Austria’s debut song, “Wohin, kleines Pony?” (Whereto, little pony?) performed by Bob Martin, is a welcome change of pace; it is an upbeat number which manages not to take itself too seriously, but stops short of becoming too silly (see Belgium). This is quite an achievement for a song literally about a man singing to his pony. It may have finished in last place, but the entry was better than that.

Conny Brokken returns for The Netherlands, with “Net als toen” (Just like before), a song in a similar vein to her 1956 entry (so the title is remarkably apt in that way). This time, the lyrics describe a relationship which has fallen into a slump, as her character appeals to her partner to stop taking her for granted. This was the winner of the contest, but I’m going to say that I don’t think it was any better than her previous entry: it’s just that the others (thus far, at least) weren’t up to scratch.