December 1: Cindy Berger

It is December, good people of Euroland! When I grew up, December would be unthinkable without a Christmas calendar counting down the days to the big event. (Truth be told, one was not enough. I would usually have at least four or five different ones.)

So I thought I'd make my own ESC version, so every day until Christmas I will present you a song that never made it to the big international final but that deserves some sort of recognition.

Maybe they are not all good in the traditional sense. Certainly not all of them would have gone down a storm at the ESC. Not of all them should have won their national finals. But the thing they have in common is that I am deeply fond of them.

Today's song does, however, tick all the right boxes. It is excellent, it would most certainly had impressed also internationally and it should have won its national final by a landslide.

Cindy Berger had already represented Germany together with her then-husband Bert and ended in a most undeserved last place. This should have been her grand revenge and her opportunity to show herself in a better light.

A classy song and a classy performance with gravity, presence and dignity.



Cindy Berger / Und leben will ich auch (Germany NF 1988) 

Tobson takes on Melodifestivalen 1988

Malmö didn't exactly shine on its first two attempts at organising Melodifestivalen. Underproduced and lacklustre finals that did manage to select good ESC entries but failed in providing solid entertainment. This would prove third time lucky.

Producer Kåge Gimtell decided to make it big and placed the whole thing at the local city theatre, making full use of its revolving stage, sporting one of my favourite stage designs ever in a Swedish final. The live orchestra was placed under the baton of Anders Berglund and sounded magnificent compared to 1983.

The standard of songs was high - maybe not as elevated as the year before but also lacking obvious disaster entries like "Flyktingen" - and finally Malmö had settled for an experienced host: Bengt Grafström was warm, friendly and a little bit dry and very competent in handling most situations.

This year the regional juries were back and were - for the first time - shown live on screen. (Apparently a difficult process since it would take many years for it to happen again.)

The contest logo was shown live on stage too

12. Paul Rein / Bara du och jag
A bit of a scoop as young Paul Rein had had a number of hits and was well liked by a young audience. His song had been entered four years in a row and unfortunately it sounded like a reject as well. The chorus was catchy but kept repeating and repeating and repeating until three minutes start feeling like a very long time indeed.
Grade: 2/5

11. Karin Ljung & Michael Nannini / Säg är det sant
Two pretty unknown musicians wrote a song together and had it selected for the MF final. It's a nice story and a very nice song. Very pleasant. Not particularly memorable but very nice.
Grade: 2/5

10. Billy Gezon / Måndag i mitt liv
I used to hate this song back then but growing up I realised it only suffered from a poor choice of vocalist. Jazz singer Meta Roos was supposed to have sung it and she would probably have managed to make more of this most melancholic melody.
Grade: 2/5

9. Haakon Pedersen / Bang en explosion
Another pleasant but light-weight song, clearly aimed at a Svensktoppen audience, performed by a young Norwegian who would get a second chance the following year with a much better song.
Grade: 2/5

8. Sten Nilsson & Nilsonettes / Kärlek är...
Sten Nilsson was - and is - an institution on the Swedish dansband circuit. Much more than just a singer in a band, he has the qualities of an entertainer and is well known and loved also by people who wouldn't usually pay attention to his genre. This is another very pleasant song, but this is the year where the pleasant songs were too many for their own good and stole all the points off each other.
Grade: 2/5

7. Uffe Persson / Nästa weekend
One of Lasse Holm's few forgotten fiascos - and undeservedly so. This is a catchy and quirky little song with interesting drum breaks and a charming performer. Uffe Persson would make many attempts at breaking through but sadly never managed to impose himself as the star he seemed cut out to be.
Grade: 3/5

6. All of a Sudden / Dansa med vindarna
Malmö strikes again and makes sure at least one entry has a clear local touch by selecting a very young, inexperienced trio for the final. The song they wrote isn't bad and the youngsters don't just managed to pull off a charming performance, they also represented the dream of many a young fan: maybe it would be possible to one day stand on that stage yourself?
Grade: 3/5

5. Annica Burman / I en ding ding värld
The youngest performer of the night was of course compared to Carola by the press, but a comparison to Pernilla Wahlgren would have been more appropriate. This song is more of an improved version of "Piccadilly Circus" than anything else. Annica recorded a few more good singles before moving to the US some time later.
Grade: 3/5

4. Siw Malmkvist / Det är kärlek
Nineteen years after her last participation (for Germany), the incomparable Siw Malmkvist was back in the game with a song most people anticipated to go far. For reasons best known to the jurors themselves it didn't even reach the superfinal which, of course, it should have. Not that it affected the remarkable career of Siw, still going strong today.
Grade: 3/5

