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BuzzJack Music Forum _ Eurovision Song Contest _ Lex's 1990s Eurovision Countdown
Posted by: LexC 30th September 2016, 07:36 PM
(I don't have a banner yet but if Adam wants to help a bitch out then go right ahead 
)
You know what we haven't had in here for a while? A good old fashioned Countdown *.*
You know what else we haven't had in a while? An excuse for me to show off my bad taste, poor presentation skills and unhealthy levels of interest in a campy, kitschy song contest *.* *.*
Given the age of people who currently run the internet, the 1990s are the current period in time being mined for marketable nostalgia in everything from Buzzfeed listicles to overnight sensation augmented reality games that we've pretty much all stopped playing at this point. However, with our dear beloved song contest, the traditional perception of this decade tends to be a much more negative association. Common responses from people who were there at the time or are familiar with this era are usually emphasize how the songs became a homogenous mush of earnest, emotive ballads and, given that Ireland seemed to be unable to stop winning for the best part of the decade, playing up a celtic/new age element wherever possible. So, being the brave yet foolish person I am, I decided to embark on a mission to listen to all of the 1990s eurovision songs and see for myself if this synopsis is really true. There were high points (1990, 1996 and 1999), low points (1992, 1994) and good lord jesus christ what a complete and utter mess points (what else could that be but 1991) and the results of my findings I present now (i.e. over the next few months because there's a lot to say) to you.
*TE DEUM*
Posted by: LexC 30th September 2016, 07:40 PM
INTRODUCTION
I know we have varying levels of geekery about the history of Eurovision in these parts so there'll be some people here who'll have their own pre-formed opinions on all of these tracks and there might be people reading this who know next to nothing. So, for the uninitiated, here be the preamble.
The main things you notice about the Eurovisions in the early 90s when you jump straight in is firstly, the lack of visual spectacle on the level to which we've become accustomed by 2016 and the "sing in your own language" rule that is in effect for all but one of the contests in this mix. As such, a lot of my verdicts on these songs are less about having any meaningful connection to the lyrics and more to do with the feel or vibe of them, so if you're not a fan of wishy-washy sentiments about the wonder of the soft lilting sounds of the German language then, well, get used to it because I'll be doing that a lot.
That said, one of the recurring themes we'll be returning to on our journey to the past is how we can see what we would now recognise as "modern eurovision" emerge throughout the 1990s. In terms of European history there's also interesting trends to be seen in Eurovision of events happening IRL. For example, between the 1990 and 1999 contests, the Soviet Union broke up and countries throughout Central and Eastern Europe gained their independence, West and East Germany reunified to became just plain old Germany again. Yugoslavia (the hosts in 1990 no less) entered into a bitter civil war which would eventually lead to its break up (which is still yet to reach its completion thanks to poor old Kosovo) and the European Union in it's (pre-Brexit) current form was established in 1992. Hell, the winner in 1990 is literally about the set up of the EU, complete with the blue background and yellow stars in the staging via what I must assume was the cutting edge of projection technology in the late 80s
So, that's broadly what you're in for here. I don't know how long it's going to take but given I'm planning on doing write ups for 60 songs here, expect it to take a while if you want it to be good (I'm aiming to have it all wrapped up by the time the fun and games kick off in Kyiv in May at the very latest).
Posted by: Iz~ 30th September 2016, 08:12 PM
I am very interested to see these write-ups. I know 1995-onwards and have a few well-defined faves from the latter half of the 90s but the early part is partly a mystery.
All the new countries (thank you, political turmoil and original codifier of Balkanization) and foreign languages make it a rather enjoyable era though. Bring it on.
Posted by: Ryan. 30th September 2016, 08:49 PM
My Eurovision knowledge drastically dips pre-2000 so I'll be keeping an eye on this to get me informed!
Posted by: LexC 30th September 2016, 08:54 PM
We might be a bit slow off the mark with this starting out so to get you started, here's my honourable mentions in chronological order if you're desperate to get stuck in
Denmark 1990: Lonnie Devantier - Hallo, Hallo (8th, 64 points)
Belgium 1991: Clouseau - Geef het op (16th, 23 points)
United Kingdom 1991: Samantha Janus - A Message to Your Heart (10th, 47 points)
Cyprus 1992: Evridiki - Teriazoume (11th, 57 points)
Germany 1992: Wind - Träume sind für alle da (16th, 27 points)
Iceland 1993: Inga - Þá veistu svarið (13th, 42 points)
Netherlands 1993: Ruth Jacott - Vrede (6th, 92 points)
Croatia 1993: Put - Don't Ever Cry (15th, 31 points)
Sweden 1994: Marie Bergman & Roger Pontare - Stjärnorna (13th, 48 points)
France 1994: Nina Morato - Je suis un vrai garçon (7th, 74 points)
United Kingdom 1995: Love City Groove - Love City Groove (10th, 76 points)
Portugal 1996: Lúcia Moniz - O meu coração não tem cor (6th, 92 points)
Poland 1997: Anna Marie Jopek - Ale Jestem (11th, 54 points)
Estonia 1998: Koit Toome - Mere lapsed (12th, 36 points)
Names you might recognise in this group include Evridiki of Cyprus 2007 fame, Samantha Janus from EastEnders and having a photo of her face attached to Rob's bum in BuzzJack Teams 3.0, two people who also represented Sweden separately both before (Marie) and after (Roger) and the unnecessary flop follow up by a two time German runner up from 85 and 87. Also the Portugese song holds the record for their best ever result.
Posted by: AdamAloud 1st October 2016, 01:17 PM
Excited for this! I'm still a little rusty on the early 90's stuff so hoping to make a few discoveries out of it!
)Not a banner as such but I think this sums up 90's Eurovision pretty well
or perhaps one of the most loved winners?
Posted by: Qassändra 1st October 2016, 01:55 PM
Vrede and Ale jestem ARE NOT and NEVER SHOULD be limited to HONOURABLE FUCKING MENTIONS!
Posted by: LexC 1st October 2016, 03:16 PM
Well on that delightful note, lets kick things off
60. France 1999: Nayah - Je veux donner ma voix (19th, 14 points)
If you're looking for a full on cheesy French ballad then you'll struggle to find a more quintessential number than this one in the Eurovision of the 90s (France would go on to perfect the formula in the holy trifecta of 01-03 but then you probably know that already). As always there's more than a hint of Celine Dion but Nayah would end up using this to her advantage by becoming a bone fide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYB16Sdknrc so I guess cosmically that makes some sort of sense. Speaking of the cosmos, before and during her eurovision experience, it was revealed to the French press that Nayah was a follower of Raëlism, a wierd alien cult religion who "teaches that life on Earth was scientifically created by a species of extraterrestrials, which they call the Elohim" (all of that lifted from their Wikipedia page). So there's that!
