#Monaco eurovision 1967

[eurovision-song-bracket]

Welcome to the Eurovision Song Bracket!

This will be a fairly large bracket, consisting of two "teams" of 68 songs for a total of 136 competitors!

The first team has been preselected, and will consist of all previous winners or popular vote winners if applicable.

This means that if your favorite song won, you do not need to submit them (a couple of exceptions apply, see list at the bottom/read more for details)

Submissions are closed!

Rules!

- Entries must have been a part of the main competition of Eurovision of any year (I might do a MGP mini bracket if the people want that)

- Once again, you do not need to submit winners, they are (mostly) automatically in. Again, see bottom for details and explanations.

- You may submit multiple songs, but please don't send the same song over and over.

- Propaganda is highly encouraged! There is a spot for it in the submission form, and adding it on to the poll itself or sending an ask is also allowed. You may send a DM, but I'll probably be slow to respond that way.

How it Works!

- There will be multiple brackets of 34 songs

- Each of the preselected winners will be randomly against one of the submitted songs. Pairings will be decided through number assignment and a random number generator.

- Vote for your favorite! I will include links to the songs in the poll so you can listen to both before voting. The winner will move onto the next round until we find the winner of that bracket.

- Once all brackets are complete, the winners of their individual brackets will go onto the finals to determine the (unofficial) Ultimate Eurovision Song Winner!

- There will be a preliminary around, as 1969 (hehe nice) had a four way tie, so we will need to determine which of those four will represent that year!

Tagging some other brackets to get the word out

@animalcrossingshowdown @ultimate-soup-showdown @least-sexy-man-competition @soulmatebracket @irlcats-bracket @little-cat-showdown @bestvegetablepoll @baby-brawl-bracket @died-but-not-dead-tournament @unusannusbracket

Click the read more for the list of songs that are automatically in the bracket!

(The colors are just to make it less of a wall of text and easier to read)

(Please let me know if a different color would work better)

1956 - “Refrain” by Lys Assia (Switzerland)

1957 - “Net Als Toen” by Corry Brokken (Netherlands)

1958 - “Dors, Mon Amour” by André Claveau (France)

1959 - “Een Beetje” by Teddy Scholten (Netherlands)

1960 - “Tom Pillibi” by Jacqueline Boyer (France)

1961 - “Nous Les Amoureux” by Jean-Claude Pascal (Luxembourg) 1962 - “Un Premier Amour” by Isabelle Aubret” (France)

1963 - “Dansevise” by Grethe and Jøren Ingmann (Denmark)

1964 - “Non ho l'età” by Gigliola Cinquetti (Italy)

1965 - “Poupée de cire, poupée de son” by France Gall (Luxembourg) 1966 - “Merci, Chérie” by Udo Jürgens (Austria)

1967 - “Puppet on a String” by Sandie Shaw (UK)

1968 - “La la la” by Massiel (Spain)

1969 – [FOUR WAY TIE – SPAIN UK NETHERLANDS FRANCE, PRELIM POLL] “Vivo Cantando” by Salomé (Spain) ; “Boom Bang-a-Bang” by Lulu (UK) ; “De Troubadour” by Lenny Kuhr (Netherlands) ; “Un jour, un enfant” by Frida Bocara (France)

1970 - “All Kinds of Everything” by Dana (Ireland)

1971 - “Un banc, un arbre, une rue” by Séverine (Monaco)

1972 - “Après Toi” by Vicky Leandros (Luxembourg)

1973 - “Tu te reconnaîtras” by Anne-Marie David (Luxembourg)

1974 - “Waterloo” by ABBA (Sweden)

1975 - “Ding a Dong” by Teach-in (Netherlands)

1976 - “Save Your Kisses For Me” by Brotherhood of Man (UK)

1977 - “L'Oiseau et l'Enfant” by Marie Myriam (France)

1978 - “א-ב-ני-בי / A-Ba-Ni-Bi” by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta (Israel)

1979 - “הללויה /Hellelujah” by Milk and Honey (Israel)

1980 - “What's Another Year” by Johnny Logan (Ireland)

1981 - “Making Your Minds Up” by Bucks Fizz (UK)

1982 - “Ein bißchen Frieden” by Nicole (Germany)

1983 -Si la vie est cadeau” by Corinne Hermès (Luxembourg)

1984 - “Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley” by Herreys (Sweden)

1985 - “La det swinge” By Bobbysocks! (Norway)

1986 - “J'aime la vie” by Sandra Kim (Belgium)

1987 – “Laß die Sonne in dein Herz“ by Wind (Germany) [REPEAT WIN BY JOHNNY LOGAN(Ireland), USING 2ND PLACE]

1988 - “Ne partez pas sans moi” Céline Dion (Switzerland)

1989 - “Rock Me” by Riva (Yugoslavia)

1990 - “Insieme: 1992” by Toto Cutugno (Italy)

1991 – “Fångad av en stormvind” by Carola (Sweden)

1992 - “Why Me?” by Linda Martin (Ireland)

1993 - “In Your Eyes” Niamh Kavanagh (Ireland)

1994 - “Rock 'n' Roll Kids” Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan (Ireland)

1995 - “Nocturne” by Secret Garden (Norway)

1996 - “The Voice” by Eimear Quinn (Ireland)

1997 - “Love shine a Light” by Katrina and the Waves (UK)

1998 - “דיווה /Diva” by Dana International (Israel)

1999 - “Take Me to Your Heaven” by Charlotte Nilsson (Sweden)

2000 - “Fly on the Wings of Love” by Olsen Brothers (Denmark)

2001 - “Everybody” by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton, and 2XL (Estonia)

2002 - “I wanna” by Marie N (Latvia)

2003 - “Everyway That I Can” by Sertab Erener (Turkey)

2004 - “Wild Dances” by Ruslana (Ukraine)

2005 - “My Number One” by Helena Paparizou (Greece)

2006 - “Hard Rock Hallelujah” by Lordi (Finland)

2007 - “Молитва / Molitva” by Marija Šerifović (Serbia)

2008 - “Believe” by Dima Bilan (Russia)

2009 - “Fairytale” By Alexander Rybak (Norway)

2010 - “Satellite” by Lena (Germany)

2011 - “Running Scared” by Ell and Nikki (Azerbaijan)

2012 - “Euphoria” by Loreen (Sweden)

2013 - “Only Teardrops” by Emmelie de Forest (Denmark)

2014 - “Rise Like a Phoenix” by Conchita Wurst (Austria)

2015 - “Heroes” by Måns Zelmerlöw (Sweden)

2016 - “1944” by Jamala (Ukraine)

2017 - “Amar pelos dois” by Salvador Sobral (Portugal)

2018 - “Toy” by Netta (Israel)

2019 - “Arcade” by Duncan Laurence (Netherlands)

2020 – [CANCELLED]

2021 - “Zitti e buoni” by Måneskin (Italy)

2022 - “Стефанія / Stefania” by Kalush Orchestra (Ukraine)

2023 - “Cha Cha Cha” by Käärijä (Finland) [Second highest popular vote ever, also repeat win by Loreen(Sweden)]

[eurovision-facts]

Eurovision Fact #221:

It is fairly common for a nation to receive an overall final score of nul points in the Eurovision Song Contest, but it’s less common for multiple nations to receive zero points during the same competition. Out of the total sixty-six Eurovision Song Contests that have been held, twenty-two have had at least one contestant who earned zero points. 

The most contestants receiving nul points in a single contest is four. This happened a total of four times, all in a row, in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1965.

Austria and Norway are tied for most times earning nul points with a total of 4 losses.

The following is a list of the years in which contestants gained zero points and which nations they were from:

1962: Netherlands, Austria, Spain, and Belgium.

1963: Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

1964: Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Portugal, and Germany.

1965: Spain, Finland, Belgium, and Germany.

1966: Italy and Monaco.

1967: Switzerland.

1970: Luxembourg.

1978: Norway.

1981: Norway.

1982: Finland

1983: Spain and Türkiye.

1987: Türkiye.

1988: Austria.

1989: Iceland.

1991: Austria.

1994: Lithuania

1997: Norway and Portugal

1998: Switzerland.

2003: United Kingdom.

2015: Austria and Germany.

2021: United Kingdom.

[Sources]

Turin 2022 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv.

Rotterdam 2021 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Tel Aviv 2019 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Lisbon 2018 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Kyiv 2017 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Stockholm 2016 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Vienna 2015 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Copenhagen 2014 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Malmö 2013 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Baku 2012 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Düsseldorf  2011 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Oslo 2010 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Moscow 2009 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Belgrade 2008 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Helsinki 2007 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv.

Athens 2006 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Kyiv 2005 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Istanbul 2004 Grand Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Riga 2003 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Tallinn 2002 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Copenhagen 2001 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Stockholm 2000 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Jerusalem 1999 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Birmingham 1998 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Dublin 1997 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv.

Oslo 1996 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Dublin 1995 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Dublin 1994 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Millstreet 1993 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Malmö  1992 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv.

Rome 1991 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Zagreb 1990 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Lausanne 1989  Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Dublin 1988 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Brussels 1987 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv.

Bergen 1986 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Gothenberg 1985 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Luxembourg 1984 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Munich 1983 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Harrogate 1982 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Dublin 1981 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

The Hague 1980 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Jerusalem 1979 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Paris 1978 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv.

London 1977 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv.

The Hague 1976 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Stockholm 1975 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Brighton 1974 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Luxembourg 1973 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Edinburgh 1972 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Dublin 1971 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Amsterdam 1970 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv.

Madrid 1969 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

London 1968 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Vienna 1967 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv.

Luxembourg 1966 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Naples 1965 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv.

