The First Day Of Love

Infobox ESC entry
song = "The First Day Of Love"


caption =
year = 1974
country = Norway
artist = Anne Karine Strøm
as = Anne Karine
with =
language = English
languages =
composer = Frode Thingnæs
lyricist = Philip A. Kruse
conductor =
place = 14th
points = 3
place_semi =
points_semi =
lyrics = [http://www.diggiloo.net/?1974no from Diggiloo Thrush]
clip =
prev =
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"The First Day Of Love" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, performed in English by Anne Karine, (real name Anne Karine Strøm). This was the first occasion on which the Norwegian entry had not featured any lyrics in Norwegian.

The song is an inspirational number, with Anne Karine singing about the regenerative power of love. She sings that everyone in the world wants the same thing, love, and that by moving towards that goal the human race is becoming closer.

The song was performed fourth on the night (following Spain's Peret with "Canta Y Sé Feliz" and preceding Greece's Marinella with "Krasi, Thalasa Ke T' Agori Mu"). At the close of voting, it had received just 3 points and perhaps unjustly, the song came last, placing joint 14th in a field of 17.

Anne Karine and her backing singers, Ellen Nikolaysen, Bjørn Kruse and Benny Kruse, had all represented Norway in the 1973 Contest as part of the vocal group The Bendik Singers.

In the 1976 Contest, Anne Karine Strøm would represent Norway for the third and final time with the disco oriented song Mata Hari, she would finish with 7 points, and 18th out of 18 entrants, thus awarding Strøm the unique acolade of being the only performer in history of the Eurovision Song Contest, to have finished in last place more than once, a record she still holds as of 2008.

Anne was succeeded as Norwegian representative at the 1975 Contest by fellow Bendik Singer Ellen Nikolaysen with "Touch My Life (With Summer)".