The highlight of this performance is probably at about 1:40 when she gets a huge self-satisfied grin on her face. An expression I can only assume had left her face by the time the results had come in.
Posted by: LexC 1st October 2016, 03:18 PM
or perhaps one of the most loved winners?
We may or may not be getting to both of these legend/icon/stars at a later stage
Posted by: Qassändra 1st October 2016, 03:19 PM
There'll be HELL TO PAY if that ROTTEN IRISH BORE is in your top 60!
Talk about the most MISERABLE WINNER EVER
Posted by: AdamAloud 1st October 2016, 03:30 PM
I think the 'ALRIGHT!' after hitting the note at 2:20 just tops this.
Posted by: LexC 1st October 2016, 03:42 PM
59. Malta 1996: Miriam Christine - In A Woman's Heart (10th, 68 points)
Ahh Malta. Having come back into the Eurovision fold in 1991 following a brief and largely flop ridden stint in the mid 70s, they quickly seemed to find their niche of "charming and sweet" which lasted long into the 00s and this fits within that frame perfectly. Looking like the bastard offspring of Olivia Lewis and Alizee, unable to move her feet and her hips at the same time (although I've definitley done a version of that opening move in my more inebriated moments so who am I to judge) and the pink hue of everything from that skirt and jacket set and the 1996 height of technology in-vision heart-shape filter towards the end make it so hard not to love this.
Posted by: AdamAloud 1st October 2016, 03:59 PM
Totally stealing her dance moves for the works Christmas party
Great start to your countdown Lex!
Posted by: Iz~ 1st October 2016, 04:08 PM
NAYAH! That's one of my favourites from the 90s, (so it should be way higher than #60 but I'll take its inclusion anyway, at least it's not an honourable mention). I love a good French ballad, and the progression is just really beautiful on that one.
Posted by: LexC 1st October 2016, 04:17 PM
58. Iceland 1992: Heart 2 Heart - Nei eða já (7th, 80 points)
One for the scandi fans here! In a year as dreary and hard to watch as 1992 is, this is a complete breath of fresh schlager air. In true Icelandic revolving door tradition, Sigga (her in the yellow) had already competed in a different duet in 1990 (more about that later), sung back up in 1991 and would go on to compete again as a soloist in 1994. If you're a connoisseur of Sweden's Eurovision oeuvre then this is no doubt a very comfortable genre for you so enjoy!
Posted by: Qassändra 1st October 2016, 04:20 PM
God 1992 was SHIT. I can't think of another year where a Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go cast-off could be so flattered by its company.
Posted by: AdamAloud 1st October 2016, 04:33 PM
I'm so offended that Icelandic GEM only came 7th knowing what the top 2 was that year.
Posted by: LexC 1st October 2016, 05:05 PM
57. Germany 1998: Guildo Horn - Guildo hat euch lieb! (7th, 86 points)
...I'm so sorry.
I know it's terrible, I know he looks like he wasn't photogenic enough to get past the audition for The Gremlins (see, 90s reference, topical!), I know that he randomly molests members of the audience, including The Rt Hon Katie Boyle but...I can't help it, the power of catchiness compells me!
If Tirren doesn't kill me before then, the next track is coming up swiftly.
Posted by: LexC 1st October 2016, 05:27 PM
56. Slovakia 1998: Katarína Hasprová - Modlitba (21st, 8 points) * PEAK SLOVAKIA *
Poor Slovakia have always had a bit of a rough time at Eurovision. Granted sometimes it's just been because of poor songs but this scoring a grand total of 8 points can be filed alongside Horehonie in terms of anti-Slovak hate crimes. If it had run later on in the show rather than being erased from everyone's memories the minute Dana International stepped on stage then I wager it would have rightfully had a better showing, but such is life. In terms of lyrics and composition it's inkeeping with the tradition of a lot of the Central and Eastern Europe ballads from the mid 90s of generally having an undertone of spirituality and angst. The Zjelko-style big balkan ballad would eventually be born out of this tradition in the mid 00s. But anyway, this is pure magestic beauty and may possibly be the best thing Slovakia have ever sent!
Posted by: Qassändra 1st October 2016, 06:21 PM
I know it's terrible, I know he looks like he wasn't photogenic enough to get past the audition for The Gremlins (see, 90s reference, topical!), I know that he randomly molests members of the audience, including The Rt Hon Katie Boyle but...I can't help it, the power of catchiness compells me!
If Tirren doesn't kill me before then, the next track is coming up swiftly.
You're going to hell.
Posted by: Qassändra 1st October 2016, 06:23 PM
Modlitba however is a work of GOSSAMER BEAUTY and the spiritual mother of Beautiful Song. She should've kept to the medieval feel and come out dressed as a slutty Mary Queen of Scots *.*
Posted by: AdamAloud 2nd October 2016, 02:48 PM
Guildo really isn't my sort of naff Eurovision song, just like 'Wadde hadde dudde da?' but I can see why it did well.
Posted by: LexC 6th October 2016, 01:34 PM
Hello again. This is still a thing.
55. Croatia 1996: Maja Blagdan - Sveta Ljubav (4th, 98 points)
Those of you with a long memory will remember this from that 'book of records' segment from 2014 as the 'highest note' ever performed on the ESC stage. Surely when one reads that information they would assume that said highest note is part of a fabulous and extended build up throughout the 3 minute epic resulting in the towering crescendo? Well, in a word, no. Scientists and sociologists still ponder the cause of and rationale for the repeated recurrance of that out of nowhere high note but I posit that it is all part of the camply majestic/majesticly camp mise en scene of the performance. Nowhere can you see this better than in that choreo at 1:46 (sticking with 96 here, if Malta is the 'gettin down and dirty' moves then Croatia is the 'pretending you're a prima ballerina whilst inebriated at the end of the night'). All in all, if you want to feel your majestic fantasy then this is not a bad track to pick to live it to at all.
Posted by: LexC 6th October 2016, 02:11 PM
54. Bosnia & Herzegovina 1994: Alma & Dejan - Ostani kraj mene (15th, 39 points) *PEAK BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA*
Staying in the balkans, it's time to talk about Bosnia.