Copenhagen 1964 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

London 1963 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Luxembourg 1962 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Cannes 1961 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv.

London 1960 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Cannes 1959 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Hilversum 1958 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv. 

Frankfurt am Main 1957 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv.

Lugano 1956 Final Scoreboard, Eurovision.tv.

[laforzadelvoila]

All My Eurovision Winners

Here I will register my winners of all the years of Eurovision. This list will always be subject to change.

1956 — 🇳🇱 De vogels van Holland [Jetty Paerl]

1957 — 🇦🇹 Wohin, kleines Pony? [Bob Martin]

1958 — 🇨🇭 Giorgio [Lys Assia]

1959 — 🇸🇪 Augustin [Brita Borg]

1960 — 🇫🇷 Tom Pillibi [Jacqueline Boyer]

1961 — 🇮🇹 Al Di Là [Betty Curtis]

1962 — 🇫🇮 Tipi-tii [Marion Rung]

1963 — 🇩🇰 Dansevise [Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann]

1964 — 🇩🇪 Man gewöhnt sich so schnell an das Schöne [Nora Nova]

1965 — 🇮🇪 Walking the Streets in the Rain [Butch Moore]

1966 — 🇵🇹 Ele e Ela [Madalena Iglésias]

1967 — 🇪🇸 Hablemos del amor [Raphael]

1968 — 🇲🇨 À chacun sa chanson [Line & Willy]

1969 — 🇳🇱 De Troubadour [Lenny Kuhr]

1970 — 🇬🇧 Knock, Knock Who's There? [Mary Hopkin]

1971 — 🇲🇨 Un banc, un arbre, une rue [Séverine]

1972 — 🇮🇪 Ceol an Ghrá [Sandie Jones]

1973 — 🇪🇸 Eres Tú [Mocedades]

1974 — 🇸🇪 Waterloo [ABBA]

1975 — 🇹🇷 Seninle Bir Dakika [Semiha Yankı]

1976 — 🇬🇷 Panagia mou, Panagia mou [Mariza Koch]

1977 — 🇱🇺 Frère Jacques [Anne-Marie B.]

1978 — 🇲🇨 Les jardins de Monaco [Caline & Olivier Toussaint]

1979 — 🇵🇹 Sobe, sobe, balão sobe [Manuela Bravo]

1980 — 🇲🇦 Bitaqat hub [Samira Bensaïd]

1981 — 🇩🇪 Johnny Blue [Lena Valaitis]

1982 — 🇨🇾 Mono i agapi [Anna Vissi]

1983 — 🇮🇱 Chai! [Ofra Haza]

1984 — 🇮🇪 Terminal 3 [Linda Martin]

1985 — 🇳🇴 La det swinge [Bobbysocks!]

1986 — ⭐️ Željo moja [Doris Dragović]

1987 — 🇧🇪 Soldiers of Love [Liliane Saint-Pierre]

1988 — 🇱🇺 Croire [Lara Fabian]

1989 — 🇹🇷 Bana Bana [Grup Pan]

1990 — 🇪🇸 Bandido [Azúcar Moreno]

1991 — 🇫🇷 C'est le dernier qui a parlé qui a raison [Amina]

1992 — ⭐ Ljubim te pesmama [Extra Nena]

1993 — 🇧🇦 Sva bol svijeta [Fazla]

1994 — 🇬🇧 We Will Be Free (Lonely Symphony) [Frances Ruffelle]

1995 — 🇳🇴 Nocturne [Secret Garden]

1996 — 🇵🇹 O Meu Coração Não Tem Cor [Lúcia Moniz]

1997 — 🇮🇹 Fiumi di parole [Jalisse]

1998 — 🇫🇮 Aava [Edea]

1999 — 🇱🇹 Strazdas [Aistė Smilgevičiūtė]

2000 — 🇫🇮 A Little Bit [Nina Åström]

2001 — 🇩🇪 Wer Liebe lebt [Michelle]

2002 — 🇮🇱 Light a Candle [Sarit Hadad]

2003 — 🇧🇪 Sanomi [Urban Trad]

2004 — 🇪🇪 Tii [Neiokõsõ]

2005 — 🇨🇭 Cool Vibes [Vanilla Ninja]

2006 — 🇧🇦 Lejla [Hari Mata Hari]

2007 — 🇬🇪 Visionary Dream [Sopho Khalvashi]

2008 — 🇷🇸 Oro [Jelena Tomašević feat. Bora Dugic]

2009 — 🇦🇲 Jan Jan [Inga and Anush Arshakyan]

2010 — 🇸🇰 Horehronie [Kristína Peláková]

2011 — 🇧🇬 Na Inat [Poli Genova]

2012 — 🇸🇪 Euphoria [Loreen]

2013 — 🇳🇴 I Feed You My Love [Margaret Berger]

2014 — 🇳🇱 Calm After The Storm [The Common Linnets]

2015 — 🇲🇪 Adio [Knez]

2016 — 🇺🇦 1944 [Jamala]

2017 — 🇵🇹 Amar Pelos Dois [Salvador Sobral]

2018 — 🇪🇪 La Forza [Elina Nechayeva]

2019 — 🇦🇱 Ktheju Tokës [Jonida Maliqi]

2020 — 🇺🇦 Solovey [Go_A]

2021 — 🇫🇷 Voilà [Barbara Pravi]

2022 — 🇺🇦 Stefania [Kalush Orchestra]

2023 — 🇪🇸 Eaea [Blanca Paloma]

2024 — 🇺🇦 Teresa & Maria [Jerry Heil feat. Alyona Alyona]

[residentraccoon]

Winners ranking oof

Below the cut. I don't hate any of them, as a side note

Personal favorites

1. Fairytale (Norway 2009) - When I found out about this, around the time I became an eurofan in 2018, I was in awe. It's so catchy and fun and omg I love the violin. Perfect

2. Nocturne (Norway 1995) - Want my anxiety to drop down to 0? play this song at any given moment

3. Waterloo (Sweden 1974) - Schalger pop songs from the 70s are my weakness. And how can you not love ABBA?

4. Dansevise (Denmark 1963) - There's something so charming about this whole performance. The singers' stage presence, the flow of the song, the guitar, like idk man it's so beautiful...

5. Heroes (Sweden 2015) - 12 y/o me had her eyes glued to the screen when this was on stage and whenever I re-listen to this I feel the same feeling as I did back then. The first ever eurovision song that I was obsessed with!

6. Arcade (Netherlands 2019) - Nothing more to say. Loving you is a losing game is a huge icon at this point

7. Poupée de cire, poupée de son (Luxembourg 1965) - I love the beat and how bouncy and cheerful it sounds. Her entire career story is so heartbreaking though I couldn't not feel bad for her...

8. Zitti e Buoni (Italy 2021) - Never forget the edgy italian rockers 😔😔

9. Tu te reconnaîtras (Luxembourg 1973) - I get such a nostalgic feeling from this, it's as if I've heard this several times in my childhood before but I can't exactly remember. The piano bits are so lovely

10. Fångad av en stormvind (Sweden 1991) - Why is everyone so harsh on this song, I'll never understand...I love how energetic it is!! It's probably my favorite Carola song tbh (okay I also really like Främling but shhhh)

11. Een beetje (Netherlands 1959) - Cute sassy song that could fit so well in an old disney movie? Yes please

12. Insieme: 1992 (Italy 1990) - Ah yes, the superior "peace and unity" song that actually feels genuine. I swear I've heard this before in the past actually, like before I listened to the esc winners

13. Hallelujah (Israel 1979) - Yes guys bring me the harmonies

14. La det swinge (Norway 1985) - Groovy nordic pop from the 80s my beloved, I love their outfits a lot! 💜

15. A-ba-ni-bi (Israel 1978) - It's so catchy like whenever I listen to this I have it on loop for 5 days straight

16. Vivo Cantando (Spain 1969) - I love this one too! Out of the 4 winners this or Netherlands were the best imo

17. Save your kisses for me (United Kingdom 1976) - Being this wholesome should be illegal /j

18. Un banc, un arbre, une rue (Monaco 1971) - Same story as Tu te reconnaitras, I kind of have the same feelings for both, I get this strange, nostalgic yet comforting deja-vu when I listen to them

19. The Voice (Ireland 1996) - It's so magical and mysterious, teleports me to another world everytime I listen

20. Puppet on a string (United Kingdom 1967) - This feels so wholesome and sweet, I always like these kind of carnival themed songs for some reason

21. De Troubadour (Netherlands 1969) - Love how melancholic yet upbeat it sounds, and the guitar is just amazing

22. Apres toi (Luxembourg 1972) - Makes me feel emotions that I didn't even experience, how great this is...

23. Molitva (Serbia 2007) - It's so anthemic, I feel connected to this song on a personal level

24. Euphoria (Sweden 2012) - It's universally known as the best esc winner, and I do like it but feel that it's a bit too overhyped and all? haven't willingly listened to this for a while, even though I still admire the choreography and whole stage show, which was indeed amazing!

25. L'oiseau et l'enfant (France 1977) - Favorite french winner, hands down

Really like this ones

26. My number one (Greece 2005) - Grown a bit off me lately because I've been way too fixated on the retro winners but still a classic nonetheless. The stage show is just so perfect

27. Rise like a phoneix (Austria 2014) - Outstanding. I'm so impressed by the melody and especially the lyrics

28. Rock me baby (Yugoslavia 1989) - Underrated as heck, it's so funky and the message is interesting!

29. Diggi-loo Diggi-ley (Sweden 1984) - Diggiloo diggiley himlen öppnade sig yeah don't ask me I know the lyrics to this by heart

30. Net als toen (Netherlands 1957) - She looks like she's telling a whole life story, I love this

31. Nous les amoureux (Luxembourg 1961) - Yet another one that I didn't care about before, but when I gave it a try I really liked it. Didn't know he was actually singing about a same gender relationship?? In the early 60s??

