plank

Commentators and spokespersons

Year Commentator Spokesperson Ref.
1956 Jens Frederik Lawaetz Did not participate
1957 Svend Pedersen Svend Pedersen
1958
1959 Sejr Volmer-Sørensen
1960
1961 Ole Mortensen
1962 Skat Nørrevig
1963 Ole Mortensen Unknown
1964 No commentary[citation needed] Pedro Biker
1965 Skat Nørrevig Claus Toksvig
1966
19671973 No broadcast Did not participate
1974 Claus Toksvig
1975
1976
1977
1978 Jørgen de Mylius Jens Dreyer
1979 Bent Henius
1980
1981
1982 Hans Otto Bisgaard
1983 Bent Henius
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991 Camilla Miehe-Renard
1992 Jørgen de Mylius
1993
1994 Did not participate
1995 Bent Henius
1996 Did not participate
1997 Bent Henius
1998 Did not participate
1999 Keld Heick Kirsten Siggaard
2000 Michael Teschl
2001 Hans Otto Bisgaard and Hilda Heick Gry Johansen
2002 Keld Heick Signe Svendsen
2003 Jørgen de Mylius Did not participate
2004 Camilla Ottesen
2005 Gry Johansen
2006 Mads Vangsø and Adam Duvå Hall Jørgen de Mylius
2007 Søren Nystrøm Rasted and Adam Duvå Hall Susanne Georgi
2008 Nicolai Molbech Maria Montell
2009 Felix Smith
2010 Bryan Rice
2011 Ole Tøpholm Lise Rønne
2012 Louise Wolff
2013 Sofie Lassen-Kahlke
2014
2015 Basim
2016 Ulla Essendrop
2017
2018
2019 Rasmussen
2021 Henrik Milling and Nicolai Molbech Tina Müller
2022
2023 Nicolai Molbech

Gallery

See also


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