Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox song contest national year
| Year = 1986
| Broadcaster = {{lang|is|Ríkisútvarpið|i=no}} (RÚV)
| Country = Iceland
| Selection process = Song: {{lang|is|Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins}} 1986
Artist: Internal selection
| Selection date = Song: 15 March 1986
Artist: 20 March 1986
| announcement = y
| Song = {{lang|is|Gleðibankinn|i=no}}
| Artist = ICY
| Writer = Magnús Eiríksson
| writer_single = y
| Final result = 16th, 19 points
}}
Iceland was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1986 with the song "{{lang|is|Gleðibankinn|i=no}}", written by Magnús Eiríksson, and performed by the band ICY. The Icelandic participating broadcaster, {{lang|is|Ríkisútvarpið|i=no}} (RÚV), selected its entry through a national final and, subsequently, the performers internally once the national final was over. This was the first-ever entry from Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest, and the first-ever entry performed in Icelandic in the contest.
Background
While the country had satellite television contact from other nations (the United States and Canada) since 1981, Iceland was not able to connect to other European nations by satellite before the end of 1985, meaning that 1986 was the first year Iceland could send a delegation to the Eurovision Song Contest.{{Cite web|title=Bergen 1986|url=https://eurovision.tv/event/bergen-1986|access-date=2020-08-02|website=eurovision.tv|language=en}}
On 26 October 1985, the Icelandic national broadcaster, {{lang|is|Ríkisútvarpið|i=no}} (RÚV), confirmed its intentions to participate in the contest for the first time in the {{escyr|1986||1986 edition}}.{{cite news |url=https://timarit.is/page/3600184#page/n0/mode/2up |title=Íslendingar taka þátt í Eurovision |trans-title=Icelanders participate in Eurovision |work=NT |language=is |page=1 |date=26 October 1985 |access-date=20 April 2025 |via=Timarit.is}} RÚV, which broadcast every Eurovision Song Contest from 1970 to 1985 in Iceland, announced that it would also organise the selection process for its entry in addition to broadcasting further events within the nation. The broadcaster selected its debut entry in 1986 through the national selection show {{lang|is|Söngvakeppnin}}.
Before Eurovision
= {{lang|is|Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins}} ''1986'' =
{{lang|is|Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins}} 1986 was the national final format developed by RÚV in order to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1986. The competition was held on 15 March 1986 at the RÚV Studios in Reykjavík, hosted by Jónas R. Jónsson and broadcast on RÚV and via radio on Ras 2.{{cite news |url=https://timarit.is/page/4032578 |title=Gleðibankinn fer í söngvakeppnina |trans-title=Gleðibankinn goes to the song contest |work=Morgunblaðið |language=is |page=3 |date=19 January 1986 |access-date=20 April 2025 |via=Timarit.is}}
==Competing entries==
On 5 December 1985, RÚV opened the submission period for interested songwriters to submit their entries until the deadline on 15 January 1986,{{cite web | url=https://timarit.is/page/2509922 |title=Söngvakeppni Evrópu |trans-title=Eurovision Song Contest |work=DV |language=is |page=19 |date=5 December 1985 |access-date=20 April 2025 |via=Timarit.is}} however, deadline was later postponed until 25 January.{{cite web |url=https://timarit.is/page/1626487 |title=Valið lag en ekki útsetning eða söngur |trans-title=Selected song but not arrangement or vocals |work=Morgunblaðið |language=is |page=B17 |date=19 January 1986 |access-date=20 April 2025 |via=Timarit.is}} 287 entries were submitted during the submission period, from which a jury panel selected 10 songs for the contest. The ten competing artists and songs were revealed by the broadcaster on 7 March 1986.{{cite web |url=https://timarit.is/page/2902708 |title=Söngvakeppni í kvöld |trans-title=Song contest tonight |work=Þjóðviljinn |language=is |page=3 |date=7 March 1986 |access-date=20 April 2025 |via=Timarit.is}} Following the announcement of the competing acts, it was revealed that two of the selected songs: "Vögguvísa" performed by Erna Gunnarsdóttir and "Ég lifi í draumi" performed by Björgvin Halldórsson, have violated the contest rules, which required the participating songs to be neither publicly performed nor released commercially before Eurovision final. For unknown reasons, aforementioned artists were still allowed to participate with ineligible songs.{{cite web |url=https://timarit.is/page/1629452 |title=Annað lag flutt opinberlega áður? |trans-title=Another song performed publicly before? |work=Morgunblaðið |language=is |page=2 |date=13 March 1986 |access-date=20 April 2025 |via=Timarit.is}}
| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
|+ Competing entries{{cite web |title=Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 1986 |url=http://www.ruv.is/heim/vefir/sjonvarpid/songvakeppnin/undan/1986/ |publisher=RÚV |access-date=20 April 2025 |archive-url=https://vefsafn.is/is/20081118194818/http:/www.ruv.is/heim/vefir/sjonvarpid/songvakeppnin/undan/1986/ |archive-date=18 November 2008 |language=is |url-status=dead}} | ||
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| rowspan="2" | Björgvin Halldórsson | "Ef" | Jóhann G. Jóhannsson |
| "Ég lifi í draumi" | align="left" | Eyjólfur Kristjánsson, Aðalsteinn Ásberg Sigurðsson | |
| align="left" rowspan="3" | Eiríkur Hauksson | "Gefðu mér gaum" | Gunnar Þórðarson, Ólafur Haukur Símonarson |
| "Mitt á milli Moskvu og Washington" | Ragnhildur Gísladóttir, Jakob Frímann Magnússon, Valgeir Guðjónsson | |
| "Þetta gengur ekki lengur" | Ómar Halldórsson | |
| Erna Gunnarsdóttir and Björgvin Halldórsson | "Með vaxandi þrá" | Geirmundur Valtýsson, Hjálmar Jónsson |
| Erna Gunnarsdóttir and Pálmi Gunnarsson | "Út vil ek" | Valgeir Guðjónsson |
| Erna Gunnarsdóttir | "Vögguvísa" | Ólafur Haukur Símonarson |
| rowspan="2" | Pálmi Gunnarsson | "Gleðibankinn" | Magnús Eiríksson |
| "Syngdu lag" | Þórir Baldursson, Rúnar Júlíusson |
==Final==
The final was held on 15 March 1986. The votes of a five-member jury decided the winner, although only the top five placings were announced.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} The winning entry was "Gleðibankinn", performed by Pálmi Gunnarsson and composed by Magnús Eiríksson. In addition to the performances of the competing entries, 1985 Eurovision winners Bobbysocks performed their winning song "La det swinge" and a new song entitled "Midnight Rocks".