32. Love Shine a Light (United Kingdom 1997) - Gives me a warm, comforting feeling, absolutely amazing

33. Boom bang-a-bang (United Kingdom 1969) - Yesss this is so cute as well, I love her expressions lol

34. Hold me now (Ireland 1987) - The superior Johnny Logan song

35. Ne partez pas sans moi (Switzerland 1988) - A literal queen, this was a no brainer win for that year

36. Refrain (Switzerland 1956) - Teleports me into the 50s. Oh to be a singer in the 50s...how would that be?

37. Ding-a-dong (Netherlands 1975) - The lyrics are incredibly silly, though the melody is super catchy

38. Only teardrops (Denmark 2013) - So beautiful, especially the flute.

These are good

39. 1944 (Ukraine 2016) - The glowy tree part always gives me the chills. I recently started to appreciate this more and the story behind the song is very tragic

40. Hard Rock Hallelujah (Finland 2006) - The costumes are 3 edgy 5 me but the song, oh yeah, the song's really great

41. J'aime la vie (Belgium 1986) - What a bop. kind of 80s generic music but I don't care

42. Non ho l'eta (Italy 1964) - The instrumental is pretty, however, since I discovered the lyrics I just...don't like it as much anymore. It's probably my least favorite italian winner if I'm being honest.

43. All kinds of everything (Ireland 1970) - Might have gotten diabetes over how sweet this song is

44. Merci, cherie (Austria 1966) - That bridge is beautiful as heck. underrated

45. What's Another Year (Ireland 1980) - Yeaaah, I like this a bit, feels kind of long at times tbh

46. Take me to your heaven (Sweden 1999) - Tend to overlook this one, I feel like it's not as fun as the other swedish schalgers from the past (Bra vibrationer, Fångad, Waterloo) but gave it a try recently and I sort of...liked it? Sure, not as much as the ones I mentioned earlier but it's solid tbh!

47. Wild Dances (Ukraine 2004) - The live version is very messy tbh, I listen to the studio more

48. Un jour, en enfant (France 1969) - I love how soft her voice is, but ultimately the song transforms into powerful vocals with an epic climax. The thing is that I don't really actively try to listen to this...

49. Stefania (Ukraine 2022) - Epic flute guy is back! Kind of grew off me, maybe if I'll relisten it might go some places up I guess

50. Ein bißchen frieden (Germany 1982) - Please it's so cozy campfire cottagecore aesthetic

Neutral, don't listen that much to them

51. Making your mind up (United Kingdom 1981) - So energetic and silly, 80s trash lolol

52. In your eyes (Ireland 1993) - My favorite out of the 3 back-to-back irish winners

53. Rock n roll kids (Ireland 1994) - One of the legendary irish wins, it's good I guess but not up my alley

54. Amar pelos dois (Portugal 2017) - Reminiscent of those classy 60s chansons which I appreciate, still kind of don't get out of my way to actively listen to this, though

55. I wanna (Latvia 2002) - The first winner that had something more on stage than just dancing. Love the outfit reveal lol

56. Everyway that I can (Turkey 2003) - Trash early 2000s ethnic pop at its finest

57. Satellite (Germany 2010) - ...I kind of used to listen to this at first since I found it quirky and fun, but now, along with some others I kind of forgot about it?

58. Fly on the wings of love (Denmark 2000) - Not exactly my favorite, but it's nice

59. Si la vie est cadeau (Luxembourg 1983) - Feels a bit bland I guess? But it's a good effort

60. Believe (Russia 2008) - Maybe I was influenced about the war, but this really fell down a loooot in my ranking. Epic ice skater guy is great, but I tend to dismiss this one as being a winner for some reason

61. La la la (Spain 1968) - It's repetitive as hell, but at least I like the verses more, right?

62. Tom Pillibi (France 1960) - Her singing can get a bit too high for my ears lmao but it's nice nonetheless

Don't care about them that much, sorry

63. Running scared (Azerbaijan 2011) - It's not bad per se, but I still ask myself how did this win. It lacks substance, any sort of charisma or dynamic between the two

64. Toy (Israel 2018) - I used to haaate this one back in 2018, then it kind of became a meme in my friend group. So I don't really know what to say about this one

65. Everybody (Estonia 2001) - Very funky, but sometimes I forget that this is one of the winners 😂

66. Diva (Israel 1998) - Listen Dana is amazing, but I feel that her song lacks something? She wasn't singing that great either. Don't really find myself listening to it that much so...

67. Dors mon amour (France 1958) - it's very calming, but feels like it drags on for too long I guess?

68. Un premier amour (France 1962) - why is it so repetitive help

69. Why me (Ireland 1992) - it's...too whiny and dramatic for me, sorry, it's the winner that I listened the least so far 😔

[eurovisionart]

🇲🇨 Minouche Barelli - Boum-Badaboum

[betweenthetimeandsound]

Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#58-57)

#58: Friderika Bayer -- Kinek mondjam el vétkeimet? (Hungary 1994)

“Semmi sincs, csak fénytelen éj Csak szótlan bánat, hiú remény Nincsen hûség, nincs szerelem Nincs simitó kéz nekem”

“There is nothing, just the lightless night Just speechless sorrow, just illusive hope There is no loyalty, no love There's no caressing hand for me”

Seven countries debuted in the 1994 contest (including Russia--see #149 about that), and I thought this was the best of all of them. While To nie ja showcased Edyta's vocals and put her on the road to superstardom in Poland, Kinek mondjam el vetkimet does something more than that for me, as it creates a compelling soundscape and actually makes me feel something.

The song puts Friderika in a vulnerable situation, where she seeks somebody to talk to. It gets occasionally interpreted as a teenage pregnancy, because of the line "A meg sem született gyermekemnek"/"In spite of nobody dying and no children being born" and the English version suggesting that the narrator aborted the child. I didn't get that sense while I was listening to it, but I could relate to it a lot, because of the need to relieve oneself of the burdens that haunt them in life. I felt lonely at times, and need someone to talk to about life. (also, the title translates to "To whom I may confess my sins?", and the slight religious hints intrigues me again, haha)

The minimalistic instrumentation highlights that fragility; there's the guitarist playing that melody, the occasional tambourine, and the orchestra in the background. They create a little world for three minutes, filled with longing and the need to cry. It's almost like a prayer for understanding, because of the simplicity and sincerity of it. And it is just pure gold, deservingly getting Hungary’s best entry to date (for now, I hope).

P.S. A shout-out for @eurosong and @white-eyed-girl; both really love this song, but for the former, it's their favorite Eurovision song ever!

Personal ranking: 1st/25 Actual ranking: 4th/25 in Dublin

Final Impressions on:

--1994: It's known for having seven new countries come over (four that missed out on Kvalificacija za Millstreet in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Estonia, along with Poland, Russia, and Lithuania), along with being an especially ballad-heavy year. Several times in the running order, it seemed like all the songs blurred together, though I do think that the song quality was high enough to keep it from being bad. Most notably, Riverdance blew everyone out of the water with its use of Irish dance; it became more popular than the whole starting lineup. Basically, that was epic, along with the crowd in Point Theatre cheering for Ireland when they received multiple 12 points to get their third straight title.

--Hungary: Definitely one of the more unique countries in the contest, in terms of what they send. Looking back, they were more up-and-down in terms of quality, but they never leaned towards something more "basic". When they did deliver, they really did in spades; that helped with maintaining an eight-year qualification streak between 2011 and 2018. Sadly, they withdrew because of their increasingly authoritarian government, which is made even worse because they looked like they were going to win. Hopefully, they come back soon!

#57: Minouche Barelli -- Boum Badaboum (Monaco 1967)

“Avant de faire tout sauter, boum boum Laissez-moi le temps d’aimer, badaboum Laissez-moi encore la vie, boum boum Au moins mille et une nuits, badaboum”

“Before blowing everything up, boom boom Leave me the time to love, badaboom Still leave me my life, boom boom At least a thousand and one nights, badaboom”

Another Serge Gainsbourg-penned song, I find it quite interesting. Whereas Poupée de cire, poupée de son (#179) and White and Black Blues (#74) deal with similar thoughtful issues with well-written lyrics, Boum Badaboum is a lot more straightforward.

Despite the silly title, it has a serious message about trying to enjoy what life is about before she gets killed in a nuclear explosion. The United States and the Soviet Union were just hours away from catalyzing a nuclear war five years ago, and yet amongst the negotiations and proxy wars of the Cold War, tension remains. These pleas are almost drowned out amongst the cacophony of the "bada-boums", which can be an acquired taste to some people.

Mincouche's voice is a bit shouty, which when combined with the instrumentation, makes me waver on whether or not I truly like the song. However, it does gets the message across the poppy soundscape, and she performs it with a bit of mischief amongst the despair. The orchestration for this makes it so cool and groovy, you wouldn't know that she's shouting for a little bit of peace!

Personal ranking: 1st/17 Actual ranking: 5th/17 in Vienna

[eurovisionsongaday]

On the one hand, this song is sung in a way I cannot stand. On the other hand, it’s about being blown up in a bombing, so it’s still fits?

[sayitaliano]

Sanremo 2020

Here a few ways to watch Sanremo online starting on tuesday february 4th 8:30 pm (it’ll probably start with a 5 minutes “anteprima = preview” every night), until saturday february 8th, when the final will be broadcasted.

/ Official website / you can find loads of videos and interviews here + the latest news.

