Leon had taken part in the 1996 German Eurovision selection with the song " Planet of Blue " , which had gained a comprehensive victory in a public televote . It was a very contemporary , techno-influenced song which had been expected to do well in the contest . The 1996 Eurovision Song Contest was to take place in Oslo on May 18 . Hosts Norway were given an automatic place in the contest , but as 29 other countries were chasing the 22 remaining places , it was decided to hold an audio-only pre-qualifier on March 29 where a jury from each country would listen to all the songs and vote in the normal ESC manner , with the bottom seven songs being eliminated . To universal surprise , " Planet of Blue " finished 24th in the voting , and failed to qualify for the contest
1996 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1996
Leon (German singer)