The Eurovision Song Contest is an international music contest held in Europe every year. In a way, I suppose it's kind of like American Idol, if each state brought in a competitor. It began in Europe in the '50s. Some people in the European Broadcasting Union which happened to be based in Switzerland, thought that the continent needed something to bring its people together. They devised a contest where each participating country would submit one song, and through a complex system of points, a winner would be announced. Unlike American Idol, all of these performers were professionals, some already established in their countries, some just getting started, but all pros.
I thought about giving you a sampling of each decade's music, but I really couldn't find any from the 1960s that I liked, and there are several from the 1970s. (Like the guy said, "no plan survives contact with the enemy.") But, we can look at some performers who got their international start with Eurovision, whether they won or not.
Let's start with the very first contest: 1956. The host country that year, (the hosting country changes from one year to the next) was Switzerland, since they were the ones who came up with the idea. And the winning song was also from Switzerland. I thought at first that this is only the refrain (chorus) of the song in question, but then I realized that Refrain is the title. Note her dress, the orchestra, and the backup singers. The kids have flowers for her presumably because she's just won. And even though she's representing Switzerland, she is singing in French. The language rules have changed over the years, but at this point the song could be in whatever language they wanted.
There are some recognizable names during the 1960s: Lulu, whose big hit in the US was To Sir, With Love. Even she knew that her 1969 Eurovision selection, Boom bang-a-bang, stunk. In a later interview she said, "I know it's a rotten song, but I won, so who cares? I'd have sung Baa, Baa Black Sheep standing on my head if that's what it took to win." Even so, she had to share that win with three other countries. (That year saw an unusual four-way tie.)
But, the 1970s saw more than their share of notables. We start out with 1970, and the 4th place contestant. Julio Iglesias.
This next one has always been a favorite of mine. Eres tu only made it to 2nd place in 1973, but it is much better known than the winner of that year: Tu te reconnaitras. Mocedades, the rather large group that recorded Eres tu, actually made this a hit in the US, and it remains the biggest hit in this country to be sung entirely in another language. Although there is an English version; Touch the Wind that was the B-side of the single, but it did not do as well. And just for the record (so to speak), the Spanish lyrics have nothing in common with the English "translation."
But, now we come to 1974 and the biggest band that Eurovision has ever launched: ABBA. Although ABBA had made the charts in Sweden and the US (ranking 114 with People Need Love) the year before, this was their big international break. This year songs could be performed in any language, and the orchestra was optional. Pre-recorded background music was allowed, but no singing could be on the pre-recorded tracks. Since the conductor came out dressed as Napoleon, I'd thought at first that this could be used as proof that ABBA had chosen to perform with the orchestra. But, now that I think about Napoleon and Waterloo, I'm not so sure.
I still say that the '70s have a lot to answer for from the fashion police. What outfits!
Of course, the 1974 contest had another star performing. Olivia Newton-John only came in 4th, with Long Live Love. Like Lulu, she later admitted that she hadn't liked the song, but never admitted to a willingness to stand on her head. Olivia had already made a splash in the US with Let Me Be There. So, while not a new-comer, she was not yet the huge star she was to become. And, her gown is better than spandex. Maybe.
I'm going to breeze through most of the 1980s. Nothing terribly memorable happened. But in 1988, we find a 20-year old French-Canadian singing for Switzerland. She'd already had a gold record in France five years before, so we can't say that she was unknown when she won the Eurovision title. But, she had yet to break into the English-language market. And this song would do nothing to help that along. It needed a vocal breakdown the following year, English lessons, dental surgery, and voice lessons before that would happen. So, here, just before her big break; Celine Dion singing Ne Partez San Moi (Don't Leave Without Me).
In retrospect, the late '80s fashions weren't great, either. That skirt is awful! And check out the shoulder pads! And the poodle-hair! Oh, and at this point, they'd reinstated the rule that the song had to be sung in one of the official languages of that country. By 1997, this rule had changed (again) to allow the song in whatever language the singer prefers, and remains in place today. So far. And note: no orchestra. The last time an orchestra was used was 1998, ten years after this, but clearly already on the way out. How sad.
And finally, I'm going to show you last year's winner. Not because I've ever heard of her, but just to show you how far the production has come. We were first introduced to the Eurovision Song Contest when we lived in Germany, through the BBC. Now, I understand that it's available on this interconnected series of tubes called the Internet. Apparently, Loreen came in 4th in the Swedish Idol 2004 series. (Remember how at the beginning I said this was sort of like American Idol?) Although she's singing in English, I have no idea what this song is about. I was far too distracted by her dance moves. At :55 she shows that it can still be Hammer-time. I think she got some of her fashion sense from Mr. Hammer, too. And she's barefoot. Why? All in all it's an interesting performance, I suppose.
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