Rai’s website dedicated section (here)

Starting from January 27th, a 6 minutes show about Sanremo has been broadcasted every night, with interviews and random curiosities (here - PrimaFestival section right below the host Amadeus’ photo)

The usual Dopofestival, with the analysis of the show at the end of each night, won’t be broadcasted onTV but only on RaiPlay (here - L’Altro Festival)

CasaSanremo - A website about Sanremo and all the artists who will take part, with more infos and interviews. Follow them also on their Social Media Channels, usually they make live video/interviews/shows on FB for example.

Some video interviews on Sorrisi&Canzoni (where you can find also other infos about Sanremo)

To watch it live:

Raiuno -> just click on the first video on the left, or here , to open the Raiuno streaming immediately (I added the whole Rai channels things in case you had troubles connecting directly and wanted to try from there) I’m not sure you have to log in to watch a live, but it’s through just an email or FB btw

Sanremo in signs language live

I’ll try to write down some more infos/links through the week.

——-

Hosts & Guests + Other Stuff

This years’ host will be Amadeus (who choose the songs taking part into this Sanremo), a TV and radio host. He will be accompanied by 10 female co-hosts, all coming from TV, songs, sport and information fields: Francesca Sofia Novello, Laura Chimenti, Antonella Clerici, Diletta Leotta, Emma D'Aquino, Sabrina Salerno, Alketa Vejsiu, Mara Venier, Georgina Rodriguez, Rula Jebreal. They will appear on few nights (or just one) each. The radio and TV host Fiorello will be present all the 5 nights, same as the famous singer Tiziano Ferro. They will appear on stage randomly to entertain and sing, maybe also with other guests. Some of the one-night guests might be the singers Al Bano & Romina Power (with a new song, probably on day 1), Zucchero, Ghali, Gianna Nannini, Biagio Antonacci, Tony Renis, Massimo Ranieri, Jhonny Dorelli, i Ricchi e Poveri (all the 4 members who originally started the band), Ultimo, Lewis Capaldi, Dua Lipa, Mika (these last 3 probably on Thursday and Friday night); the actors/singers of a couple of Italian movies: Pierfrancesco Favino, Kim Rossi Stuart, Emma Marrone, Claudio Santamaria (Gli anni più belli - Gabriele Muccino) and Diego Abatantuono, Christian De Sica, Angela Finocchiaro, Massimo Ghini, Paolo Rossi, Rocco Papaleo (La mia banda suona il pop - Fausto Brizi); and let’s not forget the Oscar winner Roberto Benigni. For the 70° anniversary of the competition, a 300 meters red carpet has been held in Sanremo to connect the roads nearby to the Ariston theater. The names of the past 69 editions’ winners are written on the red carpet and they may stay there also after the end of the competition (not sure though - take a look at the pics here). An outside stage, called Nutella stage, has been build in the streets of Sanremo. Guests and hosts will randomly go there as well to cheer the crowd.

How it works 

Differently from last year, this year the young/newbie section is back. So there will be 24 singers in the Campioni (champs) section and 8 in the Giovani (young/newbies) section. The winner of the competition of the Campioni section will represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest: if he/she/them won’t accept, the choice will be another artist, usually the 2nd classified. Another difference with the past edition is that the “Duets night” will take place on the 3rd night. The Campioni’s singers will perform (with another Italian or foreign artist) a song from a past Sanremo edition. This special evening will be called Sanremo 70. Differently from the past, the rank at the end of the 3rd night, will change also the rank after the 2 first nights (votes will be added to the general rank).

Day 1 - co-hosts: Rula Jebreal, Diletta Leotta. Prob. guests: Fiorello, Tiziano Ferro. “Gli anni più belli” actors, Emma Marrone (will sing too), Gessica Notaro and Antonio Maggio, Al Bano & Romina Power. We’ll hear 12 Campioni’s songs (in order of performance: Irene Grandi, Marco Masini, Rita Pavone, Achille Lauro, Diodato, Le Vibrazioni, Anastasio, Elodie, Bugo e Morgan, Alberto Urso, Riki, Raphael Gualazzi) and 4 Giovani’s (Eugenio in via di Gioia, Fadi, Leo Gassman and Tecla Insolia). 2 songs of the Giovani will be excluded after two different 1 vs 1 contests (Eugenio in Via di Gioia VS Tecla Insolia || Fadi VS Leo Gassmann). The two winning songs (one for each contest) will pass to the 4th night. We’ll have a first rank of the 12 Campioni who performed tonight.

Day 2 - co-hosts: Emma D’Aquino, Laura Chimenti, Sabrina Salerno. Prob. guests: Fiorello, Tiziano Ferro. Zucchero, Ricchi e Poveri, Gigi D’Alessio, Massimo Ranieri, Paolo Palumbo, Novak Djokovic and his wife. The remaining 12 Campioni’s (in order of performance: Piero Pelù, Elettra Lamborghini, Enrico Nigiotti, Levante, Pinguini Tattici Nucleari, Tosca, Francesco Gabbani, Paolo Jannacci, Rancore, Junior Cally, Giordana Angi, Michele Zarrillo) and 4 Giovani’s songs (Fasma, Matteo Faustini, Martinelli & Lula, Marco Sentieri) will be performed tonight. 2 songs of the Giovani’s will be excluded after two different 1 vs 1 contests (Martinelli & Lula VS Fasma || Marco Sentieri VS Matteo Faustini). The two winning songs (one for each contest) will pass to the 4th night. We’ll have another rank of the 12 Campioni who performed tonight, and then one with all the 24 contestants (a mix with day 1′s rank).

Complete rank after 1 play of each song:

24 - Junior Cally - No grazie 23 - Bugo e Morgan - Sincero 22 - Rancore - Eden 21 - Elettra Lamborghini - Musica (E il resto scompare) 20 - Riki - Lo sappiamo entrambi 19 - Rita Pavone - Niente (Resilienza 74) 18 - Enrico Nigiotti - Baciami adesso 17 - Achille Lauro - Me ne frego 16 - Paolo Jannacci - Voglio parlarti adesso 15 - Anastasio - Rosso di rabbia 14 - Raphael Gualazzi - Carioca 13 - Giordana Angi - Come mia madre 12 - Alberto Urso - Sole ad est 11 - Marco Masini - Il confronto 10 - Levante - Tikibombom 9 - Michele Zarrillo - Nell'estasi o nel fango 8 - Tosca - Ho amato tutto 7 - Irene Grandi - Finalmente io 6 - Diodato - Fai rumore 5 - Elodie - Andromeda 4 - Pinguini Tattici Nucleari - Ringo Starr 3 - Piero Pelù - Gigante 2 - Le Vibrazioni - Dov'è 1 - Francesco Gabbani - Viceversa Day 3 - co-hosts: Georgina Rodriguez, Alketa Vejisiu. Prob. guests: Tiziano Ferro. Roberto Benigni, Mika, Lewis Capaldi, “L’amica geniale” actors. Duets night “Sanremo 70″, in order of performance:

MICHELE ZARRILLO Ft. FAUSTO LEALI – Deborah (Fausto Leali e Wilson Pickett, 1968) JUNIOR CALLY Ft. i VIITO – Vado al massimo (Vasco Rossi, 1982) MARCO MASINI Ft. ARISA – Vacanze romane (Matia Bazar, Sanremo 1983) RIKI Ft. ANA MENA – L’edera (Nilla Pizzi e Tonina Torrielli, 1958) RAPHAEL GUALAZZI Ft. SIMONA MOLINARI – E se domani (Fausto Cigliano e Gene Pitney, 1964) ANASTASIO & P.F.M. -  Spalle al muro (Renato Zero, 1991) LEVANTE Ft. FRANCESCA MICHIELIN, MARIA ANTONIETTA – Si può dare di più (Gianni Morandi, Enrico Ruggeri e Umberto Tozzi, 1987) ALBERTO URSO Ft. ORNELLA VANONI – La voce del silenzio (Tony Del Monaco e Dionne Warwick, 1968)   ELODIE Ft. AEHAM AHMAD – Adesso tu (Eros Ramazzotti, 1986) RANCORE Ft. DARDUST, La RAPPRESENTANTE DI LISTA – Luce (Elisa, 2001) PINGUINI TATTICI NUCLEARI – MEDLEY “70 volte”: Papaveri e papere (Nilla Pizzi,1952), Nessuno mi può giudicare (Caterina Caselli,1966), Gianna (Rino Gaetano,1978), Sarà perché ti amo (Loredana Bertè e i Ricchi e Poveri,1981), Una musica può fare (Max Gazzè,1998), Salirò (Daniele Silvestri,2002), Sono solo parole (Noemi,2011), Rolls Royce (Achille Lauro,2019) ENRICO NIGIOTTI Ft. SIMONE CRISTICCHI – Ti regalerò una rosa (Simone Cristicchi, 2007) GIORDANA ANGI Ft. SOLIS STRING QUARTET – La nevicata del ‘56 (Mia Martini, 1990) LE VIBRAZIONI Ft. CANOVA – Un’emozione da poco (Anna Oxa, 1978) DIODATO Ft. NINA ZILLI – 24 mila baci (Adriano Celentano e Little Tony, 1961) TOSCA Ft. SILVIA PEREZ CRUZ – Piazza Grande (Lucio Dalla, 1972) RITA PAVONE Ft. AMEDEO MINGHI – 1950 (Amedeo Minghi, 1983) ACHILLE LAURO Ft. ANNALISA – Gli uomini non cambiano (Mia Martini, 1992) BUGO E MORGAN – Canzone per te (Sergio Endrigo e Roberto Carlos, 1968) IRENE GRANDI  Ft. BOBO RONDELLI – La musica è finita (Ornella Vanoni e Mario Guarnera, 1967) PIERO PELU’ – Cuore matto (Little Tony, 1967)   PAOLO JANNACCI Ft. FRANCESCO MANDELLI, DANIELE MORETTO – Se me lo dicevi prima (Enzo Jannacci, 1989) ELETTRA LAMBORGHINI Ft. MYSS KETA – Non succederà più (Claudia Mori, 1982) FRANCESCO GABBANI – L’italiano (Toto Cutugno, 1983) 