We talked earlier about how the dissolution of Yugoslavia brought about a brand new set of countries all wanting to join Eurovision (as should be a priority for any potential new European state - take note Scotland/Catalonia!) and nowhere is the tangible danger of the conflict more perfectly embodied than in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Their first ever entry in 1993 (which didn't make this list but isn't bad if you're desperate for some early 90s balkan angst) had to flee gunfire to make it to the plane to Dublin and was recorded using energy supplies from the UN. So, naturally, Bosnia typically get both a good reaction in the mid 90s contests for the mere feat of getting to the host city and pretty underscored because if you think Ukraine is potentially a risky host in 2016 then Sarajevo 95 would have been something else.
Songwise, the word I would use for this one is 'charming'. Inkeeping with everyone's attitude to Bosnia as the pluckiest of all the pluckiest underdogs, you can't help but find it endearing. Lyrics wise it's as cheesy/sweet as you can get with gems such as I"n your eyes, there’s a blue river through which hatred will never flow" and "all the pain will vanish/Except this song, me and you". N'awwwwwww
Posted by: Iz~ 6th October 2016, 11:10 PM
I definitely rather like Bosnia 93 I seem to remember. This one's almost as good. Their circumstances just make the songs so easy to love.
Posted by: Qassändra 6th October 2016, 11:39 PM
Give me ALMA CARDZIC if we're talking NINETIES BOS
Posted by: LexC 7th October 2016, 10:07 PM
53. Turkey 1991: İzel Çeliköz, Reyhan Karaca & Can Uğurluer - Iki Dakika (12th, 44 points)
Long before Turkey figured out how to infuse their national folk music culture into titshaking ethnopop and before, frankly, they gave a shit about Eurovision, they send stuff like this. I don't know if you've ever felt like you needed a Turkish language 50s rock'n'roll style bop with late 80s pop sensibilities in your life but regardless, here it is *.*
Posted by: LexC 7th October 2016, 10:09 PM
I am currently rewatching that performance and it just will not stop giving!
*everyone else hates it*
Posted by: Iz~ 7th October 2016, 10:11 PM
oh
my
god
how did I never know this existed?!
Posted by: LexC 8th October 2016, 01:48 PM
52. Cyprus 1998: Michael Hajiyanni - Genesis (11th, 37 points)
You know what else was a really big deal in the 1990s? Disney! In particular the epic orchestral pop ballads. I bring this up here because this sounds like the sort of thing you'd hear at the start of a big sweeping disney epic set in ancient Greece (like if Hercules had been any good). Annoyingly they don't make use of that key change which is what stops it being the truly earth shattering epic it's trying to be but its still a good one to get your 90s eurodisney fantasy ~
Posted by: AdamAloud 8th October 2016, 03:04 PM
OK the thread may have peaked with 'Iki dakika' *.*
Posted by: LexC 8th October 2016, 10:52 PM
51. Hungary 1996: Gjon Delhusa - Fortuna (DNQ)
Gather round kids, time for another instalation of Eurovision History! As more and more countries flocked to the contest, the organisers had to find some way of keeping the numbers in the contest at a manageable number (because anyone who's sat through the 2007 semi, a 28 song contest is a hard slog even for the most dedicated!). Before they settled on the semi final/s as the fairest way of deciding who gets to perform on the Saturday night, the EBU went through a wide variety of qualification methods. In 1993, 7 brand new countries fought it out for 3 spots in Millstreet (which I'd like to think all of the reactionaries who decry "Eastern Europe should have their own semi!!1!11!!!" are actually massive fangirls and know all about Eurovision in the 1990s) and in 1996 something closer to what would eventually become the template for the semi finals where all the songs except the hosts were listened to by the juries in Europe, scored, and the lowest scorers were eliminated. The only difference is that those losers (Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Macedonia, Russia, Israel and Romania), rather than be recorded as a non qualification were pretty much erased from ESC history as if they never existed. Well, the time has come to RECLAIM the 96 DNQs!
Similar to Bosnia 94, the main affect of this one is charming and sweet. There's a really nice soaring melody here, although somewhat hidden beneath the post-communist sartorial styling and what I assume in 1996 Hungary passed for a TV studio.
Posted by: Ryan. 9th October 2016, 10:31 PM
Finally caught up with all these, and I'm in agreement that Turkey 1991 is the discovery of the bunch here especially with that 5 second 50s dance breakdown but I'm also loving Cyprus 1998 which is what I imagine 'Milim' to sound like if it was transformed lyrically and instrumentally into a Disney epic.
Bobbysocks 2.0 (Iceland) was pleasant likewise the Maltese song although that reminds me A LOT of "what's love go to do got to do with it". France 1999 had amazing armography at the end that rivals Despina Olympiou from 2013! I've never actually seen Guildo all the way through but it was certainly an experience, I prefer Wadde Hadde Dudde Da of the Stefan Raab novelties though.
Looking forward to what is coming next! *.*
Posted by: LexC 14th October 2016, 09:05 PM
we're back, back, back again!
50. Ireland 1990: Liam Reilly - Somewhere In Europe (2nd, 132 points)
It's time to talk about Ireland! (Umi and others get yo asses in here, this is #relevant) One of the biggest 'storylines' if you can call it that of 90s Eurovision was the emergence of Ireland as the Accidental Powerhouse. Ireland either won or hosted every contest from 1992 to 1997 including the now legendary three in a row from 92 to 94. Here's the thing though, Ireland were also by far and away the most guilty of finding a genre/style that worked for them (namely the 80s/90s style ballad on a sliding scale to powerballads and pared down dreariness like the 1994 winner) and mining it repeatedly well into the 2000s until the advent of televoting meant it just wasn't working any more. The reasons the Emerald Isle couldn't seem to stop winning included but were not limited to, the language rule that meant Ireland was one of three countries that were permitted to sing in English, the most universal of all the European languages, the role of subconscious bias against newly independent countries being unable to run/host the contest by the jurors and thus being undermarked (and we'll get to some very well known casualties of that higher up the countdown) and the voting being comprised of 100% Jury voting that tends to bias toward more "technical" elements of songs such as voice and instrumentation rather than televoting's bias towards commercial viability and visual spectacle.
