Morten Thomassen from Norway decided to write about some of his memories of Eurovision and the Norwegian Eurovision selection. ESC Covers again will publish it after google translating it from Norwegian to English.

If I remember correctly, my family got the first TV in 1967, remember we lived in the far north of the country and as TV country it was probably only in the early 70s that the whole country was united and my first reaction to this new medium was that I was terrified and screamed, luckily I have gained a more relaxed relationship with this medium later in life.

The first Norwegian final and, as far as I know, the international final was back in 1971, so what happened in the 60s I have never caught on, even though I had my first five years of life in that decade.

I don’t really remember much from the international final except that I thought Hanne Krogh was a sweet girl who sang a sweet song and that I possibly asked my mother why Norway did so badly, we had far from the worst song .

I remember the Norwegian final better, this was the year I was going to turn 7 and I was going to start school soon, I must know, a lot of big changes that year.

I probably have to disappoint Hanne Krogh, sweet and pretty as she was and really still is, there was someone else who I had as my great favourite.

Just days before her 10th birthday, the child star Anita Hegerland appeared on the not-too-large MGP stage in an NRK studio and sang the song “Gi Meg En Sebra” and in many ways she has to take full responsibility for my MGP interest was really ignited that year.

She was only a few years older than me, so I figured out that I could also participate in that competition, just give me a few more years and I’ll probably have what it takes to participate.

Fortunately, with age, more and more wisdom seeps in, so I realized quite soon that there were talents other than singing that I had more control over.

But, the fact that MGP and ESC would become such a passion for me had its birth, if you can say it that way, on 20 February 1971 when I was 6 years, 6 months + 2 days old and now over fifty years later the passion sure a little different but just as strong I would say.

The first time I was in South Africa I was about to buy a zebra skin, it’s the closest I’ve come to getting a zebra, but the song is still a little gem.

I am almost no memories from 1971. South Africa got TV only in January 1976 and although my mother bought a colour Sony TV on the second day sales opened (most people in those days bought black and white sets), Eurovision was not really known, although the UK entry JACK IN THE BOX was played on radio and I love it. Also the top female singer in South Africa at the time, covered the Monaco winner as A BRAND NEW DAY by VIRGINIA LEE and I bought the vinyl single. The song was actually part in French ,using the original French lyrics but with new English lyrics.

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