3. Lotta Engberg with Triple & Touch / 100 %
Torgny Söderberg is a man full of surprises. He managed to write a seemingly clumsy and old-fashioned ditty - the intro dances around like a drunk flock of elephants - where everything suddenly falls into place and becomes a first class schlager, accompanied by close to perfect lyrics by the genius that is Monica Forsberg. Fun and fresh and three lovely minutes.
Grade: 4/5

2. Tommy Körberg / Stad i ljus
Most reminiscent of "Anthem" - Körberg's big number from the musical "Chess" - this ballad could hardly lose. Tommy Körberg doesn't think much of it today but it's deliberately vague lyrics hit home and the song still means a lot to many people, often sung at weddings and funerals in Sweden.
Grade: 4/5

1. Lena Philipsson / Om igen
Three immortal classics in a row from Lena and yet she didn't win, not even with this - arguably the best ballad written by the trio Ljunggren-Almqvist-Forsman. Performed with an attack and a conviction most Swedish performers can only dream of. Perfection.
Grade: 5/5

Conclusion:
It couldn't really end in another way: Tommy Körberg was a huge name and had just returned after playing "Chess" in London, a role many Swedes thought had propelled him into international stardom. Tough luck for Lena Philipsson in particular, but several of the songs of Class '88 lived long lives in various charts afterwards.

In a parallel universe:
What if Tommy Körberg's voice hadn't collapsed in Dublin? On the jury rehearsal apparently he sounded dreadful. How many placings would he have gained? Or was it just the bad luck of entering a ballad in a year with lots of other ballads? Sweden also had the misfortune to be drawn as #2 in the running order. I doubt Lena Philipsson would have done an awful lot better given the circumstance. Could this have been the better time for Lotta Engberg to shine?



Lena Philipsson / Om igen (Sweden 1988 NF)

Runner-up: United Kingdom 1988

This was a great return to form for the UK after a string of lacklustre placings. Following the victory of Bucks Fizz, the contest had taken a real nosedive and recent UK acts had failed both in the ESC and in the local charts.

Not that Scott Fitzgerald stormed the pop charts either but for a while near the end of the voting it looked like he would return home from Dublin with a trophy in his luggage.

Then came one of the most exciting finishes in eurovision history as the jury in Ljubljana put Céline Dion back on the throne and left Scott without a single point.

I must admit to fully supporting the Yugoslav jury in this respect. "Go" is a clean-cut but old-fashioned ballad that wouldn't have stood a chance had it represented Greece or Portugal, performed by a singer with a good voice but totally lacking the slightest bit of on-stage charisma.

The UK has often done well with pretty halfhearted efforts through the years and this is clearly one of those occasions.

A deserved 2nd place?
This one placing above Lara Fabian for Luxembourg? You must be joking. My answer is no.



Scott Fitzgerald - Go (United Kingdom 1988)

Nobody's favourite but mine, part 5

While making this series it seems one country pops up more often than most and that is Austria. I would perhaps not go as far as naming them my favourite country in Eurovision but few others have done so much for the diversity of the contest and few others have been so constantly ignored or misunderstood as the Austrians.

I often find myself liking Austrian entries more than most people do - at least judging from the not always too impressive scores they gather during the voting sequences - so because of that and in honour of their magnificent Conchita Wurst, who takes to the stage tonight, this is a special edition focusing fully on Austrian entries. And I had to make them ten instead of five…



The Milestones - Falter im Wind (Austria 1972)

So let's start from the top with my all time favourite Austrian entry. The Milestones were the second pop group ever to enter the eurovision stage and added an interesting touch to a contest formerly reserved for solo singers or love duets. The song is also highly personable with a long melodic build-up - and a hook that is played on a flute rather than sung - and when the chorus finally kicks in it is short and snappy and a surprisingly fulfilling climax. Douze points at any given time.



Karel Gott - Tausend Fenster (Austria 1968)

Austria was never afraid to speak their minds or make statements in this apolitical song contest and already in early 1968 they decided to lend their spotlight to neighbour country Czechoslovakia and the slowly nascent Prague spring. Winner Udo Jürgens composed an urban lament, about the loneliness of modern man, for Czechoslovakia's own Sinatra Karel Gott. For some reason, he only scored two points and Udo Jürgens famously stormed out of the green room mid-voting.



The Rounder Girls - All For You (Austria 2000)

ORF in Vienna were never afraid to make statements about Austrian matters either. At least that must have been one of the contributing factors that they chose - at the height of the controversies surrounding Jörg Haider, giving Austria a bad name around Europe - these soul babes to represent them in Stockholm. Unfortunately they didn't quite nail the live performance in the end but this is such a lively, happy and bouncy number all the same.



