Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980

Norway was represented by Sverre Kjelsberg and Mattis Hætta, with the song '"Sámiid Ædnan", at the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 19 April in The Hague. "Sámiid Ædnan" was chosen as the Norwegian entry at the Melodi Grand Prix on 22 March and remains one of the best-remembered Norwegian entries, particularly in Norway itself.

Final

The MGP was held at the studios of broadcaster NRK in Oslo, hosted by Norway's 1966 representative Åse Kleveland. Ten songs took part in the final, with the winner chosen by a 9-member "expert" jury who awarded 10 points to their favourite song down to 1 point to the least-liked. Voting was very close with only 4 points separating the top five songs. The first vote resulted in a tie for first place, so each jury member was asked to nominate their preferred song of the two, and "Sámiid Ædnan" won by 5 votes to 4.^[1]

At Eurovision

On the night of the final Kjelsberg and Hætta performed 11th in the running order, following Finland and preceding Germany. The song was very unusual for Eurovision both structurally and thematically, and the stage presentation, although simple and gimmick-free, proved very memorable to viewers and frequently features in Eurovision montages. At the close of voting "Sámiid Ædnan" had received 15 points, placing Norway 16th of the 19 entries. The Norwegian jury awarded its 12 points to contest winners Ireland.^[2]

See also

• Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest
• Eurovision Song Contest 1980

References