1959 - Austria
Performed by: Ferry Graf
Music by: Norbert Pawlicki
Lyrics by: Günther Leopold
Conductor: Franck Pourcel
Language: German
Placing: 9th (4 points)
Ferry Graf (1931 - 2017) was an Austrian singer, who later became a Finnish citizen. Before his musical career, Ferry Graf worked as a locksmith. In 1959, Graf was selected by the Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) to represent the country in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959.
His song is a mixture of calypso and chanson, which was popular at the time. The song is about the k. and k. Kalypso from Vienna, in which you can “feel Strauss melodies here and there” and which “comes not from Ecuador, not from Spain and not from Mexico, but from Vienna.” Yodeling also appears in the song. Graf thus achieved four points - two from Sweden, one from Switzerland and one from Monaco - and came in ninth place. Although the track was released as a single, it was not a commercial success.
In the years following his Eurovision participation, Graf made a few appearances in Austrian and German TV, including, playing at ZDF-Hitparade in 1969, but made no major successes. In the 1970s, he moved to Finland, where he formed his own band, performing Hillbilly music, as well as German cover versions of Elvis Presley's classic song. Ferry Graf had a Finnish citizenship and lived in Jyväskylä, where he also died in 2017.
Lyrics:
Der K. und K. Kalypso aus Wien
Kalypso aus Caracas?
Kalypso aus Rio? O nein!
Kalypso aus Mexiko?
Aus Wien muß er sein!
Das ist der K. und K. Kalypso aus Wien
Der Kalypso aus Wien
Da spürt man hie und da auch Straußmelodien
Doch etwas Paprika liegt ebenfalls drin
Im K. und K. Kalypso aus Wien
Im Kalypso aus Wien
Der kommt nicht aus Ecuador
Der ist nicht aus Spanien, o nein!
Der kommt mir nur spanisch vor
Woher kann der sein?
Das ist der K. und K. Kalypso aus Wien
Der Kalypso aus Wien
Den tanzen viele wie die Polka aus Brünn
Und mancher jodelt noch im Schlaf vor sich hin:
Den K. und K.
D-lo-hi-ti... d-lo-hi-ti... o-lo-hi-ti... o-lo-hi-ti...
Den K. und K. Kalypso aus Wien
Den Kalypso aus Wien
Das ist der K. und K. Kalypso aus Wien
Der Kalypso aus Wien
Den tanzen viele wie die Polka aus Brünn
Und mancher jodelt noch im Schlaf vor sich hin:
Den K. und K.
D-lo-hi-ti... o-lo-hi-ti... o-lo-hi-ti... o-lo-hi-ti...
Den K. und K. Kalypso aus Wien
Den Kalypso aus Wien
ENGLISH:
The K. and K. calypso from Vienna
Calypso from Caracas?
Calypso from Rio de Janeiro? Oh no!
Calypso from Mexico?
It must be from Vienna!
That is the K. and K. calypso from Vienna
The calypso from Vienna
Now and then, you can also hear melodies of Strauss
But a bit of red pepper is also included
In the K. and K. calypso from Vienna
In the calypso from Vienna
It doesn't come from Ecuador
It isn't from Spain, oh no!
It seems to be just Spanish to me
Where can it be from?
That is the K. and K. calypso from Vienna
The calypso from Vienna
Many people dance it like the polka from Brno
And some yodel when they sleep without a sense
The K. and K.
D-lo-hi-ti,... o-lo-hi-ti... o-lo-hi-ti... o-lo-hi-ti...
The K. and K. calypso from Vienna
The calypso from Vienna
That is the K. and K. calypso from Vienna
The calypso from Vienna
Many people dance it like the polka from Brno
And some yodel when they sleep without a sense
The K. and K.
D-lo-hi-ti,... o-lo-hi-ti... o-lo-hi-ti... o-lo-hi-ti...
The K. and K. calypso from Vienna
The calypso from Vienna
Remarks:
K. und K. = the common army of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy (Kaiserlich und Königlich - imperial and royal).
- calypso - style of Caribbean folk music
- Caracas - capital of Venezuela
- Rio de Janeiro - second-largest city of Brazil
- Johann Strauss (1825-1899) - Austrian composer
- polka - type of folk dance
- Brno - second-largest city of the Czech Republic
- yodelling - a special singing style of the Alps