Ah, Maria :heart:

21. Maria Haukaas Storeng - Hold On, Be Strong

Country: Norway

Year: 2008

Total points: 182

Final position: 5th out of 25

 

 

To me, this song's success is proof that a western country can do well if they really try. Totally deserved to get this high, and it's my second highest 2008 song in this chart. Maria performed this very well in the final, and she had a great position to sing from, even if she had just followed Dima Bilan! Let's hope we get a song as decent as this in next year's contest, and another that can pick up decent points from nearly every voting country!

 

if I was to redo my best ESC songs ever chart now, Maria would have gone up from No.31 to about No.6 or 7...truly stunning song, performance and woman :kink: her album is just sublime :heart:

 

it was the first of 2008's ESC songs to enter my chart, and it will probably be the last to leave :D

woo for Beth - Dime, the last Spanish entry I liked. Shame the performance was c**p, could've ended up way higher

I agree, Dime was Spain's finest entry of this decade...along with Rosa :wub: now they send complete trash, much like the UK :cheer:

Brujeria, Bloody Mary, I love You Mi Vida, Baila El Chiki Chiki

 

will i see one of them at least? :cry:

 

:lol:

None of those are coming up! :lol: 'Dime' was the only Spanish entry in my top 50. ^_^ I'll do the next few now. :w00t:

20. Dana International - Diva

Country: Israel

Year: 1998

Total points: 172

Final placing: 1st out of 25

 

 

It seemed inevitable that this monster of a song would win throughout the voting period, and at #20, it is my highest charting 1998 song. I think 1998 on the whole was quite a poor year for songs, with the exception of five or six, but this was a deserved winner. Even if it did give the United Kingdom our 15th second place! Great stuff from Ms. International though, and she even re-appeared on the writing credits on Boaz Mauda's entry for Israel this year. ^_^

19. Claudette Pace - Desire

Country: Malta

Year: 2000

Total points: 73

Final placing: 8th out of 24

 

 

The highest placed song from the 2000 contest is this cheeky little summer song from Claudette Pace. ^_^ I really like this song, but can't find an MP3 of it anywhere! :lol: It received points from all but four of the voting countries, and climbed to a respectable eighth position. Deserved top ten finish in my opinion, such a catchy tune and the sort of thing you can imagine hearing on the beach in the Mediterranean or something.

18. Paul Oscar - Minn Hinsti Dans

Country: Iceland

Year: 1997

Total points: 18

Final placing: 20th out of 25

 

 

We all know that if this bondage anthem was entered today, it'd do a damn sight better than 20th! That fact is even proved in the scoring for this in the 1997 contest - 16 of its 18 points were received from televoters, and only five countries were televoting this year! We gave it six points ourself, and very well deservedly I feel. ^_^ This is a very good song anyway, regardless of the act that comes with it! Paul Oscar actually wrote Eurobandið's 'This Is My Life' I believe, so his Eurovision career is far from over! :D

17. Natalia Barbu - Fight

Country: Moldova

Year: 2007

Total points: 109

Final placing: 10th out of 24

 

 

Chosen way back in December 2006, this was the first song to be selected, and the last to be performed in the 2007 final. :magic: It was an instant favourite of mine, and I still think it's a cracking song. The performance and outfit made 'Fight' all the more errr... memorable, and its top ten finishing position was well deserved for the Moldavians. ^_^ Definately my favourite song from 2007. :heart: Better than Scooch, yes. -_-

16. Ruslana - Wild Dances

Country: Ukraine

Year: 2004

Total points: 280

Final placing: 1st out of 24

 

 

Haha this song is so good. :heehee: Back in 2004, I didn't really think it was anything special, but now I see it for all it's worth and it's just fantastic. :heart: The performance, dancing and the song itself all constituted an instantly winning performance from the Ukrainian, and I think Ukraine may be the country to watch out for in the next few years... a brief lapse in 2005 with that monstrous political song is all that has kept Ukraine from having a five-year top ten finishing streak. :o

15. Sertab Erener - Everyway That I Can

Country: Turkey

Year: 2003

Total points: 167

Final placing: 1st out of 26

 

 

The best song of 2003 BY FAR is this. :heart: The best song on the night definately won, even if Turkey were aided by the diaspora vote a bit... but just this once I'll let them off. Listening to the Eurovision performance of this again makes me realise how much this really did deserve to win, and the whole routine was just amazing. It won from the "dreaded" fourth position too. :o Now we've only got second to conquer...