Westend - Hurricane (Austria 1983)

Austrians can't just yodel, they can also dress in red and yellow and dance in a group. Most of the Westend members - with the notable exception of Gary Lux - aren't really all that impressive singers but do parts nicely and with the aid of that dancing girl they manage to work up quite a storm before the song is over. This one was always one of my big favourites from 1983. Catchy and fun.



Marianne Mendt - Musik (Austria 1971)

If the host broadcaster went through all that trouble to assemble an orchestra for the occasion you could just as well use it to the fullest. I doubt there is a single instrument that isn't put to use in this massive arrangement and Marianne can't be accused of holding back her vocal abilities either. Extra plus for singing in dialect, that always goes down well at Eurovision. Well, it doesn't but it should.



Schmetterlinge - Boom Boom Boomerang (Austria 1977)

There just is no way around this one. Deeply political and deeply engaged and still devilishly entertaining. I doubt no protest song was ever as fun as this one, virtually mocking the record industry in general and the Eurovision Song Contest in particular. The group also scared the living daylights out of the BBC producers as they had interrupted a live show on Austrian television the week before the London final and made a political statement instead of singing. Being part of both this as well as The Milestones also qualifies Beatrix Neundlinger as a Eurovision Goddess in my book.



Wilfried - Lisa Mona Lisa (Austria 1988)

People I know, good friends of mine, would argue this is the archetype of a nul-pointer, that it has every ingredient of a perfect recipe for disaster. I see what they mean but I must disagree. Perhaps this one would have been better off performed by someone else, but I find a depth and an emotion here. Something the juries apparently didn't. Blaming the defeat on politics was not a brilliant move either, but Wilfried is hardly the only zero-scorer to mess up like that.



Bettina Soriat - One Step (Austria 1997)

At first I must admit to finding this pretty hopeless and doomed but at some point I took a long hard look at the live performance and realised what a professional that Soriat woman is. The amount of punch and energy she manages to squeeze into these three minutes is truly impressive.



Blue Danube - Du bist Musik (Austria 1980)

Austrian television was never afraid to be deadly serious and send in poignant entries that actually mean something. But then they could get really tired of that and go for something like this instead: a big fluffy piece of nonsense with five people randomly namedropping famous composers and musical terminology all over the place just to make sure that somebody somewhere understands something. It is perfectly ridiculous but also really rather catchy. Group member Marty Brem would be back again already the next year with the sweet but confusingly staged Wenn Du da bist, featured already in Part 3 of this series.



Anita - Einfach weg (Austria 1984)

This could be a crash course in how to take a perfectly good song, rip it to shreds and crush every single chance it might have had of impressing anyone. If you just listen to it with your eyes closed you'll hear what a good song it is. Then you open your eyes to find that the woman who sings about being strong and independent and gone before you know it is a polite little flower in a pink dress, a sweet hairdo and not a drop of attitude anywhere. Add the dance orchestra background musicians and the stiff backing vocalists - again Gary Lux, not at his finest hour - and your song is doomed. Despite a very clear last place - 21 points behind Yugoslavia placed second last - it was a big hit on home ground and is still seen as a bit of a classic. Made for radio, so to speak.

Nobody's favourite but mine, part 1

Sometimes I get the impression there is a certain kind of eurovision fan who only watches the contest in order to get to criticise as many things as possible. To just slam every song they hear and rip them to shreds.

I admit it can be great fun to do just that. When you find something that is really terribly bad and you manage to find just the right words to explain why something makes your ears bleed and your heart cry.

It's just that I'm so incredibly fond of liking things. I can often find redeeming factors in most really weird entries and in general I like so many more things than I dislike. So just to prove my point I will present you a number of songs only I like. Here are five songs I like very much to most people's honest surprise and incomprehension.



Afroditi Fryda - Clown (Greece 1988)

Famously, the jury in the national final selected a winner only after pointing out how underwhelming all candidates were and recommending the national tv company to pull out of the competition instead of sending either one to a sure defeat in Dublin. If that anecdote is true - it has been attached to a number of Greek national finals through the years - the jury were not entirely wrong as the song received a grand total of ten points.

I disagreed with juries - business as usual - and found an attractive sadness in between all the compulsive laughter. When I finally saw a translation of the lyrics I realised it was all in my head as there wasn't the slightest trace of ambiguity or darkness. I still love it anyway. Ha ha ha ha!



George Nussbaumer - Weils dr guat got (Austria 1996)

Eurovision and gospel music has always been a hard nut to crack. Quite a few entrants have tried through the years without really getting it right. It becomes a bit too polished and soft and harmless to leave any real traces or reveal any deeper emotion. Except perhaps for this bunch of crazy Austrians.

