Country Norway Composer(s) Arne Bendiksen | As Bendik Singers Lyricist(s) Bob Williams | |
Artist(s) Anne Karine Strøm,
Ellen Nikolaysen,
Bjørn Kruse,
Philip A. Kruse Languages English
French
Italian
Spanish
Dutch
German
Hebrew
Serbo-Croatian
Finnish
Irish
Norwegian | ||
"It's Just a Game" (Norwegian: "Det er bare et spill") was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1973, performed in English and French - with some lyrics in Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, Irish, Serbo-Croatian, Hebrew, Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian - by the Bendik Singers. This makes it the only entry, besides the 1972 entry from Ireland, to feature the Irish language. In the Norwegian selection process Melodi Grand Prix, the song was called "Å for et spill" and was sung only in Norwegian.
The song is written as a series of suggestions for wooing a woman, with the singers all in agreement that one should not take the process too seriously or use too many ornate terms of endearment in the process.
The song was performed fifth on the night, following Germany's Gitte with Junger Tag and preceding Monaco's Marie with Un train qui part. At the close of voting, it had received 89 points, placing 7th in a field of 17.
It was succeeded as Norwegian representative at the 1974 contest by Anne-Karine Strøm with "The First Day of Love".
Unusually, over the next three years, all Norwegian eurovision entries would feature one or more members of the Bendik Singers. 1974's entry featured three of them, with Anne Lise Gjøstøl (did not participate on the Eurovision) Bjørn Kruse and Benny Kruse singing backing vocals for Anne Karine Strøm. Ellen Nikolaysen would perform solo in 1975 with the song "Touch My Life (With Summer)". and in 1976, Anne Karine Strøm would return with the disco themed "Mata Hari", although none of these subsequent efforts would achieve the same high finishing position as this entry.