# Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996

Belgium was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 with the song "Liefde is een kaartspel", composed by John Terra and Siirak Brogden, with lyrics by Daniël Ditmar, and performed by Lisa del Bo. The Belgian participating broadcaster, Flemish Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep Nederlandstalige Uitzendingen (BRTN), selected its entry through a national final.

## Before Eurovision
### De Gouden Zeemeermin

De Gouden Zeemeermin (The Golden Mermaid) was the national final format developed by Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep Nederlandstalige Uitzendingen (BRTN) in order to select the Belgian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1996. 40 songs in total took part in the national final, which consisted of four semi-finals between 3 and 24 February 1996 and a final on 9 March 1996. All five shows took place at the Knokke Casino Studios in Knokke and were hosted by Michel Follet and Alexandra Potvin.

#### Competing Entries

Artists wishing to compete in De Gouden Zeemeermin had to submit a photograph, biography, and at least two recorded songs to BRTN. Out of 117 applications, 40 were chosen to compete and they had until 8 January 1996 to submit a song. Prior to 8 January 1996, two candidates withdrew their participation: Katja Vandl and Ann Swartenbroeckx. They were replaced by Kaye and Chrissy.
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
| Angie C | "Ritme van een lach" | Bauwens, Anne Clicteur |
| Aperitivo | "Jij" | Unknown |
| Axel Lane | "Laat me" | Unknown |
| Beau Geste | "Overmoed" | Dirk De Groef |
| Chadia | "Hou van mij" | Unknown |
| Chalina | "Toon wat" | Unknown |
| Chelsy | "Kijk me aan" | Sander Van der Heide |
| Chris | "De toekomst" | Ernst Vranckx, M. Geyskens |
| Chrissy | "Ik wil so graag bij jou zijn" | Chrissy Degraef, J. Lake, U. Vaneylen |
| Cold Pizza | "Vertrouwen" | Bart Tsiobbel |
| Corina | "Wereld van muziek" | Peter Keereman |
| Dave & Steve | "Geen illusie" | Fred Beekmans |
| Davy Gilles | "Elke nacht" | Jean-Pierre Daghelet, Dennis Peirs |
| Doran | "Jij alleen" | Piet Triest, Vira Bontemps, Christel Devos |
| En Zo | "Mooi" | Koen De Beir, Adriaan Larson, Filip D'haeze |
| Fair Play | "Laat haar niet alleen" | Carl Coenen, Marc Roefs, Ivo Roefs |
| Frank Valentino | "Hey Mister Lennon" | Sidro, Dennis Peirs |
| Garry Hagger | "Dat ik van je hou" | Fred Beekmans |
| Gunther Levi | "Vandaag" | Gunther Levi |
| Hans van den Stock | "Blijf steeds bij mij" | Unknown |
| Kaye | "Het nieuwe begint" | Unknown |
| Lisa del Bo | "Liefde is een kaartspel" | John Terra, Daniël Ditmar |
| Marijn De Valck | "Hou me in je hart" | Marc Malyster, Marijn De Valck |
| Mario Caselli | "Mademoiselle" | Chrystoff Wybouw, Patrick Hamilton |
| Marleen | "De kleine dingen" | Alides Hiding |
| Mieke | "Op dit moment" | Edwin Schimscheimer |
| Nadia | "Morgen komt de lente" | Lou Roman, Paul Vermeulen, Dieter Troubleyn |
| Onah | "Neem de biezen" | Verhelst |
| P.C. Brown | "Dans met mij" | Jan Pieter Liedmann |
| Patrick Alessi | "Een andere wereld" | Patrick Alessi |
| Peter Van Laet | "Er is iets" | Marc Van Hie, Walter Mannaerts, Peter Van Laet |
| Phil Kevin | "Als ik er niet meer ben" | Unknown |
| Pino | "Onbereikbaar maar dichtbij" | Bongiovanni, Alexandre |
| Rindu Rindu | "Golven van verlangen" | Fernande |
| Rudy Meyns | "Ik hou van jou" | Raymond Felix, Jacques Verburgt |
| Sabien Tiels | "Nooit meer alleen" | Sabien Tiels |
| Scharnier | "Oorlog" | Unknown |
| Splinter | "Ik laat je nooit meer gaan" | Guido Sergooris, Hedwig Desmesmaeker |
| Tempo | "M'n liefste" | Yves Segers |
| William Reven | "Zo voel ik vandaag" | Constant Verfaillie, Rodrigo Salgado, William Reven, Dennis Peirs |