The song is perhaps not all that remarkable in itself and I wasn't really blown away by the preview clip, but the live performance is the closest thing we ever came to a perfect re-enactment of a tropical hurricane. The backing group - including Stella Jones and Bettina Soriat who both represented their country as solo singers in the 90's - become so incredibly animated and worked-up that you suspect the hall will run out of oxygen before the song is over. Not everyone's cup of tea but I find it irresistible.



Oleksandr - Hasta la vista (Ukraine 2003)

Isn't it strange that Ukraine - famous for doing everything right in the ESC - would start out by getting more or less everything wrong in their debut entry? The cheesy lyrics, the old-fashioned arrangement, the Kermit-the-frog-at-the-opera vocals and the most peculiar dancer in the background. It is all so puzzling. What were they thinking? Were they convinced they had a winner on their hands? The worst part still is that I've grown remarkably fond of it over the years. For all the wrong reasons, mind you. But very fond all the same.



Modern Folk Trio & Aysegül - Dönme dolap (Turkey 1981)

I'm surprisingly easy at times, I have to admit to that. Shake a piece of homemade disco muzak Made in Turkey in front of me and my knees will turn into jelly. If it is performed by three distinguished gentlemen in white, accompanied by a cheerful lady, performing a choreography that should be simple but that seems to pose a real challenge for the group, I'll be even happier. If you top it with a shockingly nonsense set of lyrics - stating that life is a merry-go-round as it goes up and then down again - I'll just roll over and admit I'm defeated.



Daisy Auvray - Mister Music Man (Switzerland 1992)

This is what I suppose happened: Poor Daisy didn't get out much and this time she decided to really live the moment to the fullest. She had enjoyed a glass of wine or two and felt lovely and vibrant and alive and wanted the whole world to know. She grabbed a microphone, decided to put her happiness into song and asked the band to strike up an old-fashioned sound that would suit her perfectly. How was poor Daisy to know this was not a karaoke bar at all but the Swiss national final?

Seriously, though. This was so violently out of sync with any kind of musical trend or fashion back then, but time has been really kind to this in comparison to many other entries from the same year. Perhaps not the best song there ever was, but the whole performance is sweet. And endearing. And that must be worth something too.

Eurovision needed Celine (and vice versa)

I have a very exact recollection of my first impression of Céline Dion - she came onto our tv-set as the second song in the second part of the 1988 Eurovision previews and had some raw, inexplicable energy that made her stand out from the rest.

She was wearing a horrific outfit, somehow reminiscent of what the sea looks like after an oil tanker disaster, but the way she nailed the camera was very special.

I distinctly remember thinking, a couple of days after my 12th birthday, that this girl is very special.

A few years later, as Célines international career took off, it was a good thing for Eurovision to boost having launched someone like Mademoiselle Dion into the international spotlight. It wasn't entirely true, perhaps, since Céline had been recording in France since the age of 13 and was by no means any inexperienced little performer.

However, at this point in her career, Céline seems to have needed Eurovision just as much as the ESC would later need her. No longer a child, her new mature material failed to enthuse the record buying audience and the French labels seemed to be giving up on her.

Rumours - impossible to verify, but still - have it that Sony music in America were ready to give her a record deal if she made an impression at Eurovision, showing she had public appeal.

The rest is history - a few successful singles later, Céline turned into one of the most successful singers on the planet and could afford to forget about flop singles like the one below.

I still find this one an interesting choice of song, musically way more challenging than most songs she has been recording for her English-languaged repertoire. It seems to me that Céline was always better in French, where her producers were more interested in her interpretation and nuances rather than showing off her vocal capabilities.



Céline Dion - La réligieuse

24 years ago: a very tight finish

At this very night, twenty-four years ago, 12-year old Tobson decided to give Walpurgis a miss for the first time ever and instead stay home and watch the Eurovision final from Dublin (in the company of classmate who had come down with a fever and who fell asleep after five or so songs).

There was a tremenduous feeling of suspense as the Swedish entry (my entry, being Swedish and all) was marred with Tommy Körberg's throat problems leading to heavy speculation in the press as to whether he would be able to sing or not.

Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet had tipped a tight race between Sweden, Switzerland and Israel. I didn't disagree, but hoped that my personal favourites from Spain, Denmark and Iceland could stand a chance too.

All that feeling of suspense in advance was nothing compared with what we had in store before the show was over. What seemed like a runaway victory for Switzerland soon turned into a battle between Celine Dion and Scott Fitzgerald before the latter pulled away, leading with a comfortable margin as Portugal cast their votes as #20 out of 21 participants.

And then the whole thing changed again. Switzerland was suddenly just five points behind the UK as Pat Kenny and Michelle Rocca call up the Yugoslav jury in Ljubljana. The rules stated that the juries were not supposed to know the standings when called up, but it sounds like Miša Molk knows a fair share, seemingly adding to the drama.

