Mrs Peace from Belgium

One more blog entry about Belgium 1987 before I knock it off... But the winner of the 1987 BRT Eurosong really deserves a special mention.

Aged 11, Soldiers of Love knocked my socks off, to be honest. I loved it from the word go, from the opening seconds of that precious preview clip.



Liliane Saint-Pierre - Soldiers Of Love (Belgium 1987 preview)

There were many things in this entry that easily appeal to children - most notably the presence of kids in the clip, but also the easily retainable chorus and the very distinct choreography. Me and my friends copied it and made the same movements everytime we heard the song or sang it ourselves in fake Flemish.

When the final came around, Belgium was one of my firm favourites and the live performance didn't let me down. It was slick, dramatic and very likeable. And yes, the guitars were still used as rifles.



Liliane Saint-Pierre - Soldiers of Love (Belgium 1987)

Most adults seemed not to be as blown away as me and my friends, however. The commentators expressed a bit of doubt over our beloved choreography and ridiculed the lyrics that hit a note within our childish minds. Swedish radio commentator said that "now the song is over, Mrs Peace from Belgium can march on home and go to bed".

These days I can see how Liliane and friends over emphasise the peace theme and their naïve approach can obviously be a bit too much for the average viewer. But on the other hand, Liliane has stood the test of time surprisingly well.

In the long run, the things that stand out as a bit too much are often the ones that survive in the long run. Today, this entry stands out as a charming child of its time, and feels more fresh than several more polished entries from 1987.

And I still sing along in fake Flemish when I am sure nobody can hear me.