The effect of this is that, play all of the Irish 90s Eurovision songs alongside each other and eventually they'll begin to merge into one homogeneous mass. This one, however, somehow manages to retain an air of charm and sweep almost in spite of itself and, hey, in a post Brexit world a device as simple as listing nice things in a series of different European countries is really working for me. Granted, it's way overmarked in 2nd ahead of a very strong field in 1990 but I can sort of justify this one being amongst the chasing pack which I struggle to with many of the rest of the Irish ouvre (what the hell songs like Rock'N'Roll Kids and Mysterious Woman were doing getting 12s I will never know). The highlight is still (like pretty much everything in ESC 1990) the backing singers who the staging director thinks are hiding their abysmal knitwear under that lighting.
Posted by: LexC 14th October 2016, 09:20 PM
49. Greece 1991: Sophia Vossou - I anixi (13th, 36 points)
Something for fans of DRAMA here. Everything here screams "late 80s/early 90s mature diva" pop from the deliciously high almost operatic range of the vocals to the "Greek version of Dynasty meets Supervillain's wife" dress and the two beats that go with "Tha'ne" at the start of the lines of the chorus. Literally the only thing that stopped this getting to where it ought to have on the scoreboard is that failure of a sax solo in the middle of the performance (stupid shambolic Italian organisation couldn't even get a decent saxaphonist!!1!11!!!)
BRAVA!
Posted by: AdamAloud 17th October 2016, 02:56 PM
Ironic that I think Ireland are the worst country at Eurovision quality wise.
Posted by: Qassändra 17th October 2016, 03:25 PM
I do wonder if the saxophonist really was the reason I anixi failed though. You'd think the juries would've taken it into account.
Posted by: LexC 17th October 2016, 05:51 PM
48. Austria 1996: George Nussbaumer - Weil's da guat got (10th, 68 points)
Fun fact for linguistic diversity fans, rather than your standard German/Austrian German this one is sung in "Vorarlbergish" a dialect in the High Alemannic family of German languages spoken mostly in Liechtenstein and the Liechtenstein-adjacent parts of Austria (I think I've got that right but someone like Iz ought to know if any of that checks out). The more you know!
I'm a complete sucker for something gospel tinged with a tonne of tempo and/or key changes and that is pretty much exactly what you're getting here. However, by far and away what elevates this to a top 50 worthy track is the backing choir (think the muses from Disney's Hercules only German and 10 times camper) in particular the queen in the green jumper queening the fuck out from 2:32 who you can tell wanted to be the lead singer SO badly. Yaaaaaßßßß
Posted by: LexC 19th October 2016, 04:06 PM
47. United Kingdom 1999: Precious - Say It Again (12th, 38 points)
And we've come to the first UK entry of the countdown and, in a sharp contrast to 21st century UK entry discussions, I don't feel a sense of overwhelming and crushing despair about it! Yes, long ago there was a time when the UK actually sent stuff that sounded like the music that was in the charts at the time (which, if you think about it, is quite the cruel irony that we gave up on that front just as the voting format changed so as to enable chart-ready music to flourish). Of everything we sent in this period this is probably the most like what late 90s girlband pop sounded like and, as somebody with a penchent for that kind of thing, I very much enjoy this. Unfortunately for teh galz, a poor running order draw and a lot of other countries entering strong pop music meant that it only got a dismal 12th (I know now we'd kill for a 12th place but at that point we hadn't been out of the top 10 since 1987) and would send the UK into a decade long 'idgaf' attitude which I'm sure you've all got very strong opinions about.
The eagle eyed amongst you will also notice the presence of Kerry Katona replacement Jenny Frost in the line-up. And who says you can't have a decent post-Eurovision career?
Posted by: LexC 19th October 2016, 04:14 PM
Also of note, Precious only beat this bit of funky reggae-ska in the National Final by a small margin which, if I'm not mistaken, would have been the first bit of non-English lyrics in a UK Eurovision song ever (and bonus points on the multikulti scale with her being originally from Sierra Leone). Maybe this could have edged into the top 10?
Posted by: LexC 19th October 2016, 06:58 PM
46. Switzerland 1993: Annie Cotton - Moi, tout simplement (3rd, 148 points) *PEAK SWITZERLAND*
We've talked about the 'finding a genre that works for you' method before and this is another example of that, all be it less well mined than Ireland managed. It's perhaps no great surprise that the country that fielded this had their biggest success ever with Celine Dion five years earlier. Some people enjoy Eurovision songs that push the envelope, take risks and challenge the listeners with intricately experimental compositions. This is not one of those. At all. But by god is it executed well. Overall a rare moment of brilliance from usually ShittySwitzerland (Celine, Vanilla Ninja and maybe one or two others aside)
Posted by: Iz~ 20th October 2016, 05:29 PM
That Austrian track is really interesting for the language, and god those key changes and backing vocals (good call on the Hercules similarity), something very unique that I must have barely known but somehow hadn't really paid much attention to. Maybe if Liechtenstein ever get in they can send some tracks in that language.
Never been a huge fan of Precious so I'd definitely have preferred us to send So Strange, that's a really fun track.
Posted by: AdamAloud 20th October 2016, 05:33 PM
As well as gifting us with future Atomic Kitten members, the blonde Precious went on to present CBBC.
'Say It Again' is one of my favourite UK entries ever, a shame the live vox on the night went to shit.
Posted by: Ryan. 21st October 2016, 09:50 PM
I've always loved Say It Again, but the vocals (mainly the backing vocals) were not up to scratch. I never realised until now how much it was Louise (Google tells me) and 4 backing singers, The Pussycat Dolls obviously took inspiration here. In fact watching it, I didn't even realise the two girls that started at the back of the stage were part of the group until I went on Wiki (I knew Jenny and Sophie were due to their later careers but I couldn't remember if they were a trio or a quintet!).
I like the vibe of the Austrian entry but it irritated me after two minutes, I can't imagine having to listen to it throughout a Eurovision season. The Greek song gives me Festivali i Këngës vibes, Festivali i Këngës 2015 that is rather than Festivali i Këngës 1991 - although that says more about Albania than Greece I guess! 
Ireland and Switzerland are both nice for what they are but very run of the mill.
