Runner-up: Spain 1973

Some results through Eurovision history you just can't argue with. It doesn't matter if you like "Save Your Kisses For Me" or not - it remains the best selling single out of all ESC winners and therefore deserved its victory. Right?

Another one that is hard to talk down is "Eres tú" that lost with a very tight margin to Anne-Marie David representing host country Luxembourg, but went on to become a resounding worldwide smash hit.

Mocedades were popular even before but now they were catapulted into the league of unforgettables. The song even made it high into the charts in the US, both in its original Spanish version but also in English as "Touch The Wind".

I must admit to being a fan myself. I think it's a lovely song. Very similar to the 1966 Yugoslav entry, but would Juan Carlos Calderón really have stolen another eurosong deliberately? I'm not sure.

Me being a fan doesn't change that fact that 1973 remains an impossibly strong year with a whole bunch of fantastic classics. "Eres tú" may be a minor monument of a song, but so is the winner. And so is Israel's "Ey sham".

A deserved 2nd place?
I'm not going to say it was undeserved. I'm just going to say that had I been the jury, I would have placed Luxembourg first, Israel second and Spain third. (And about five songs or so in a tied fourth place.)



Mocedades - Eres tú (Spain 1973)

Abba had a plan

I got the question on Twitter, how come Abba managed to build a successful career after winning eurovision as most others have failed in doing so. There are many factors but in the end it all comes down to having a plan.

Abba had the luck to find themselves in a very creative surrounding. Their manager Stikkan Andersson was a skilled and talented promoter and had good contacts to major labels around the globe and he was also convinced that Abba had what it takes to become an international act.

Björn and Benny were highly talented and productive songwriters and producers, and the vocal sound provided by Agnetha and Frida in combination with the presence of sound engineering genius Michael B Tretow set a new standard in Swedish pop music.

The blessing in disguise was that their first eurovision attempt as a group failed. Ring Ring was a huge favourite in the 1973 Swedish final but only managed a third place when the panel of experts had cast their votes.



Abba - Ring Ring (Sweden 1973 national final)

This failure brought many positive things. First of all, it seems very unlikely that a likeable but simple song like this would have won the 1973 final in Luxembourg since it was composed of experts, like the Swedish jury had been. The song became quite a success even outside Sweden and opened doors in many territories, something that would come in handy later. And Abba got the audience on their side for next year's national final.

The 1974 Swedish final was mainly a formality and resulted in a clear victory for Waterloo. Now Stikkan Andersson was prepared and had secured local record deals and promotion for the song (as well as the subsequent album) and when victory came along in Brighton, all he had to do was push the button and the machinery was already underway.



Abba - Waterloo (Sweden 1974)

Abba was more of a direct hit in some markets while others were harder to break - it wasn't until late 1975 and the success of "S.O.S" that the group had their real breakthrough in the UK for instance.

But this is where most eurovision entrants go wrong, there seems to be no plan on how to handle potential success. Many a winner have declared that they will now try to conquer the world, but that is easier said than done. Eurovision puts you in the spotlight, but only for a very limited time. You need to act fast to capitalise on it.

If you win, there is no time to go back home and record an album. There is no time to make plans of your own, you have to accept what is offered and hope for the best. It it too late to put yourself in control at this point.

Last year's winner Loreen had an excellent opportunity as her winning song hit many international charts but not only was her album released at a very late stage, it took forever for her team to even produce a professional video clip of her winning song.

Then again - not everyone wants to be an international star either. Trying to conquer a bigger market is hard work and very tiresome and not necessarily met with success just because you are doing your best.

Abba are outstanding on so many levels - they had an almost Beatles-esque production flow, knocking out excellent singles and albums for many years, expanding their careers and re-inventing themselves in ways few other acts can follow.

Many winners have used their victory to become heroes on home ground or to break a certain market, and sometimes the victory allows you to do things in your domestic market that you couldn't do before.