This, the closest voting sequence I had ever seen left me speechless and every time I watch it again I feel the thriller element again. Since then, only four votings have been as tight as this one, donning the same kind of suspense up until the bitter end.

Watch the final votes coming in here and enjoy - it is impossible not to be happy for Céline Dion and the Swiss delegation afterwards. Unless, of course, you are BBC commentator Terry Wogan.



Céline Dion - Ne partez pas sans moi (Switzerland 1988)

Nul points: Austria 1988

It was a confident Austrian delegation that arrived in Dublin in 1988. The national entry had been well recieved on home ground, was a commercial success in the domestic charts and was tipped, by the local press, to do really well in the competition.

Austria had not made top five in twelve years - now the newspapers were confident that all would end well.

They were wrong - very wrong. Austria fell between the chairs and ended with not a single mark on the scoreboard.

Wilfried made an unsuccessful attempt at blaming politics for his failure - referring to the current Waldheim scandal - resulting in the press, who had tipped him to do really well, labelling him a sore loser whose career took a Finn Kalvik-esque turn for the worse.

Nul points?

Well, I don't think so. There is a certain tension and atmosphere in this song that appeals to me, and there is a raw quality in Wilfried's voice that adds to the drama.

But on the other hand, I can see all the jurors in a room thinking this song nice at the same time as they easily find ten songs they like more. This song is nice, and nice will never win at the ESC.



Wilfried - Lisa Mona Lisa (Austria 1988)

You would hardly recognise the Turks

It is hardly an understatement to say that Turkey struggled during their first twenty-five years in Euroland. Whatever star performers or hit choruses they sent in kept coming back home largely ignored and with a minimum of points to their names.

In the 80's, Turkish television started to look for qualified help in order to make their own entries more appealing. The song that won the national final was sent off to some music company (often in Germany) that would add a helping touch here and there.

Some years, they did far more than just the odd fine tuning. Some years they added long segments, cut whole verses out and - in severe cases - added a hook or a whole chorus.

Watch and compare for yourself. How would the original versions have fared at Eurovision?

1984 - Luxembourg




Bes yil once, on yil sonra - Halay (Turkey 1984 national final)

Most of this song is fully recognisable from the national final, but recieved a somewhat softer arrangement and a less busy choreography. And - a chorus, including a handle for the juries to hold on to. Result - a 12th place, which was the best Turkish showing until then.



Bes yil once, on yil sonra - Halay (Turkey 1984 eurovision version)

1986 - Bergen



Klips ve Onlar - Halley (Turkey 1986 national final)

For some reason, I can only find a very short clip of the national final version of this one but I think you will get the big picture. This entry is, in short, a complete mess. A heap of good ideas thrown together with no structure and nothing in particular going for it.

The musical helpers slowed down the pace considerably and added a very contemporary sound to the final arrangement, which resulted in Turkey's first ever top ten showing.



Klips ve Onlar - Halley (Turkey 1986 eurovision version)

1988 - Dublin



MFÖ - Sufi (Turkey 1988 national final)

This is a schoolbook example of how little it takes to turn something promising into something really good. These two versions are not so far apart, really. What is added is - again - a more modern touch to the sound as well as a distinctly oriental flavour and an instrumental hook most europeans would understand as typically Turkish.

The final version also has a better flow and sounds more melodic and catchy. It was quite rightly mentioned as a dark horse and possible outside at Eurovision, before finishing in a most disappointing 15th place.



MFÖ - Sufi (Turkey 1988 eurovision version)

1990 - Zagreb



Kayahan - Gözlerinin hapsindeyim (Turkey 1990 national final)

The first minute is almost the same, only the arrangement is different - more pompous and old-fashioned than the final version - but then the original throws itself head first into a difficult, un-catchy chorus. The production company would have nothing of it and cut it all out, replacing it with a much simpler singalong, still with a slightly oriental feel.

This was not a huge success and ended in 17th place in Zagreb, but I suspect the original version would have fought it out in a battle for the very last places.

Not bad, but in no way user friendly.



Kayahan - Gözlerinin hapsindeyim (Turkey 1990 eurovision version)

Annica could have been Kylie

The youngest participant in the 1988 Swedish national final was Annica Burman, only 15 years of age when she entered the circular stage of Malmö Stadsteater in the end of February.

She made the super final and ended in 6th place with the song "I en ding ding värld" (almost identical to the Swedish title of the 1963 hit comedy "It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world).



Annica Burman - I en ding, ding värld (Sweden NF 1988)


The song was written by Bruno Glenmark, whose record label took on Annica with the purpose of making her a Swedish equivalent of Kylie Minogue. Unfortunately, the label folded, taking its acts (beside Annica also quirky pop band Carmen Kane and poodle rockers Talk Of The Town) with them into obscurity.

