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About Netherlands...
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2005 Result
Points in Semi Final: 53
Position in Semi Final: 15th
Points in Final: Failed to qualify
Position in Final: Failed to qualify
2006 Contest: Must compete in Semi Final
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History (1956 to 2004)
Netherlands's previous appearances: 45 year(s) out of 49
Years participated: 1956-1984; 1986-1990; 1992-1994; 1996-2001; 2003-
Best result: 1st (1957, 1959, 1969, 1975)
One of the original Eurovision countries, the Netherlands managed four victories in the first twenty years (such as Lenny Kuhr's forgettable 'De Troubadour' in 1969), but have had nothing since their last victory in 1975. Perhaps the country is being punished for inflicting Teach-In's 'Ding Dinge Dong' upon the rest of Europe?
The country's record since televoting has not given much hope of a fifth victory - the wonderful Edsilia Rombley came a creditable 4th in 1998, but since then it's been downhill all the way with 8th place in 1999, 13th in 2000 (despite being a favourite prior to the contest), and a dismal 18th in 2001.
Having to miss 2002 through relegation, the Netherlands returned in 2003. There were great hopes for the Dutch entry, Esther Hart's 'One more night', with many predicting its victory. In truth, it was a rather ordinary song that sounded very similar to 1999's 'One good reason'; being the first song after the advert break (when many televoters are still in the kitchen or bathroom) probably didn't help. Ending up a disappointing 13th, the Netherlands just missed out on an automatic Final place, and had to compete in the 2004 Semi Final. The country's song that year - 'Without you', performed by Re-union - did surprisingly well in the Semi Final by finishing 6th with 146 points, before slumping dramatically to 20th with 11 points in the Final - a most bizarre result, given that the order of the top ten songs in the Semi Final (1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10, obviously) was generally echoed in their Final placings (2-1-3-7-5-20-9-12-13-14). One can only assume that the Netherlands benefitted from performing last in the Semi Final, though this doesn't really account for - to give an example - Ireland awarding the Netherlands its 12 points in the Semi Final, but nothing at all three days later! Whatever the explanation, the Netherlands finds itself in the Semi Final for the second successive year.
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This year's entry
Position in Semi Final draw: 9
Position in Final draw: Failed to qualify
What I said prior to the Semi Final:
"The Netherlands hasn't had a really memorable song since 1998's 'Hemel en aarde', so it's something of a pleasure to come across a Dutch entry that sounds like it could actually win Eurovision, and in doing so erase the embarassment of 'Ding dinge dong' being its most 'recent' victory. 'My impossible dream' is a rousing power ballad of the kind that Celine Dion or Whitney Houston used to favour, circa 1992 - indeed, it sounds just like it could have been lifted straight from the soundtrack of 'The Bodyguard'. This comes as little surprise when you realise that Glennis is famous as the 1994 winner of the Dutch 'Soundmixshow', when she performed as... yes, you guessed it, Whitney Houston. Sure, the song is clichéd and completely unoriginal - lyrics about breaking free against the odds, the obligatory key change, an ear shattering high note at the end - but by golly, it's fantastic with it, and takes you back to a time when Whitney actually belted out her songs rather than letting random rappers talk all over them. As for Glennis, it really is amazing Grace (groans) - she has a fantastic voice and a fabulous big-haired look, and will surely make the song sound as good as it possibly can be. This has to be the strongest Dutch entry for years, and should easily qualify for the Final - but with 1993 being the last time a big ballad actually won Eurovision, is it all just a decade too late?"
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What I predicted...
My prediction for Semi Final: 3rd to 5th
My prediction for Final: Definite qualifier; 5th to 7th
What I predicted prior to the Semi Final:
"The Dutch can be pleased with their Semi Final draw, sandwiched between the very different songs of Belarus and Iceland. In my view, the bookies odds (20-1) and Soult.com Eurovision Poll 2005 ranking (13th) underestimate the song's likely impact - I feel it would be the surprise of the Contest if the Netherlands failed to reach the Final, and unless things go badly awry, Glennis can surely be expected to finish among the top three of the Semi Final."
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What you thought...
