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Ding-a-dong

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"Ding-a-dong" is a song recorded by Dutch band Teach-In, with music composed by Dick Bakker and lyrics written by Will Luikinga and Eddy Ouwens. It represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1975, held in Stockholm, winning the contest. It reached number 1 in both the Swiss and the Norwegian Singles Chart. Teach-In recorded the song in English, Dutch, and German.

"Ding-a-dong"
French 7" single cover
Single by Teach-In
from the album Festival
B-side"Let Me In"
Released1975
LabelPhilips
Composer(s)Dick Bakker
Lyricist(s)
Music video
"Dinge-dong" on YouTube on TopPop
Eurovision Song Contest 1975 entry
Country
Artist(s)
  • Getty Kaspers
  • Ard Weeink
  • Chris de Wolde
  • John Gaasbeek
  • Koos Versteeg
  • Rudi Nijhuis
As
Language
English
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Conductor
Finals performance
Final result
1st
Final points
152
Entry chronology
◄ "I See a Star" (1974)
"The Party's Over" (1976) ►

Background

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Conception

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"Ding-a-dong" was composed by Dick Bakker with lyrics by Will Luikinga and Eddy Ouwens.[1] It is an up-tempo ode to positive thought though the song is written entirely in a minor key. It sings that one should "sing a song that goes ding ding-a-dong" when one is feeling unhappy, with the chorus proclaiming "Ding-a-dong every hour, when you pick a flower. Even when your lover is gone, gone, gone."[1]

In the original Dutch version the "ding-a-dong" describes the heartbeat of the singer remembering the separation from her lover in the past. As well as "ding-a-dong", the lyrics also contain "bim-bam-bom" representing a fearful heartbeat and "tikke-(tikke)-tak" for the ticking of the clock while waiting for the lover to return.[2]

Eurovision

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On 26 February 1975, "Dinge dong" –the original Dutch version of "Ding-a-dong"– competed in the 19th edition of the Nationaal Songfestival, the national final organized by Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) to select its song and performer for the 20th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song won the three-song competition, so it became the Dutch entry for Eurovision. Once selected, it was performed by the three competing acts: Albert West, Debbie, and Teach-In. Teach-In received more points than their rivals, so they became the performers for Eurovision.[3] Teach-In then recorded the song in Dutch –as "Dinge-dong"–, English –as Ding-a-dong–, and German –as "Ding ding-a-dong".[1]

On 22 March 1975, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at Sankt Eriks-Mässan in Stockholm hosted by Sveriges Radio (SR), and broadcast live throughout the continent. Teach-In performed in English "Ding-a-dong"[a] first on the evening preceding Ireland's "That's What Friends Are For" by The Swarbriggs. Harry van Hoof conducted the live orchestra in the performance of the Dutch entry.[4]

At the close of voting, it had received 152 points, placing first in a field of nineteen, winning the contest. The song was the first winner under the current Eurovision voting system whereby each country awards scores of 1–8, 10, and 12.[5]

 
Teach-In and the songwriters arriving at Schipol Airport after Eurovision.

"Ding-a-dong" was notable for being one of the Eurovision winners that had quirky or entirely nonsensical titles or lyrics, following in the footsteps of Massiel's "La, la, la" in 1968 and Lulu's "Boom Bang-a-Bang" in 1969, and later followed by the Herreys' "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" in 1984. As the first song was performed during the evening, the victory ran contrary to the fact that success usually went to songs performed later in the broadcast. This was the first of three occasions when the first song would win the contest, the second coming the following year in 1976, and the third in 1984.[6]

Aftermath

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Teach-In performed their song in the Eurovision twenty-fifth anniversary show Songs of Europe held on 22 August 1981 in Mysen.[7] On 22 May 2021, the interval act "Rock the Roof" in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 grand final featured "Ding-a-dong" performed by Teach-In.[8]

