The first, and only, appearance by Morocco
Israel had won the previous Eurovision Contest (for the second time in a row) and was expected host the 1980 contest. But they withdrew because the contest was to be held on their country's Day of Remembrance. The Netherlands accepted the honor of hosting the competition at short notice.
During the scoring session, host Marlous Fluitsma spoke to representatives of each of the 19 participating countries by telephone, and used a different one each time. These included a Mickey Mouse phone and one shaped like a silver car.
Johnny Logan's win for Ireland in this contest was the first time a male solo artist had won the contest since Austria's 1966 win. It wouldn't happen again until 1987, a contest that would be won again by Ireland with a song sung by Johnny Logan.