A shame, given the material they had to work with. Annica's follow-up single (complete with a most entertaining video clip) could have been a smash hit given the right promotion. (Or any promotion, actually.)

Now it was just another good pop single to pass unnoticed. Annica moved on to the States, where she worked as a secretary (according to an old newspaper article) and also as a singer (according to Swedish Wikipedia).



Annica Burman - I Can't Deny A Broken Heart

Tobson's Winners: 1986 - 1990

For me, personally, these five years are the most important in Eurovision history. Possibly not the best. I can't tell. I know them by heart, the songs and the performances, I grew up with these songs.

Even the bad ones feel like old friends. I can understand them, explain their weaknesses. Like them a little bit anyway. Forgive them for not being masterpieces.

It also makes picking out favourites even harder. It is like selecting one favourite among your children. Almost.

What I am trying to say is that for every favourite picked in this chapter, there are several other candidates close behind in the running. One day I will dissect these years in detail here on the blog.

But now for my personal winners.

1986 - Germany



Ingrid Peters - Über die Brücke geh'n (Germany 1986)

1986 offers one of my favourite selection of entries ever. Here is a wide range of styles and moods, many really good choruses and a heap of really good performances.

Switzerland and Luxembourg offer very strong songs, Turkey is a real gem, Portugal has a great pop number, France and Norway are fun, Yugoslavia is tender and the list goes on.

But this German song is like a wonder of elegance and craftmanship. It has a large and breezy sound, it has a very strong handle of a chorus and it is brilliantly sung by Ingrid Peters.

In retrospect, the lyrics are also touching, as a love song between the "two Germanys" to build a bridge, to understand each other and to have a peek over the wall.

Less than four years later the wall would crack down, and you could see right through it.

Real winner:
Sandra Kim - J'aime la vie (Belgium)


1987 - Turkey



Seyyal Taner & Lokomotif - Sarkim sevgi üstüne (Turkey 1987)

Another year bursting full of personal favourites. Belgium, Italy, Yugoslavia, Finland, Cyprus, Spain, Norway... the list is neverending.

But the Turks knock the socks off everyone. Mainly because they were really doing what I have already pinpointed as my favourite asset: they do their thing without trying to be loved by everyone.

They were loved in Brussels throughout the week, seen as a possible surprise act, appearing on stage like a musical thunderstorm, breaking every rule concerning how you should sound, look and act on the eurovision stage.

That earned them a big fat zero in the end. Not one of the twenty-one juries considered this entry worthy of a single point. Even the famously neutral SVT commentator made a remark how strange he found that verdict.

If you were different during the late 80's, the juries would punish you. These days, standing out from the rest is an asset. I like the new world order better.

Real winner:
Johnny Logan - Hold Me Now (Ireland)


1988 - Luxembourg



Lara Fabian - Croire (Luxembourg 1988)

Out of these five years, I find 1988 to be a somewhat weaker edition compared to the others. Anyhow, there are a few songs that are absolute top class. Like Israel. Like Turkey.

And like Luxembourg, introducing Lara Fabian, in a few years time set to be a huge household name in the entire French-speaking world.

This is an attempt at the classical French ballad again, the kind that would just walk in and floor all competition. But despite being powerful and lyrical, it didn't quite make it all the way.

She was beaten by another icon to be of French song, Céline Dion. Her career needed the victory more, as it apparently opened doors for her American career. But Lara's song is stronger. My winner.

Real winner:
Céline Dion - Ne partez pas sans moi (Switzerland)


1989 - Italy



Anna Oxa & Fausto Leali - Avrei voluto (Italy 1989)

I almost had to call this a tie in the end. How can I judge which one is better, this one or Finland? And then we have Turkey a very close third. And Spain a very close fourth.

But there is a raw, untamed energy and wrath in this song that I find overwhelming. Also this one breaks out from the eurovision formula in a nice way that proved a bit too much for the juries.

But the juries have possibly never been less up to the task than in 1989. They hardly do a single thing right, the entire voting is a mess. The final result is a farce.

Yugoslavia won with a happy song, but hardly their most convincing effort ever. More commercial songs, like Sweden, Austria and Germany, were left behind. When the winning team is welcomed on stage, the audience gives them a glacial reception with no cheers and no applause.

Rather a revealing image of where the ESC was heading for the next couple of years.

Real winner:
Riva - Rock Me (Yugoslavia)


1990 - Israel



Rita - Shara barechovot (Israel 1990)

Late 1989 had shaken Europe and by 1990, the landscape looked different. New times with no possibilities, and maybe this made the juries a bit braver again.

They did favour more classical songs like Ireland and Iceland, sure, but also gave high points to daring choices like France and Spain.

