As some of you know, I've been threatening to post this thread in quite a while. Not sure how it will go down but it's busy season around here so it might provide entertainment between whatever withdrawals and disqualifications that come our way from the 2025 contest.

 

 

There's 30 countries featured, many more than once. That leaves over 10 countries who didn't do enough to make the list. So as not to spoil the absolute edge of seat excitement I'll go through some of those countries at the end and mention what I deemed to be the best song they entered with. One country has 5 entries in this list.

 

There's 2 years with absolutely no representation at all. There's 2 very strong years with 8 each.

One artist features twice.

 

Going through this process - it became very evident that I like harmonies and ballads. Also, in all but 3 cases I am discussing the studio version. There's 3 cases where the live version exceeds the quality of the studio version. I'll mention those.

 

 

I invite you (those of you who know my taste) to venture some guesses at what might be in my top 10.

 

:whistle:

Edited February 6Feb 6 by Colm

50 - France 2023

 

La Zarra - Évidemment

 

A favourite of mine in 2023 from the moment I heard it. For such a très français song, the televote was luke warm to it - unlike Barbara Pravi two years before it. There was definitely something missing in the live performance. I hardly ever watch it live but still listen to the studio cut.

 

 

Best bit: 2.22 - 2.44. I love the beats that crash in after she does the big note.

Edited February 6Feb 6 by Colm

49 - Italy 2017

 

Francesco Gabbani - Occidentali's Karma

 

 

Sometimes you can get away with dodgy staging but apparently not this time. I don't know anyone who doesn't blame the staging for this not going top 3. The tune itself is still as joyous as ever. Looking at old reaction videos there didn't seem to be anything standing its way - especially the televote going mad for it. None of them predicted that the staging might not work.

 

 

Best bit: 2.24 - 2.29. The summery guitar.

48 - Sweden 2015

 

Måns Zelmerlöw - Heroes

 

2015 wasn't really a great contest. There's lots wrong with this - like the faux country intro, for a start. Is it a guilty pleasure? I'm usually not conflicted like this.

I didn't expect this to feature but it has grown on me a lot over the years. Maybe you opinion depends on how smug you think Måns is :D

This is the first of just 7 winners in the list.

 

Best bit: 0.37 - 0.52. The filtered keyboards in the background.

47 - Serbia 2021

 

Hurricane - LOCO LOCO

 

My winner back in 2021. I was convinced that it was going to be top 5 in the televote - it had more views on its semi-final performance than any of the other songs the next day. I remember noting that it had more thumbs up than other countries even had views. Ended up 9th in the televote and 9th in the semi final televote too.

It has faded a little. It was such a huge improvement from their entry for the 2000 contest - a little too exhausting at times but such fun.

 

The first of only a handful of girl bops in this list :o

 

Best bit: 2.36. The key change, inevitably.

Love them both but Évidemment and Occidentali's Karma definitely lacked the studio magic live at Eurovision.

 

Not sure what happened with La Zarra but a lot of French entries that aren't ballads/chansons don't translate live that well for whatever reason. Occidentali's Karma had quite a bad three minute edit for Eurovision too but even so, I didn't think he would have any trouble in being top three in the final, and sixth was quite a surprise. I really disliked the staging.

 

Heroes I still love, I think it's very anthemic and gets stick for being a generic winner but it's a well produced song, a charismatic performer who sang it well, cool staging, contemporary (in 2015 anyway), I get why it won for sure.

 

Never been into Loco Loco or their 2020 entry.

46 - Israel 2018

 

Netta - Toy

 

In 2018, I hadn't really become the Eurovision fan I am today so I didn't hear Toy until Eurovision week on the Spotify playlist. It just seemed like such an obvious winner to me at first listen. But what do I know? - I thought Zero Gravity had winner written all over it the following year.

 

This is just so full of original hooks. Hooks that I certainly had never heard before. It's bizarre in all the best ways and still a marvelous listen.

 

Best bit: 1.34 to 1.40. The second verse vocal mashing genius.

45 - Hungary 2019

 

Pápai Joci - Az Én Apám

 

 

This completely passed me by back in 2019, most probably because it didn't qualify for the final. I'm sure it's not for everyone but it's kind of a mystery why this wasn't more successful. It was a huge improvement, for me, on his 2017 entry which came 8th. Such a plaintive melody and haunting performance.

 

Best bit: 0.09 to 0.48. The whole, gorgeous first verse.

44 - Finland 2018

 

Saara Aalto - Monsters

 

 

This is an example of a song that's serviceable enough Scandi-pop - some would say mid, especially in comparison to say Spirit in the Sky or Euphoria - but what elevates it for me is there's harmonies in this that just hit the right spot in my brain.

 

Her vocals were a bit too breathy in the live performance that really effected its result. A shame.

 

Best bit: 2.23 to the end. The very feint "anymore" vocals that we hear several times and her two big notes. Pure gold.

Yeeees for Saara Aalto. Absolute travesty at her final position/scraping into the final

Yeeees for Saara Aalto. Absolute travesty at her final position/scraping into the final

Totally agree, i loved and still love the song.

43 - Bulgaria 2016

 

Poli Genova - If Love Was A Crime

 

I used the grand final video here because Poli just looks like she's thoroughly enjoying it. This is also one of those examples where adding native language lyrics to English lyrics really works. The backing vocalists make it all so celebratory.

 

This was Bulgaria at the start of their golden period, which lasted until 2021 before the rather undignified appearance of Intelligent Music Project in 2022.

 

Best bit: 2:47 The backing vocalists arrive.

Edited February 12Feb 12 by Colm

Yeeees for Saara Aalto. Absolute travesty at her final position/scraping into the final

 

 

It was a tough year. So many great songs and 43 entries.

i'm embarrassed to admit i used to like heroes and toy back then :kink:

No judgement here, Uhs. This is a safe space for fans of any song (except for Yodel It!)

 

:music:

I still love Toy. Heroes is still good to me but I'd be more likely to skip

If Love Was A Crime is one of my all-time top 40 favourite songs, and my clear favourite of the 2016 contest.

 

An absolutely great pop entry from Bulgaria, it really surprised me at the time how good it was.

 

I won quite a lot of money on it coming 4th as I had an each-way bet on it, even though it was way down the odds (clearly only because it was from Bulgaria who hadn't done well for years - Sweden would have been top three in the odds with it). It felt too strong/well produced a song/artist/whole package not to appeal to the public and get solid jury support too.

 

Monsters is decent, surprised it finished so low in the contest. I really never enjoyed Toy much and still don't, but I appreciate Netta as a very unique and talented artist and the live performance was brilliant.

Edited February 13Feb 13 by gooddelta

42 - Sweden 2023

 

Loreen - Tattoo

 

 

Unpopular opinion. I prefer this to Euphoria. Granted, Euphoria has great verses and wonderful production but the chorus just never did anything for me and I'm irritated by the "We're going u-u-u-u-u-u-up" part.

 

While Tattoo is more derivative (far more derivative), I just enjoy the listening experience more

 

Best bit: 2.53 when she changes the melody.

41 - Finland 2023

 

Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha

 

 

When I first heard this I really didn't know what to make of it. The video didn't let Käärijä's character shine through enough. It took the live experience for me to enjoy it. The irony is that I now prefer the studio version because it's so well produced. This is a fault of my brain and not the song's.

 

Best bit: 1.48 the transition to the more pop part.

40 - Spain 2015

 

Edurne - Amanecer

 

15 points? What?

 

Majestic.

 

Best bit: 2.07 the orchestral bridge.

Edited February 13Feb 13 by Colm