Rendez-vous (song)



"Rendez-vous" was the Belgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1983, performed in Dutch by Pas de Deux.

The song was performed nineteenth on the night (following Austria's Westend performing "Hurricane" and preceding Luxembourg's Corinne Hermès performing "Si la vie est cadeau"). At the close of voting, it had received 13 points, placing 18th in a field of 20.

The song is an up-beat synthpop number, which despite its modest success in the actual Contest still held a record in Eurovision history until 1998; the lyrics consist of one single line and a total of eleven - apparently nonsensical - words; "Rendez-vous, maar de maat is vol en m'n kop is toe" ("Rendez-vous, but that's the limit, and I clam up") with the duo repeating the phrase on multiple occasions. The band also recorded an English-language version of the song, then with one word less than the Dutch original; "Rendez-vous, better give it up, I don't have a clue." Fifteen years later Finland would go on to beat Pas De Deux's record in the 1998 Contest with "Aava", which in turn only contains six words repeated throughout the song. Norway currently holds the record for the winning Eurovision entry with the shortest lyrics, in 1995 they won with "Nocturne" performed by Secret Garden, with a total of twenty-four words.

"Rendez-vous" was succeeded as Belgian representative at the 1984 Contest by Jacques Zegers performing "Avanti la vie".

Sources and external links

 * Official Eurovision Song Contest site, history by year, 1983.
 * Detailed info and lyrics, The Diggiloo Thrush, "Rendez-vous".