Net als toen

Composition The song, with lyrics in Dutch by Willy van Hemert and music by Guus Jansen, is a love song with a violin dominating the song's bridge at the Eurovision Song Contest performance; described as a chanson conveying "nostalgic lyrics" Under the title which means "just like then", Eurovision On 3 February 1957, "Net als toen" won the of the Nationaal Songfestival, the national final organized by (NTS) to choose its song and performer for the of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song as well as the runner-up, were performed by Corry Brokken in a field of eight entries interpreted by four singers, conducted by the Netherlands' Metropole Orchestra manager Dolf van der Linden. "Net als toen" received 40 percent of the total postcard-votes sent by the Dutch public, gaining 6,927 postcards out of overall 17,433 and a margin of more than 2,000 above the runner-up. On 3 March 1957, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the in Frankfurt hosted by (HR) on behalf of ARD and broadcast live throughout the continent. Brokken performed "Net als toen" sixth in a field of ten countries and lasted for 4:32 minutes, interpreted by Brokken and featuring the concertmaster of the Dutch Metropole Orchestra, violinist Sem Nijveen to both accompany the singing and play the instrument solo, under the conducting of Van der Linden. ==Reception==

Prior to the contest, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf commented that "there is optimism in regards to the verdict of the international juries" at Eurovision, and that betting odds make the song look promising to gain a top-five position. On the other hand, Dutch newspaper Algemeen Handelsblad opined that the song is disappointing and will stand "no chance" at the international field, as well as criticising procedures of the country's national selection, adding that a song on an international level for the Netherlands "can only come from a free competition". The voting sequence for the song at Eurovision has led the contest's official website to view that the entry "never looked seriously challenged for the title". The duration of the Eurovision performance is pointed by the contest's official website to be among some of the 1956 and 1957 lengthier entries which led to stress a need for a three and a half minutes limit, and from later editions to set a three-minute rule. ==Releases==

"Net als toen" was released in early 1957 as a single by Belgian music label Ronnex Records, and is featured in approximately twenty other compilation albums from 1981 to the 2020s. After the Eurovision performance, in mid-1957, it spanned several weeks on single music charts, and via several of the compilations entering album charts, gained some renewed success during sporadic years since the 1990s. Recordings The studio version is approximately a minute shorter than the song's Eurovision performance, with the single and album features framing it between 3:23 and 3:27 minutes. Brokken also recorded the song in French –as "Tout comme avant"– and in German –as "Damals war alles so schön"–. Other covers are the same German title for an interpretation by 1966 Eurovision entrant Margot Eskens, the Danish "Vaer som du var" by 1957 and 1959 Eurovision entrant Birthe Wilke, and the Swedish "Säg att jag drömt" by Gunnar Thim. • "Net als toen" – 3:26 • "Wees maar niet boos" • Netherlands 7-inch EP / A|B Ronnex EP-008 • "Net als toen" – 3:25 • "Hier in de stille laan" • "Wees maar niet boos" • "Als de bomen bloeien" == Commercial performance ==

"Net als toen" charted in the Netherlands for five weeks where it remained on the same peak position, from 1 June to the week of 29 June 1957, and on Belgium's Flanders region chart it is reported to span 12 weeks, showing positions from 1 April to the week of 1 June 1957. the 1994 "Net als toen - Een hommage aan een onvergetelijke zangeres" with 5 weeks and a peak of 54, the 2010 "Songfestival klassiekers Top 50" with 1 week and peak of 21, the 2013 "Grootste Hollandse Songfestival hits allertijden" with 3 weeks and peak of 22, and the 2015 "60 jaar Eurovisie Songfestival" with 1 week and peak of 26. The song is included in two more albums with chart success in two other countries: The 2000 Eurovision songs compilation "Merci, Jury!" with 2-weeks and 9-peak in Austria, and the 2005 "50 Years Of The Eurovision Song Contest 1956 - 1980" with 3-weeks and 17-peak in Switzerland. Chart history Weekly charts ==References==