| class="sortable wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center"
|+ Final{{snd}}15 March 1986{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} | |||
| Draw | Artist | Song | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| style="font-weight:bold; background:gold;"
| 1 | align="left" | Pálmi Gunnarsson | align="left" | "Gleðibankinn" | 1 |
| 2 | align="left" | Eiríkur Hauksson | align="left" | "Þetta gengur ekki lengur" | — |
| 3 | align="left" | Erna Gunnarsdóttir and Björgvin Halldórsson | align="left" | "Með vaxandi þrá" | 4 |
| 4 | align="left" | Pálmi Gunnarsson | align="left" | "Syngdu lag" | — |
| 5 | align="left" | Eiríkur Hauksson | align="left" | "Gefðu mér gaum" | — |
| 6 | align="left" | Erna Gunnarsdóttir and Pálmi Gunnarsson | align="left" | "Út vil ek" | — |
| 7 | align="left" | Björgvin Halldórsson | align="left" | "Ef" | 2 |
| 8 | align="left" | Erna Gunnarsdóttir | align="left" | "Vögguvísa" | 5 |
| 9 | align="left" | Eiríkur Hauksson | align="left" | "Mitt á milli Moskvu og Washington" | — |
| 10 | align="left" | Björgvin Halldórsson | align="left" | "Ég lifi í draumi" | 3 |
= Artist change =
On 20 March 1986, RÚV announced that eventual Söngvakeppnin winner Pálmi Gunnarsson will perform "Gleðibankinn" at the Eurovision Song Contest as part of newly created 3-member band ICY, alongside Helga Möller and fellow Söngvakeppnin 1986 participant Eiríkur Hauksson.{{cite web |url=https://timarit.is/page/4032628 |title=Pálmi, Eiríkur og Helga |trans-title=Pálmi, Eiríkur and Helga |work=Tíminn |language=is |page=16 |date=20 March 1986 |access-date=20 April 2025 |via=Timarit.is}}
At Eurovision
The contest was broadcast on {{lang|is|Sjónvarpið|i=unset}} and on radio station {{lang|is|Rás 1|i=unset}} (both with commentary by {{ill|Þorgeir Ástvaldsson|is}}).{{cite news |title=Útvarp/Sjónvarp |trans-title=Radio/Television |url=https://timarit.is/page/4033376 |access-date=13 January 2023 |work=Tíminn |date=3 May 1986 |location=Reykjavík, Iceland |language=is |page=23 |via=Timarit.is}}
The group performed sixth on the night of the contest, following the {{Esccnty|United Kingdom|y=1986}} and preceding the {{Esccnty|Netherlands|y=1986}}. At the close of the voting it had received 19 points, placing 16th in a field of 20 competing countries.{{cite web |title=Final of Bergen 1986 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/bergen-1986/final |publisher=European Broadcasting Union |access-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416103300/https://eurovision.tv/event/bergen-1986/final |archive-date=16 April 2021 |url-status=live}} Iceland's first-ever points were awarded to them by the Netherlands (who gave the song five of the eventual 19 points).{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}
The members of the Icelandic jury included Berglind Orradóttir, Davíð Scheving Thorsteinsson, Elsa Björnsdóttir, Guðjón Vigfússon, Guðlaug Þorsteinsdóttir, Karl Þorsteins, Margrét Stefánsdóttir, Ríkharður Ríkharðsson, Salóme Þorkelsdóttir, Sigurdór Sigurdórsson, and Svanhildur Kristjónsdóttir.{{cite web|url=https://timarit.is/page/2903539 |title=Íslenska dómnefndin |trans-title=The Icelandic jury |work=Þjóðviljinn |language=is |page=2 |date=1 May 1986 |access-date=20 April 2025 |via=Timarit.is}}
= Voting =
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
| class="wikitable" |
| + Points awarded to Iceland{{cite web |title=Results of the Final of Bergen 1986 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/bergen-1986/final/results/iceland |publisher=European Broadcasting Union |access-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416135212/https://eurovision.tv/event/bergen-1986/final/results/iceland |archive-date=16 April 2021 |url-status=live}} |
| scope="col" width="20%" | Score
! scope="col" | Country |
|---|
| scope="row" | 12 points
| |
| scope="row" | 10 points
| |
| scope="row" | 8 points
| |
| scope="row" | 7 points
| |
| scope="row" | 6 points
| {{Esc|Spain|y=1986}} |
| scope="row" | 5 points
| {{Esc|Netherlands|y=1986}} |
| scope="row" | 4 points
| {{Esc|Cyprus|1960|y=1986}} |
| scope="row" | 3 points
| |
| scope="row" | 2 points
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Esc|Sweden|y=1986}}|{{Esc|Turkey|y=1986}}}} |
| scope="row" | 1 point
| |
{{col-2}}
{{col-end}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest}}
{{Eurovision Song Contest 1986}}