Posted by: HexC 25th October 2016, 06:48 PM
45. United Kingdom 1993: Sonia - Better The Devil You Know (2nd, 164 points)
A lot of this review should probably read similarly to the Precious review so this'll be relatively short and snappy because I don't want to repeat myself too much. If 'Say It Again' was the end of a run of contemporary British pop Eurovision entries then this was the start (yeah I know we actually came 2nd in 92 but that was shit so this is the start for me). It's full out cheesy pop performed to the max, especially those gurns to camera at 1:04 and 2:30. Only thing I'm not here for in the live performance is that electric guitar solo, partly because of that failure of a backing singer choreo moment and partly because in the studio version it's the god's gift to music that is a sax solo #EndSaxErasureNow
Posted by: HexC 25th October 2016, 08:11 PM
44. Cyprus 1995: Alexandros Panayi - Sti Fotia (9th, 79 points)
Here's a name that eurostans may know very well. Our friend Alex here has worked as backing vocals/vocal coach/staging director for a long run of Eurovision favourites that you'll know of from the 2000s onwards including 'My Number One', 'Everything', 'This Is Our Night', 'Hold Me', 'Shine' (the Russia 2014 version) and, crowning jewel in this collection, 'I do' by Fabrizio Faniello. Also he wrote the Cypriot J****r song in 2014 or something. You can tell he's destined to be a future staging master with that shot right at the start where R ALEX can clearly be seen making his own waves in the sheet that they use as a prop at the start before he goes on (and is them promptly thrown away rendering the whole thing a bit pointless but shush). Truly a man of many talents. Also, look at that hair! Joseph's faves could nevah.
This is a masterclass in how to build up a 3 minute song to a soaring crescendo with all the drama almost worthy of some kind of grand opera. Whilst I initially found that double rhythm thing they do in the chorus infuriating/hard to grasp on to, in the grand scheme of things I think it works by making sure they're not just repeating the same chorus twice, adding that suspense of not knowing what's coming next.
Posted by: LexC 26th November 2016, 10:44 AM
Hello, it's been a while. I know I shouldn't have kept you waiting....but I'm here now.
43. Malta 1992: Mary Spiteri - Little Child (3rd, 123 points)*PEAK MALTA*
Okay, so, 1992 is probably the worst hour and a bit of my life I'll never get back. This isn't helped by the fact that the top 2 that year was...questionable. However, if they were really wanting to have a traditional style english language female pop-ballad win then I don't know why they didn't swing behind this in a big enough way (although Ireland had the "written by Jonny Logan" tag attached to it so maybe that explains everything)
This, as with all of Malta's euroniche, nails the "awww" factor almost despite itself with the song basically being about a parent missing their child whilst being on the road (although many of these lines only stay 'cheesy' rather than 'creepy' because it's not a man singing it...I draw your attention to the first line!) and if you don't find that at least somewhat charming then you truly do have a heart of ice. And that change to her operatic range in her voice as the key change lands, YES GAWD!
The jem in this pack has to be the dress though. The "my first powerpoint where I've learned how to do a pink fading into navy blue" colour with bejeweled crystallized sleeves combo is truly a thing of beauty!
Posted by: LexC 26th November 2016, 04:48 PM
42. Germany 1996: Leon - Planet of Blue (DNQ)
Yeah we're back to the state of limbo "erased from existence" 96 non qualifiers. This one is perhaps the most of note as this failing to qualify resulted in the only Eurovision song contest in history with no German representative. The year after, the concept of the "big 4/5" was brought in. Feel free to draw your own conclusions on the connectivity of those statements!
I think I love this for the same reason I love 'Iki Dakika' in that it is a genuinely good mid nineties europop song but it is only improved by the silly/campy aesthetic it's performing. Leon himself being this wierd mix of MIKA and Dominic Cooper doing the "gay or European?" schtick long before your 2010s faves were (Tooji who?) only exacerbated by the German accent giving those lyrics a certain amount of lispiness, those backing dancers wearing outfits consisting of majority silver lamé, that fierce/ridiculous choreo, I LIVE!
The juries both denying Gina G her victory AND this from even making the stage in 1996 is a hate crime on par with the Orlando shootings tbpfh with you.
Posted by: AdamAloud 26th November 2016, 05:01 PM
What a TRIUMPHANT return to form for your thread Lex after that Maltese dud.
Posted by: LexC 27th November 2016, 03:44 PM
41. Austria 1990: Simone - Keine Mauern mehr (10th, 58 points) *PEAK AUSTRIA*
Time for another dash of "song from 1990 with an obvious political subtext" y'all. Of all of the overtly political songs from that year (such as a German https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr0G7jJzjnA, a Norwegian ode to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-eN9GuaaCs and the UK's saccharine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObKX1lmFebI), all of which are striving for a certain "anthemic" quality, Austria pulls it off the best. Yeah, I know, pre-Conchita it's wierd to think of Austria pulling anything off in a way that isn't terrible but this is one of those rare instances! The driving beat (hell, just the instrumentation in general) and the big soar in the chorus emphasises the idea of "coming together" in the wake of the Berlin Wall coming down, especially in the final money note. And, in a way, isn't that just what Eurovision's all about man? *takes another drag on the spliff*
Why they decided to give the win to a dull and dreary Italian song about European Unity over an anthemic Austrian song about European Unity I do not know but if they really wanted a statement kind of winner then it's a damn scandal that they passed this one over!
Posted by: LexC 27th November 2016, 03:52 PM
So, to review, here's 41-60 in list form:
41. Austria 1990: Simone - Keine Mauern mehr (10th, 58 points) *PEAK AUSTRIA*
42. Germany 1996: Leon - Planet of Blue (DNQ)
43. Malta 1992: Mary Spiteri - Little Child (3rd, 123 points)*PEAK MALTA*
44. Cyprus 1995: Alexandros Panayi - Sti Fotia (9th, 79 points)
45. United Kingdom 1993: Sonia - Better The Devil You Know (2nd, 164 points)
46. Switzerland 1993: Annie Cotton - Moi, tout simplement (3rd, 148 points) *PEAK SWITZERLAND*
47. United Kingdom 1999: Precious - Say It Again (12th, 38 points)
48. Austria 1996: George Nussbaumer - Weil's da guat got (10th, 68 points)
49. Greece 1991: Sophia Vossou - I anixi (13th, 36 points)
50. Ireland 1990: Liam Reilly - Somewhere In Europe (2nd, 132 points)
51. Hungary 1996: Gjon Delhusa - Fortuna (DNQ)
52. Cyprus 1998: Michael Hajiyanni - Genesis (11th, 37 points)
53. Turkey 1991: İzel Çeliköz, Reyhan Karaca & Can Uğurluer - Iki Dakika (12th, 44 points)
54. Bosnia & Herzegovina 1994: Alma & Dejan - Ostani kraj mene (15th, 39 points) *PEAK BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA*
55. Croatia 1996: Maja Blagdan - Sveta Ljubav (4th, 98 points)
56. Slovakia 1998: Katarína Hasprová - Modlitba (21st, 8 points) * PEAK SLOVAKIA *
57. Germany 1998: Guildo Horn - Guildo hat euch lieb! (7th, 86 points)
58. Iceland 1992: Heart 2 Heart - Nei eða já (7th, 80 points)
59. Malta 1996: Miriam Christine - In A Woman's Heart (10th, 68 points)
60. France 1999: Nayah - Je veux donner ma voix (19th, 14 points)
A great bunch of tracks I'm sure we can agree but there's SO MUCH GOOD STUFF TO COME! *.*
Posted by: LexC 9th January 2017, 05:17 PM
The countdown is back back back again with a vengeance in 2017 y'all and we're kicking off with one that I know a lot of you like.
