1961 Netherlands: Greetje Kauffeld Wat een dag (10th place at Eurovision Song Contest in Cannes)

1961 - Netherlands
Performed by: Greetje Kauffeld
Music by: Dick Schallies
Lyrics by: Pieter Goemans
Conductor: Dolf van der Linden
Language: Dutch
Placing: 10th (6 points)

Greetje Kauffeld was born in Rotterdam. As a child she sang hits by popular American singers and participated in school choir. When she was thirteen, she sang in a band for a Radio Hilversum competition. Later, the family moved to Zeeland. At sixteen, she was lead singer of the Skymasters, a popular band which performed on radio and in concert tours. Since the orchestra also accompanied Evelyn Künneke, René Carol, Rudi Schuricke and Fred Bertelmann, she came into contact with pop stars of the time. At the Festival della Canzone in Venice, de:Erwin Lehn invited the band to perform at his radio station, the South German Radio in Stuttgart. He made several recordings with her.

In 1961 de:Heinz Gietz heard her singing during a performance in the Stuttgart Liederhalle and gave her a record contract. She also played in the German television series Game with Fours. In 1961 several tracks were recorded without success. She collaborated with Paul Kuhn. "Every Day I Love You a little Bit More" was the most successful. She was also successful in her home country, the Netherlands. In 1961 she represented the Netherlands at the EuroVision Song Contest singing "Wat een dag" ("What a Day") and finished in tenth place. In 1963 she sang "Nur bei dir" ("Only with You") at the German Schlager Festival in Baden-Baden but failed to qualify for the final. In 1964 she released "We Can Only Write Letters". The song remained for weeks in the charts.

After her contract expired in 1967, she performed in Los Angeles but returned soon after to Europe. In 1970 she married Joop de Roo, who advised her to change her music genre. She switched to jazz and was successful in the Netherlands and later in Germany. She has appeared with jazz musicians and in 1981 recorded a jazz album. In 1980 she was recognized as the best soloist at the Euro-American Nordring radio festival.

In 1986 Kauffeld had her own jazz trio accompanied by tenor saxophone and guitar. The trio received several jazz awards, including the "nl:Gouden Notenkraker" and the Jazz Prize of den Hertogenbosch city. In addition, she became a lecturer at the HKU University of the Arts Utrecht in Hilversum, where she mentored young jazz musicians, including de:Pit Witt.

LYRICS:

Wat een dag

Samen in de klas
Soms droeg hij m'n tas
Later 'ns een dag naar zee
Niks bijzonders, maar als u eens wist
Wat hij sinds vandaag is voor mij
U hebt geen idee

Wat een dag
Wat een dag
Echt een dag waarop alles gaat
Waarop alles wat eerst een droom heeft geleken
In werk'lijkheid bestaat

Wat een dag
Wat een dag
Echt een dag waarop alles lukt
Ik heb ongestraft zelfs in 't park
Aan de overkant bloemetjes geplukt

Zingend loop ik door de straat
Hé, ouwe buur
Kijk niet zo zuur
'k Doe toch geen kwaad
'k Ben alleen waanzinnig blij
Trek je vooral niets aan van mij

Wat een dag
Wat een dag
Mensen, mag ik dan alsjeblieft
Deze dag 'ns verdoen met doldwaze dingen?
Ik ben toch zo verliefd

Wat een dag
Wat een dag
Echt een dag waarop alles gaat
Waarop alles wat eerst een droom heeft geleken
In werk'lijkheid bestaat

Wat een dag
Wat een dag
Echt een dag waarop alles lukt
Ik heb ongestraft zelfs in 't park
Aan de overkant bloemetjes geplukt

Zingend loop ik door de straat
Hé, ouwe buur
Kijk niet zo zuur
'k Doe toch geen kwaad
'k Ben alleen waanzinnig blij
Trek je vooral niets aan van mij

Wat een dag
Wat een dag
Mensen mag ik dan alsjeblieft
Deze dag 'ns verdoen met doldwaze dingen?
Ik ben toch zo verliefd
Zo verliefd, heel gewoon
Als een dwaas verliefd

ENGLISH:

What a day

Together in the classroom
Sometimes he carried my bag
Later on, a day to the seaside
Nothing special, but if you just knew
What he means to me after today
You have no idea

What a day
What a day
Really a day when everything can be done
When everything which at first seemed a dream
Exists in reality

What a day
What a day
Really a day when everything succeeds
I have even picked some flowers unpunished
In the park across the street

I'm walking in the street, singing
Hey, old neighbour
Don't look so sour
I do no harm
I'm only madly happy
Just don't bother about me

What a day
What a day
People, can I please
Waste this day and do crazy stuff?
I'm so in love

What a day
What a day
Really a day when everything can be done
When everything which at first seemed a dream
Exists in reality

What a day
What a day
Really a day when everything succeeds
I have even picked some flowers unpunished
In the park across the street

I'm walking in the street, singing
Hey, old neighbour
Don't look so sour
I do no harm
I'm only madly happy
Just don't bother about me

What a day
What a day
People, can I please
Waste this day and do crazy stuff?
I'm so in love
So in love, quite simply
Like a fool in love