Rotterdam weeks: A Dream Come True for Cilla Black fans

Cilla Black, British institution, I guess she needs no introduction to most Eurocovers readers.
Below (at the end of this post) you can hear her lovely coverversion of the Dutch 1984 entry Ik Hou Van Jou as A Dream Come True. (It's Rotterdam weeks after all).
Cilla Black released her version of the Dutch classic in 1993 on her album Through The Years. (CD, LP and MC)
A Dream Come True also ended up as the b-side of the single Heart And Soul (recorded with Dusty Springfield). (7"inch and cdsingle)

You're Sensational!
The legendary singer, TVshow host and all round showbizz star passed away in 2015.
Now, for the first time, an unreleased song is released. On Valentines day!
You're Sensational was recorded in the early 70's and only recently uncovered. The track is remixed by Matt Pop.
There are two versions: An extended remix and a radio edit.
It's a digital single (ltd cdsingles are sold out now) but let's all buy it or stream it and get Cilla back to #1. (I'm talking to you Brits here, make it happen!, Update:  It didn't.).

You're Sensational at iTunes, Amazon
and a link to all digitessen

A nice bit of Eurovision trivia about Cilla Black, who of course would have been the dream representative for the U.K.. In fact (or: allegedly, to be safe) she was asked if she was interested to do Eurovision in 1968. Cilla didn't think it was a good idea to have another female singer after Sandie Shaw's victory and she declined.
She ended up hosting the Song For Europe contest that year with Cliff Richard in her BBC TV Show Cilla and Cliff ended up with Congratulations and a 2nd place in the London Eurovision.

I Can't Go On Living Without You
In 1969 it was Lulu's turn to do A Song For Europe. One of the six songs she performed was I Can't Go On Living Without You written by then little known songwriter duo Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Hard to believe now, but the song came last.
Cilla Black recorded the song for her LP  Sweet Inspiration (1970) and it was released as a single in Venezuela, New Zealand and as a b-side in Japan.

Links and sources
Cilla Black Website and FB
Matt Pop FB and more Matt Pop at Eurocovers
More Ik Hou Van Jou coverversions posts

More Rotterdam Weeks Eurocovers Specials

- 바니걸즈 - 딩딩동,K-Pop avant la lettre

- Ragazzo di Piccola Città in una Grande Sala Giochi

- Penghibor Di Rantau by Rahimah Rahim

- Dutch entries get a makeover (CD release)

- Someday, Morgen, Y Fori with Mary Hopkin

- Cristina Jorio - Come Una Volta

Le-Chelle - Ek Hou Van Jou

Picture from Le-Chelle's Soundcloud

A wonderful coverversion of Ik Hou Van Jou, the Dutch 1984 entry by Maribelle. This one is sung in Afrikaans.
It's so lovely that I'll forgive her for thinking it's a Dana Winner cover.

More music at Le-Chelle's soundcloud. And she has a Facebook too.

The Road To Baku: Engelbert Humperdinck - In Love With You

Here's an audioclip of Engelbert Humperdinck singing In Love With You, an English version of the 1984 Dutch Eurovision song originally by Maribelle.
In a bold and certainly unexpected move the BBC have appointed Engelbert to represent the United Kingdom in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest in Baku.

Update: Find out all about his Eurovision song Love Will Set You Free here at the Baku Collection

Humperdincks Eurocovers

Engelbert Humperdinck recorded two Eurovision songs and (at least) two with a preselection connection.

In 1968 he scored a worldwide hit with A Man Without Love, a cover version of Quando M'Innamoro from the Sanremo contest of the same year. The original versions were performed by Anna Identici and by The Sandpipers. (single on Decca)

In 1971 he covered Clodagh Rodgers 'Song For Europe' song Another Time, Another Place. Another single and a modest hit in several countries. (single on Decca).
Clodagh Rodgers had her own national final in 1971 with six songs. Another Time, Another Place ended 4th and she took the winner Jack In The Box to a 4th place in the Dublin Eurovision Song Contest of 1971.

In 1997 he recorded the CD A Little In Love (Dino records). Top-man of Dino records and long time friend Tony Berk teamed Humperdinck up with Dutch singer and producer Peter Koelewijn to record an album with English versions of Dutch modern classics. It includes popular hits from the 80’s and 90’s and also features In Love With You, a coverversion of the Netherlands’ 1984 Eurovision entry Ik Hou Van Jou, originally by Maribelle.
Another song on the album is The Little Café By The Harbour, a Dutch evergreen written by Sha La Lie composer Pierre Kartner a.k.a. Father Abraham.

A Little In Love reached #29 on the Dutch album charts and stayed ten weeks on the list. In Love With You was also released as the second song on the cdsingle release of the title track.
The album was also released in Germany as Romantic Songs (EMI) but was discontinued when a project with dance re-recordings of E.H. classics was released.

The last song to mention was recorded in 2003, but it is the oldest Eurovision related song of the lot. Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu), well know to Eurocovers readers and everyone else ended up on his album Definition Of Love (Hip-O records). Volare, written and originally performed by Domenico Modugno, didn't win Eurovision but is the best selling Eurovision single and most covered Eurovision song of all time.

Please check out The Baku Collection for all the latest on the 2012 Eurovision songs, releases, charts and other trivia.

