Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1961
| Eurovision Song Contest 1961 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Finland | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | National Final | |||
| Selection date(s) | 12 February 1961 | |||
| Selected artist(s) | Laila Kinnunen | |||
| Selected song | "Valoa ikkunassa" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) |
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| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 10th, 6 points | |||
| Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Finland was represented by Laila Kinnunen, with the song "Valoa ikkunassa", at the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 18 March in Cannes, France. Finland was one of three countries (along with Spain and Yugoslavia) making their Eurovision debut in 1961 and "Valoa ikkunassa" was chosen as the first Finnish entry at the national final organised by broadcaster Yle and held on 12 February.
Before Eurovision
National final
The final was held at the Työväenopisto in Helsinki, hosted by Aarno Walli. Four songs took part, having qualified from a radio-only semi-final. The winning song was chosen by an "expert" jury.[1]
Brita Koivunen was supposed to perform "Puuttuva lehti" in the final but for unknown reasons she withdrew and was replaced by Christina Hellman.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ritva Mustonen | "Portinvartija" | Erik Lindström, Hillevi | 3 |
| 2 | Laila Kinnunen | "Valoa ikkunassa" | Eino Hurme, Sauvo Puhtila | 1 |
| 3 | Kai Lind | "Pikku ikkuna" | Kari Tuomisaari | 4 |
| 4 | Christina Hellman | "Puuttuva lehti" | Erkki Rahkola[a] | 2 |
Songs eliminated in the semi-final
| Artist | Song |
|---|---|
| Laila Kinnunen | Jossain meren rannalla |
| Brita Koivunen | Pikku piccolo |
| Ritva Mustonen | Kun kevät saapuu |
| Kai Lind | Pistäydyn naapurissa |
At Eurovision
On the night of the final Laila Kinnunen performed 4th in the running order, following Austria and preceding Yugoslavia. At the close of voting "Valoa ikkunassa" had received 6 points (2 from Italy and the United Kingdom and 1 from Denmark and France), placing Finland joint 10th (with Monaco and the Netherlands) of the 16 entries. The Finnish jury awarded its highest marks (3) to Luxembourg and Monaco.[3]
Voting
Every country had a jury of ten people. Every jury member could give one point to his or her favourite song.
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Notes
- ^ Lyricist unknown
References
- ^ ESC National Finals database - Finland 1961
- ^ "Finnish Semi-final 1961".
- ^ "ESC History - Finland 1961". Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ a b "Results of the Final of Cannes 1961". Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.