And yet - in these days of the internet, where you can technically win the world over through YouTube, iTunes and Spotify, it would be interesting to see who would be the first eurovision winner to turn victory into lasting eurovision success.

The question is if any team present in Malmö has this plan - what do we do on Sunday if we wake up as winners? I hope at least somebody has.



Abba - The Name Of The Game

2013 Finalist: United Kingdom

Thirty years ago Bonnie Tyler scored the biggest hit of her career - when "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" stormed the charts here, there and everywhere - and what could be a better way to celebrate than to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest?



Bonnie Tyler - Believe In Me (United Kingdom 2013)

It's been a while since Bonnie was a regular hitmaker, that should be admitted right away, but her name is still mentioned with a certain amount of respect around the continent and she feels more relevant than The Hump did last year. She is not a bad choice at all.

I'm more puzzled by the fact that her chosen entry isn't more striking and most of all that it doesn't really reflect Bonnie's old style, the one the audiences would instantly recognise.

This is however an old pattern for British representatives - once a big name is secured to do the job, no particular effort goes into finding an equally smashing song. In the past there was no need to. If you gave Europe a Sandie Shaw, a Lulu or a Cliff Richard the points would come flying in also for an underwhelming, old-fashioned song.

Surprisingly, few UK entries through the years have been cutting edge, progressive or groundbreaking. "Believe In Me" fits perfectly into that line of entries - pleasant, inoffensive and radio friendly. It's nice but not more.

However, Bonnie seems to believe in her own song. The final result is more engaging than this song would really deserve and all credit for that comes down to the performer herself.

Potential winner:
No. Too lean and too fleeting to win, but if Bonnie Tyler has a good night she could collect more points than the British viewers have grown accustomed to.

My grade: 3/5

One of the few UK star entrants to get reasonably modern entries that fit into his regular catalogue was Cliff Richard - it gave him considerable chart success and also had a certain impact on what kind of song you could send to eurovision.

I remain doubtful regarding how much impact this year's entry will have on future eurosongs.



Cliff Richard - Power To All Our Friends (United Kingdom 1973)

Song of the Day: Belgium 1971

I could be wrong here - please correct me if I am - but I think there is only one case in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest where the performer of a song had to be replaced at such short notice that there are different singers in the preview clip than live on stage.

Nicole and Hugo had won the 1971 Belgian national final and made a breathtakingly charming video clip, when Nicole fell ill and found herself unable to go to Dublin.



Nicole & Hugo - Goeiemorgen morgen (Belgium 1971 preview)

Instead old-timers Lily Castel and Jacques Raymond stepped in at short notice, famously rehearsing their choreography on the plane for Ireland. When arriving at the Gaiety Theatre, they realised the stage was too small for their act anyway, resulting in a somewhat drier, stiffer version of the song. Despite having many supporters beforehand, the Belgian song found itself in a lucklustre fourteenth place.



Jacques Raymond & Lily Castel - Goeiemorgen morgen (Belgium 1971)

In all fairness, the stage would have been too small also for the flamboyant steps of the original couple but maybe Nicole and Hugo had been able to add that final punch and extra bite that the performance would have needed to convince the juries. It is a very fine song, in a brilliant arrangement, and a shame that it is somewhat forgotten in the eurovision archives.

Nicole & Hugo would get a second chance at Eurovision - two years later they represented their country with the true evergreen "Baby Baby", landing in a highly undeserved last place. I think these two were pioneers within Eurovision showbiz - talented, funny, good-looking and daring - and they would deserve so much more respect for their craft.

Hats off for both of them!



Nicole & Hugo - Baby Baby (Belgium 1973)

Preview clip: Spain 1973

Arguably one of the best songs ever to grace the stage of the Eurovision Song Contest, Spain's 1973 effort was not only a strong entry but it also came in nice packaging.

Particularly in the preview shows. The previews were a relatively new and fresh approach still, and TVE made a certain effort to make their entry look good.