#### Semi-finals

Ten songs competed in each semi-final with the top three from each qualifying for the final. The results for the semi-finals were determined exclusively by a seven-member professional jury, who each awarded 12, 10, or 8–1 points to each song (i.e. they could award 12 points to more than one song if they chose). The professional jury consisted of: Guy De Pré, Leen Demaré, Marc Brillouet, Sabine De Vos, Marc De Schuyter, Nora Nys, and Ro Burms. Former Belgian Eurovision representative, Jacques Raymond, acted as a non-voting chairman of the jury.
Semi-final 1 – 3 February 1996 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Dave & Steve | "Geen illusie" | 57 | 6 |
| 2 | Chris | "De toekomst" | 60 | 4 |
| 3 | Garry Hagger | "Dat ik van je hou" | 60 | 3 |
| 4 | Chalina | "Toon wat" | 37 | 9 |
| 5 | Scharnier | "Oorlog" | 44 | 8 |
| 6 | Patrick Alessi | "Een andere wereld" | 71 | 1 |
| 7 | Marleen | "De kleine dingen" | 50 | 7 |
| 8 | Frank Valentino | "Hey Mister Lennon" | 58 | 5 |
| 9 | Mario Caselli | "Mademoiselle" | 67 | 2 |
| 10 | Rindu Rindu | "Golven van verlangen" | 30 | 10 |
Semi-final 1 – Detailed Jury Votes :
| Draw | Song | G. De Pré | L. Demaré | M. Brillouet | S. De Vos | M. De Schuyter | N. Nys | R. Burms | Total |
| 1 | "Geen illusie" | 10 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 57 |
| 2 | "De toekomst" | 8 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 60 |
| 3 | "Dat ik van je hou" | 8 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 60 |
| 4 | "Toon wat" | 6 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 37 |
| 5 | "Oorlog" | 5 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 44 |
| 6 | "Een andere wereld" | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 71 |
| 7 | "De kleine dingen" | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 50 |
| 8 | "Hey Mister Lennon" | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 58 |
| 9 | "Mademoiselle" | 10 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 67 |
| 10 | "Golven van verlangen" | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 30 |
Semi-final 2 – 10 February 1996 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Beau Geste | "Overmoed" | 50 | 7 |
| 2 | Axel Lane | "Laat me" | 45 | 10 |
| 3 | Chelsy | "Kijk me aan" | 66 | 2 |
| 4 | Gunther Levi | "Vandaag" | 63 | 4 |
| 5 | Angie C | "Ritme van een lach" | 47 | 9 |
| 6 | William Reven | "Zo voel ik vandaag" | 64 | 3 |
| 7 | Davy Gilles | "Elke nacht" | 48 | 8 |
| 8 | Mieke | "Op dit moment" | 63 | 4 |
| 9 | Fair Play | "Laat haar niet alleen" | 51 | 6 |
| 10 | Sabien Tiels | "Nooit meer alleen" | 70 | 1 |
Semi-final 2 – Detailed Jury Votes :
| Draw | Song | G. De Pré | L. Demaré | M. Brillouet | S. De Vos | M. De Schuyter | N. Nys | R. Burms | Total |
| 1 | "Overmoed" | 6 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 50 |
| 2 | "Laat me" | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 45 |
| 3 | "Kijk me aan" | 6 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 66 |
| 4 | "Vandaag" | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 63 |
| 5 | "Ritme van een lach" | 8 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 47 |
| 6 | "Zo voel ik vandaag" | 10 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 64 |
| 7 | "Elke nacht" | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 48 |
| 8 | "Op dit moment" | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 63 |
| 9 | "Laat haar niet alleen" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 51 |
| 10 | "Nooit meer alleen" | 10 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 70 |
Semi-final 3 – 17 February 1996 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | En Zo | "Mooi" | 74 | 1 |
| 2 | Hans van den Stock | "Blijf steeds bij mij" | 42 | 7 |
| 3 | Chadia | "Hou van mij" | 40 | 8 |
| 4 | Phil Kevin | "Als ik er niet meer ben" | 33 | 10 |
| 5 | Kaye | "Het nieuwe begint" | 34 | 9 |
| 6 | Rudy Meyns | "Ik hou van jou" | 49 | 6 |
| 7 | Corina | "Wereld van muziek" | 53 | 5 |
| 8 | Marijn De Valck | "Hou me in je hart" | 57 | 4 |
| 9 | Splinter | "Ik laat je nooit meer gaan" | 67 | 3 |
| 10 | Lisa del Bo | "Liefde is een kaartspel" | 72 | 2 |
Semi-final 3 – Detailed Jury Votes :
| Draw | Song | G. De Pré | L. Demaré | M. Brillouet | S. De Vos | M. De Schuyter | N. Nys | R. Burms | Total |
| 1 | "Mooi" | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 74 |
| 2 | "Blijf steeds bij mij" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 42 |
| 3 | "Hou van mij" | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 40 |
| 4 | "Als ik er niet meer ben" | 6 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 33 |
| 5 | "Het nieuwe begint" | 5 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 34 |
| 6 | "Ik hou van jou" | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
| 7 | "Wereld van muziek" | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 53 |
| 8 | "Hou me in je hart" | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 57 |
| 9 | "Ik laat je nooit meer gaan" | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 67 |
| 10 | "Liefde is een kaartspel" | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 72 |
Semi-final 4 – 24 February 1996 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Cold Pizza | "Vertrouwen" | 55 | 4 |
| 2 | Peter Van Laet | "Er is iets" | 62 | 3 |
| 3 | Onah | "Neem de biezen" | 43 | 7 |
| 4 | P.C. Brown | "Dans met mij" | 40 | 9 |
| 5 | Nadia | "Morgen komt de lente" | 66 | 1 |
| 6 | Tempo | "M'n liefste" | 54 | 5 |
| 7 | Pino | "Onbereikbaar maar dichtbij" | 43 | 7 |
| 8 | Aperitivo | "Jij" | 28 | 10 |
| 9 | Doran | "Jij alleen" | 64 | 2 |
| 10 | Chrissy | "Ik wil so graag bij jou zijn" | 47 | 6 |
Semi-final 4 – Detailed Jury Votes :
| Draw | Song | G. De Pré | L. Demaré | M. Brillouet | S. De Vos | M. De Schuyter | N. Nys | R. Burms | Total |
| 1 | "Vertrouwen" | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 55 |
| 2 | "Er is iets" | 7 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 62 |
| 3 | "Neem de biezen" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 43 |
| 4 | "Dans met mij" | 6 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 40 |
| 5 | "Morgen komt de lente" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 66 |
| 6 | "M'n liefste" | 10 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 54 |
| 7 | "Onbereikbaar maar dichtbij" | 7 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 43 |
| 8 | "Jij" | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 28 |
| 9 | "Jij alleen" | 10 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 64 |
| 10 | "Ik wil so graag bij jou zijn" | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 47 |