However, the demanding and experimental pop lament from Israel prooved too much and Rita landed the second worst result of the Jewish state until then. It does take a few listenings, admittedly, and maybe the juries simply didn't have the time to break into it fully.

But this is a lovingly crafted little masterpiece of a song, belted out with gusto and conviction. Maybe not the song you whistle in the shower the next day, but a very fine piece of pop art.

Real winner:
Toto Cutugno - Insieme: 1992

A tribute to Nella

One of my favourite eurovision personalities are no longer with us as Nella Martinetti lost her battle after years of illness.

Bella Nella never got to represent Switzerland as a singer, but wrote the lyrics for four Swiss entries (three of which made top five).



Peter, Sue & Marc - Io senza te (Switzerland 1981)



Mariella Farré - Io così no ci sto (Switzerland 1983)



Daniela Simons - Pas pour moi (Switzerland 1986)



Céline Dion - Ne partez pas sans moi (Switzerland 1988)

A very nice set of songs on placings, ending in Switzerland's last victory to date. Now that must have been enough for any songwriter to gain lasting respect and appreciation, one would think.

But no, sadly not. Not when you are a rounded and robust little woman with a faiblesse for German schlager and volksmusik, which was what Nella performed herself.

She even won the Grand Prix der Volksmusik in 1986 with the bouncy little number Bella Musica and she mainly sung catchy little numbers like this one:



Nella Martinetti - Forte fortissimo

Universally, for some reason, female performers doing lightweight music seem bound to attract ridicule. Nella was no exception. Her outgoing personality paired with an unfortunate ability to tell the press a bit more than they needed to know about her private life turned her from award-winning singer and composer into a laughing stock.

In recent years she stated in interviews that she knew all of Switzerland was laughing at her, adding that she has cried more than laughed during her life.

The question I ask myself is why the world of showbiz has to be like this. Male singers can go on performing, doing their same act far longer than is appropriate without losing their fans. Female singers get laughed at.

I can't help feeling that the world could have been a whole lot nicer to Nella. As for her music, love it or loathe it, but as a performer it is obvious that she just wanted to amuse her audience.

I wish they would have had the wit to laugh with her, not at her.



Nella Martinetti - Bella Musica

Songs we never got to hear: Cyprus 1988

My last post was about Afroditi Fryda who only scored ten points in Dublin 1988 - the lowest score for any Greek entry ever (discounting the 1974 entry, when another points system was used).

Had Cyprus taken part, I am sure they would have awarded some points for her. But the Cypriot Broadcasting Corporation felt obliged to withdraw from the 1988 ESC with rather a short notice since their selected entry broke the rules.

It broke their own domestic rules, that is. The song in question had been entered in the mainly internal Cypriot selection of 1984 where it had reached the third place. It had never been performed in public, but was indeed heard by rather a large jury at the time.

RIK found that more than enough and disqualified it even though it didn't seem to break any piece of EBU regulation. Possibly it was also encumbered by the fact that the composer John Vickers was not a citizen of Cyprus, but that is mere speculation.



Yannis Demetiou - Thimame (Cyprus 1988)

Cyprus had been drawn at the dreaded second slot in the running order, but would that have mattered? What kind of result do you think they would have had with this song had it stayed in the competition?

Songs only I like: Greece 1988

Inspired by my series of songs that only I and no other sensible people alive seem to like, my dear friend Kris reminded me of this song. It hadn't even crossed my mind, but he made me remember what a fantastic and uplifting entry this is (maybe he didn't use those exact words).

After 1987, when their own high expectation resulted in a disappointing tenth place, the Greeks were left with the feeling it didn't matter what they sent, the jury would reject them anyway. And so they decided to send this to represent them in Dublin.



Afroditi Fryda - Clown (Greece 1988)

It is claimed that the jury was reluctant to select a winner out of the songs in the national final, suggesting a Greek withdrawal instead. The preview was partially made up of images from old commercials and the song was never commercially released apart from on the 1988 Eurovision sampler album released in Norway on the Continental Consult label.

In Dublin, Afroditi Fryda and her backing group met little enthusiasm and the song ended in 17th place after gathering a humble ten points.

However, it did recieve the first three points ever awarded to Greece by their neighbours in Turkey.

I always like it, however. There was something sad and enchanting about the whole thing, and I found a strange melancholy in the very same ha-ha-ha's most people would be more likely to describe as manic.

I was sorely disappointed when I first saw a translation of the lyrics and found nothing of the multi-layered, enigmatic words I had hoped for and found a rather flat and nonsense-like lyric.

But I prefer to turn a blind eye to such small things. I wish Afroditi Fryda and her dancing friends all the best. I hope they look back on their Dublin experience and remember a fun-filled week and that they cherish those ten points - seven more than Finland managed to score.