Final classification of this “Sanremo 70″ night:

Day 4 - co-hosts: Antonella Clerici, Francesca Sofia Novello. Prob. guests: Fiorello, Tiziano Ferro. Johnny Dorelli, Gianna Nannini, Ghali, Dua Lipa, Tony Renis. The 24 Campioni’s songs will be performed (in order of appearance: Paolo Jannacci, Rancore, Giordana Angi, Francesco Gabbani, Raphael Gualazzi, Anastasio, Pinguini Tattici Nucleari, Elodie, Riki, Diodato, Irene Grandi, Achille Lauro, Piero Pelù, Tosca, Michele Zarrillo, Junior Cally, Le Vibrazioni, Alberto Urso, Levante, Bugo & Morgan, Rita Pavone, Enrico Nigiotti, Elettra Lamborghini, Marco Masini). Also, the 4 Giovani’s songs that won on day 1 and 2 (Tecla Insolia, Leo Gassman, Fasma, Marco Sentieri), will be performed again in two different 1 vs 1 competitions (Leo Gassman VS Fasma || Teclas Insolia VS Marco Sentieri). The 2 winning songs (one for each contest) will be performed one last time (Tecla Insolia VS Leo Gassman) and the winner will be the Giovani’s section winner of the 70° Sanremo’s edition.

Leo Gassman is the winner of the Giovani’s section:

The Premio della Critica “Mia Martini” for the Giovani’s section to “Eugenio in Via di Gioia”:

We’ll also have a new rank for the 24 23 Campioni’s songs.

Bugo and Morgan got disqualified for changing the words of the song and leaving the stage.

Day 5 - co-hosts: Mara Venier, Diletta Leotta, Sabrina Salerno, Francesca Sofia Novello.   Prob. guests: Fiorello, Tiziano Ferro. Christian De Sica, Ultimo, Biagio Antonacci, “La mia banda suona il pop”’s actors. All the 23 Campioni singers will perform again their songs (in order of appearance: Michele Zarrillo, Elodie, Enrico Nigiotti, Irene Grandi, Alberto Urso, Diodato, Marco Masini, Piero Perlù, Levante, Achille Lauro, Pinguini Tattici Nucleari, Junior Cally, Tosca, Le Vibrazioni, Raphael Gualazzi, Francesco Gabbani, Rita Pavone, Anastasio, Riki, Giordana Angi, Paolo Jannacci, Elettra Lamborghini, Rancore) and after midnight (prob. more like 1.15 am.) we’ll know the competition’s first 3 classified and all the special awards winners.

Final standing:

Diodato

Francesco Gabbani

Pinguini tattici nucleari

Le Vibrazioni

Piero Pelù

Tosca

Elodie

Achille Lauro

Irene Grandi

Rancore

Raphael Gualazzi

Levante

Anastasio

Alberto Urso

Marco Masini

Paolo Jannacci

Rita Pavone

Michele Zarrilo

Enrico Nigiotti

Giordana Angi

Elettra Lamborghini

Junior Cally

Riki

Diodato said he will take part at the ESC 2020! Other Awards:

Campioni Section:

Achille Lauro - Me ne frego  (lyrics) Alberto Urso - Il sole a est    (lyrics) Anastasio - Rosso di rabbia  (lyrics) Bugo e Morgan - Sincero  (lyrics) Diodato - Fai rumore  (lyrics) Elettra Lamborghini - Musica (E il resto scompare)  (lyrics) Elodie - Andromeda   (lyrics) Enrico Nigiotti - Baciami adesso   (lyrics) Francesco Gabbani - Viceversa    (lyrics) Giordana Angi - Come mia madre  (lyrics) Irene Grandi - Finalmente io  (lyrics) Junior Cally - No grazie  (lyrics) Le Vibrazioni - Dov'è  (lyrics) Levante - Tiki Bom Bom  (lyrics) Marco Masini - Il confronto  (lyrics) Michele Zarrillo - Nell'estasi o nel fango    (lyrics) Paolo Jannacci - Voglio parlarti adesso  (lyrics) Piero Pelù - Gigante  (lyrics) Pinguini Tattici Nucleari - Ringo Starr  (lyrics) Rancore - Eden  (lyrics) Raphael Gualazzi - Carioca  (lyrics) Riki - Lo sappiamo entrambi   (lyrics) Rita Pavone - Niente (Resilienza 74)  (lyrics) Tosca - Ho amato tutto  (lyrics)

Giovani Section:

1. Leo Gassmann – Vai bene così 2. Fadi – Due noi 3. Marco Sentieri – Billy Blu 4. Fasma – Per sentirmi vivo 5. Eugenio in via di Gioia – Tsunami 6. Tecla Insolia – 8 marzo 7. Matteo Faustini – Nel bene e nel male 8. Gabriella Martinelli e Lula – Il gigante d’acciaio

FESTIVAL DI SANREMO ALBO D'ORO (Past editions’ winners)

1951 NILLA PIZZI Grazie dei fior 1952 NILLA PIZZI  Vola colomba 1953 CARLA BONI E FLO SANDON’S Viale d’autunno 1954 GIORGIO CONSOLINI E GINO LATILLA Tutte le mamme 1955 CLAUDIO VILLA E TULLIO PANE Buongiorno tristezza 1956 FRANCA RAIMONDI Aprite le finestre 1957 CLAUDIO VILLA E NUNZIO GALLO Corde della mia chitarra 1958 DOMENICO MODUGNO E JOHNNY DORELLI Nel blu dipinto di blu 1959 DOMENICO MODUGNO E JOHNNY DORELLI Piove 1960 TONY DALLARA E RENATO RASCEL Romantica 1961 BETTY CURTIS E LUCIANO TAJOLI Al di là 1962 DOMENICO MODUGNO E CLAUDIO VILLA Addio addio 1963 TONY RENIS E EMILIO PERICOLI Uno per tutte 1964 GIGLIOLA CINQUETTI E PATRICIA CARLI Non ho l’età 1965 BOBBY SOLO E THE NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS Se piangi se ridi 1966 DOMENICO MODUGNO E GIGLIOLA CINQUETTI Dio come ti amo 1967 CLAUDIO VILLA E IVA ZANICCHI Non pensare a me 1968 SERGIO ENDRIGO E ROBERTO CARLOS Canzone per te 1969 BOBBY SOLO E IVA ZANICCHI Zingara 1970 ADRIANO CELENTANO E CLAUDIA MORI Chi non lavora non fa l’amore 1971 NADA E NICOLA DI BARI Il cuore è uno zingaro 1972 NICOLA DI BARI I giorni dell’arcobaleno 1973 PEPPINO DI CAPRI Un grande amore e niente più 1974 IVA ZANICCHI Ciao cara, come stai? 1975 GILDA Ragazza del sud 1976 PEPPINO DI CAPRI Non lo faccio più 1977 HOMO SAPIENS Bella da morire 1978 MATIA BAZAR …E dirsi ciao! 1979 MINO VERGNAGHI Amare 1980 TOTO COTUGNO Solo noi 1981 ALICE Per Elisa 1982 RICCARDO FOGLI Storie di tutti i giorni 1983 TIZIANA RIVALE Sarà quel che sarà 1984 AL BANO E ROMINA POWER Ci sarà 1985 RICCHI E POVERI Se m’innamoro 1986 EROS RAMAZZOTTI Adesso tu 1987 GIANNI MORANDI, ENRICO RUGGERI E UMBERTO TOZZI Si può dare di più 1988 MASSIMO RANIERI Perdere l’amore 1989 ANNA OXA E FAUSTO LEALI Ti lascerò 1990 POOH Uomini soli 1991 RICCARDO COCCIANTE Se stiamo insieme 1992 LUCA BARBAROSSA Portami a ballare 1993 ENRICO RUGGERI Mistero 1994 ALEANDRO BALDI Passerà 1995 GIORGIA Come saprei 1996 RON Vorrei incontrarti fra cent’anni 1997 JALISSE Fiumi di parole 1998 ANNALISA MINETTI Senza te o con te 1999 ANNA OXA Senza pietà 2000 PICCOLA ORCHESTRA AVION TRAVEL Sentimento 2001 ELISA Luce 2002 MATIA BAZAR Messaggio d’amore 2003 ALEXIA Per dire di no 2004 MARCO MASINI L’uomo volante 2005 FRANCESCO RENGA Angelo 2006 POVIA Vorrei avere il becco 2007 SIMONE CRISTICCHI Ti regalerò una rosa 2008 GIO DI TONNO E LOLA PONCE Colpo di fulmine 2009 MARCO CARTA La forza mia 2010 VALERIO SCANU Per tutte le volte che… 2011 ROBERTO VECCHIONI Chiamami ancora amore 2012 EMMA MARRONE Non è l’inferno 2013 MARCO MENGONI L’essenziale 2014 ARISA Controvento 2015 IL VOLO Grande amore 2016 STADIO Un giorno mi dirai 2017 FRANCESCO GABBANI Occidentalis Karma 2018 ERMAL META e FABRIZIO MORO Non mi avete fatto niente 2019 MAHMOOD Soldi

[unibrowzz]

My Personal Eurovision Winners (and then some) Part II- 1960 - 1969

Yeah I’m resigning myself early to the fact this is probably going to be 90% me rambling about the year and 10% me talking about the actual song LMAO 

I’ll try and talk as little about the actual winners as possible, I’m still working on my main reviews for them and I’ll try to get them posted before next year’s contest at least.