#### Final

The final took place on 9 March 1996 and the twelve entries that advanced from the preceding four semi-finals competed. The winner was selected by a combination of votes from five regional juries in Belgium (25%), a press jury (25%) and a professional jury (50%). The professional jury consisted of the same seven members as in the semi-finals. "Liefde is een kaartspel" performed by Lisa del Bo was selected as the winner, having been ranked first by all but the press jury.
Final – 9 March 1996 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Lisa del Bo | "Liefde is een kaartspel" | 215 | 1 |
| 2 | Patrick Alessi | "Een andere wereld" | 73 | 11 |
| 3 | Chelsy | "Kijk me aan" | 128 | 8 |
| 4 | William Reven | "Zo voel ik vandaag" | 119 | 9 |
| 5 | Nadia | "Morgen komt de lente" | 135 | 7 |
| 6 | Peter Van Laet | "Er is iets" | 143 | 4 |
| 7 | Sabine Tiels | "Nooit meer alleen" | 139 | 6 |
| 8 | Doran | "Jij alleen" | 37 | 12 |
| 9 | Garry Hagger | "Dat ik van je hou" | 141 | 5 |
| 10 | Splinter | "Ik laat je nooit meer gaan" | 189 | 2 |
| 11 | En Zo | "Mooi" | 151 | 3 |
| 12 | Mario Caselli | "Mademoiselle" | 90 | 10 |

## At Eurovision

In 1996, for the only time in Eurovision history, an audio-only qualifying round of the 29 songs entered (excluding hosts Norway who were exempt) was held in March in order for the seven lowest-scoring songs to be eliminated before the final. "Liefde is een kartspel" placed 12th, thus qualifying for the final. As of 2022, this is the last time that Belgium had sung its entry in Dutch.
On the night of the final del Bo performed 16th in the running order, following the Netherlands and preceding the eventual winner Ireland. At the close of the voting "Liefde is een kaartspel" placed 16th of the 23 entries, having received 22 points. The result was not good enough to prevent Belgium from being relegated from the 1997 contest on the cumulative countback rule. The Belgian jury awarded its 12 points to the United Kingdom.
"Liefde is een kaartspel" later became embroiled in controversy when it was alleged that it had been plagiarised by the Swedish 2001 entry "Listen To Your Heartbeat". This was initially denied by the writers of the Swedish song, but Belgian songwriters' association SABAM threatened legal action, and a cash settlement was agreed to forestall this.