# Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1967

Belgium was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1967 with the song "Ik heb zorgen", composed by Paul Quintens, with lyrics by Phil van Cauwenbergh, and performed by Louis Neefs. The Belgian participating broadcaster, Flemish Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep (BRT), selected its entry through a national final. Neefs would represent Belgium again in 1969.

## Before Eurovision
### Canzonissima

Canzonissima was the national final format developed by Flemish broadcaster Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep (BRT) which determined the song that would represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 1967. This was the 2nd edition of Canzonissima, after previously being used to select BRT's 1963 entry. The competition consisted of nine semi-finals held between October 1966 and February 1967, and a final on 25 February 1967. All shows were held in the Amerikaans Theater in Brussels, and hosted by Jan Theys.

#### Format

Canzonissima 1967 consisted of nine semi-finals and a final. Ten artists competed in each semi-final and the top three songs would appear again in the next semi-final, while the other seven artists would have to select new songs. For a song to qualify to the final, it would have to get top three in three consecutive semi-finals.

#### Competing Entries

BRT shortlisted 10 artists for Canzonissima 1967: Rita Deneve, Kalinka [nl; ro], Marva, Ann Soetaert [nl], Chris Wijnen, Hugo Dellas [nl], Jimmy Frey [nl; vls], Louis Neefs, Ronny Temmer [nl], and Will Tura. However, Will Tura was eventually replaced by Johnny White [nl] for unknown reasons. A total of 70 songs took part in Canzonissima 1967.
Competing entries :
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Songwriter(s) |
| Artist | Song | Composer(s) | Lyricist(s) |
| Ann Soetart [nl] | "Alles ben jij" | Johan Stollz [nl] | Mary Boduin [nl] |
| Ann Soetart [nl] | "Daar in Wenen" | Johan Stollz [nl] | Henk André |
| Ann Soetart [nl] | "Ik blijf bij jou" | Santiago Vasco | Dick Emcé |
| Ann Soetart [nl] | "Rio de Janeiro" | Al Van Dam [nl], Rudy Witt | Dick Emcé |
| Ann Soetart [nl] | "Snoepie" | Santiago Vasco | Dick Emcé |
| Ann Soetart [nl] | "Verlangen" | Johan Stollz [nl] | Mary Boduin [nl] |
| Chris Wijnen | "De tijd" | Armand Van de Walle | Will Ferdy |
| Chris Wijnen | "Ga naar huis" | Freddy Sunder [nl] | Toon Van Severen |
| Chris Wijnen | "Herfstregen" | Freddy Sunder [nl], E. Wall | André Vélin |
| Chris Wijnen | "Tot wederziens" | Armand Van de Walle, Jean Evans | André Vélin |
| Chris Wijnen | "Want ik hield van jou" | Jean Evans, Armand Van de Walle | Lieven Paemen |
| Chris Wijnen | "Wondermooi" | Clem De Maeyer, E. Chantrain | Will Ferdy |
| Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Anne-Marieke" | André Deboeur | Simone Kaesen |
| Hugo Dellas [nl] | "De torens van Babel" | André Deboeur, Jean Roderès | Hugo Dellas [nl] |
| Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Familieportret" | André Deboeur, Jean Roderès | Hugo Dellas [nl] |
| Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Hoor je dat hart" | André Deboeur, Etienne Verschueren [nl; de] | Hugo Dellas [nl] |
| Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Israël" | André Deboeur, Jean Roderès | Hugo Dellas [nl] |
| Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Jazz met de muze" | André Deboeur, Jean Roderès | Hugo Dellas [nl] |
| Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Lina" | André Deboeur | Hugo Dellas [nl] |
| Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Zij" | André Deboeur, Jean Roderès | Hugo Dellas [nl] |
| Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "De stad" | Rocco Granata, Dan Ellery | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Eenzaam" | Johan Stollz [nl] | Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] |
| Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Help me, o Heer" | José Veronne | Nelly Bijl |
| Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Ik geloof" | Bobbejaan Schoepen | Bobbejaan Schoepen, Louis Baret [nl] |
| Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "In Lerida" | Ronny Sigo | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Laat me maar dromen" | Bobbejaan Schoepen | Bobbejaan Schoepen |
| Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Stop" | Nelly Bijl | Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] |
| Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Zal het morgen zijn" | Jacques Raymond, Gerd Frank | Jacques Raymond, Gerd Frank |
| Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Zomer, winter" | Bobbejaan Schoepen | Bobbejaan Schoepen, Louis Baret [nl] |
| Johnny White [nl] | "Als ik tussen de regels lees" | Al Van Dam [nl] | Dick Emcé |
| Johnny White [nl] | "Het sprookje" | Al Van Dam [nl] | Ernie Sons |
| Johnny White [nl] | "Hey, hey meisje" | Al Van Dam [nl] | Dick Emcé |
| Johnny White [nl] | "Ik ga niet weg" | Al Van Dam [nl] | Dick Emcé |
| Johnny White [nl] | "Ik kan zonder liefde niet gelukkig zijn" | Al Van Dam [nl] | Dick Emcé |
| Johnny White [nl] | "Mijn liefde" | Al Van Dam [nl] | Ria Denaro |
| Johnny White [nl] | "Regen" | Al Van Dam [nl] | Dick Emcé |
| Johnny White [nl] | "Waar ben je" | Paul Quintens | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Kalinka [nl; ro] | "De wind" | Frans l'Eglise, Lieve Willems | André Coucke |
| Kalinka [nl; ro] | "Een strand vol eenzaamheid" | Jef Van den Berg [nl] | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Kalinka [nl; ro] | "Nerantsoula" | André Coucke | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Kalinka [nl; ro] | "Voorbij" | Paul Quintens | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Kalinka [nl; ro] | "Waar is de zomer" | Willy Crombé | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Louis Neefs | "Alleen met z'n tweeën" | Freddy Sunder [nl] | Mary Boduin [nl], Anton Peters |
| Louis Neefs | "Een huis in Attica" | Hans Flower [nl] | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Louis Neefs | "Het ding in mijn dakgoot" | Gerd Frank | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Louis Neefs | "Ik heb zorgen" | Paul Quintens | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Louis Neefs | "Ik weet niet wat ik heb" | Gerd Frank | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Louis Neefs | "Jij was zo mooi" | Paul Quintens | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Marva | "Daar liep eens een meisje" | A. Poppe | Lia Cliquet-De Vos |
| Marva | "Denk je misschien" | Rocco Granata | Will Ferdy |
| Marva | "Een eiland in groen en blauw" | Rocco Granata | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Marva | "Ergens vind ik je weer" | André Poppe | Lia Cliquet |
| Marva | "'t Is nooit te laat" | Gerd Frank | Ke Riema [nl] |
| Marva | "Uit rijden" | Gerd Frank | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Marva | "Wij" | Rocco Granata | Ke Riema [nl] |
| Marva | "Zonder jou" | Jackie Jackson | André Simmoens |
| Rita Deneve | "De eerste kus" | Gerd Frank | Jacques Raymond |
| Rita Deneve | "De langste nacht" | Marco Varez | Dick Emcé |
| Rita Deneve | "Droombeeld" | Roger Mores | André Vélin |
| Rita Deneve | "Er is toch altijd ergens iemand" | Paul Quintens | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Rita Deneve | "Je naam" | Peter Loland | Herman Bruggen |
| Rita Deneve | "Sinds ik jou heb ontmoet" | Paul Quintens | Phil Van Cauwenbergh |
| Rita Deneve | "'t Verlangen naar jou" | Raoul Claeys | Will Ferdy |
| Ronny Temmer [nl] | "De ranke roos" | Al Van Dam [nl] | Dick Emcé |
| Ronny Temmer [nl] | "De schone slaapster" | Al Van Dam [nl] | Dick Emcé |
| Ronny Temmer [nl] | "Ik droom van een lied" | Al Van Dam [nl] | Dick Emcé |
| Ronny Temmer [nl] | "Jij bent voor mij" | Al Van Dam [nl], Marcel Mortier [nl] | Dick Emcé |
| Ronny Temmer [nl] | "Liefdesverdriet" | Al Van Dam [nl] | Dick Emcé |
| Ronny Temmer [nl] | "Nooit of nooit" | Al Van Dam [nl] | Dick Emcé |
| Ronny Temmer [nl] | "Zomerliefde" | Al Van Dam [nl] | André Vélin |