Easy tricks for sure - mirrors on both sides of the studio and a nice panorama shot - but the result is very nice. Had I been around in 1973, I'm pretty sure I would have been ready to bet everything I owned an more on Spanish victory.



Mocedades - Eres tú (Spain 1973 preview clip)

In the end, Mocedades didn't quite deliver. Lead singer Amaya Uranga got a bit too tense in the end while Anne-Marie David, representing host nation Luxembourg, stormed in and nailed cameras as well as every single note and won the whole thing by a margin of four points.



Mocedades - Eres tú (Spain 1973)

Song Of The Day: Portugal 1973

When Portugal made its Eurovision debut, the country was still under harsh dictatorship and its first ten entries were all products of the totalitarian regime and its cultural rules.

Since you were not allowed to speak your mind, the domestic poets tried to sneak their lyrics past the strict censorship of the national broadcaster and win a place in the national song contest.

Ary Dos Santos played this game very well, he wrote the lyrics for no less than four winning songs, some of which had critical messages between the lines. "Tourada" being a very fine example of this.

The song is not exactly your typical pop hit, but it has a very persistent chorus that is catchy in its own little way.



Fernando Tordo - Tourada (Portugal 1973)

This lyric doesn't stand out as particularly dangerous to me but apparently it contains blistering criticism of the country's leadership as well as the double standards of a society that puts up with being controlled.

And somehow you can hear how scornful it is. It sounds really cheeky, obnoxious and arrogant in a refreshing way. Hearing it today, I'm sure it would still annoy the life out of somebody. Fernando Tordo is also a very likeable performer, almost as cheeky as the song itself.

It was also given quite an amusing preview clip, I must say.



Fernando Tordo - Tourada (Portugal 1973 preview clip)

Not only did it result (surprisingly) in one of Portugal's better placings, it is also (less surprisingly) a real evergreen on home ground. When covered by another of my favourite Portuguese ESC performers of recent years, it recieved a very enthusiastic response from the audience.




Rui Drumond - Tourada

Song Of The Day: Israel 1973

Israel made its eurovision debut in Luxembourg 1973, seemingly because singer Ilanit really wanted to take part and represent her won country.

She surely must have felt the need to impress as many people as possible, and commissioned a specially crafted song from well renowned composer Nurit Hirsh. She listened to several successful ESC entries in order to find a structure that would appeal to an international contest before writing "Ey Sham".

And what a piece of art that song is. It starts gently with a plain piano introduction before Ilanits warm voice blends into the mix, singing a few lines before the whole thing erupts into a long, dynamic chorus, where the lyrics by Ehud Manor makes Hebrew sound soft, poetic and appealing.

Cleverly, the song never repeats the exact structures - short verse followed by long chorus, then a long verse followed by a short chorus, then an instrumental break before another short chorus wraps the whole thing up.

IBA could not afford sending any backing singers along to Luxembourg, but the clever arrangement almost makes up for that. The orchestra is conducted by Nurit Hirsh herself, being the second female conductor ever at the ESC (out of a grand total of three).



Ilanit - Ey Sham (Israel 1973)

In my book, Israel is yet to send any song as powerful and convincing as this one. Even if it sounds even a tiny bit better in its studio version, thanks to a certain atmosphere the Luxembourgois orchestra could not create (as well as the lack of backing vocals).



Ilanit - Ey Sham (Israel 1973 preview)

Tobson's winners: 1971 - 1975

After the fiasco in Madrid, where four countries shared the top spot, the EBU spent the following five years trying to figure out a system that would make such a situation easier to avoid in the future.

The introduction of expert jurors, two from each participating country, was maybe not the smartest of ideas in retrospect, for a multitude of reasons, but at least they managed to select the right winner, at least in my opinion, every year they were in function.

And since these three winners were also to be found in my favourite winners ever blog post , you won't be in for many surprises in this section.