... By this point I’m sure a lot of you already know my opinions on some of them pffft. 

But let’s go! 

1960- Norway- Nora Brockstedt- “Voi voi”

You have no idea how much I wanted to put the UK for this. But I wanted to limit myself to only one double victory, and since I put the UK down for 1959, I had to go with my second-favourite from this year. Not that I’m mad or anything, especially as this is one of the only times Norway actually shows up on this list . This is a very perky, playful song, cute premise, cute lyrics, it sounds different and has it’s own mood, like yeah this is a solid entry from Norway and one I wish would’ve taken the crown instead of Frances entry.

1961- France- Jean-Paul Mauric- “Printemps, avril carillonne”

I’m trying to keep the number of winners down, so I’ll just start off by saying that I love Nous les Amoureux. Is it one of my favourite winners? No, but it’s still a very unique and bold entry for its time. I’d say it fully deserved its victory, if I’m honest. But screw it, let’s try and keep the number of real winners down, shall we? I’ll hold my hands up and say that I only went for this since I don’t remember anything else from 1961, because I probably should rip into this one since it has a lot of tropes I hate. And by that I mean it’s repetitive and feels twice as long as it actually is. Like it’s only three minutes but it feels about five.  But... it’s charming. It’s extremely charming. I don’t really have much to say, it’s just a very fun, charming song. I like it, even though you definitely feel every second of the runtime.

1962- United Kingdom- Ronnie Carroll- “Ring-a-Ding Girl”

I will preface this and say that 1962 sucked as a year and the winner itself also sucks. I’ve seen a lot of people put Un Premier Amour in their top favourite French entries of all time and I just do not get it, it’s an absolute chore to listen to in my opinion and one of my least favourite winners of all time.  So let’s move on. I went into 1962 actively looking for another song I preferred, and though I initially preferred Finland’s entry, I eventually settled on this one. This is another purely British entry, simple yet extremely effective, innocent yet charming, and will probably threaten to hang around in your head all day. This is UK fluff at it’s best.

1963- Germany- Heidi Bruhl- “Marcel”

Yanno, I really didn’t want to include any real winners on this but fuck me, I almost did for this one. 1963 sucked. Like it really sucked. I can barely remember any other song aside from this one and the winner Dansevise, and though this song is a joy to listen to, the lyrics are a bit...

Uh, up for interpretation? Also the song repeats the second and first verses word for word, which is just lazy. I don’t really need to say much about Dansevise, since I know it’s a very popular winner that’s in a lot of people’s favourites list, which is why I’ve defaulted to this one. Like I said, it’s an absolute blast to listen to, it’s very cheery and upbeat and the singer certainly sounds like she’s having a good time singing it, so even if the lyrics are a bit off at least she doesn’t sound uncomfortable performing them. Unlike, yanno, other female-led songs from the 60s. So yeah, go give this a listen.

I uh... I guess I’m not doing actual winners in this thing, am I? Oh boy. 

1964- Germany- Nora Nova- “Mann Gewohnt sich zu Schnell an das Schone”

I’m very sorry I couldn’t include the umlauts, my keyboard is British. But everyone knows by this point that the real winner of 1964 gives me hives, so naturally I went into the contest looking for a alternative winner. And it was between Germany and Norway for this year, and I eventually settled on Germany after realising I could hum it about one minute after the song ended. This is a very sharp, snappy sounding song, it has a bite to it that reminds me a lot of “Ne Crois Pas” from 1956. I suppose that’s why I like it so much, I just have a fondness for sharper, snappier sounding songs with a lot of rhythm and punch to them. Expect to see more, and hey if you like punchy songs too then maybe you’ll find some favourites too.

1965- The Netherlands- Conny Vandenbos- “’t is Genoeg”

So just like with the above contest, I cannot fucking stand the song that won in 1965, I think it’s an absolute abomination of a song that doesn’t deserve an iota of the credit people think it’s due.  So, needless to say, just like with 1964 and 1962, I went into this actively looking for something, anything, that stood out to me after one listen. And thank fucking God the Netherlands pulled this out of the bag on the first entry to save me from having to listen to the rest of the year.  Which I still did but it wasn’t worth it at all. Anyways, for our “”first ever uptempo winner””, why the absolute fuck couldn’t we have this? This is better in every way. It’s sharp, it’s snappy, it’s staccato in all the right ways, there’s no teenager being tricked into singing something insulting, like it’s just... better. And doesn’t have any creepy backstory.

1966- Italy- Domenico Modugno- “Dio, come ti amo”

Yeah I know I ranted about this one ages ago because he wanted to serenade an 18 year old or something, but he didn’t do that at Eurovision so it’s fair game as far as I’m concerned. Anyways, this is a weird song. Unlike any old Eurovision entry I’ve heard before. I swear I always misremember this song as using a theremin in its instrumental, it just has such a weird, eerie, otherworldly sound to it, like it’s a song from a horror movie or something. And I love it! As you can probably tell, I’m not big into older Eurovision, most of the years just end up sounding the bloody same after a while, so of course I’m going to take note of a song that sounds this out of place. Especially in a year where I can barely remember the song that actually won half the time.

1967- Portugal- Eduardo Nascimento- “O vento mudou”

And today on “how the Hell did it take Portugal until 20-fucking-17 to even reach the top five”... Now 1967 wasn’t actually that shitty in terms of 60s contests, I can actually remember more than one song this time. I don’t really care for many of them, winner included, but it at least had more variety than some of the other mush I’ve sat through. This song stood out to me overall; it’s very dramatic with its intro, yet infectiously groovy once the actual singing starts. You just wanna snap your fingers along and groove your shoulders with it, it’s awesome. Also did you know this song was covered by Portugal’s 1989 entrants?

1968- Norway- Odd Borre- “Stress”

I know I said Germany should’ve won this year but I’ve since developed an allergy to Wencke Myrhe’s music. And it took me a while to get into this one because after my first listen I just found it kind of repetitive and boring. But then, suddenly, I found myself enjoying it again. And then it was on my playlist. And then I’d say it’s probably my favourite Norwegian entry out of everything they’ve sent. ... Come to think of it, nobody’s ever asked me for my favourite Norwegian entries. Huh. But this song just goes for it. It’s cute, it’s charming, it’s staccato and rhythmic which I like, the lyrics are clever, yeah I just... really like this song, no other way to say it.

1969- Monaco- Jean Jacques- “Maman, maman”

I said I didn’t want to include any child singers on here but Monaco just HAD to ruin it. How dare they send a song so charming and innocent, yet with lyrics which aren’t insultingly bland and overly childish. How dare they send a performer with more charisma than half the adults competing. How dare they make it catchy. How dare you Monaco, why couldn’t you have sent a song of this calibre with an adult at the mic so I wouldn’t feel bad about picking a song sung by a child star >:( (On the other hand, thank you Monaco for sending a child star and apparently not bullying or pressuring them into performing. At least, not from what I could find.)

[mexicaneurolover]

Eurovision 1967 my top 17

Hello again, and welcome to another episode of this long series about the ESC. Now it’s time to review what happened on April 8th 1967 in Vienna, Austria after Udo Jürgens’ victory in Luxembourg the last year. 17 countries took part and Denmark said goodbye for 11 years. Again the voting system was changed to the one that was applied on the first years of the contest. The contest was won by the United Kingdom with the song Puppet on a string, making this their first victory ever. And now, with the songs. 

1st Place: UNITED KINGDOM/Sandie Shaw-Puppet on a string (Real Placing: 1st-47 points)

This song has and will have an special place on my heart because it was one of the first ESC songs I heard, the song is catchy, the performance is so amazing and she is a nice singer, another song that the contest needed to get into the 60′s. Worthy winner indeed and thumbs up for Sandie. 

2nd Place: SPAIN/Raphael-Hablemos del amor (Real Placing: 6th-9 points)

Again this man manages to win my heart with his amazing voice and performance, another good entry from him and the music in the chorus is the best part, one of Spain best early entries and the lyrics are very good actually. Oh Raphael, I love you so much. 

3rd Place: LUXEMBOURG/Vicky Leandros-L’amour est bleu (Real Placing: 4th-17 points) 

Oh what a song!!!! One of my absolute favorites ever, and Vicky is such a wonderful singer, this song is catchy, the music is marvelous and Vicky returned some years later with another result that I’ll discuss at the time of that review. A classic song and one of the pearls of the contest. 

4th Place: GERMANY/Inge Brück-Anouschka (Real Placing: =8th-7 points) 

And this is one of Germany’s best entries of the 60′s, sounds modern and she is a very good singer, the la la la is catchy and the chorus is amazing, the music makes this entry a good one, and this one makes me happy. 

5th Place: FRANCE/Noëlle Cordier-Il doit faire beau là-bas (Real Placing: 3rd-20 points)

This sounds so 60′s for a reason I can’t describe, the verses are very groovy and the chorus is amazing, the music is very good and she is an amazing singer. This is what France needed after their fiasco last year. 

6th Place: BELGIUM/Louis Neefs-Ik heb zorgen (Real Placing: 7th-8 points)

I like a lot this one, so funny and the troll finish is amazing, his voice is good as well and yeah, overall a good song. Such an enjoyable entry. 

7th Place: PORTUGAL/Eduardo Nascimento-O vento mudou (Real Placing: =12th-3 points)

The music on this one is amazing, and his voice is very good, I love it. The chorus is amazing and the beginning is excellent. Such a nice entry and again, an entry that IMO deserved more than some songs that finished higher on the night. 

