Country Netherlands As Heddy Lester Composer(s) Frank Affolter | Artist(s) Heddy Affolter Language Dutch Lyricist(s) Wim Hogenkamp | |
"De mallemolen" ("The Merry-go-round") was the Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977, performed in Dutch by Heddy Lester. The song was composed by Lester's brother Frank Affolter, with lyrics by Wim Hogenkamp.
The song is a ballad which compares life to a merry-go-round. Lester sings that the point of life is to take advantage of all the opportunities one is given, no matter how frightening they might appear at the time. Lester recorded the song in four languages, all versions with references to merry-go-rounds and carousels, besides the original Dutch also English ("The World Keeps Turning", with the chorus opening with the line "Like a carousel the world keeps turning"), French ("Le monde tourne comme un manège") and German ("Das Karussel des Lebens").
The song was performed third on the night, following Monaco's Michèle Torr with "Une petite française" and preceding Austria's Schmetterlinge with "Boom Boom Boomerang". At the close of voting, it had received 35 points, placing 12th in a field of 18.
It was succeeded as Dutch representative at the 1978 contest by Harmony with "'t Is OK".