#### Shows
##### Semi-finals

Voting in the semi-finals was done by a 10-member jury panel. Since songs introduced in semi-finals 8 or 9 could not get to the top 3 in 3 semi-finals and qualify for the final, the rules to qualify for the final were changed for semi-final 9. Songs had to receive at least 72.1 points, the average number of points that every song that qualified to the final got in their last semi-final.
Semi-final 1 - 22 October 1966 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Johnny White [nl] | "Hey, hey meisje" | 59.5 | 4= |
| 2 | Marva | "Uit rijden" | 51.5 | 10 |
| 3 | Ronny Temmer [nl] | "De ranke roos" | 63 | 3 |
| 4 | Chris Wijnen | "Wondermooi" | 75.5 | 2 |
| 5 | Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Stop" | 57 | 6 |
| 6 | Rita Deneve | "Droombeeld" | 55.5 | 7 |
| 7 | Louis Neefs | "Het ding in mijn dakgoot" | 54.5 | 8 |
| 8 | Kalinka [nl; ro] | "Waar is de zomer" | 80 | 1 |
| 9 | Hugo Dellas [nl] | "De torens van Babel" | 52.5 | 9 |
| 10 | Ann Soetart [nl] | "Rio de Janeiro" | 59.5 | 4= |
After Semi-final 1, Louis van Rymenant, Ann Soetaert's producer, filed a complaint against "Waar is de zomer" and "Wondermooi" for lasting over 3 minutes during the show, despite lasting under 3 minutes during rehearsals. The two songs were disqualified and the two songs tied for 4th place qualified instead.
Semi-final 2 - 5 November 1966 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Ronny Temmer [nl] | "De ranke roos" | 67 | 2= |
| 2 | Ann Soetart [nl] | "Rio de Janeiro" | 55.5 | 10 |
| 3 | Louis Neefs | "Ik weet niet wat ik heb" | 59 | 6= |
| 4 | Chris Wijnen | "De tijd" | 68 | 1 |
| 5 | Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Ik geloof" | 59 | 6= |
| 6 | Kalinka [nl; ro] | "Nerantsoula" | 66.5 | 4 |
| 7 | Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Israël" | 56 | 9 |
| 8 | Marva | "'t Is nooit te laat" | 63.5 | 5 |
| 9 | Johnny White [nl] | "Hey, hey meisje" | 58.5 | 8 |
| 10 | Rita Deneve | "De eerste kus" | 67 | 2= |
Semi-final 2 was hosted by Willem Duys, as Jan Theys was sick.
Semi-final 3 - 19 November 1966 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Lina" | 64 | 6 |
| 2 | Chris Wijnen | "De tijd" | 65 | 5 |
| 3 | Rita Deneve | "De eerste kus" | 68.5 | 2= |
| 4 | Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Eenzaam" | 59 | 7 |
| 5 | Ann Soetart [nl] | "Snoepie" | 47.5 | 9 |
| 6 | Ronny Temmer [nl] | "De ranke roos" | 68.5 | 2= |
| 7 | Kalinka [nl; ro] | "De wind" | 73 | 1 |
| 8 | Johnny White [nl] | "Als ik tussen de regels lees" | 51.5 | 8 |
| 9 | Marva | "Daar liep eens een meisje" | 68 | 4 |
Louis Neefs was absent from semi-final 3 as he was in Berlin for a TV programme and would have been too ill to return to Brussels in time.
Semi-final 4 - 3 December 1966 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Rita Deneve | "De eerste kus" | 74 | 2 |
| 2 | Louis Neefs | "Jij was zo mooi" | 73 | 3 |
| 3 | Marva | "Zonder jou" | 55 | 10 |
| 4 | Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Familieportret" | 55.5 | 9 |
| 5 | Ann Soetart [nl] | "Ik blijf bij jou" | 65.5 | 5 |
| 6 | Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Zomer, winter" | 57 | 8 |
| 7 | Kalinka [nl; ro] | "De wind" | 75.5 | 1 |
| 8 | Ronny Temmer [nl] | "Liefdesverdriet" | 57.5 | 7 |
| 9 | Chris Wijnen | "Ga naar huis" | 66 | 4 |
| 10 | Johnny White [nl] | "Mijn liefde" | 61.5 | 6 |
Semi-final 5 - 17 December 1966 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Kalinka [nl; ro] | "De wind" | 69.5 | 2 |
| 2 | Johnny White [nl] | "Regen" | 56.5 | 8 |
| 3 | Chris Wijnen | "Want ik hield van jou" | 68.5 | 3 |
| 4 | Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Zal het morgen zijn" | 66.5 | 5 |
| 5 | Rita Deneve | "Er is toch altijd ergens iemand" | 63.5 | 6 |
| 6 | Ronny Temmer [nl] | "Zomerliefde" | 57 | 7 |
| 7 | Marva | "Wij" | 50.5 | 10 |
| 8 | Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Anne-Marieke" | 67.5 | 4 |
| 9 | Ann Soetart [nl] | "Daar in Wenen" | 56 | 9 |
| 10 | Louis Neefs | "Jij was zo mooi" | 74 | 1 |
Semi-final 6 - 31 December 1966 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Louis Neefs | "Jij was zo mooi" | 75 | 1 |
| 2 | Ann Soetart [nl] | "Verlangen" | 74.5 | 2= |