8th Place: ITALY/Claudio Villa-Non andare più lontano (Real Placing: 11th-4 points) 

This one is so dramatic in a good way, Claudio’s voice is superb and the orchestra makes this wonderful, an absolute delight to hear this one. Both of his entries are amazing, but this one is superior and excellent. 

9th Place: NORWAY/Kirsti Sparboe-Dukkemann (Real Placing: =14th-2 points) 

Again an underrated song for this lady, her voice is so cute and amazing, an absolute delight, and the song is good and the orchestra sounds okay, nice entry overall. 

10th Place: THE NETHERLANDS/Thérèse Steinmetz-Ring-dinge-ding (Real Placing: =14th-2 points) 

This one is repetitive, but makes me feel good at some point, sounds like something from a Christmas movie soundtrack, maybe if the song was a bit shorter would’ve been better. Such an energetic entry. 

11th Place: MONACO/Minouche Barelli-Boum-badaboum (Real Placing: 5th-10 points) 

This one is interesting... it really sounds like an explosion, quite repetitive and maybe too noisy for my taste. 

12th Place: IRELAND/Sean Dunphy-If I could choose (Real Placing: 2nd-22 points)

Also I like this, his voice is something amazing and the music is good, overall a nice entry but not a runner up. 

13th Place: FINLAND/Fredi-Varjoon-suojaan (Real Placing: =12th-3 points)

I like this one and his voice is amazing, and the music is very good, but somehow turns repetitive with the chorus, anyway, a nice entry. 

14th Place: SWEDEN/Östen Warnerbring-Som en dröm (Real Placing: =8th-7 points)

A dark entry, and his voice is good, but sadly bores me a little, the chorus is the best part. 

15th Place: SWITZERLAND/Géraldine-Quel cœur vas-tu briser? (Real Placing: 17th-0 points/last)  

This one sounds promising and good, but then she sings and everything breaks inside of me, I love the music and with another singer, this would’ve been on my top 5. That note at the end is scary. 

16th Place: YUGOSLAVIA/Lado Leskovar-Vse roze sveta (Real Placing: =8th-7 points) 

This one is sweet on the chorus, but as with Austria, I can’t remember this at all. Nice voice though. 

17th Place: AUSTRIA/Peter Horton-Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt (Real Placing: =14th-2 points) 

I always forget about this one, boring, uninteresting, sorry but not for me. 

[snowflake-risotto]

36 Days Eurovision Challenge

Day 28. Favourite song by a female artist - Minouche Barelli - Boom Badaboum - Monaco - 1967

This isn’t a song made to be sung, this was a song made to be yelled, and Barelli did a perfect job. 

This is Imo Serge Gainsbourg’s best foray into Eurovision. It’s a clever thing really. Nonsensical title but goes with the subject ‘let me live before I die (before you blow me up)’, and yé-yé. It also doesn’t vaguely make fun of the naïvety of the performer, like he did with a certain France Gall.

[lionofglass-archived]

UK Eurovision facts

Viewers in Northern Ireland have had the opportunity to vote in national finals of both the United Kingdom and Ireland. On contest night they are part of the UK televote.

In 1981 the UK act Bucks Fizz stunned viewers with their Velcro rip-away skirts and within 48 hours, Velcro had sold out across the country

United Kingdom gave zero points to ABBA in 1974 

Titles of songs have included Boom Bang-a-bang (UK, 1969), A-Ba-Ni-Ba (Israel, 1978), Bana Bana (Turkey, 1989) and Bourn Badaboru (Monaco, 1967)

In every contest from 1981 to 1986 the UK was drawn to sing immediately after Norway. 

The contest has been held in the UK no less than eight times, despite them only winning five times. The venues were London (1960,1963,1968,1977), Edinburgh (1972), Brighton (1974), Harrogate (1982) and Birmingham (1998).

In 20 contests up to and including 1977, the UK only finished outside the top 4 twice.

In 18 contests from 1999 to 2016, the UK only finished inside the top 10 twice,  Jessica Garlick and Jade Ewen in 2002 and 2009.

In those recent contests the UK only received the maximum 12 points on five occasions: 2002 (from Austria), 2007 (from Malta), 2009 (from Greece) 2011 (from Bulgaria) and 2016 (from the Maltese jury vote).

Sir Cliff Richard isn’t the only artist to have sung twice for the UK. Ronnie Carroll actually represented us twice consecutively in 1963 and 1964. Cheryl Baker was a member of Bucks Fizz in 1981 and also Co-Co three years earlier. Sally-Ann Triplett was in Prima Donna (1980) and Bardo (1982).

There was a four-way tie in 1969 when France, the Netherlands, Spain and United Kingdom simply could not be split.

The late great Sir Terry Wogan was synonymous with Eurovision commentary in the UK, but his predecessors included Dave Lee Travis, David Vine, David Jacobs, Pete Murray and Rolf Harris.

Patricia Bredin was the first performer to represent the UK at Eurovision, finishing seventh in 1957. 

[eurorangers-blog]

EV Profile - 🇲🇨 Monaco has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 24 times since its debut in 1959. The country's only win in the contest came in 1971 when Séverine performed "Un banc, un arbre, une rue". In 1972, Monaco was expected to host the contest, but declined. Monaco is still today, the only microstate which has won the Eurovision Song Contest. Monaco finished last at its first contest in 1959 before achieving three top three results in the 1960s. Two of these were achieved by François Deguelt, who finished third in 1960 and second in 1962. Romuald also finished third in 1964. Severine's victory in 1971 was the first of five top four results in eight years. The others were achieved by Romauld (who returned to place fourth in 1974), Mary Christy who was third in 1976, Michèle Torr, fourth in 1977and Caline & Olivier Toussaint who were fourth in 1978. After participating in 1979, Monaco was absent from the contest for 25 years. Monaco returned to the contest for three years from 2004 to 2006 but failed to qualify from the semi-finals. The Monegasque broadcaster then withdrew from the contest saying that regional voting patterns in the contest have effectively given Monaco no chance of qualifying for the final. Due to the country's very small size, all Monaco's entrants came from outside the principality. The large majority of them were French, with also one Yugoslavian, Tereza Kesovija, and one Italian, Mary Christy. Several singers selected to represent Monaco are key figures of the French scene, such as Françoise Hardy and Michèle Torr. Luxembourg, another small country, also sent a great number of French artists to the contest. At the 1967 contest, the Monegasque entry, "Boum Badaboum", sung by Minouche Barelli, was written by Serge Gainsbourg. He had already composed the winning entry in 1965, "Poupée de cire, poupée de son", sung by France Gall for Luxembourg. Jean Jacques, who represented Monaco in 1969, was the first child to take part in Eurovision. He was 12. #monaco #eurovision #EuroRangers #EuroVisionRangers #esc (at Monaco)

[eurovisionsongaday]

Okay, so this song is 2/3 not for me (her singing just doesn’t do it for me), but that’s on me. You’ve gotta have pipes of steel to sing like that — my throat hurts just thinking of it.

[betweenthetimeandsound]

Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#180-171)

#180: Fernando Tordo -- Tourada (Portugal 1973)

“Entram guizos, chocas e capotes, E mantilhas pretas, Entram espadas, chifres e derrotes, E alguns poetas, Entram bravos, cravos e dichotes, Porque tudo mais são tretas,”

“Bells, cowbells and capes are coming in, And black mantillas Swords, big horns and defeats are coming in And some poets Brave people, carnations and swear words are coming in Because it's a wheeze at most”

Despite the title ("tourada" translates to bullfight in Portuguese), it's actually a portrait of a revolution in the making. The lyrics were so clever that the censors at the RTP didn’t notice these lyrics were reflecting the current regime.

That’s enough for a 250 appearance for me, but there’s more that makes the song so memorable.

The build with the brass and percussion sets the stage for something important to happen. Sometimes, I do forget I like this song, but listening to it like right now is an experience, like one entering the battlefield.

The last line, "And the intelligent man says that songs are over..." still amuses me, though it's quite cynical in that the intellectuals would eventually not believe in the movement.

Personal ranking: 5th/17 Actual ranking: 10th/17 in Luxembourg

#179: France Gall -- Poupée de cire, poupée de son (Luxembourg 1965)

“Suis-je meilleure, suis-je pire qu’une poupée de salon? Je vois la vie en rose bonbon Poupée de cire, poupée de son”

“Am I better, am I worse than a fashion doll? I see life through bright rosy-tinted glasses Wax doll, sawdust doll”

One of the game-changing songs of Eurovision, in that the general mood shifts from slow-tempo songs to a little bit of pop. The first ten contests had their share of good songs, but seem to blur into each other at points. Afterwards, the song quality rose, and they were better suited to the times.

Beyond the happy orchestral sound is something quite sad—a pretty girl who sings songs without experiencing what they mean. Gainsbourg was quite the songwriter, but it led to a falling out between him and France later on, because of the double meanings of the songs he wrote for her.

The drama related to France Gall and the contest didn't stop there. Kathy Kirby, the runner-up that year, slapped France when she won. Then her boyfriend broke up with her shortly after, and wrote a song that would be the basis of "My Way".

Quite interesting I must say, though I don’t come back to this song often.

Personal and actual ranking: 1st/18 in Naples

#178: Ajda Pekkan -- Petr'oil (Turkey 1980)

"Öyle gururlusun gidemem yanına Girmişsin kim bilir kaç aşığın kanına Dolardan, marktan başka laf çıkmaz dilinden Neler, neler çekiyorum senin elinden"

"You are so proud, I can’t come close to you I wonder who else suffers from your love You speak of nothing but dollars and marks I am so suffering because of you"

My 1980 winner is not only quite groovy and seductive, but also clever.