Richard De Bois (1949 - 2008) - Ik Hou Van Jou

Another sad passing. Richard de Bois died two weeks ago in LA, where he lived since the early 90's.

Richard de Bois is most known for founding Dutch girl band The Dolly Dots who enjoyed huge succes in the late 70's and early 80's, and who can still pack a large arena for their reunion concerts today.
De Bois worked with Maggie MacNeal, Willeke Alberti, Lemming and girl trio Centerfold. He also produced several albums of the cast of the U.S. Soap series The Bold And The Beautiful including solo work by John McCook.
He had been fighting with cancer for over eight years.

Ik Hou Van Jou
The name Richard De Bois may not instantly ring a bell for non Dutch Eurocovers readers, but he is one of the writers of Ik Hou Van Jou, the Dutch Eurovision song from 1984 he wrote together with Peter van Asten.
The big orchestral ballad by Maribelle only ended 13th in the contest but received a standing ovation from the orchestra. Maribelle recorded the song in Dutch, English, French and German.

After 1975 winner Ding A Dong, Ik Hou Van Jou (I love you) is the most covered dutch Eurovision entry. Even though none rivals the monumental original (see this YouTube for a national final performance) it's a fair tribute to this now classic Dutch evergreen.

Ek Hou Van Jou
The youngest version recorded is by South African singer André Smit, who just released his version (in Afrikaans) on his new CD André Smit. Ik Hou Van Jou is the song with the most versions recorded in Afrikaans (as Ek Hou Van Jou) . Ik know of nine versions: they are by Toni Andrea, Karin Cox & Janine Stein, boyband Eden, Endia, Danie Jansen, Johnny & Vivian, Gé Korsten, Jannie Moolman (with Gé Korsten) and now André Smit.

The song is also the only Eurovision song I know that is covered in Papiamento, the language of the Netherlands Antilles. This version Bo Ta Mi Amor by Dhaddy Brokke and Tony Sherman was already featured in this Eurocovers post. (and it's still there). A version by child singer Demis is featured in the post The Kids Are Alright part 2.

Cilla and Engelbert

And then there's some well known singers who recorded the song. Engelbert Humperdinck released it on his CD A Little In Love (as In Love With You). Cilla Black recorded it as A Dream Come True on her CD Through The Years (1993) and earlier mentioned soap actor John McCook released In Love With You on his CD Bold And Beautiful Lovesongs.


Update 2012: Engelbert is going to Eurovision. Here's a new post with all his Eurovison connections.
Or check out Engelberts Baku Collection post for all about his entry Love Will Set You Free

The Kids Are Alright, Part 2: The Boys

This Saturday (december 8) the 5th Junior Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Rotterdam.
You can read more about the history of kids in Eurovision in the introduction to this 3 part article (Part 1 has the Girls). Here's part 2, with some boys who haven't been close to a razor yet, but sing their lungs out in their Eurocovers.

The Kids Are Alright -
Part 2. - The Boys

1960 Romantica
Robertino Loretti was discovered by Grethe Sønck.* (wife of Danish producer Volmer Sørensen) when the boy was singing in an Italian café. The discovery resulted in performances on Danish TV and Robertino recording his first LP in Copenhagen. European and Asian fame followed soon afterwards and in the early 60's Robertino scored hits with O Sole Mio, Ave Maria, Santa Lucia and most notably Mama. It was only after these hits that Robertino got an Italian record deal. In 1964 he scored his first hit in Italy with SanRemo song Un bacio piccolissimo, one of the best selling records of the year. A few hits followed but after Era La Donna Mia (1967) it slowed down. But Robertino kept on touring the world and he's still a welcome performer in Eastern European countries.
He recorded Eurovision entry (and evergreen) Romantica (Italy 1960, originally by Renato Rascel) when he was 14 years old. Robertino also recorded Uno per Tutte, Italy's 1963 entry.

* Grethe Sønck, we all know and love her from her version of Puppet On A String, to be found in this Eurocovers post.

1984 Ik Hou Van JouThe Dutch classic entry from 1984, originally by Maribelle, lost big time at the contest despite the orchestra's applause for the singer.
The Dutch evergreen has since been covered by Cilla Black, Engelbert Humperdinck, José Carreras, Bold & Beautiful actor John McCook and every second singer from South Africa. Here's a wonderful junior version by Demis from his CD Het Leukste Moment (The best moment, Discosound 1995). Demis' (actually named after Mr. Roussos) biggest hit was Ga Dan (Just go, Youtube) from his second album Met Jou (With you, 1996) and it seems his singing career ended when his voice dropped.
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The music he makes today as DJ Demis H. is mostly instrumental and he's co-founder of Dynamik Traxx.


1991 Draumur Um Ninu (a.k.a. Nina)A huge ballad for Iceland in 1991 by Stefan & Eyfi here by Hákon Guðni Hjartarson. He performed in a kids show Stóra Stundin Ykkar (2006) with this song. The CD Stóra Stundin Ykkar (Sena records) also includes karaoke versions and is probably still available in Iceland. Hákon is the one top left on the pic.



Junior Eurovision Song Contest official website

Junior Eurovision related CDs are available at BeaRecords. OUT NOW: The 2 CD with all entries for the Rotterdam contest + all karaoke versions.