As expected quite a lot that isn’t hugely inspiring among the pre 2000 entries, but I’ve managed to pick out my favourite 10.

Year	Artist	Song	Language	Final	Points	Semi	Points	Notes
1956	Fud Leclerc	"Messieurs les noyés de la Seine"	French	N/a	N/a	No semi-finals		Top 20
1956	Mony Marc	"Le Plus Beau Jour de ma vie"	French	N/a	N/a			This feels like a musical number with the "ding dong" refrain: it's quite nice
1957	Bobbejaan Schoepen	"Straatdeuntje"	Dutch	8	5			A jolly little ballad with some strange humming and whistling: it's OK
1958	Fud Leclerc	"Ma petite chatte"	French	5	8			A nice baritone voice crooning away at a fairly standard number
1959	Bob Benny	"Hou toch van mij"	Dutch	6	9			I like his rolled r - otherwise it's another nicely done but fairly unremarkable song of its time
1960	Fud Leclerc	"Mon amour pour toi"	French	6	9			Fred's back with quite a standard crooner effort: nothing much interesting to say
1961	Bob Benny	"September, gouden roos"	Dutch	15	1			2nd entry from Bob and their 1st last place: I prefer is other one as this is a little turgid
1962	Fud Leclerc	"Ton nom"	French	13	0			A 3rd entry from Fred: nil points for this as harsh but it's another very unremarkable one
1963	Jacques Raymond	"Waarom?"	Dutch	10	4			This has a little more impact that the last few but still isn't memorable
1964	Robert Cogoi	"Près de ma rivière"	French	10	2			A nice and very smooth romantic ballad, though nothing surprising
1965	Lize Marke	"Als het weer lente is"	Dutch	15	0			Another nil pointer and another sleepy ballad that leaves not much impression
1966	Tonia	"Un peu de poivre, un peu de sel"	French	4	14			"A bit of salt and pepper": it's a bit musical theatre but does stand out a fair bit
1967	Louis Neefs	"Ik heb zorgen"	Dutch	7	8			More energetic than most of the earlier entries but has a slightly seasick feel to it
1968	Claude Lombard	"Quand tu reviendras"	French	7	8			Top 20
1969	Louis Neefs	"Jennifer Jennings"	Dutch	7	10			His second appearance: it's quite nice but has something slightly jerky and awkward about it
1970	Jean Vallée	"Viens l'oublier"	French	8	5			He really gives the performance his all but the song is quite ordinary
1971	Jacques Raymond and Lily Castel	"Goeie morgen, morgen"	Dutch	14	68			A very unremarkable duet apart from the nice organ intro
1972	Serge and Christine Ghisoland	"À la folie ou pas du tout"	French	17	55			This sounds like it's based on the "Blue Danube" by Strauss - a very strange song
1973	Nicole and Hugo	"Baby Baby"	Dutch	17	58			This is a catchy duet, but it leans just a little towards the naff side
1974	Jacques Hustin	"Fleur de liberté"	French	9	10			An of its time number that's slightly repetitive and grating
1975	Ann Christy	"Gelukkig zijn"	Dutch, English	15	17			A sweet and well performed but unremarkable song
1976	Pierre Rapsat	"Judy et Cie"	French	8	68			Top 20
1977	Dream Express	"A Million in One, Two, Three"	English	7	69			Top 20
1978	Jean Vallée	"L'amour ça fait chanter la vie"	French	2	125			Top 20
1979	Micha Marah	"Hey Nana"	Dutch	18	5			A danceable and well sung number that certainly didn't deserve last place
1980	Telex	"Euro-Vision"	French	17	14			I like the synth sound but otherwise this is a rather bewildering entry about the competition itself
1981	Emly Starr	"Samson"	Dutch	13	40			A somewhat melodramatic number about the biblical figure
1982	Stella	"Si tu aimes ma musique"	French	4	96			An accomplished performance of a nicely contstructed though of its time song
1983	Pas de Deux	"Rendez-vous"	Dutch	18	13			There was huge controversy about this minimalist effort winning the national final, but it's not bad
1984	Jacques Zegers	"Avanti la vie"	French	5	70			Top 20
1985	Linda Lepomme	"Laat me nu gaan"	Dutch	19	7			Their 6th last place with a slightly insipid, uninspiring ballad
1986	Sandra Kim	"J'aime la vie"	French	1	176			Their only victory: it's a catchy slickly produced track but nothing special and she was only 13
1987	Liliane Saint-Pierre	"Soldiers of Love"	Dutch	11	56			A powerful performance and quite an enjoyable song with a "Final Countdown" feel
1988	Reynaert	"Laissez briller le soleil"	French	18	5			Top 20
1989	Ingeborg	"Door de wind"	Dutch	19	13			Quite an endearing performance  but a rather twee song
1990	Philippe Lafontaine	"Macédomienne"	French	12	46			Top 20
1991	Clouseau	"Geef het op"	Dutch	16	23			A spirited effort from this young trio but the song is rather limp
1992	Morgane	"Nous on veut des violons"	French	20	11			Nice violins on this but the song is rather clunky and not engaging
1993	Barbara	"Iemand als jij"	Dutch	25	3			A very serious and rather lifeless song without much going for it
1995	Frédéric Etherlinck	"La voix est libre"	French	20	8	12	45	An old fashioned and earnest feel to this : pleasant in its way
1996	Lisa del Bo	"Liefde is een kaartspel"	Dutch	16	22	No semi-finals		A hummable, sweet and rather charming song: shame it resulted in relegation
1998	Mélanie Cohl	"Dis oui"	French	6	122			Top 20
1999	Vanessa Chinitor	"Like the Wind"	English	12	38			Top 20

