Su Canción

Infobox ESC entry
artist = Betty Missiegocite web|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/event/songinfo?song=20559&event=295|title=Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979|accessdate=2008-10-07|publisher="EBU"]
song = "Su Canción"
country = Spain


caption = Cover of vinyl single
year = 1979
as =
with =
language = Spanish
languages =
composer = Fernando Moreno
lyricist = Fernando Moreno
conductor = José Luis Navarro
place = 2nd
points = 116
lyrics = [http://www.diggiloo.net/?1979es from Diggiloo Thrush]
clip =
prev = Bailemos un vals
prev_link = Bailemos un vals
next = Qué date esta noche
next_link = Qué date esta noche

"Su Canción" (English: "Your Song") is a song that was Spain's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, held in Jerusalem, Israel. It was sung by the Peruvian singer Betty Missiego, who was chosen by the Spanish broadcaster, Televisión Española (TVE), as their representative in the Contest that year.

Internal selection

From 1977 to 1999, TVE used an internal selection process to select both the singer and the song to represent them at Eurovision. For 1979, Betty Missiego, a 34-year-old singer and television presenter from Peru who had previous song festival experience representing Peru at the Festival OTI in Madrid in 1972, was selected to go to Jerusalem with the song "Su Canción," written and composed by Fernando Moreno.

At Eurovision

At Jerusalem, the song was the nineteenth and final song performed that evening, after Austria's Christina Simon with "Heute in Jerusalem." At the end of judging that evening, "Su Canción" took the second-place slot with 116 points.cite web|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/index/main?page=66&event=295|title=Eurovision Song Contest 1979|accessdate=2008-10-07|publisher="EBU"] Spain was given 12 points by Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, 12 points being the maximum score allotted to one country by another.

The song was performed from the point of view of "an old woman" (ostensibly Missiego), who lived a solitary life until she found joy in the world around her through children who asked her to sing a song with them. At the end, she implores everyone to sing along with her, so the song can become "theirs" as well. Unique that year was her use of children as backup singers of sorts, joining her in "her song." The children on stage that evening were Javier Glaria, Alexis Carmona, Beatriz Carmona, and Rosalía Rodríguez. [http://www.diggiloo.net/?info.1979es Info on children from Diggiloo Thrush] ] At the end of the song, the children unfurl small banners, with "thanks" inscribed on each in English, Spanish, Hebrew and French, respectively.

As Spain was the last song to perform, they were also the last to vote; before their votes they led the Contest by one point, and were forced to give up their lead when awarding Israel and their song "Hallelujah" 10 points and, by extension, the win.

According to the official Eurovision website, it was rumored after the contest that Spain gave high marks to Israel to prevent their own country from having to host the Contest in 1980, thus saving themselves the high expenses of an international production.

uccess

"Su Canción", ending in second place, was the best showing for a Eurovision entry Spain had seen since 1973, in which the country also placed second.cite web|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/index/main?page=66&event=289|title=Eurovision Song Contest 1973|accessdate=2008-10-07|publisher="EBU"] It would be the best placing for Spain in the Contest until 1995, when they would place second again.cite web|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/index/main?page=67&country=5|title=Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest|accessdate=2008-10-07|publisher="EBU"]

As a result of the high placing, it is remembered as one of the more notable moments for Spain in the Contest, so much so that both Missiego and songwriter Moreno have been involved in events with OGAE, the official Eurovision fan club.cite web|url=http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/6542?print=true|title=3 former participants met the fans|accessdate=2008-10-07|publisher=ESCtoday.com] In 2006, Missiego was a guest of honor at a Spanish OGAE meeting, alongside Massiel, winner of the Contest for Spain in 1968, and Conchita Bautista, who sang the first Spanish entry at Eurovision in 1961.

References