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The Netherlands in 1971
Saskia and Serge
Song
De tijd
Gerrit den Braber
Composer(s)
Joop Stokkermans
More information
Biography
Saskia & Serge (real names Saskia Bos and Ruud Bos) met each other in the late 60's. As the story goes Ruud first fell in love with Saskia's voice and then with the rest. And so at the start of the 70's the two married. As a singing unit they came to prominence in 1970, when they participated in that year's Dutch final with Het Spinnewiel. Although the song wasn't a big hit in the Netherlands, they charted with the follow-up single Zomer In Zeeland. It remained their only Dutch sung hit until the early 90's and their 1971 entry De Tijd even didn't make the Dutch breakers charts. Desperately wanting success the duo changed direction and their adopted country and western image paid off. Songs like Baby, I'll Give You Everything and Don't Tell Me Stories became big hits in the Netherlands and even brought them an invitation to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Unique, as they were in fact the first Dutch act ever to be invited to the Opry. The LP Some Girls Grow Up, recorded in Nashville as the follow-up to the successful 1976 album We'll Give You Everything, and the singles taken from that album didn't make a dent in the Dutch charts however. And so Saskia & Serge changed direction once again and returned as a kind of ABBA epigones in the early 80's with songs like Mama, He's A Soldier Now and Mama Mia. A short period of big success, followed by several meagre years. Surprisingly a brief return to the country and western music brought them a one-off hit in 1984 with the medley The Country Disco Train. After 8 years of having no hits at all Saskia & Serge returned to the charts in 1992 with a Dutch cover version of Diana Ross' When You Tell Me That You Love Me called Als Je Zachtjes Zegt 'Ik Hou Van Jou'. This formula proved successful and the following years they graced the Dutch charts with their versions of Everything I Do ( I Do It For You), How Do I Live and Why Not Me.
Joop Stokkermans is a famous Dutch composer/conductor who wrote a lot of Dutch hits for others, but never achieved success himself in the Dutch charts. That pleasure was reserved for his bassist son Hans Stokkermans, who was a member of The Shorts, a highly successful Dutch group that enjoyed European and Asian success in the mid 80's with Comment Ça Va and Je Suis, Tu Es. There is another Eurovision connection with The Shorts. Singer Hans van Vondelen went on to work as an engineer for Eddy Ouwens Productions and worked with former ESC or Dutch final entrants like Willem Duyn (1974), Justine Pelmelay (1989), Maxine (1996) and Gert & Hermien (Dutch final 1962 and 1965).
Like Joop Stokkermans Gerrit den Braber was a hugely successful composer who sadly died in 1996. He was responsible for the Dutch entries for 1962, 1966 and 1967. He was also the man behind hits for Anneke Grönloh (Netherlands 1964), Rita Hovink (Dutch final 1977) and many, many more. [notes by René van der Drift and Edwin van Gorp]
Country profile
Do you want to learn more about The Netherlands ? At worldatlas.com you can read a detailed country profile, including maps, flags and you can even listen to the national anthem!
History
We are currently updating our country history pages and therefore, they are temporarily unavailable! How many times they won? Who represented the country in 1960? This and a lot more is available in the history section soon!
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All Participations for The Netherlands
| Year | Artist | Song | Points | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Hind | Your heart belongs to me | 8 | 13 |
| 2007 | Edsilia Rombley | On top of the world | 38 | 21 |
| 2006 | Treble | Amambanda | 22 | 20 |
| 2005 | Glennis Grace | My impossible dream | 53 | 14 |
| 2004 | Re-union | Without you | 11 | 20 |
| 2004 | Re-union | Without you | 146 | 6 |
| 2003 | Esther Hart | One more night | 45 | 13 |
| 2001 | Michelle | Out on my own | 16 | 18 |
| 2000 | Linda Wagenmakers | No goodbyes | 40 | 13 |
| 1999 | Marlayne | One good reason | 65 | 10 |
| 1998 | Edsilia Rombley | Hemel en aarde | 150 | 4 |
| 1997 | Mrs. Einstein | Niemand heeft nog tijd | 5 | 22 |
| 1996 | Maxine and Franklin Brown | De eerste keer | 78 | 7 |
| 1994 | Willeke Alberti | Waar is de zon | 4 | 23 |
| 1993 | Ruth Jacott | Vrede | 92 | 6 |
| 1992 | Humphrey Campbell | Wijs me de weg | 67 | 9 |
| 1990 | Maywood | Ik wil alles met je delen | 25 | 15 |
| 1989 | Justine Pelmelay | Blijf zoals je bent | 45 | 15 |
| 1988 | Gerard Joling | Shangri-la | 70 | 9 |
| 1987 | Marcha | Rechtop in de wind | 83 | 5 |
| 1986 | Frizzle Sizzle | Alles heeft ritme | 40 | 13 |
| 1984 | Maribelle | Ik hou van jou | 34 | 13 |
| 1983 | Bernadette | Sing me a song | 66 | 7 |
| 1982 | Bill van Dijk | Jij en ik | 8 | 16 |
| 1981 | Linda Williams | Het is een wonder | 51 | 9 |
| 1980 | Maggie MacNeal | Amsterdam | 93 | 5 |
| 1979 | Xandra | Colorado | 51 | 12 |
| 1978 | Harmony | 't Is OK | 37 | 13 |
| 1977 | Heddy Lester | De mallemolen | 35 | 12 |
| 1976 | Sandra Reemer | The party's over now | 56 | 9 |
| 1975 | Teach-In | Ding-a-dong | 152 | 1 |
| 1974 | Mouth and MacNeal | I see a star | 15 | 3 |
| 1973 | Ben Cramer | De oude muzikant | 69 | 14 |
| 1972 | Sandra and Andres | Als het om de liefde gaat | 106 | 4 |
| 1971 | Saskia and Serge | De tijd | 85 | 7 |
| 1970 | Patricia and Hearts of Soul | Waterman | 7 | 7 |
| 1969 | Lenny Kuhr | De troubadour | 18 | 1 |
| 1968 | Ronnie Tober | Morgen | 1 | 16 |
| 1967 | Thérèse Steinmetz | Ring-dinge | 2 | 16 |
| 1966 | Milly Scott | Fernando en Philippo | 2 | 15 |
| 1965 | Conny Van den bos | Het is genoeg | 5 | 11 |
| 1964 | Anneke Grönloh | Jij bent mijn leven | 2 | 10 |
| 1963 | Annie Palmen | Een speeldoos | 0 | 13 |
| 1962 | De Spelbrekers | Katinka | 0 | 13 |
| 1961 | Greetje Kauffeld | Wat een dag | 6 | 10 |
| 1960 | Rudi Carrell | Wat een geluk | 2 | 12 |
| 1959 | Teddy Scholten | Een beetje | 21 | 1 |
| 1958 | Corry Brokken | Heel de wereld | 1 | 9 |
| 1957 | Corry Brokken | Net als toen | 31 | 1 |
| 1956 | Jetty Paerl | De vogels van Holland | 0 | 2 |
| 1956 | Corry Brokken | Voorgoed voorbij | 0 | 2 |
