284/917 Jacques Hustin: Fleur de liberté (Belgium 1974)

All the songs from the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest have been overshadowed by a Swedish group that won the contest that year and became one of the biggest music and show business phonomena in the world. However, the contest included many other notable entries, among the Eurosong 284 which the random number generator draw for me this time.

Jacques Hustin had been a household name in Belgium since the mid 1960's and was confident enough to present this pleasent song on the Eurovision stage in 1974. With his charming trembling voice and well planned stage act (including the very 1970's outfit) he managed to please many in the audience. The song was well arranged with prominent use of strings and the flute.

The 1974 was not, unfortunately, the year for single male performers. The top places in the result list were filled with groups (Abba, Mouth & McNeal) and established female artists (Gigliola Cinquetti, Olivia Newton-John and Ireen Sheer), and Belgium had to settle for ninth place.

Jacques Hustin continued his career until the late 1980's, when he concentrated on his other career as a painter.

Fleur de liberté is an eurosong that one does not hear often. But whenever I hear it it makes me smile and long for the 1970's Eurovision Song Contests.

My points 4/5.