Chart history

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Legacy

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beFour cover

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"Ding-A-Dong"
 
Single by beFour
from the album Friends 4 Ever
Released17 April 2009
Recorded2009
GenrePop
Length3:32
Songwriter(s)Will Luikinga, Eddy Ouwens
BeFour singles chronology
"No Limit"
(2009) 		"Ding-A-Dong"
(2009)

"Ding-a-Dong" was also recorded by German band beFour for their fourth studio album Friends 4 Ever and released on 17 April 2009 as its second single in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Weekly charts

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Chart (2009) Peak
position
Germany (GfK)[23] 61

Other covers

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  • Russian musicians Alyona Apina and Murat Nasyrov recorded "Лунные ночи" ("Lunnyje nochi", "Moonlight nights") to the melody of "Ding-a-Dong" in 1997.[24]
  • Füsun Önal covered this song as "Söyleyin Arkadaşlar" ("Tell me friends") in Turkish, included in her first LP Alo... Ben Füsun (1975).[26]
  • Ayla Algan covered this song as "Dünya Tersine Dönse" ("If the world turns back") in Turkish, included in firstly her 45rpm Dünya Tersine Dönse/Sen De Katıl Bize (1975),[27] laterly in her second LP after Yunus Emre[28] and the first commercial one Ayla Algan (1976).[29]
  • András Csonka recorded a Hungarian language version "Ding Dong" in 2001.[30]
  • Hanne recorded a Finnish language version "Ding-a-Dong" in 1975.[31]
  • The Dutch language television series, Schaep Ahoy [nl], featured a version of the song sung by the cast members in its first episode in 2015.

Notes

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  1. ^ During broadcast, it was introduced in the onscreen titles as "Ding dinge dong"

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Ding-A-Dong – lyrics". The Diggiloo Thrush.
  2. ^ "Ding-A-Dong (Dutch) – lyrics". The Diggiloo Thrush.
  3. ^ "Netherlands: Nationaal Songfestival 1975". Eurovisionworld.
  4. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1975". Eurovision Song Contest. 22 March 1975. SR / EBU.
  5. ^ "Official Eurovision Song Contest 1975 scoreboard". Eurovision Song Contest.
  6. ^ O'Connor, John Kennedy (2007). The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History. UK: Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3.
  7. ^ "Songs of Europe". Eurovision Song Contest. 22 August 1981. NRK / EBU.
  8. ^ "Interval Act – Rock The Roof". Eurovision Song Contest.
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 306. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ "Teach-In – Ding-a-dong" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Teach-In – Ding-a-dong" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Teach-In – Ding-a-dong" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  13. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Teach-In". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  14. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Teach-In" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Teach-In – Ding-a-dong" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  16. ^ "Teach-In – Ding-a-dong". VG-lista. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  17. ^ "Teach-In – Ding-a-dong". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Teach-In: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Teach-In Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  20. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1975" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  21. ^ "TOP – 1975". Top-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1975" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  23. ^ "beFour – Ding-A-Dong" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  24. ^ Алёна Апина И Мурат Насыров – Лунные Ночи on YouTube
  25. ^ Ding a Dong – Μπέσσυ Αργυράκη on YouTube
  26. ^ "Füsun Önal – Alo.... Ben Füsun (1975, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1975.
  27. ^ "Aylâ Algan – Dünya Tersine Dönse / Sen de Katıl Bize (1975, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1975.
  28. ^ "Ayla Algan – Yunus Emre". Discogs. 1970.
  29. ^ "Aylâ Algan – Ayla Algan (1976, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1976.
  30. ^ Zhuk, Alexandr (September 5, 2017). Encyclopedia of Hungarian rock. Volume one. Litres. ISBN 9785457918016 – via Google Books.
  31. ^ "Hanne & Kai Hyttinen – Silloin / Ding A Dong (1975, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1975.
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Preceded by Eurovision Song Contest winners
1975 		Succeeded by
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