40. Cyprus 1997: Hara & Andreas Konstantinou - Mana mou (5th, 98 points) *PEAK CYPRUS*
If you've ever seen one of those 'lol eurovision' clip shows then you've almost definitely heard the final chorus of this song with the 'dabadam' moment. Because foreigners = funny we've reduced this song down to that but in actuality it's a rather gorgeous proto-ethno pop number about loving one's country (with a mandolin solo so gorgeous it just makes you wanna dip some pita in something). Also: random linguistic tidbit I learned from my friend and actual Cypriot person, 'Mana mou' translates as 'Motherland' but the 'mou' suffix is also a way of calling somebody close to you 'dear' or 'darling'. The more you know!
Posted by: LexC 9th January 2017, 05:35 PM
39. Greece 1993: Kati Garbi - Ellada, hora tou fotos (9th, 64 points)
Sticking with Greek language 'I love my country' ethnopop, we move to this funky little number from 1993. By far and away the best element of this number is Kati's performance skills, particularly in the final shot of the song from 2:20 where the camera just does a slow zoom to let her stare down the camera lens and shimmy'n'smoulder (and okay this is more indicative of the technical capacity of rural County Cork in the early 90s than any kind of grand genius technical prowess but the point still stands). Yaaaaasss Queen!
Posted by: AdamAloud 9th January 2017, 05:45 PM
Mana mou *.* Best Cypriot entry ever, step aside Adamou.
Posted by: Ryan. 9th January 2017, 11:15 PM
Maybe we'll have to call her Ivi Adadarling now then! 
Posted by: LexC 10th January 2017, 06:23 PM
38. Belgium 1996: Lisa del Bo - Liefde is een kaartspel (16th, 22 points)
Now I know 96 is a good year and all but even in that context this one is CRIMINALLY underrated. SIXTEENTH!?!? GTFO. It's as close to a "schlager" song as the Benelux countries have in their Eurovision tradition (and unlike that mess that I know you're going to point out from 2010, it's actually good!) and in the tradition of the schlager greats it's just so damn feelgood. My personal highlight is that ridiculous in-vision revolving door camera effect that even for the mid 90s looks both naff and amazing at the same time. The fact that the song translates as "Love is like a Card Game" just adds to the appeal for me. CARD GAMES IN EUROVISION!
And if you're hearing visual reminders of a certain early 00s Swedish entry, then you may be interested to learn that Thomas G:Son and co agreed to pay a cash settlement when the writers of this song claimed he'd plagiarized it when writing 'Listen to Your Heartbeat'. SKANDAL!
Posted by: AdamAloud 9th February 2017, 09:40 PM
Celine did the tutu-suit look better.
MORE PLS LEX
Posted by: Conderella 9th February 2017, 09:47 PM
Genesis tho~ But it's hard to choose between them tbh
Posted by: LexC 9th February 2017, 09:53 PM
37. Norway 1995: Secret Garden - Nocturne (WINNER, 148 points)
Oh we're onto an interesting one now! By ESC 1995, Ireland had just won for the third time in a row so the cynical interpretation of this winning is that it was "Norway tries to impersonate Ireland" but that glosses over quite a bit, not least the fact that the 'celtic' sound is by no means unique to that part of the world. If anything, this is a creative response to the knowledge that the only way to get the win a hit at this point is for the song to be in a language that the people voting can get (de facto English) so the interesting way around it is essentially "have no lyrics at all" (cept the bare minimum, I don't know if the "must contain at least twelve lines of text rule existed before this or was brought in because of this winning) because ultimately, music is a universal language amirite ladies!
For those reasons, plus the added musical intensity you just get from having the live orchestra playing the music, this is an entry that could only exist in the 1990s. But for all it represents the detour into "adult contemporary" detour Eurovision could have gone down were it not for televoting, I think this is more than deserving of its place in the Eurovision hall of fame. Because it is, after all, stunningly beautiful
Posted by: AdamAloud 9th February 2017, 09:55 PM
'Nocturne' 
Definitely my favourite Norwegian winner (closely followed by La det swinge)
Posted by: LexC 9th February 2017, 10:14 PM
36. Finland 1994: CatCat - Bye Bye Baby (22nd, 11 points)*PEAK FINLAND*
The injustice of this getting only 11 points despite being one of about 2 uptempo numbers in 1994. I know this was in the death slot but you'd assume all those terminal ballads would have got it more than this. Viewers who consider themselves fans of Lili och Susie will no doubt be very fond of this. I don't know if 'dressing gown draped over besequined corset-based nightwear was considered the height of fashion in Finland in the 90s but the fact that it isn't now makes us ALL THE POORER. And those two dancers providing all of the choreo while the Cats can only manage stepping from side to side at best gives me a moderate to high amount of life. Yaaaasssss
Posted by: Iz~ 9th February 2017, 10:32 PM
Nocturne is easily my favourite winner of the 90s and is probably up there challenging for the overall title as well, that sort of dreamy near instrumental music is perfect for me, a true classic.
Bye Bye Baby is a fair one to put at peak Finland, it's probably the best they got in the 90s although I'm not crazy for it.
