Dam dam doo bi doo! The girls in the backing group are almost as jolly as the song itself and yet the juries showed no mercy for the 1982 Dutch entry.
Bill van Dijk - Jij en ik (Netherlands 1982)
Bill is a bouncy lad himself, giving it his all as well in the vocal delivery as well as in taking those cleverly co-ordinated dance steps.
The song has also gone through some major facelifting since the national final in order to make it feel less old-fashioned and more of a contender.
Bill van Dijk - Jij en ik (Netherlands NF 1982)
Nothing helped, and the Dutch delegation had to travel back home with a mere eight points and a 16th place under their arm. These days, they are well used to results like those, but back in the day they had not scored so poorly since 1968.
I find it catchy, sweet and very easy to like and I am happy to note that Bill's career survived this slight miscalculation. He has had major roles in several musicals and provided vocal talent for Sesame Street as well as the Dutch overdub of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
In short - I really, really like it (and happily dance along when nobody is around to see me do it) and if you do too, leave a comment.