14. Helena Paparizou - My Number One

Country: Greece

Year: 2005

Total points: 230

Final placing: 1st out of 24

 

 

I think the verses of this song won it for Greece tbh, as the chorus isn't quite as edgy imo. This is a great song though overall, and it seemed to appear from nowhere on the scoreboard, in what was, up until about half way, between about six or seven countries! The routine on stage looked very good, and Helena has gone on to have many a successful album, in particular the infectious 'The Game of Love'. :heart:

13. Michelle - Wer Liebe Libt

Country: Germany

Year: 2001

Total points: 66

Final placing: 8th out of 23

 

 

"A chest to remember," as Terry Wogan pointed out as Michelle came onto the stage, and Michelle and her chest certainly didn't disappoint with an absolutely amazing song. :heart: I think it deserved more than 66 points tbh, but climbing to eighth place was pretty impressive for the Germans. ^_^ And she even started singing in English half way through, which made this song all the more special. :D

12. Selma - All Out of Luck

Country: Iceland

Year: 1999

Total points: 146

Final placing: 2nd out of 23

 

 

How on EARTH the mediocre 'Take Me to Your Heaven' beat this fantastic piece of pop I will never know. -_- This should definately have been the winner in 1999, in what was all round a pretty tragic year for songs - only this and Croatia appear in my whole top 50. This song is insanely catchy though, and Selma even tried - and failed - in 2005 to emulate her success. I felt a bit sorry for Selma towards the end of the voting as well when the Nilsson/Perrelli started jumping around blatantly gloating in her face. :arrr: Pffft...

11. Carola - Invincible

Country: Sweden

Year: 2006

Total points: 170

Final placing: 5th out of 24

 

 

This is pop at its finest, and a top five finishing was well deserved for Carola - even if she didn't get a single "douze points" throughout. :o Her votes were quite similar to Maria Haukaas Storeng's of Norway this year actually - getting reasonable votes from just about every country. I think this song pisses all over her 1991 winner as well, just a shame this couldn't go four better and do the same. :( But oh well. @D

 

----------------------

 

And so, the top ten are coming up tomorrow. :o Without giving too much away, I will say that they come from seven different years and seven different countries. ^_^

13. Michelle - Wer Liebe Libt

Country: Germany

Year: 2001

Total points: 66

Final placing: 8th out of 23

 

 

"A chest to remember," as Terry Wogan pointed out as Michelle came onto the stage, and Michelle and her chest certainly didn't disappoint with an absolutely amazing song. :heart: I think it deserved more than 66 points tbh, but climbing to eighth place was pretty impressive for the Germans. ^_^ And she even started singing in English half way through, which made this song all the more special. :D

 

the better of the two Michelle's of 2001...I love this song, she looks a bit like Olive Snook from Pushing Daisies :D

12. Selma - All Out of Luck

Country: Iceland

Year: 1999

Total points: 146

Final placing: 2nd out of 23

 

 

How on EARTH the mediocre 'Take Me to Your Heaven' beat this fantastic piece of pop I will never know. -_- This should definately have been the winner in 1999, in what was all round a pretty tragic year for songs - only this and Croatia appear in my whole top 50. This song is insanely catchy though, and Selma even tried - and failed - in 2005 to emulate her success. I felt a bit sorry for Selma towards the end of the voting as well when the Nilsson/Perrelli started jumping around blatantly gloating in her face. :arrr: Pffft...

 

Iceland MUST win one year...Selma should definitely have triumphed over Charlotte...such an uplifting pop song :wub:

11. Carola - Invincible

Country: Sweden

Year: 2006

Total points: 170

Final placing: 5th out of 24

 

 

This is pop at its finest, and a top five finishing was well deserved for Carola - even if she didn't get a single "douze points" throughout. :o Her votes were quite similar to Maria Haukaas Storeng's of Norway this year actually - getting reasonable votes from just about every country. I think this song pisses all over her 1991 winner as well, just a shame this couldn't go four better and do the same. :( But oh well. @D

 

----------------------

 

And so, the top ten are coming up tomorrow. :o Without giving too much away, I will say that they come from seven different years and seven different countries. ^_^

 

I love Carola...she was also in Melodifestivalen this year with One Love which was a slightly rockier track, but alas the Swedish public wanted to send more schlager -_- her wind machine/performance were immense...I also loved the original Swedish version of this track, Evighet :heart:

 

10. Daz Sampson - Teenage Life

Country: United Kingdom

Year: 2006

Total points: 25

Final placing: 19th out of 24

 

 

Oh God, looking back this is so cringeworthy. :( What's all this "rat-a-tat-tat" $h!t all about?! But I love it. Had Daz been a bit better presented and not some old looking p****, I think this song would've done quite a bit better. It's a good song when you listen to it though imo, perhaps discounting the performance, and I often play it throughout the year. ^_^ All my mates love it as well, which is a bonus! ^_^ Daz was actually one of the pre-contest favourites as well, bizarrely. :o