I See a Star

Infobox ESC entry
song = flagicon|Netherlands I See A Star


caption =
year = 1974
country = Netherlands
artist = Sjoukje Smit-van 't Spijker,
Willem Duyn
as = Mouth & MacNeal
with =
language = English
languages =
composer = Hans van Hemert
lyricist = Gerrit den Braber
conductor = Harry van Hoof
place = 3rd
points = 15
lyrics = [http://www.diggiloo.net/?1974nl from Diggiloo Thrush]
clip =
prev = De Oude Muzikant
prev_link = De Oude Muzikant
next = Ding-A-Dong
next_link = Ding-A-Dong

"I See A Star" was the Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, performed in English (the first time the Dutch entry was not entirely in Dutch) by Mouth & MacNeal.

The song was composed by Hans van Hemert and written by Gerrit den Braber, a duo with several previous entries to their credit. Lyrically, it seems a simple love duet at first, with the singers telling each other that their love has helped them see the world in a new way. The "star" of the title is to be found in one's lover's eyes. However, the line 'the beauty we're inhaling every day' reveals the hidden meaning of the song: the stars one sees after smoking weed.

Musically, it is based around a simple melody which is embellished by a number of different instruments, including a barrel organ with a collection of puppets on it.

The brightly-coloured performance has become a favourite among Contest fans, with the song being selected as one of the non-winning "classics" to appear on the double-CD and double-DVD sets produced to support the Congratulations special of late 2005. At one point in the performance, Mouth in fact played the barrel organ himself - something referenced in the Dutch lyrics ("Dan speel ik er een stukkie orgel bij" - "Then I'll play a piece of organ music"). Contest historian and author John Kennedy O'Connor argues in his book "The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History" that the "antics" involved in the presentation may ultimately have hurt the song's chances of winning. The winning song at this Contest was "Waterloo" by Sweden's ABBA.

The song was performed twelfth on the night (following Belgium's Jacques Hustin with "Fleur De Liberté" and preceding Ireland's Tina Reynolds with "Cross Your Heart"). At the close of voting, it had received 15 points, placing third in a field of 17.

It was succeeded as Dutch representative at the 1975 Contest by Teach-In with "Ding-A-Dong".

References

*citeweb|url=http://www.diggiloo.net/?1974nl|title=1974 Netherlands|author=Diggiloo Thrush|accessdate=2006-12-09
*citeweb|url=http://www.diggiloo.net/?1974nl11|title=1974 Netherlands (Dutch lyrics)|author=Diggiloo Thrush|accessdate=2006-12-09
*citebook|last=O'Connor|first=John Kennedy|year=2007|title=The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3