J’aime la vie not top 20 :ö

On 15/07/2026 at 16:43, pavi said:

J’aime la vie not top 20 :ö

I can see why it did well but it doesn’t do a whole lot for me.

Post 2000:

Year	Artist	Song	Language	Final	Points	Semi	Points	Notes
2000	Nathalie Sorce	"Envie de vivre"	French	24	2	No semi-finals		Ouch at last place for this - it sounds very 1990s though
2002	Sergio and the Ladies	"Sister"	English	13	33	No semi-finals		This is so terrible it's almost good, and I appreciate the dad dancing
2003	Urban Trad	"Sanomi"	Imaginary	2	165	No semi-finals		Top 20
2004	Xandee	"1 Life"	English	22	7	Top 11 in 2003 contest		An energetic dance pop number with a nice drum beat but there's nothing really special about it
2005	Nuno Resende	"Le Grand Soir"	French	Failed to qualify		22	29	Quite a boring and old fashioned power ballad style song
2006	Kate Ryan	"Je t'adore"	English	Failed to qualify		12	69	One that was unlucky to miss when the semifinals were brutal: nicely done but standard dance pop
2007	The KMG's	"Love Power"	English	Failed to qualify		26	14	A nice idea to venture into soul but it doesn't really land and the live vocals are not immaculate
2008	Ishtar	"O Julissi"	Imaginary	Failed to qualify		17	16	Top 20
2009	Copycat	"Copycat"	English	Failed to qualify		17	1	An Elvis tribute act that doesn't take itself seriously but feels very local pop karaoke
2010	Tom Dice	"Me and My Guitar"	English	6	143	1	167	A nice radio friendly guitar ballad that did very well, but nothing exciting
2011	Witloof Bay	"With Love Baby"	English	Failed to qualify		11	53	Top 20
2012	Iris	"Would You?"	English	Failed to qualify		17	16	This is very
2013	Roberto Bellarosa	"Love Kills"	English	12	71	5	75	A serviceable upbeat number that did well, but it's average really
2014	Axel Hirsoux	"Mother"	English	Failed to qualify		14	28	I'm sure his mother was very proud but really this is very turgid
2015	Loïc Nottet	"Rhythm Inside"	English	4	217	2	149	Top 20
2016	Laura Tesoro	"What's the Pressure"	English	10	181	3	274	Top 20
2017	Blanche	"City Lights"	English	4	363	4	165	Top 20
2018	Sennek	"A Matter of Time"	English	Failed to qualify		12	91	Top 20
2019	Eliot	"Wake Up"	English	Failed to qualify		13	70	He was only 18 and the song has a nice chorus, but there isn't a huge amount to it
2020	Hooverphonic	"Release Me"	English	Contest cancelled				Hooverphonic were great back in the 1990s: this one is nice but not really special
2021	Hooverphonic	"The Wrong Place"	English	19	74	9	117	Top 20
2022	Jérémie Makiese	"Miss You"	English	19	64	8	151	A more successful soul effort than 2007 but still not a very distinctive one
2023	Gustaph	"Because of You"	English	7	182	8	90	Top 20
2024	Mustii	"Before the Party's Over"	English	Failed to qualify		13	18	Top 20
2025	Red Sebastian	"Strobe Lights"	English	Failed to qualify		14	23	The fans enjoyed this: it's a strong performance but quite falsetto heavy and I don't love the song
2026	Essyla	"Dancing on the Ice"	English	21	36	10	91	This just scraped through which seems about right, though it has some nice features