Posted by: Qassändra 9th February 2017, 11:35 PM
Definitely my favourite Norwegian winner (closely followed by La det swinge)That is the WRONG ORDER MISSY
Posted by: Qassändra 9th February 2017, 11:37 PM
The injustice of this getting only 11 points despite being one of about 2 uptempo numbers in 1994. I know this was in the death slot but you'd assume all those terminal ballads would have got it more than this. Viewers who consider themselves fans of Lili och Susie will no doubt be very fond of this. I don't know if 'dressing gown draped over besequined corset-based nightwear was considered the height of fashion in Finland in the 90s but the fact that it isn't now makes us ALL THE POORER. And those two dancers providing all of the choreo while the Cats can only manage stepping from side to side at best gives me a moderate to high amount of life. Yaaaasssss
As IF you passed up the chance to post the MOST IMPORTANT MUSIC VIDEO OF THE 1990s
Posted by: AdamAloud 10th February 2017, 06:12 PM
Well at least we can all agree 'Fairytale' is the worst.
Posted by: LexC 11th February 2017, 04:00 PM
In honor of the Spanish NF tonight...
35.Spain 1990: Azucar Moreno - Bandido (5th place, 96 points)
Including the full version with the infamous f*** up because it truly is a classic 'live television lol' moment. Once it actually starts this sultry latina jam is truly life giving. Azucar Moreno are very much 'Sonia y Selena after being possessed by Satan. I don't speak much Spanish but from the google translate the song seems to be about getting chlamydia off a shag in Magaluf with all the "burning chest' and 'scorched skin' (babes, there's a cream for that!). And you'll all either already know or be delighted to know that they're still performing together (with this one song near exclusively to screaming Spanish gays but hey, a gigs a gig!).
Posted by: LexC 20th February 2017, 04:52 PM
Come to the sudden realisation that I've got too many writing projects on at the same time so it's time to kick this one into overdrive!
34. Netherlands 1998: Edsilia Rombley - Hemel en aarde (4th, 150 points) *PEAK NETHERLANDS*
Before their current phase where the Dutch seem to be obsessed with country music, time was when they were all about some serious RnB/funky numbers with this one fitting nicely alongside their entries from 93 and 96. The part from where the backing choir with the classic side-step-click choreo move downstage to the vox-driven key change is a complete "take me to church" moment and it gives me so much loiiiiife! If they didn't have the language rule in place and she'd have been allowed to sing in English then I imagine this would have potentially run Israel a lot closer (I mean it's only 22 points behind the top spot anyway so that's not that big a hurdle to leap over).
And, as is the fate of many of the people who had big eurovision hits for western european countries in the 90s, she'd come back in the mid 00s only to fail to make it out of the semi but don't let that tarnish Edsilia's place among the all time greats (and props to her for managing to pull off the infamous first Trijntje dress while reading out the Dutch votes that year)
Posted by: LexC 20th February 2017, 05:09 PM
33. Iceland 1997: Paul Oscar - Minn hinsti dans (20th, 18 points)
Okay guys, we are GOING THERE. You'll know, through the cultural osmosis of the clip shows, that this is the "lol women dressed in leather" Icelandic entry that flopped because the 1990s juries didn't know true art when they saw it. But, scratch beneath the surface (and use google translate) and the true meaning comes to the surface. The song translates as "my final dance" and is ostensibly about Paul Oscar having a last blast of the wild hedonistic life style and dying in the process (okay, that's me overinterpreting things slightly but goddammit I choose to believe that) all the while being surrounded by dancers clad in the queerest of all materials, leather, and creating a spectacle of a performance that is just...mesmerizing!
How much are we willing to bet that Ryan hates this?
Posted by: LexC 20th February 2017, 05:23 PM
32. Norway 1993: Silje Vige - Alle mine tankar (5th, 120 points)
While we're on the subject of nordic darkness, here's Norway 93. This manages to go for a similar sort of hypnotic darkness of the previously discussed song but for some reason, especially in the live performance, it manages to also be somehow...rousing? Only adding to the scent of creepiness is the fact that this 16 year old singer is singing this song about an unrequited imaginary love affair...written by her dad. I mean the second verse in particular,
"When I meet you in the evening
And you look at me with this strange light
And you gently touch me
On the hand as you walk past me
No one must see it, only you and I know it"
All of the Freud my friends, all of the Freud.
Posted by: Jerick 20th February 2017, 06:29 PM
I love how the audience turn around and stare at the Norwegian fan club when they start clapping! Pre 1998 eurovision audience <3
Posted by: Qassändra 20th February 2017, 07:46 PM
Minn hinsti dans TOO LOW!
Posted by: LexC♀ 10th April 2017, 06:10 PM
31. Belgium 1999: Vanessa Chinitor - Like The Wind (13th, 38 points)*PEAK BELGIUM*
If you're a fan of the "new age" ballads that a lot of the scandi countries are fond of (like Alvedansen which is very similar to this one) then this is one for you. The melodies and harmonies of all the vocalists on stage here are beautiful and have a really good "sweep" to them. The death slot and just generally being 3 years behind the curve of Eurovision stopped this getting into the upper reaches but it's still deserving of being remembered as a 90s classic.
Posted by: LexC♀ 10th April 2017, 06:15 PM
Also a lot of people are quite fond of the Dutch/Flemish version of Belgium 1999 so that's available here:
And on the subject of Dutch ballads, this was nearly the Dutch entry in 1998 over Edsilia. They made the right call in the end but in an alternate universe this would have totally worked as their 1997 entry, for instance.
Posted by: AdamAloud 10th April 2017, 06:23 PM
I'd never have thought to pair 'Like The Wind' with 'Alvedansen', but now that you mention it! 1999 is up there as one of my favourite contests ever and this is another brilliant song from it.
Posted by: LexC♀ 10th April 2017, 06:26 PM
Well in fairness it was mostly just triggered because it came up on the suggested videos tab next to the video when I was doing the write up
Posted by: LexC♀ 10th April 2017, 06:46 PM
30. Poland 1994: Edyta Górniak - To nie ja (2nd, 166 points)*PEAK POLAND*
Poland's first ever entry here and what still remains their best ever result. What makes it work is more or less what makes every other power ballad ever work, she's a pretty young girl (in a white dress too because purity and virgin obvs) with a big voice and vocal range who sings out a song with a nice melody and a good climax. That it only came 2nd to two dull old guys playing a piano at the peak of the mid-90s jury rut means that this is generally considered to be "the winner that never was". Would it have won if there had been no language rule in place? (Edyta probably thought something along these lines as -controversy alert- she sang the last verse ad chorus in English at the final dress rehearsal) Did the jurors have a subconscious bias against giving the victory and therefore hosting rights to these countries with newly emerging and ergo fragile democracies? Or was the problem more that the jurors were just so obsessed with the Irish songs that nothing else stood a chance? Those questions will remain pure hypotheticals but as Poland seem to be edging ever closer to potentially grabbing their first win it's worth remembering when Margaret wins for Poland in Turin 2018 (events depending) how much Poland's history, at least culture wise, could have ended up being very different.
