Eurotrash. Ridiculous. Kitsch. Hotbed of sodomy. All words used to describe the Eurovision Song Contest, aka Eurovision, by its critics. All kinds of anything have been broadcast as part of the contest.
But yet I love the annual song contest. Running since 1956, it’s been unifying Europe two years longer than the EEC/EU. The show’s entertainment value is priceless and taste is stretched to the limit all in the name of continental cohesion. It has trained Europeans to count to twelve in French, minus numbers nine and eleven.
Costumes and staging have become integral to the show but, all things considered, quality songs have emerged from the contest. Using the show’s scoring scheme, below is my list of the top ten best Eurovision songs.
THE SONGS/LES CHANSONS
ONE POINT/UN POINT
Congratulations – Cliff Richard (1968) – 2nd – UK
Northern Ireland’s Phil Coulter and Scot Bill Martin aimed for two wins in a row on home ground in London in Eurovision’s first colour broadcast but were pipped at the post by Spain who won by one point. In 2008 rumours surfaced that General Franco had the vote rigged by persuading certain countries to vote for Spain. Check out the documentary The year General Franco Stole the Eurovision
All was not lost for Phil, Bill and Cliff as this became one of the most popular songs to emanate from the contest. Regular play at events means continuous royalties pour in with Coulter saying that it “fed, clothed and educated a couple of my kids”. Congratulations indeed.
TWO POINTS/DEUX POINTS
My Number One – Helena Paparizou (2005) – Greece
My number nine is Greece’s first and only winner so far. Paparizou’s powerful voice combined with an infectious dance beat and traditional Greek sounds lit up the stage in Kyiv. There wasn’t a man or woman, gay or straight, who didn’t admire the optics of this performance.
THREE POINTS/TROIS POINTS
Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids – Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan (1994) – Ireland
This reminiscence melody was the third of Ireland’s hat-trick of winners in 1990s and the first time Brendan Graham won the competition as a composer (He won again in 1996). According to Wikipedia, it was the first winning song ever to be performed without orchestral accompaniment. Held in Dublin, this win was overshadowed by the interval act Riverdance.
FOUR POINTS/QUATRE POINTS
Diva – Dana International (1998) – Israel
Winning the contest in Birmingham, this dance song celebrating women became popular all over Europe for Dana International. She was a controversial choice to represent her native Israel, her transgender status offending ultra-orthodox Jews. The performance below is from Eurovision’s 60th anniversary concert.
FIVE POINTS/CINQ POINTS
Ein bisshen frieden/ A little bit of peace – Nicole (1982) – West Germany
The young Nicole won in Harrogate, UK, gaining Germany’s first win, with the folk-style song becoming an international hit released in a number of languages. Below is Nicole performing at the 60th anniversary concert.
SIX POINTS
Lautar – Pasha Parfeny (2012) – 11th – Moldova
This contest was held in Baku and was won by Sweden but I simply loved this fun performance. It was the epitome of modern Eurovision – hot bloke eye-candy lead singer, hot babe backing singers, dancers in unusual outfits. But it had a catchy melody with a lively jazz-style intro, later incorporating traditional ethnic piano and violin sounds.
SEVEN POINTS/SEPT POINTS
Waterloo – ABBA (1974) – Sweden
Once again an entry in my top ten wins in the UK – Brighton this time. The most successful act in Eurovision history only gets fourth place on my list, a controversial decision as everyone likes ABBA. And Waterloo was voted the most popular Eurovision song of all time by the European public. Perhaps ABBA’s extensive and brilliant back catalogue means they don’t need to be my number one to prove themselves.
EIGHT POINTS/HUIT POINTS
Nocturne – Secret Garden (1995) – Norway
The contest was held in Dublin as a result of Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan’s win and was the second time Rolf Løvland topped the poll – He co-wrote Norway’s winner in 1985. Here he collaborated with Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry to bring us one of the most haunting and captivating Eurovision winners, a composition clearly influenced by Celtic sounds.
To the best of my knowledge, this was one of the first songs performed on the night. “That’s the winner” my sister and I acknowledged as soon as we saw it.
TEN POINTS/DIX POINTS
Fairytale – Alexander Rybak (2009) – Norway
Alexander Rybak is a Belarusian-Norwegian jack of all trades: singer-composer, violinist, pianist, writer, actor and winner of Eurovision in Moscow with a record of 387 points at the time. He drew on his ethnic roots to produce a spirited violin-based sound and sang of deserted love. Like Nocturne the minute I saw his performance I knew I was looking at the winner.
TWELVE POINTS/DOUZE POINTS
All Kinds of Everything – Dana (1970) – Ireland
So I’ve considered Ireland’s first winner to be its best so far and number one in my list of best Eurovision songs. Not even Alexander Rybak’s record-breaking points tally could beat this one on my list. There were no gimmicks on stage, no hot-bloke dancers but just a simple melodic timeless song, a great voice, a solid performer, a microphone and a chair.
EUROVISION SUCCESS STORIES
The most successful Eurovision song of all time is Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu (aka Volare), sung in the 1958 contest by Domenico Modugno for Italy. It has over 22 million sales of the various cover versions, Dean Martin’s version the most well known. If this was a list of 20, Volare would be on it.
There’s no Sandie Shaw, Celine Dion or Loreen on my list but they would be in the 11-20 positions as well. And a most notable omission is three-time winner Johnny Logan for which I’ll be burnt at the stake here in Ireland. While he doesn’t make my top ten I recognise and respect the influential ambassador he has been for Ireland.
The brilliant Petra Mede from Sweden gets my award for Best Eurovision Presenter. She hosted the live shows solo in 2013, co-hosted with Mans Zelmerlow in 2016, and co-hosted the 60th anniversary show with Graham Norton.
But it’s the late Noel Kelehan I consider to be the real Mr. Eurovision conducting 29 Eurovision entries including 5 Irish winners and 5 entries for other countries. There is a fine tribute to him on Eurovision’s website.
BEST EUROVISION SONGS: THE SECRET?
So what’s the secret to getting on my list? Win in the UK, play violins, be called Dana, or have some connection with Ireland perhaps? No. Just have a good song that entertains. And Eurovision gives a carte blanche to participants to achieve this.
Arrivals Hall 