Harrogate, the host city of the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest, was largely unknown to international viewers, something that was not lost on the BBC. The opening sequence of the show included the question "Where is Harrogate" in the languages of the participating countries.
France withdrew from the contest only to return a year later with a different broadcaster. Greece also withdrew from the contest, leaving 18 countries in the competition. Greece was supposed to enter the contest with the song Sarantapente Kopelies performed by Themis Adamantidis but the Greek Minister of Culture Melina Mercouri decided to withdraw the song just two weeks before the contest as was unhappy with it.
Germany finally scored its first win in the history of the song contest with its 27th entry. Ein Biβchen Frieden performed by Nicole, beat the runner-up by 61 points. At the reprise, Nicole sang the song in four languages: German, English, French and Dutch. In Germany over 13 million people watched Nicole's victory on television and her winning song became a hit all over Europe.
Finland’s entrant, Kojo, also sang about peace. His song - a protest against nuclear bombs - did not do as well as Germany's, however and received no points at all. Belgium's singer, Stella, participated in the contest for the third time. In 1970 she competed for the Netherlands, and in 1977 for Belgium. Her 1982 song Si Tu Aimes Ma Musique was sung fully in French even though Stella hardly spoke the language.
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