| Year: | 1963 |
| Broadcaster: | Danish: [[DR (broadcaster)|Danmarks Radio]]|i=no (DR) |
| Country: | Denmark |
| Preselection: | Danish: [[Dansk Melodi Grand Prix]] 1963|i=no |
| Preselection Date: | 24 February 1963 |
| Entrant: | Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann |
| Song: | Danish: [[Dansevise]]|i=no |
| Final Result: | 1st, 42 points |
Denmark was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1963 with the song "Danish: [[Dansevise]]|i=no", composed by Otto Francker, with lyrics by Sejr Volmer-Sørensen, and performed by Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann. The Danish participating broadcaster, Danish: [[DR (broadcaster)|Danmarks Radio]]|i=no (DR), organised the Danish: [[Dansk Melodi Grand Prix]] 1963|i=no in order to select its entry for the contest. The entry went on to win Eurovision in the most controversial of circumstances, when it was alleged that the had altered their votes in order to hand victory to Denmark at the expense of .
Danish: [[DR (broadcaster)|Danmarks Radio]]|i=no (DR) held the Danish: [[Dansk Melodi Grand Prix]] 1963|i=no on 24 February at the Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen, hosted by Marianne Birkelund. Eight songs took part with the winner being chosen by a 10-member jury. Other past and future Eurovision entrants competing were Birthe Wilke (and), Dario Campeotto, Bjørn Tidmand, and Gitte Hænning .[1]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preben Marth | "Abstrakt" | 8 | |
| 2 | Bjørn Tidmand | "Amiga mia" | 2 | |
| 3 | Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann | "Dansevise" | 1 | |
| 4 | Melody Mixers | "Harlekin og Colmbine" | 6 | |
| 5 | Dario Campeotto | "Kære du" | 5 | |
| 6 | Gitte Hænning | "Lille sarte kvinde" | 4 | |
| 7 | Birthe Wilke | "Pourquoi" | 3 | |
| 8 | Grethe Sønck | "Verden er en gammal bekendt" | 7 |
On the evening of the final the Ingmanns performed 8th in the running order, following and preceding . "Danish: Dansevise|i=no" was a very sophisticated, atmospheric song, unlike anything previously heard in Eurovision. The pre-contest betting had suggested a two-horse race between Denmark and, and the two songs quickly separated themselves from the pack in the early rounds of voting, which was done by each national jury awarding 5-4-3-2-1 to their top 5 songs. Host Katie Boyle then contacted, the fifth jury due to vote, and the Norwegian spokesman clearly and confidently announced their votes as 5 to the, 4 to, 3 to Switzerland, 2 to Denmark and 1 to . However, as the spokesman had not given the results in the required format (by firstly giving the performance number of the song), Boyle asked him to repeat the votes. This appeared to confuse him, and Boyle agreed that to avoid any delay, they would come back to the Norwegian jury after all the other countries had voted.
After the last scheduled jury in had given their votes, Switzerland was ahead of Denmark by 39 points to 38. Had the votes originally announced by Norway been allowed to stand, Switzerland would have won by 42 points to 40. Boyle then went back to the spokesman in Oslo who now announced 5 to the United Kingdom, 4 to Denmark, 3 to Italy, 2 to Germany and 1 to Switzerland, giving the victory to Denmark by 2 points. In response to the controversy which followed the show, the European Broadcasting Union investigated the role of the Norwegian jury and concluded that there was no evidence of wrongdoing, with the confusion arising from misunderstandings. Notwithstanding, an element of suspicion has hung over the 1963 result ever since and it remains, along with 1968, the most contentious contest outcome in Eurovision history.[2]
"Danish: Dansevise|i=no" has a very high reputation in Eurovision circles. The song often features prominently in polls to determine the best Eurovision winners, and is cited as one of the best examples of a Eurovision winner which does not date and still holds wide appeal.