The First Song Ever Performed at Eurovision

MAY 15 1956 · 12:10

Jetty Paerl · "De vogels van Holland" · Netherlands · 1956 Language: Dutch · Composers: Jelle de Vries, Annie M. G. Schmidt · Venue: Teatro Kursaal · Host: Lugano, Switzerland · Type: national debut · Broadcast: pre color Seven o'clock in the evening, Lugano. The Teatro Kursaal's chandeliers come on. Paerl, in a modest dark dress, walks to the lectern and sings a light bird-themed waltz written by a minor Dutch composer and the beloved children's writer Annie M.G. Schmidt. The three-man string band accompanies her. No one in the room quite knows what Eurovision is yet. Ranked results are never released — the jury deliberates in secret. Lys Assia's 'Refrain' is eventually announced as winner. Context Marcel Bezençon of the European Broadcasting Union had conceived the contest as a cheap inter-country television collaboration inspired by the Italian Sanremo Festival. Seven countries participated. Each broadcaster sent two songs. Only Switzerland's broadcast was retained; most recordings were lost within weeks. Paerl had been a Radio Orange wartime resistance broadcaster before becoming a postwar entertainer. Legacy Because no other 1956 ranking was released, 'De vogels van Holland' is canonically the first Eurovision song ever performed. The broadcast itself is largely lost — only an audio snippet survives. Annie M.G. Schmidt, credited as co-writer, became the Netherlands' most important postwar children's author. Paerl died in 2013; her Lugano appearance is mentioned in every major Dutch broadcasting obituary. Mythology Fan lore holds that Paerl was booked only four days before travel because the original Dutch entry's singer fell ill — unconfirmed but persistent in Dutch archival interviews.