They really had some horrible entries. I hate Copycat, With Love Baby and Mother. Sister and Love Power were also not good at all. Some lovely songs too, I really was fond of Me & My Guitar, The Wrong Place (robbed), City Lights. Because Of You and Je T'adore were great, O Julissi so underrated and glad to see it in your top 20, and Sanomi so striking and unusual (and close to being a shock winner!)

I never really loved 1 Life, although on paper it should tick all of my boxes but just didn't. It was one of the favourites to win and completely flopped but can't say I was upset about that.

Interesting how long that French/Dutch back and forth went on in the 20th century, with the switch of broadcaster each year.

Hooverphonic - Release Me was my least favourite that year. I didn't love their 2021 entry much either.

That 2019 entry - were they trying to recreate the vulnerability of Blanche?

Edited July 17Jul 17 by Colm

20 Laura Tesoro - What’s The Pressure (2016, 10th)

A clever and fun retro style dance pop track, although I don’t think it has that much replay value.

19 Sennek - A Matter Of Time (2018, DNQ)

The sort of thing that often struggles to qualify but it’s a really nice and spirited piece of indie pop.

18 Jacques Zegers - Avanti La Vie (1984, 5th)

I like his deep and husky voice, and with the backing group there’s a ritual chant quality to it.

17 Mustii - Before The Party’s Over (2024, DNQ)

This deserved better - it has a dark intensity to it and builds very well, and he throws everything at it.

16 Mélanie Cohl - Dis Oui (1998, 6th)

She was only 16 and this is a very fine performance of a strong song, rewarded with a very good result.

Not a strong country for me at all.

City Lights was a favourite for a long time but it has dimmed over time. Because of You was such a joyful transformation from the national final. When it won the national final most critics thought it was too dated to qualify.

Before the Party is Over is wonderful and spent time at the top of my 2024 ranking for a while. I have a question, though. Why do broadcasters internally select singers who can't sing their song? They need to go and watch the performer live. It's rare that someone is so off key on the Eurovision stage. I always thought the song would suit Duncan Lawrence.

Notable songs

City Lights ⭐⭐⭐

Because of You⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Before The Party’s Over ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Edited July 18Jul 18 by Colm

15 Ishtar - O Julissi (2008, DNQ)

I love the folky traditional feel to this and the live instruments: it’s utterly charming.

14 Pierre Rapsat - Judy Et Cie (1976, 8th)

This reminds me of “Hotel California” which funnily was released earlier the same year: it’s quite a striking song and performance.

13 Hooverphonic - The Wrong Place (2021, 19th)

Again this isn’t as good as some of their ‘90s trip hop material but it still has a sultry elegance and stands out from the rest of the field.

12th Fud Leclerc - Messieurs Les Noyés De La Seine (1956)

From the very first Eurovision when they didn’t even reveal any results beyond the winner, this is surprisingly engaging and interesting for the time, and a dramatic performance.

11 Philippe Lafontaine - Macédomienne (12th, 1990)

This is quite a mesmerising song and performance, and I really enjoy the almost ritualistic and haunting feel to the part when the backing singers hum.

I adore The Wrong Place, I voted for that in 2021 (having not been fussed on Release Me). I love the lyrics too and it was completely robbed with 3 points from the public.