The 1970s had two major oil crises--one in 1973, and another in 1979. The first one was when OPEC withheld their oil from countries who supported Israel during the Yom Kippur, and the second one when oil production stopped during the Iranian Revolution, resulting in higher prices per barrel. Both resulted in low supply and increased gas prices in the United States; those who grew up during the era were less likely to drive as a result.

Petr'oil takes this issue and anthromorphizes it, as Ajda sings about the troubles of relying oil as a resource and as a partner. The belly-dance music also emphasizes the tension. combined with the percussion and strings on this piece.

While Ajda has since distanced herself from the song, I embrace it in all its charms. Plus it was heavily underrated in its year.

Personal ranking: 1st/19 Actual ranking: 15th/19 in Den Haag

Final Impressions on 1980: This year stands out a bit, for it had a number of songs dealing with a huge number of topics (including Belgium's "Euro-Vision", which made the contest go meta, haha). Alongside it, the production was a bit bare-bones, because of the Netherlands hosting it four years earlier, but it featured quirks such as a representative announcing their country's song, Morocco competing for the only time, and a steel band for the interval!

#177: The Allisons -- Are you sure? (United Kingdom 1961)

“Are you sure you won’t be sorry? Comes tomorrow, you won’t want me Back again to hold you tightly?”

The lyrics are quite smug, in that the Allisons warn the girl who plans to break up with them she might be sorry and alone. Not unlike with "If I Were Sorry", though there's a bit more charm and teasing towards their soon-to-be ex-, whereas the latter feels a bit more arrogant.

That said, it’s upbeat and almost lines up to the musical scene at the time (comparisons to Buddy Holly are not uncommon), and the musical run time just goes by so quickly (in comparison to other entries of the same era)! It's just a breeze.

Personal ranking: 1st/16 Actual ranking: 2nd/16 in Cannes

#176: Vicky Leandros: L'amour est bleu (Luxembourg 1967)

“Bleu, bleu, l'amour est bleu, Berce mon cœur, mon cœur amoureux, Bleu, bleu, l'amour est bleu, Bleu comme le ciel qui joue dans tes yeux.”

“Blue, blue, love is blue, Cradle my heart, my loving heart Blue, blue, love is blue Blue like the sky which play in your eyes."”

I think I first heard this in the intro to Eurovision 2006's semi-final. While the harp motif stood out, I didn't know where it came from. It was until when I watched the contest this song was in, which is strange because it was notable for having a Paul Mauriat cover which became a hit.

One of many classics which featured in 1960s contests, I like the innocence shown through the lyrics, which uses color and imagery to tell about the different cycles of love. The orchestration along the bridge was especially spectacular, as it provided a cinematic feel towards . Vicky’s accent sometimes gets in the way, but she sings this well and should’ve gotten a podium position.

Personal ranking: 2nd/17 Actual ranking: 4th/17 in Vienna

#175: Kaija -- Ullu joy Hullu yö (Finland 1991)

"En edes halunnut sua omistaa En edes leikisti rakastaa Kaksi kulkijaa yhteen osuttiin Yksi yhteinen hetki jaettiin"

"I didn’t even want to own you I didn’t even want to love you We two travellers came across each other Shared one common moment together"

While I was watching Eurovision 1991, I liked the mysterious verses of Hullu yo, but I found the chorus a bit off, because it was punchier and more energetic. It also had that "minor-verse/major chorus" thing going on, which also made me uneasy with the song. With a few listens, I grew to like a bit more, because of its unique sound. It definitely sounds better with the studio cut versus the live, which shows off the failures of RAI's orchestra.

Another thing about the song, beyond its lyrics about a one-night-stand turned into longing feelings, was the choice choreography. Playing out the turmoiled relationship, it's funny to see how provocative it is, and that's after Toto's hilarious pronunciation of the song.

Elements of the live performance aside, it's still a jam which deserved better. Maybe it would've done so in the televote era.

Personal ranking: 7th/22 Actual ranking: 20th/22 in Rome

#174: Francoise Hardy -- L'amour s'en va (Monaco 1963)

“Si ce n’est toi Ce sera moi qui m’en irai L’amour s’en va Et nous n’y pourrons rien changer"

"If it isn’t you It will be me who will go away Love goes away And we can’t change anything about that"

I was happily surprised hearing this for the first time. It was very melancholic, with an interesting structure between the verses and the chorus. The percussion also helps with the latter, and adds a bit of character to the song.

The fact Francoise wrote this classic gem also warmed me up more to the song, especially because she was from the ye-ye generation of singers (which are known for being young and upbeat). Yet she stands and sings her own composition in a serious, almost bored tone, without taking the substance of the song away

(That being said, I really need to listen to more of her songs; I've found a couple a month ago, though there's obviously more...)

Personal ranking: 2nd/16 Actual ranking: 5th/16 in London

#173: ABBA -- Waterloo (Sweden 1974)

“The history book on the shelf is always repeating itself...”

You don’t need me to tell about this, do you? It’s fun and timeless pop, with some cool costumes to boot.

For more interesting stuff for both, the song Waterloo was an actual risk for the contest--they actually had another song for consideration, the folk-influenced Hasta Manana, but turned to this instead. And it worked, of course!

For the clothes, ABBA apparently chose these glam-rock inspired costumes because in Sweden, one wouldn't have to pay additional fees if the costumes won't be used for normal wear. Both Anni-frid and Agnetha look great, nevertheless.

And as of the moment, my favorite ABBA song is "Knowing Me, Knowing You". Despite the poppy tone, it has a moody vibe throughout, and one knows the relationship is going to end on a bad note.

Personal ranking: 2nd/17 Actual ranking: 1st/17 in Brighton

#172: Gigliola Cinquetti -- Si (Italy 1974)

“Sì, dolcemente dissi sì, Per provare un'emozione, Che non ho avuto mai,”

“Yes, I softly said yes, To feel an emotion That I've never had before”

My friend told me an interesting story about the lyrics—whereas the song Gigliola won with tells of a girl waiting to grow older to find true love, Si talks of the girl growing up and taking the plunge. So she interprets Si as a sequel of sorts.

So why does this beat Waterloo, in my opinion?

I like how the song starts—quietly, but with an interesting guitar part. The instrumentation builds well towards the "Si...", at which it gently but certainly blooms towards Gigliola's certainty on going with the man she loves.

The interesting part of it was how the song was censored in Italy because it was seen as "subliminal messaging" for a campaign on a divorce referendum that May. "Si" sounds like an endorsement for the "no" campaign, as it embraces being in love, even if it requires the death of another relationship.

Personal ranking: 1st/17 Actual ranking: 2nd/17 in Brighton

Final Impressions on 1974: Definitely one of the most memorable years in the contest, if only for who won. The rest was a tale of two halves, with the first half being particularly good, and the other half bad (except for Si, as you can tell). And there were Wombles in the interval act, hehe.

#171: Eugent Bushpepa -- Mall (Albania 2018)

“Lot i patharë ndriçojë këtë natë Sonte kumbo prej shpirtit pa fjalë Vetëm një çast dhimbja të më ndalë”

“Lingering tear, light up this night Find your way out, to soothe my soul Just for one day make this pain subside”

Aren’t the lyrics to this so beautiful? They convey Eugent’s desire to be with his loved one so well, in both its pain and beauty.

The music really helps too--while the pre-vamped version was a whole minute longer, it also has a rockier edge to it. The revamped version cuts it down and cleans up the production, but it's still maintains the overall feel throughout.

Eugent is also a talented talented singer, which proved initial odds wrong and got Albania one of its best results! The bridge between the second verse and chorus has a great chord progression (which was given more space in the revamp), and he deserved qualification for that alone. And those high notes.

(Also, he's probably the best dressed guy of his year...good job Eugent, good job.)

Personal ranking: 7th/43 Actual ranking: 11th/26 GF in Lisbon

[eurovision-del]

41. 1967 – United Kingdom – Puppet on a String  

There’s shades of the uncomfortable sixties again in this one – Sandie herself hated this song and was upset that it was the one that she had to sing at Eurovision – but it’s a much softer case than the backstory to other sixties entries, and since she seems to have mellowed on it as she grew older, even apparently recording a new version in 2007 (which I can’t actually find anywhere, but I did find a video of her performing a version of this song in recent years), it doesn’t cloud my enjoyment of the song itself much.

I like this song, it’s definitely silly, but a good chunk of Eurovision songs are, and when has that ever stopped me enjoying them? The music has such a great bounce to it, really evoking the fairground, going so far as to incorporate fairground sounds throughout, which I really like, from the little rattle of the bells after the chorus, to the brief line inspired by Entrance of the Gladiators aka typical circus music after she sings ‘all the fun of the fair’. The lyrics are a bit nonsensical and the metaphor there probably is a bit dodgy, but I find it pretty easy to overlook and just enjoy the music.

The fact that Sandie didn’t like this song took me by surprise when I found it out – I couldn’t tell from her performance with how she throws herself into it. Her vocal performance might not be as polished as other Eurovision singers of the era, but she’s got a strong voice, and it works very well for this song. This one also ranks very high up on my ‘how enjoyable it is to sing along to’ scale, there’s something so satisfying about those drawn out notes. Once again, as a British entry, there’s a little bit of nostalgia present in this one that’s probably pushed it higher up the ranking that it might have been otherwise – in this case I associate it with my late Uncle who had it on one of his CDs.

In Its Year – One of Many

Puppet on a String definitely stands out with its quirky sound, and I think it’s of good enough quality to be a winner, but it wasn’t without competition. Vicky Leandros’s first entry wasn’t as good as her winning song, but was still very good, and I also really like Boum-Badaboum from Monaco this year. Had either of those managed to win instead of the UK it would definitely have been fair.