Do you like it too? I highly doubt you do, but if so - please leave a comment. Both I and Afroditi would appreciate it.

Songs only I like: Austria 1988

I could run a parallel series called "Austrian songs only I like". Just like Portugal, Austria has had certain difficulties in touching the hearts of the Eurovision mainstream. Quite a few years have seen viewers, jury and fans alike make thumbs down and reach for their remote controls.

Which I find a bit unfair, honestly. Austria have sent in so many original entries and I have learned to love quite a few of them.

Like this one. But it took a few years, to be honest.



Wilfried - Lisa Mona Lisa (Austria 1988)

Back in the day, when I was 12, I didn't care much for this one, to put it mildly. Apparently, the bookies in Ireland saw and heard something I didn't, and according to press sources the nul points came as a bit of a shock for the Austrian delegation.

Their song was doing well in the charts back home and in his general disappointment, Wilfried let a political comment slip and all hell broke loose. He said at a press conference that nobody wanted to vote for Austria due to the Waldheim scandal (google it, kids!) and that his song was a victim of this.

Not a particularly popular thing to say. The papers had a field day ripping Wilfried to shreds, labelling him a sore loser, and it took many years to wash off that label.

What about the song, then? I find it pretty touching, if slightly repetitive, but heartfelt and honest. Wilfried sings his heart out (with maybe not every single note in tune) and this could certainly have deserved a few little points from somewhere.

Those points could possibly have saved Wilfried's reputation.

If you like this song too, or at least doesn't think it should have been a nul-pointer, please leave a comment as usual.

Runner-up: Finland 1988

The 1988 Finnish final almost saw a huge breakthrough as one of the entries in Swedish came closer to victory than ever before. The fantastic "Mitt äppelträd" also finished second back in 1982, but this time around the candidate was only two points short of winning.



Helena Miller - Svart och vitt (Finland NF 1988)

There had been a bit of discussion in Finland as to whether the local entries would stand a better chance in the European final if they were performed in Swedish instead of the more exotic-sounding Finnish lingo.

These discussions would finally culminate in Finland selecting a (considerably weaker) entry in Swedish and send it to Zagreb in 1990, where it would end shared last and lead to an almost complete absence of entries sung in Swedish.

Had Helena won, she would probably have scored quite a respectable number of points in Dublin and Swedish could have become a more prominent ingredient in future editions of Euroviisut.

So why didn't Helena win? There were a number of juries, located around Finland, who all voted tactically - giving full points to their favourite and giving very low scores to other highly tipped entries.

So what happens? A song that was nobody's favourite and didn't get a single set of top points won on a strong average. That's not the way to go, and in Dublin Boulevard crashed and burned with only three points (given by the jury in Jerusalem) to their credit.



Boulevard - Naravat silmät muistetaan (Finland 1988)

Cindy Berger is a winner

Cindy Berger formed the successful schlager duo Cindy & Bert with her then partner, and together they released quite a few albums and singles throughout the 70's. In 1974, they represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton. They only scored a humble three points and shared last place with Switzerland, Norway and Portugal.



Cindy & Bert - Die Sommermelodie (Germany 1974)

If that is all you know about Cindy Berger, then you missed out quite a bit. She had the bad luck of being sent to the ESC with a song that was perhaps not really bad, but also a far cry from having winner potential.

In 1972, however, Cindy & Bert came a very close second in the German national final in Berlin with a masterpiece of a song, that would perhaps have been a bit too raw and soulful for Edinburgh but which has become an evergreen on home ground.



Cindy & Bert - Geh' die Strasse (Germany NF 1972)

Cindy & Bert continued to sing together, they even entered a few more German finals, before splitting up both professionally and privately.

Cindy made a comeback to the German final as a solo singer in 1988 with another intense performance, again ending in second place.



Cindy Berger - Und leben will ich auch (Germany NF 1988)

There is no doubt in my mind that Cindy would have made far more of an impression in Dublin than the mother/daughter-act that pipped her at the post.

A fine performer who would have deserved a real occasion to prove herself at the ESC.

9 ½ minut (1988)

When I posted Danish masterpieces yesterday, how could I forget this one? This is like a tiny piece of art, like an installation of what the 80's were like at their best.



Anne Marie Busk "9 ½ minut" (Danish final 1988)

I mean, what is there not to love? A Danish Kylie in a pop mood, accompanied by two male backing singers in trenchcoats. Yes, trenchcoats. One of them is sporting a moustache, the other one seems to be Riki Sorsa's long lost Danish twin.

Also, it is rich in detail. The dress! The acting (is it a train behind us?)! The laser beams! The hat!

Of course it didn't reach the super final, but it is a fine effort. And time has been pretty kind to it, as well. Compared to some of the very dated stuff that defeated it back in 1988.