O Julissi is incredibly unique and charming indeed, I loved that.

Judy Et Cie sounds nice, and good storytelling, surprised the juries didn't rank that higher.

O Julissi is very good indeed, one of my all-time favourites from Belgium.

10 Reynaert - Laissez Briller Le Soleil (1988, 18th)

I’ve no idea why this one did so poorly. it’s a very heartfelt performance by both him and the backing singers, and quite a mesmerising song.

9 Dream Express - A Million In One, Two Three (1977, 7th)

Moving to the chirpier end of the spectrum, this has rather a ‘60s Motown feel to it. It’s very tightly performed and a joyful, very catchy song.

8 Gustaph - Becuase Of You (2023, 7th, 2023)

I remember this one suddenly becoming something of a fan favourite thanks to the live performances. It succeeds where a lot of soul songs in Eurovision have just ended up being boring thanks to the very effective switch up into a dance track.

7 Claude Lombard - Quand Tu Reviendras (1968, 7th)

The only ‘60s entry to make my ranking and a real beauty. It’s a very slow number over a distant sounding orchestral accompaniment, and she delivers it with incredible beauty and vulnerability.

6 Witloof Bay - With Love Baby (2011, DNQ)

I love a bit of close harmony and beatboxing, and this is really well done and so different from anything else in the contest. It’s amazing that every sound in the song is being made by the people on stage. Sadly it missed qualifying by just 1 point.

5 Jean Vallée - L’amour Ça Fait Chanter La Vie (1978, 2nd)

One of their best results and deservedly so. It’s a simple ballad with a slow accompaniment. Yet somehow it manages to be incredibly striking and moving, and his performance is wonderful and becomes more and more intense.

4 Loïc Nottet - Rhythm Inside (4th, 2015)

This seems to be often referred to as a Eurovision classic that has grown legs beyond its 4th place finish. It’s a very powerfully written, stark and rhythmic track that becomes more and more imposing as it goes on until the huge final chorus. It’s not a personal favourite to listen to but absolutely does deserve the acclaim.

3 Vanessa Chinitor - Like The Wind (1999, 12th)

This is the only one of my top 5 to not have also finished in the contest top 5. It had the death slot which may have contributed to it getting lost, but it’s the most beautiful, atmospheric and evocative song that feels like it could have been written by Enya. I love the riff from the flute-like instrument and the way the harmonies and instruments create the sense of being airborne.

I remember hating With Love Baby prior to the contest but then changing my mind completely after the live performance.

Rhythm Inside would be my top 1 here and 2015 in general is a year of bangers.

I really dislike 2015, one of my least favourites years, so full of ballads. The only ones I really go back to now are Rhythm Inside, Love Injected and Goodbye To Yesterday. Which have all aged incredibly well, I must say.

Love Injected and Goodbye to Yesterday are great. I loved the Spanish entry that year.

In Belgium right now to complete this

2 Blanche - City Lights (2017, 4th)

It’s ultimately a very simple song and I can see why the juries didn’t entirely warm to it in the final. However I find the melody and production incredibly hypnotic. The way she performs like a rabbit in the headlights really adds to the effect for me. This was a song in 2017 that I couldn’t help wanting to listen to again and again.

1 Urban Trad - Sanomi (2003, 2nd)

What an incredible winner we didn’t quite have as this missed by 2 points. Folk group Urban Trad had 9 members so 3 of them had to sit out of the contest aww. It was the first imaginary language entry ever in the contest. It’s an utterly spellbinding song and Belgium’s most inspired moment for me.

Country 9: Bosnia & Herzegovina

Bosnia & Herzegovina joined the contest in 1993 right after the break up of Yugoslavia. They competed for 20 years until 2012, missing a couple of the earlier years due to relegation. Then after a few years out they returned in 2016, before disappearing indefinitely. That means there are 19 entries in total.

For me there is a huge contrast between the first and second half of their entries. Especially in the early years the songs were quite dated and the performances quite stiff. But they really came into their own in the second decade and entered some really interesting and varied songs with ethnic elements. The introduction of the semifinals seemed to induce them to up their game, and they had a 100% qualification rate until their one off return in 2016 when they finished 11th in the semi.