Date: 4 April 1981 - Host Venue: RDS Simmonscourt - Ballsbridge, Dublin, Ireland Presenter: Doireann NΓ Bhriain Musical director: Noel Kelehan Directed by Ian McGarry Executive supervisor: Frank Naef Executive producer: Noel D Greene Host broadcaster: RaidiΓ³ TeilifΓs Γireann (RTΓ) Interval act: "Timedance" performed by Planxty featuring dance performance by the 'Dublin City Ballet' This iconic edition of the ESC is subtitled. It's never been easier to understand all the lyrics. Simply click the subtitles button in the video. For this edition of the 1981 ESC you have the choice between these 5 commentary variations: 1. English commentary by Terry Wogan (BBC): https://youtu.be/ZHO0CGWdSTM 2. English commentary by Pat Kenny (RTE): https://youtu.be/Ae3vd83zyUs 3. German commentary by Ado Schlier (ARD): https://youtu.be/Rrh0I3cZdlo 4. Spanish commentary by Miguel de los Santos (TVE): https://youtu.be/K-gHHiSjHBM 5. Swedish commentary by Ulf Elfving (SVT): https://youtu.be/eKWLBs2kJeg The Eurovision Song Contest 1981 was the 26th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Dublin, Ireland, following Johnny Logan's win at the 1980 contest in The Hague, Netherlands with the song "What's Another Year". It was the second time the contest took place in Ireland, after 1971. The contest was held at the RDS Simmonscourt on Saturday 4 April 1981, and was hosted by Doireann NΓ Bhriain. Twenty countries participated in the contest, equalling the record of the 1978 edition. Cyprus made their dΓ©but this year, while Israel, and Yugoslavia both returned, after their one-year and five-year absence, respectively. Morocco and Italy, which had both participated the year prior, decided not to enter. The winner was the United Kingdom with the song "Making Your Mind Up", performed by Bucks Fizz, written by Andy Hill and John Danter. This was the United Kingdom's fourth victory in the contest, following their wins in 1967, 1969 , and 1976. Germany finished second for the second consecutive year, while France finished third. Norway finished last, with its third nul points. Bucks Fizz's performance on the Eurovision stage included a dance-routine where the two male members ripped the skirts off the two female members only to reveal mini-skirts, and today stands as one of the defining moments in the contest's history. Harald Tusberg, head of light entertainment for Norwegian television was upbeat about Norway's 'nul points' result as he claimed that their entry would be remembered above many others; "Who remembers who came second or third β people will remember us!". Finn Kalvik himself conceded graciously saying that he had enjoyed the week's holiday. Germany, who had never won the contest up to this point, were becoming increasingly frustrated with their second placings in this and the previous year's contest and made a concerted effort for the following year. This was to pay off, as in 1982 they finally clinched their first victory which was achieved in an overwhelming manner. Results Draw Country Artist Song Language Place Points 01 Austria Marty Brem "Wenn du da bist" German 17 20 02 Turkey Modern Folk ΓΓ§lΓΌsΓΌ & AyΕegΓΌl "DΓΆnme Dolap" Turkish 18 9 03 Germany Lena Valaitis "Johnny Blue" German 2 132 04 Luxembourg Jean-Claude Pascal "C'est peut-Γͺtre pas l'AmΓ©rique" French 11 41 05 Israel Hakol Over Habibi "Halayla" Hebrew 7 56 06 Denmark Tommy Seebach & Debbie Cameron "KrΓΈller eller ej" Danish 11 41 07 Yugoslavia Seid MemiΔ Vajta "Lejla" Serbo-Croatian 15 35 08 Finland Riki Sorsa "Reggae OK" Finnish 16 27 09 France Jean Gabilou "Humanahum" French 3 125 10 Spain Bacchelli "Y sΓ³lo tΓΊ" Spanish 14 38 11 Netherlands Linda Williams "Het is een wonder" Dutch 9 51 12 Ireland Sheeba "Horoscopes" English 5 105 13 Norway Finn Kalvik "Aldri i livet" Norwegian 20 0 14 United Kingdom Bucks Fizz "Making Your Mind Up" English 1 136 15 Portugal Carlos PaiΓ£o "Playback" Portuguese 18 9 16 Belgium Emly Starr "Samson" Dutch 13 40 17 Greece Yiannis Dimitras "Feggari kalokerino" Greek 8 55 18 Cyprus Island "Monika" Greek 6 69 19 Switzerland Peter, Sue and Marc "Io senza te" Italian 4 121 20 Sweden BjΓΆrn Skifs "FΓ₯ngad i en drΓΆm" Swedish 10 50 Timeline: 0:00 - Eurovision Theme 0:39 - Opening Ceremony 5:13 - Welcome to Dublin! 8:21- 1. Austria 12:50 - 2. Turkey 16:51 - 3. Germany 21:22 - 4. Luxembourg 25:25 - 5. Israel 29:48 - 6. Denmark 33:53 - 7. Yugoslavia 38:01 - 8. Finland 42:11 - 9. France 46:33 - 10. Spain 50:53 - 11. Netherlands 55:07 - 12. Ireland 59:26 - 13. Norway 1:03:47 - 14. United Kingdom 1:07:45 - 15. Portugal 1:12:08 - 16. Belgium 1:16:23 - 17. Greece 1:20:50 - 18. Cyprus 1:25:08 - 19. Switzerland 1:29:22 - 20. Sweden 1:35:06 - Interval Act 1:42:05 - Voting 2:24:40 - Prize Award 2:26:18 - Winning Song Reprise 2:29:27 - Goodbye! 2:31:38 - Eurovision Theme