| 3 | Ronny Temmer [nl] | "Jij bent voor mij" | 54 | 8= |
| 4 | Marva | "Denk je misschien" | 56.5 | 7 |
| 5 | Johnny White [nl] | "Ik ga niet weg" | 54 | 8= |
| 6 | Kalinka [nl; ro] | "Voorbij" | 67 | 4 |
| 7 | Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "In Lerida" | 48 | 10 |
| 8 | Rita Deneve | "De langste nacht" | 59.5 | 5 |
| 9 | Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Zij" | 58.5 | 6 |
| 10 | Chris Wijnen | "Want ik hield van jou" | 74.5 | 2= |
Semi-final 6 was not broadcast live like the other eight semi-finals. It was recorded on the 30th December and broadcast on the 31st.
Semi-final 7 - 14 January 1967 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Ann Soetart [nl] | "Verlangen" | 78.5 | 1 |
| 2 | Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Help me, o Heer" | 62 | 5= |
| 3 | Chris Wijnen | "Want ik hield van jou" | 74 | 2 |
| 4 | Johnny White [nl] | "Ik kan zonder liefde niet gelukkig zijn" | 57 | 10 |
| 5 | Kalinka [nl; ro] | "Een strand vol eenzaamheid" | 65.5 | 3= |
| 6 | Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Jazz met de muze" | 65.5 | 3= |
| 7 | Marva | "Ergens vind ik je weer" | 63 | 5= |
| 8 | Louis Neefs | "Een huis in Attica" | 60 | 9 |
| 9 | Rita Deneve | "Sinds ik jou heb ontmoet" | 61.5 | 7 |
| 10 | Ronny Temmer [nl] | "De schone slaapster" | 61 | 8 |
Semi-final 8 - 28 January 1967 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Chris Wijnen | "Herfstregen" | 61.5 | 7 |
| 2 | Ronny Temmer [nl] | "Ik droom van een lied" | 61 | 8 |
| 3 | Kalinka [nl; ro] | "Een strand vol eenzaamheid" | 67.5 | 3= |
| 4 | Louis Neefs | "Alleen met z'n tweeën" | 73 | 2 |
| 5 | Marva | "Een eiland in groen en blauw" | 67.5 | 3= |
| 6 | Johnny White [nl] | "Het sprookje" | 51 | 10 |
| 7 | Ann Soetart [nl] | "Verlangen" | 80 | 1 |
| 8 | Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Jazz met de muze" | 66.5 | 5 |
| 9 | Rita Deneve | "'t Verlangen naar jou" | 64 | 6 |
| 10 | Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "Laat me maar dromen" | 55 | 9 |
After Semi-final 8, Louis Neefs withdrew "Alleen met z'n tweeën" as he wanted to participate with a different song in semi-final 9.
Semi-final 9 - 11 February 1967 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Marva | "Een eiland in groen en blauw" | 72 | 2 |
| 2 | Jimmy Frey [nl; vls] | "De stad" | 64.5 | 6 |
| 3 | Ann Soetart [nl] | "Alles ben jij" | 68 | 4 |
| 4 | Johnny White [nl] | "Waar ben je" | 64 | 7 |
| 5 | Kalinka [nl; ro] | "Een strand vol eenzaamheid" | 71.5 | 3 |
| 6 | Ronny Temmer [nl] | "Nooit of nooit" | 53 | 8 |
| 7 | Rita Deneve | "Je naam" | - | - |
| 8 | Chris Wijnen | "Tot wederziens" | 66.5 | 5 |
| 9 | Louis Neefs | "Ik heb zorgen" | 78 | 1 |
| 10 | Hugo Dellas [nl] | "Hoor je dat hart" | - | - |
After the songs were performed, "Je naam" and "Hoor je dat hart" were disqualified for lasting longer than 3 minutes.

##### Final

Even though eight songs qualified for the final, only seven songs took part, as Louis Neefs had decided to withdraw "Zij was zo mooi" in order not to run the risk of splitting his vote.
Voting was done by a 15-member jury who each gave one point to their favourite song. Only three of the songs registered any points on the board.
Final – 25 February 1967 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Ronny Temmer [nl] | "De ranke roos" | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Kalinka [nl; ro] | "De wind" | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Rita Deneve | "Die eerste kus" | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Kalinka [nl; ro] | "Een strand vol eenzaamheid" | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | Louis Neefs | "Ik heb zorgen" | 11 | 1 |
| 6 | Ann Soetart [nl] | "Verlangen" | 3 | 2 |
| 7 | Chris Wijnen | "Want ik hield van jou" | 0 | 4 |

## At Eurovision

On the night of the final Neefs performed 10th in the running order, following Germany and preceding eventual contest winners the United Kingdom. At the close of the voting "Ik heb zorgen" had received 8 points (the highest being 3 from Finland), placing Belgium 7th of the 17 participating countries. The highest marks from the Belgian jury were 3s to Ireland and the United Kingdom.