Final Poll Ranking: out of 39 ()
(Updated 22 May 2005; change refers to movement over final week)
In the run up to the Contest, 27,998 visitors to this site voted for their favourite song in the Soult.com Eurovision Poll (up from 5,000 in 2004!)
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What actually happened...
Often when I get a prediction wrong, it's fairly clear why - someone who I thought would do well has given a terrible performance; a good song has been ruined by a horrible stage act; or a song that I had overlooked (and usually that others had favoured all along) has proved enchanting on the night. With Glennis Grace, however, I'm still at a loss to explain why 'My impossible dream' did so badly. Watching the show on television, I loved Glennis' performance - she looked stunning in a white dress, was strong vocally, and the whole act benefited from a simple presentation with just Glennis on the stage, and no unnecessary distractions in the form of dancers or backing singers. So, when the Netherlands was not one of the ten names drawn out as qualifying for the Final, I was pretty shocked. Furthermore, once the full results were revealed, it was clear that the Netherlands had not even come close, 53 points securing a disappointing 15th place. A closer look at the voting reveals a quite interesting pattern, with Glennis getting a notable lack of votes from eastern Europe - only Romania giving her any points at all (1), with most of her points coming from the longer-standing Eurovision nations such as Belgium (12), Malta (8), Monaco (8), Denmark (6) and Israel (5), most of which (Denmark excepted) entered power ballads of their own in 2005. Perhaps, therefore, it was mainly a question of musical taste, Glennis' Whitney-esque entry lacking appeal within the newer Eurovision nations, while at the same time being too 1990s for everyone else. After all, even Celine, Mariah and Whitney have given up releasing the kind of music that made them famous - Celine is holed up in Vegas, while Mariah and Whitney try their hardest to record songs that have no discernable tune. Still, a disappointing night for the Netherlands, and a much worse result than Glennis surely deserved.
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What the bookies thought...
 | Netherlands to win: | 21/05/05 (prior to Final) | - |
| | 19/05/05 (after Semi Final) | - |
| | 19/05/05 (prior to Semi Final) | 20-1 |
| | 16/05/05 | 20-1 |
| | 15/05/05 | 20-1 |
| | 08/05/05 | 20-1 |
| | 02/05/05 | 20-1 |
| | 24/04/05 | 16-1 |
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Like Iceland's Selma and Belarus' Angelica, bookies and fans alike had expected that Glennis Grace would secure a place in the Final - sadly for the Netherlands, she didn't.
(Odds quoted here were those offered by Coral.co.uk. 'F' indicates favourite, 'JF' joint favourite.)
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Links
 http://www.glennisgrace.com/
 http://www.songfestival.nl/
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Notes (see 'History' above)
- The 1956 Contest (where each country had two songs) is counted as a single appearance;
- Countries eliminated in the 1993 preliminary heat (EE, HU, RO, SK) ARE NOT counted as making an appearance in that year's Contest;
- Countries eliminated in the 1996 preliminary heat (DE, DK, HU, IL, MK, RO, RU) ARE NOT counted as making an appearance in that year's Contest;
- Countries eliminated in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Semi Finals ARE counted as making an appearance in that year's Contest.
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Your comments (87)
From adriano tabone, Malta
Added 23:03:21 2006-10-24
i would like to be a member of the eurovision .
can you tell me how to do please?
From Simon, United Kingdom
Added 00:06:23 2006-02-18
Glennis won the title of the representative of her country and the deserving yet undelivered winner of the contest. Her performance was flawless, and she looked and sang better than an angel. All the Dutch can take that with them and hold on to it. Never give up. We'll beat the Balkan and Baltic block voting some day :o) :o)
From Sian, Australia
Added 11:41:26 2006-01-08
i totally agree that there is some racism towards black artists in the eurovision voting. i think the song by the uk was rubbish, so that is understandable.. but the netherlands was definately a top 5 song and surely deserved to at least get through to the final. i have also noticed in the last couple of years that songs which just have a black backing singer or dancer and don't get very far as there are so many eastern european countries denying them votes :-(
From Guell, PUERTO RICO
Added 15:16:0 2005-6-1
In the spanish-speaking world, ESC is known as the "Eurovision Song Festival" (Festival de la Canción de Eurovisión). And I prefer to think of this as a song festival, and every year we get to hear and see some great music and have fun, rather than as a contest, with the presumption that the best songs actually win (in the four years that I've been following this event this simply hasn't happened).
