The Dutch claimed victory in two of the first four contests but this was no
warning for the disastrous decade they suffered in the 60s when they were
consistently among the also rans. So it was somewhat surprising when they
claimed one of the four first places in 1969.
This signaled a sea-change
in fortune over the next six years, culminating in their most recent victory in
1975. The 80s and 90s saw the occasional good (but not earth-shattering)
result interspersed with mid-table mediocrity, and sometimes, worse. The new
millennium has seen the Netherlands, along with a number of
contest stalwarts, struggle with the changes in the contest
culture and voting.
However the Dutch will always have a
special place in Eurovision history. They sent
Eurovision's first bouncy winner (in 1958), the contests first
black singer (in 1966) and stepped in to host the contest when
Israel couldn't (in 1980).
