# Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1988 with the song "For vår jord", composed by Anita Skorgan, with lyrics by Erik Hillestad, and performed by Karoline Krüger. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 1988.

## Before Eurovision
### Melodi Grand Prix 1988

Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) held the Melodi Grand Prix 1988 at the Château Neuf in Oslo, hosted by Dan Børge Akerø.

#### Competing entries

Competing entries :
| Artist | Song | Composer(s) |
| Anita Kanstad | "Je ne sais pas" | Anita Kanstad, Bjørn Terje Bråthen |
| Carsten Loly (Mannen i boksen) | "Jeg lever i en boks" | Lars Kilevold |
| David Chocron and Band | "Mitt land, og" | David Chocron |
| Elisabeth Moberg and Terry Heart | "Natten er din og min" | Kristian Lindeman, Trygve Hoff |
| Iselin Alme and Tor Endresen | "Lengt" | Helge Iberg, Tove Karoline Knutsen |
| Jahn Teigen | "Glasnost" | Jahn Teigen, Knut Meiner |
| Jan Eggum | "Deilige drøm" | Jan Eggum |
| Karina Hjelen and Lars Jones | "Du skal leve" | Lars Jones, Grete Moljord |
| Karoline Krüger | "For vår jord" | Anita Skorgan, Erik Hillestad |
| Lise Haavik | "Jeg vil elske deg" | Lise Haavik |
| Odd Arvid Eilertsen, Tor Kjelsberg and Sverre Kjelsberg | "Åpne dører" | Odd Arvid Eilertsen, Sverre Kjelsberg, Ragnar Olsen |
| Ola Fjellvikås | "Hei go go" | Ole Salsten, Marit Vollen |
| Siri Gellein | "Nå" | Nissa Nyberget, Idar Lind |
| Stig Gjendem | "Din tur" | Arne Akselvoll |
| Tore Hansen | "Sove i natt" | Tore Hansen |
| Trond Armand Larsen and Krist Juuhl | "Hvor er du" | Trond Armand Larsen, Krist Juuhl |

#### Semi-finals

Before the final, sixteen songs took part over four semi-finals in which four songs were paired in each semi-final. The winner from each pair, chosen by a panel of 1,000 viewers, qualified for the final, along with two losing songs which were given wildcards.
The first semi-final was held on 30 January 1988. Four songs competed in pairs with the winner from each pair qualifying for the final.
Semi-final 1 – 30 January 1988 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Viewer Vote | Place | Result |
| Duel 1 ||||||
| 1 | Siri Gellein | "Nå" | 26.5% | 2 | Eliminated |
| 2 | Trond Armand Larsen and Krist Juuhl | "Hvor er du" | 73.5% | 1 | Advanced |
| Duel 2 ||||||
| 3 | Anita Kanstad | "Je ne sais pas" | 26.4% | 2 | Wildcard |
| 4 | Jahn Teigen | "Glasnost" | 73.6% | 1 | Advanced |
The second semi-final was held on 13 February 1988. Four songs competed in pairs with the winner from each pair qualifying for the final.
Semi-final 2 – 13 February 1988 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Viewer Vote | Place | Result |
| Duel 1 ||||||
| 1 | David Chocron and Band | "Mitt land, og" | 71% | 1 | Advanced |
| 2 | Jan Eggum | "Deilige drøm" | 29% | 2 | Wildcard |
| Duel 2 ||||||
| 3 | Lise Haavik | "Jeg vil elske deg" | 44% | 2 | Eliminated |
| 4 | Tore Hansen | "Sove i natt" | 56% | 1 | Advanced |
The third semi-final was held on 27 February 1988. Four songs competed in pairs with the winner from each pair qualifying for the final.
Semi-final 3 – 27 February 1988 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Viewer Vote | Place | Result |
| Duel 1 ||||||
| 1 | Odd Arvid Eilertsen, Tor Kjelsberg and Sverre Kjelsberg | "Åpne dører" | 12% | 2 | Eliminated |
| 2 | Ola Fjellvikås | "Hei go go" | 88% | 1 | Advanced |
| Duel 2 ||||||
| 3 | Karina Hjelen and Lars Jones | "Du skal leve" | 47% | 2 | Eliminated |
| 4 | Iselin Alme and Tor Endresen | "Lengt" | 53% | 1 | Advanced |
The fourth semi-final was held on 12 March 1988. Four songs competed in pairs with the winner from each pair qualifying for the final.
Semi-final 4 – 12 March 1988 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Viewer Vote | Place | Result |
| Duel 1 ||||||
| 1 | Stig Gjendem | "Din tur" | 23% | 2 | Eliminated |
| 2 | Karoline Krüger | "For vår jord" | 77% | 1 | Advanced |
| Duel 2 ||||||
| 3 | Elisabeth Moberg and Terry Heart | "Natten er din og min" | 69% | 1 | Advanced |
| 4 | Carsten Loly (Mannen i boksen) | "Jeg lever i en boks" | 31% | 2 | Eliminated |

#### Final

Ten songs took part in the final, with the winner chosen by voting from seven regional juries. Other participants included three-time Norwegian representative and Melodi Grand Prix regular Jahn Teigen and Tor Endresen, who would represent Norway in 1997.
Final – 26 March 1988 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | David Chocron and Band | "Mitt land og" | 42 | 5 |
| 2 | Ola Fjellvikås | "Hei go go" | 54 | 3 |
| 3 | Elisabeth Moberg and Terry Heart | "Natten er din og min" | 38 | 7 |
| 4 | Jahn Teigen | "Glasnost" | 55 | 2 |
| 5 | Jan Eggum | "Deilige drøm" | 16 | 10 |
| 6 | Tore Hansen | "Sove i natt" | 41 | 6 |
| 7 | Trond Armand Larsen and Krist Juuhl | "Hvor er du" | 18 | 9 |
| 8 | Karoline Krüger | "For vår jord" | 65 | 1 |
| 9 | Anita Kanstad | "Je ne sais pas" | 25 | 8 |
| 10 | Iselin Alme and Tor Endresen | "Lengt" | 52 | 4 |

## At Eurovision

On the night of the final Krüger performed 15th in the running order, following Greece and preceding Belgium. The gentle, melodic song was given a sophisticated, understated stage presentation with Krüger seated at a grand piano. At the close of voting "For vår jord" had picked up 88 points (including a maximum 12 from the United Kingdom), placing Norway 5th of the 21 entries. The Norwegian jury awarded its 12 points to Sweden.