Country Austria Language German Lyricist(s) Günther Leopold | Artist(s) Ferry Graf Composer(s) Norbert Pawlicki Conductor Franck Pourcel | |
"Der K und K Kalypso aus Wien" (The K and K Calypso from Vienna) was the Austrian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959, performed in German by Ferry Graf.
The song was performed ninth on the night, following Switzerland's Christa Williams with "Irgendwoher" and preceding the United Kingdom's Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson with "Sing Little Birdie". At the close of voting, the song had received 4 points, placing it ninth in a field of 11.
The song is somewhat unusual, in that it represents one of the first attempts to fuse an ethnic musical style (in this case, Calypso) with the chanson-style songs popular in the Contest at the time. Graf attempts to describe a specifically Viennese style of calypso, one which appears to be connected to "the melodies of Strauss" and have "a bit of red pepper" in it. The sound is likened to "the polka from Brno". There is also some yodelling in the song.
The title, too, is unusual. "K und K" refers to "Kaiserlich und Königlich" ("Imperial and Royal"), the common description of the army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The song was succeeded as Austrian representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 1960 by Harry Winter singing "Du hast mich so fasziniert".