The Netherlands have a long history of memorable Eurovision songs, so it would really be a shame if they decided to quit now. I say keep coming to The Festival and bring your songs. As for this year's, no matter what the final scoreboard said, the Dutch entry should be counted as one of their finest moments.
From Rudolvo, GEORGIA
Added 19:43:28 2005-5-28
Possible that Geogia is going to enter in 2006's Eurovision. But if you can see what happens to beautiful songs such as The Netherlands with "My impossible dream" or Monaco with "Tout de moi" I am quite happy that Georgia is placed geographicaly in the eastern site of Europe, so... if we will enter in 2006 we'll have enough votes to receive.
This might sound strange, but politicaly seen we surely have more friends than the richest countries in the west of Europe. Bey, bey (unfortunately) for Monaco and the Netherlands and... please line up in four together with Luxembourg and mafia Italy. If Monaco and the Netherlands would pay more, just like France, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom (as they should do, because they are rich enough), they would be able to join the finals every year, but surely end on the botom of the list.
From Kristina, LITHUANIA
Added 12:5:30 2005-5-24
I think that the best songs are in the end.For example, Lithuania never win, but we never say that we mustn't be in eurovision.
NETHERLAND your songs are perfect so don't say that you can't win, just try and believe...
From digger, NETHERLANDS
Added 11:6:24 2005-5-24
Ok this may be contentious, but i wanted to check if anyone else thinks there may be an element of racism in all of this. We know from football matches that racial abuse of black players is a particular issue in Eastern European countries and UEFA (football governing body) are paying particular attention in trying to stamp this out. So, is it a coincidence that first Glennis for the Netherlands in the Semi final and then Javine in the final (the only 2 black contestants i could see)received little or no points from all the eastern european countries. glennis received high points from many of the western eutrope countries but none from the eastern, meaning she had no chance of getting through. and many people said the UK didn't deserve to do so bad and again, no points from eastern europe. Would be interested to hear what people say.
From MIKE TYSON, ISRAEL
Added 9:41:38 2005-5-24
GOOD LUCK!!
I LIKE HOLLAND ~!
From marjolein, NETHERLANDS
Added 17:48:25 2005-5-23
I'm sorry Hanna, but I agree with Laguna. The Netherlands could better not participate anymore. The whole contest is more about how hard can I screem, and make noise with drums. I had the feeling that a lott of countries tried to be a little like Ruslana from last year (because of the drums). And no surprise Cyprus gives Greece every year 12 points and the other way around. And There are a lott of countries who do the same. How are we ever gonna win or have a high place. And even this year there where a couple of countries who had terrible songs. But what ever I hope the Netherlands won't participate anymore. Or if we trie ones more send a Carnaval song (cauld in the Netherlands a song with a lott of dancing and having fun it's a dressing up fest. Maybe that kind of song has a higher chance.
From paul;, UNITED KINGDOM
Added 11:25:28 2005-5-23
Had the best voice in the competition and didn't qualify-what a joke.Perfectly sums up Eurovision 05.
From Jana, BULGARIA
Added 23:24:32 2005-5-22
your song was great netherlands.i love it
From hanna, CYPRUS
Added 10:44:11 2005-5-22
For Laguna. i can understand that u are not satisfied with the results, but is also bad to be meen! and ofending some other countries is bad also. so if u wish to say that Moldova had a bad song, say so directly. And your sarcams is not helping! Remember, the people voted, meaning the ones that actually listen music. They didnt like it, so what? The grandma has nothing to do with your lost, isnt it?
From Laguna, NETHERLANDS
Added 15:49:48 2005-5-21
I think we (The Netherlands) have to stop participating on the ESC! We have to join Italy and Luxemburg.
You can't call this a SONG contest....it's a circus/show contest. I think we (also ireland and maybe 2 more) have send a natural/pure song, a beautifull artist with a great voice...and it was not enough to gain more votes than songs with lousy voices/acts.