Posted by: LexC♀ 10th April 2017, 07:13 PM
29. Iceland 1990: Stjórnin - Eitt lag enn (4th, 124 points)
We've just gone through a bit of a slow patch so lets mix it up with a bit of Icelandic schlager. You'll recognise this woman from their 1992 song lower down the countdown and also from her honorable mention (I think?) solo entry from 1994. This is more or less everything you want from a late 80s schlager song (which is what this was written as, lets face it) and it absolutely nails the intended purpose of just making you want to smile during the whole thing. The two of them have, if not real then they're good enough actors that it feels real, chemistry and pretty well executed choreo. Worthy of being considered in the same vein as the Swedish stuff, its that good!
Posted by: AdamAloud 10th April 2017, 07:26 PM
I'd say 'To nie ja' was robbed in 1994, but there was something else much more ICONIC and deserving of the win, I'm sure it's still to come
Iceland continue to SLAY me in this countdown, that is fabulous *.*
Posted by: LexC♀ 12th April 2017, 07:11 PM
28. Italy 1992: Mia Martini - Rapsodia (4th, 111 points)*PEAK 1992*
This is one of the select few highlights in what is the worst year of 90s ESC and I get the sense that this is a very marmite entry. It's a very Liza Minelli style jazz number all about two former lovers who meet in a bar and then go their separate ways. In true Italian fashion there's a very poetic slant to the lyrics and it's dripping with... well whatever the Italian equivalent of ennui is. I have this one idea that this would be the final song if the musical Cabaret was set in Italy rather than Germany and this despairing ballad would play as Rome falls to the fascists.
That sense of a small tragedy is only amplified by the fact that three years after this performance she was found dead in her apartment after a Cocaine overdose.
Posted by: LexC♀ 12th April 2017, 07:26 PM
27. Greece 1995: Elina Konstantopoulou - Pia Prosefhi (12th, 68 points) *PEAK GREECE*
Staying with something suitably evocative, this is the Greek entry from 95. During the mid 90s "new age" folksy numbers were big business and nowhere can you see that more than in the 1995 contest which, for what its worth, does have a lot of that but it's mostly varying shades of good by my reckoning. The one drawback of some of them however is that they tended to coalesce into a sort of "generic celtic" vibe. This, I am glad to say, manages to stay within that genre whilst still making itself sound like a quintessentially Greek song. The bit at the start is all in Ancient Greek which sets off the vibe of mysticism and exoticism, enhanced by that melody which is the absolute tits. If ethno music is your thing then I thoroughly recommend this one as a gateway drug to mid 90s Eurovision.
Posted by: eurovision4ever 12th April 2017, 10:10 PM
CatCat were absolutely brilliant. First eurovision song I fell in love with. If it wasn't to winning realky should have been Poland
Posted by: Qassändra 13th April 2017, 10:36 AM
Mrs Einstein were exceptional and you can shut your WHORE MOUTH
Posted by: Qassändra 13th April 2017, 10:37 AM
Staying with something suitably evocative, this is the Greek entry from 95. During the mid 90s "new age" folksy numbers were big business and nowhere can you see that more than in the 1995 contest which, for what its worth, does have a lot of that but it's mostly varying shades of good by my reckoning. The one drawback of some of them however is that they tended to coalesce into a sort of "generic celtic" vibe. This, I am glad to say, manages to stay within that genre whilst still making itself sound like a quintessentially Greek song. The bit at the start is all in Ancient Greek which sets off the vibe of mysticism and exoticism, enhanced by that melody which is the absolute tits. If ethno music is your thing then I thoroughly recommend this one as a gateway drug to mid 90s Eurovision.
FAR TOO LOW!
Posted by: LexC♀ 24th May 2017, 08:32 PM
Hello, this will be getting finished over the summer once I have a bit more free time after the month of May is over. So, in lieu of being able to write up anything proper and since our attention over the next ESC season is going to be turned towards Portugal I figured I'd do a mini section on 90s Portugal Eurovish realness since, spoiler alert, there's no Portugal in the top 60.
Because, believe it or not, Portugal actually had a fairly decent run in the 90s. Their recently beaten best result ever happened in 1996 and they also managed top 10s in 1991, 1993 and 1994. The thing is (and the reason why Portugal are the perennial underdogs in Euroland) is that their best is generally being done better by somebody else in all of these contexts, especially in 1994 when everyone except Germany (and we'll certainly be getting to them) is going for the same kind of earnest and serious vibe. For what its worth though, their ten songs of the 1990s are a decent bunch.
Also, for those looking for foreboding signs, their previous best result was promptly followed by a last place finish with 0 points. Let's see if they "do an Austria" and end up last in their own back yard.
Posted by: LexC♀ 19th June 2017, 04:08 PM
26. Germany 1999: Sürpriz - Reise nach Jerusalem/Kudüs'e seyahat (3rd, 140 points)
Been a while since I've done one of these, hey? The conception of this entry is so well conceptualized that it borders on ingenious. A band composed of members of the Turkish diasporic community in Germany singing a song in a mixture of German/Turkish/English/Hebrew about the "Journey to Jerusalem" (where Eurovision was that year, gettit!) and with all the spiritual and religious connotations of returning to the place of the "holy land" for all of the Abrahamic religions. And over a pretty sic ethno beat to boot. In the video above Wogan's his usual xenophobic self and writes this off as "a blatant attempt to curry local favour" which...idk, isn't exactly an unfair allegation since this is a pretty strong "pssst, Turkish diaspora, vote for this one in stead of the actual Turkish one" signal that I might get salty about if it wasn't as good of a song as it is.
Posted by: LexC♀ 19th June 2017, 04:14 PM
What you probably don't know, however, is that Surpriz only finished second in their National Final and only got the ticket after Corinna May, who would later go on to gift Europe with that delightful hot mess that you want to hate but can't bring yourself to since she's blind and that would be cruel "I Can't Live Without Music", was DISQUALIFIED after winning with a song that had already been released two years ago by a different artist (Truly the Anna Book of 1999). If you're a fan of that classic schlager ballad sound then you'll likely be very keen on this one too!
Posted by: AdamAloud 19th June 2017, 08:26 PM
Reise nach Jerusalem *.* One of the many outstanding songs from 1999, cementing it as my all time fave Eurovish year.
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