1982 Germany: Nicole - Ein bißchen Frieden (Winners Reprise at Eurovision Song Contest in Harrogate)
Performed by: Nicole
Music by: Ralph Siegel
Lyrics by: Bernd Meinunger
Conductor: Norbert Daum
Language: German
Placing: 1st (161 points)
Other versions: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Russian, German/English/Dutch, German/English/Italian (yes, it's true, she sang it in all of these languages)
"Ein bißchen Frieden" ("A Little Peace" in English) is a song in German, written by prolific German Eurovision-writing duo Ralph Siegel (music) and Bernd Meinunger (lyrics) for the Eurovision Song Contest 1982, held in Harrogate, England. It was performed by 17-year-old German high-school student Nicole, resulting in Germany's first win at the Eurovision Song Contest by a record margin of 61 points, setting a new record for the largest winning margin that lasted until the Eurovision Song Contest 1997. Nicole's single is still the only Eurovision entry to top the sales charts in every territory it was released in.
"Ein bißchen Frieden" was the eighteenth and final song performed during the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest. At the close of voting, it had received 161 points, placing first in a field of 18.
The performance was unlike most other Eurovision entrants in that Nicole performed while seated on a stool, playing a white acoustic guitar and accompanied by a backing group which included a harpist. The gentle ballad describes a wish for world peace, with the lyrics sung in first person, and also describes the beauty of the natural world.
After winning the contest, Nicole performed the reprise in four different languages: German, English, French and Dutch She decided on the spur of the momen to do this, to the bewilderment of her backing group. She later released recordings in five additional languages across Europe: Danish, Italian, Russian, and a German-English-Dutch combination and a German-English-Italian combination. It topped the charts in many countries, selling more than three million copies, and the English version was the last Eurovision winner to top the charts in the United Kingdom. The English version also holds the honour of becoming the 500th British Number One.
The song was chosen in an internet poll conducted by the European Broadcasting Union in 2005 as one of the 14 most popular songs in the history of the Eurovision, and was one of the entrants in the Congratulations 50th anniversary concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, held in October 2005. Although Nicole was not at the concert, it was re-enacted by dancers equipped with white guitars and a live orchestra as the original footage was shown in the background. "Ein bißchen Frieden" finished as the seventh most popular song in the history of the contest.
In 1982 "Ein bißchen Frieden" was covered in Czech as "Jsme deti slunce" by Jaromír Mayer, in Croatian as "Malo Mira" by Ana Štefok, in Danish as "En smule fred" by Susanne Lana, in Hungarian as "Egy kis nyugalmat kívánok én" by Neoton Família, in Polish as "Troszeczkę ziemi, troszeczkę słońca" by Eleni Tzoka and in Finnish as "Vain Hieman Rauhaa" by Katri Helena. In 1996, the Swedish techno/folk/bluegrass band Rednex, known for their hit Cotton-Eye Joe around that time, did a cover of "Ein bißchen Frieden," also played in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song has since been rendered in English as "A Little Peace" recorded by Daniel O'Donnell for his 1997 album I Believe, and in Dutch as "Een Beetje Vrede" recorded by Kathleen Aerts for her 2009 album In Symfonie.
Monica Forsberg wrote lyrics in Swedish as "En liten fågel", and the song became popular among dansband groups. It was recorded in Swedish by Stefan Borsch on his 1982 album En liten fågel as well as releasing it as a single the same year and Mats Bergmans on his 2004 album Vänd dig inte om. It was also recorded by Ingmar Nordströms on 1982 album Saxparty 9.
In October 2010, Nicole released her album, 30 Jahre mit Leib und Seele, a best-of compilation album on her 30th anniversary.
In the BBC4 Programme Eurovision at 60 she described her emotions when she realised that Israel had awarded her the full 12 points for her song. She went on to say how much it meant to her, "with our history", and was subsequently invited to Jerusalem to perform, in the midst of the conflict with Lebanon.
Nicole married Winfried Selbert in 1984 and has two daughters – Marie-Claire (born 1984), a speech therapist, and Joëlle – and a granddaughter (born 2011). She spent all of her life with her family in the German Bundesland Saarland near a lake called Bostalsee.
Watch Nicole's performance in London at the show Eurovision's Greatest Hits
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