The more crazy the act is..more chances to win:-(
So maybe next year we have to send an old grandmother wit no teeth and with some drums to ESC..we have a chance then, but even BETTER:
STOP participating...because this contest is a big laugh. stop humiliating ourselves!!
**may the best SONG win tonight
From Elin, SWEDEN
Added 9:53:5 2005-5-21
I think Dutch's song was the absolutley best this year! I can't understand how Israel could get more votes than Netherlands.
From Mike, AUSTRALIA
Added 14:16:59 2005-5-20
Netherlands were supposed to qualify "THE WRITING'S ON THE WALL!" No one denies the amazing talent that Amazing Grace presented before us on the stage. Glennis should be proud because it was a quality, flawless act unlike FYRO Macedonia's. Somebody remove the pole from his @$$. Anyway, I hope that the Netherlands follow in Luxembourg's and Italy's footsteps.
(As you can see i'm furious)
[REPLY FROM GRAHAM: I think you have reason to be furious - I thought Glennis' vocal performance was flawless. One can only assume that people didn't rate her song...]
From Yethan, --
Added 10:10:48 2005-5-20
I hope that The Netherlands will decide not to participate anymore. We just had enough of this song(????)contest. Political voting, nothing more, nothing less.
Macedonia and Croatia were better then the Netherlands?? Omg, am i so biased?
No more ESC for the Netherlands, i really hope. And good luck to all in the final.
From RedStar, GREECE
Added 6:12:45 2005-5-20
Netherlands didn't make it through the final...big surprise? Not think so....its not time for ballads rather, and what a poor performance she had in the s/f!
From donna, MALTA
Added 12:52:36 2005-5-19
you have a great song hope you pass for the final
From mushroom, LITHUANIA
Added 10:6:24 2005-5-19
I love Amsterdam "Ajax" so I love this song too:)good lock:) I'm with you
From James Grazios, SPAIN
Added 19:29:34 2005-5-18
A very nice Song. Congratulations, but I like & enjoyed the Maltese song,'Angel' more than this... So, 10 points to Netherlands & 12 points to
Malta. Goodluck both of u !!!
From Eweline, LITHUANIA
Added 18:59:0 2005-5-17
God I love this song...and voice is wonderful!:)I'm Whitney Houston fan...so i will (for sure!!!) vote for Glennis Grace.
From Guell, PUERTO RICO
Added 23:27:29 2005-5-16
I find it very funny how some eurofans are quick to use the term "old fashioned" to describe styles that they don't approve for today's ESC. Malta? Old fashioned. Netherlands 90's Whitney Houston's style? Old fashioned. All the ethnic songs with centuries-old styles? Not old fashioned. Excuse me, but I simply don't get this logic...
Whatever the case, I think this song is very beautiful. And Glennis' performance is excellent. I hope it does well.
From David HJ, UNITED KINGDOM
Added 23:17:18 2005-5-16
Yes she looks good, sounds good in a dated Whitney sort of way, but I do think this type of ballad is passe now. It might pick middle aged votes up ( and at 52 I am one !) the onlt thing i can say is I recall Severines 1971 victory where the song was naff but the performance was stunning. Maybe this will happen, but my guess is that she will qualify but will end up 11th or 12th
From Ionut Balan, ROMANIA
Added 12:50:23 2005-5-16
This is the best song in esc 2005. I love it. I will vote it.
Glennis, you, Selma (Iceland) and Luminita (Romania) is the best voices. You should give some canto lessons for Silvia from Hungary, Angelica from Belarus, these boys from Serbia etc etc...
I WILL VOTE YOU!
AND I LOVE YOUR HAIR, TOO!
MUAHAHAH
AM I A MANIAC? :))
From marjolein, NETHERLANDS
Added 22:33:10 2005-5-12
Well, I like our entry for the Eurovision Songcontest. Only I would like to say is that I hope that the people will listen to the song how it's been brought. The last few years I was very disapointed about the televoting. All the neighbour countries give there neighbours high points, and then I wonder if the points where given because they liked the song or that they want to stay friends with there neighbour country. Because last year I didn't liked a lott of songs, even the song that won, I found it therrible. Just the acts were more important then the songs itself. I hope that every country vote for the song and not the act.Well I wish every contestant a lot of succes with performing there song in KIEV.
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Netherlands
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