1971 - Monaco



Séverine - Un banc, un arbre, une rue (Monaco 1971)

Also 1971 sees a fair share of good songs, but none that can compete with this epic bittersweet classic. Séverine gives the performance of a lifetime and got a pretty successful career in Germany in return.

This was a commercially successful entry all over the continent that everyone could be happy with. Everyone but the people at monegasque television, who (probably after some serious panicking) turned down the offer to host next year's competition.

Real winner:
Séverine - Un banc, un arbre, une rue (Monaco)


1972 - Luxembourg



Vicky Leandros - Après toi (Luxembourg 1972)

Another almost mythical Eurovision winner, who managed to beat the "unbeatable" New Seekers by rather a margin in the end.

Also 1972 has a couple of real gems (Germany's Mary Roos, Portugal's Carlos Mendes and Austria's Milestones - all fantastic songs), but there is no way around an entry like "Après toi".

Rumour had it at the time that German television had rejected it from its national final and only then was it translated into French and selected by Luxembourg, a rumour strongly denied by Vicky herself.

Germany would have looked a bit silly rejecting a song like this and - let's face it - it would never have won in its German version. It somehow needs the darkness in the French version for the drama to blossom like it should.

And blossom it does.

Real winner:
Vicky Leandros - Après toi (Luxembourg)


1973 - Luxembourg



Anne-Marie David - Tu te reconnaîtras (Luxembourg 1973)

For the third year running, I agree with the expert juries. Does that mean I am a snob, liking the same thing experts like? Perhaps.

But also, these three years have winners that are easy to identify. Because they are fantastic songs.

Israel's Ilanit is almost as good as this one. Almost, almost. But for me, this is the one winning song that blows all the others off the tree.

Anne-Marie David for president!

Real winner:
Anne-Marie David - Tu te reconnaîtras (Luxembourg)


1974 - Italy



Gigliola Cinquetti - Si (Italy 1974)

In all fairness, Non ho l'età is quite a good little song, but this is Gigliola's real moment in the sun. This is where she gets to shine and show just how good a performer she is.

This was also quite a risky choice for Eurovision as it really is too sophisticated, too soft, too slow. For Brighton, they had to shorten the first verse and they also performed the song at a slightly higher pace than on record.

This is an almost hypnotic little song, very classy and very engaging. Lucky break it didn't win, as that could have put Abba's career at risk, but this is clearly the moral winner of the year.

Real winner:
Abba - Waterloo (Sweden)


1975 - Italy



Wess & Dori Ghezzi - Era (Italy 1975)

It is a surprising fact that Italian television, who doesn't give a toss about the ESC, have come up with so many brilliant entries through the years.

It could even be that it is because of this fact, not in spite of it. Since ESC was never a big deal in Italy, their stars could go there without fear of wrecking their careers, and they never felt the pressure to fit in with typical eurosongs.

This is also a surprisingly juicy number, soulful and passionate, and not at all as well-mannered as most eurovision entries were at the time. Wess & Dori complement each other very well.

And even if the pace is - again - slightly faster compared to the record version, making the live version lack a bit in dynamic, the orchestra is up to scratch and carries this song nicely.

Real winner:
Teach-In - Ding A Dong (Netherlands)

The five best winners ever... according to Tobson

For the people who know me, it will come as no surprise that I am hopelessly down with old, bombastic and dramatic eurosongs in French. And when I compile my all-time top five of winners, that the French dominate completely.

The most surprising and unpredictable thing about my list is that it includes six songs, not five. Silly, I know. But these six songs are so clearly above the rest of the winners in my list, it would be blasphemous not to include them all.

Sixth place:



Corinne Hermès - Si la vie est cadeau (Luxembourg 1983)

Wonderfully breezy, airy big ballad - the last winner representing this genre - in a great vocal delivery by Corinne Hermès. It wasn't a huge commercial success at the time and is a bit forgotten among winners these days. Which is ridiculous. Fantastic stuff!

