Console yourselves, Jemini, the experience didn't damage the 'nul points' Norwegian

Look on the bright side, Jemini; the experience did no harm to Finn Kalvik. Two days after the Norwegian singer-songwriter failed to trouble the scorers in 1981, his album Night and Day flew off the shelves, selling 100,000 copies in his home country in 48 hours.

Even the Swedes went for it; but then again it did feature three of the four members from Abba.

Within a week, his Eurovision song, the unforgettable "Aldri i livet" (Never in my life) was top of a Euro top-10 chart. Now Mr Kalvik is 57 years old and his song has recently featured on a new album, complete with full orchestral backing. It has sold so well the proceeds have paid for a trip to the United States to travel the length of Route 66 on his Harley Davidson. Life was good and Mr Kalvik would continue performing to his grave, said Jørn Dalchow, the managing director of the singer's new record label.

But he said the singer's failure in 1981 had hit hard. "He was very disappointed. He told me he was really depressed about it but then the album sold so well over Scandinavia. The Norwegian language is not very singable but maybe it is more exotic now."

Mr Kalvik made his first recording in 1969 but his career took off when he went to Sweden in the 1970s and "met the guys from Abba". His second album in collaboration with the group's manager was Night and Day and his career went "sky high" in the early 1980s.

But Mr Kalvik's career was declining until he was taken on by Mr Dalchow's record company. He has now re-emerged on the Norwegian music scene in collaboration with younger performers.

"It has been very successful, it has been his second comeback," said Mr Dalchow. People were still mentioning the Eurovision, even after 22 years. People still liked to talk about it, although he did not.

"But when you interview Sean Connery you have to mention James Bond; it is like this for him.

"He has to play that song when he is live, otherwise the people go mad."