Switzerland hosted the contest for the first time since the inaugural event in 1956. The show was opened by the previous year's winner, Céline Dion. She performed a reprise of her winning song, "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi," and her new English single, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now," which became her first major hit in the United States. Italy sent its recent San Remo festival winners, Fausto Leali and Anna Oxa. The entries for both Germany and Austria were composed by German pop titan Dieter Bohlen, famous as part of the 1980s duo Modern Talking. A linguistic milestone was set by the host country's entry. The song "Viver Senza Tei" by the group Furbaz was the first ever to be sung in Romansch, one of Switzerland's four official languages.