Fifth place:



Séverine - Un banc, un arbre, une rue (Monaco 1971)

This is such a fantastic evergreen - a mega hit at the time, translated into most languages. In Finland, for instance, I'm sure more people think of this as a Finnish song rather than an ESC winner because the domestic version was so popular. Classic but not dated.

Fourth place:



Marie Myriam - L'oiseau et l'enfant (France 1977)

This could be a bit old-fashioned in the sense that it keeps growing on me and the older we both get, the more I love it. In my eyes, it keep unfolding and growing intro something bigger, better and more beautiful every time. Also this one made it big in various versions around the continent, and maybe nothing can be better praise than people thinking your song is their own.

Third place:



France Gall - Poupée de cire, poupée de son (Luxembourg 1965)

It is beyond me how a song written in 1965 can still sound so modern and up-to-date as this one. Shockingly modern at its time and the first song with a pop sound ever to win the ESC. Do not think we are not grateful! France herself has had a bit of a problem accepting this older part of her career, but I hope she also recognises what a fantastic song this is. The ever-growing number of cover versions of it just underlines how indestructible this masterpiece is. If you want to see the performance from Naples (impossible to imbed for some reason) it can be found here .

Second place:



Vicky Leandros - Après toi (Luxembourg 1972)

When the sun sets in Euroland, it is never to rise again. When the heart is broken, no glue can put the pieces back together. The emotion of this song is strong enough to knock down an elephant, and the performance by Vicky is almost frighteningly spot on. Surprisingly, and disappointingly, it works very badly in its English and German versions, where some silly lyricist made happy, cheerful lyrics for it. How do you ever come up with such a bad idea, when it is so clearly a song about heartbreak?

Number one:



Anne-Marie David - Tu te reconnaîtras (Luxembourg 1973)

What can I say? Every time I hear it, I am surprised at just how good it is. The powerful intro, the fantastic verse, the explosive chorus... And then the marvel of the piano bridge between the chorus back to the verse. I am totally blown away. Both by the song and by Anne-Marie. The best winner ever in my book, and very likely to stay at that number one spot for a long time to come.

Out of these six, all but one is produced in France ("Après toi" is a German production), and all of them won before I became an active follower of Eurovision.

Maybe I am a bit hard on the newer songs - there are many brilliant winners after 1983 as well - but they don't have the same magic and shine about them.

What are your favourite winners? Let me know by leaving a comment!

When reality hits Eurovision

There will be a long shadow over this year's Icelandic national final as one of the participants, Sigurjón Brink, died unexpectedly at the age of 36.

Apart from the obvious personal tragedy, it creates a delicate dilemma for the Icelandic television who needs to relate to the situation in the best of taste and find a solution that will still look tasteful and fair once the shock fades away and more critical eyes start analysing what you have done and what you haven't done.

I'm not claiming to know everything about Eurovision (is there any such person - and what would he/she look like?) but I can't remember any other situation like this, that a main performer would have passed away right before their planned Eurovision performance.

The closest I can come to think of is Sammy Babitzin (brother of Kirka), who competed in the 1973 Euroviisut and then died in a car crash later than a month after the international final.



Sammy Babitzin & Koivistolaiset - Riviera (Finland NF 1973)

Death did play a part in the 1974 ESC, though. Four days before the final, held on April 6, the French President George Pompidou dies due to an illness largely unknown to the public. France was in shock and, obviously, withdrew from the contest. The French delegation, already on location in Brighton, never performed.



Dani - La vie à 25 ans (France 1974 preview)

However, the grim realities of life were perhaps never more present than in 1993, when Bosnia-Herzegovina debuted under their own flag in Millstreet and produced a preview clip from Sarajevo at war. At that time, we were used to seeing images of civil war from former Yugoslavia on the news, but here they were, singing a song, on our favourite entertainment show. There was no way we could ignore them this time.



Fazla - Sva bol svijeta (Bosnia-Herzegovina 1993 preview)