December 21: Nina Badrić

It was such good news when Croatia finally decided to send Nina Badrić to Eurovision in 2012. A long overdue decision. Unfortunately the song she took with her to Baku was good but not particularly direct and she didn't even make it to the final.

Too bad. Nina should have gone to Dublin in 1994 instead. She would have rocked the place. Or would she? There are many reasons why selecting her in 1994 would have been fantastic as well as reasons why it would have been a really bad idea.

The song is really catchy and very contemporary at the time. It would have been one of the most modern-sounding entries in Dublin and one of very few uptempo song. It would have needed a much better stage presentation but that would have been taken care of, for sure.

So why not, then? The biggest answer to that is - of course - that Dublin orchestra. With firm grips around their strings and brass, they would lash out at anything attempting not to sound frightfully old and not stop until the only things left were gloom and ruins.

Nobody in 1994 brought a backing track powerful enough to outdo that orchestra. Could Croatia had been the odd one out? The one upbeat track to sound really good on the evening?



Nina Badrić / Godine nestvarne (Croatia NF 1994)

Runner-up: Poland 1994

While waiting for Silly Season to end and for real news to start pouring in, I thought it would be nice with a new series. So here it starts: highlighting the runners-up of Eurovision. Some of them better than the winners, some real surprises, some pretty dull, some pretty awesome.

The first one is nothing but awesome. After having hosted the social equivalent of the Eurovision Song Contest in Sopot, Poland entered the real thing with a bang.

Edyta Górniak was a hot young rising star and the song she was given felt like one that Mariah Carey might not have sniffed at had she been interested in doing Eurovision. But how likely were the juries to vote extensively for one of the new countries?

Edyta decided to improve her chances and during the jury final she decided to sing her entry in English. Quite a few countries filed protests but they were all overruled, and when the voting came to a close Poland has finished in a sensational second place.

A success Poland hasn't been even remotely close to repeating so far, not even when singing in English was allowed n the rule book.

A deserved 2nd place?
Absolutely. One of the best ever. And given that Hungary managed to end in fourth place without any tampering with the language rules, it seems Edyta had been most likely to do well either way.



Edyta Górniak - To nie ja! (Poland 1994)

Is it Malta's turn to win?

When I started watching Eurovision back in the 1980's, the world was still relatively square and predictable and to find a new country in the line-up was a big and exciting event.

I was really enthusiastic when, in 1991, Malta decided to attempt an ESC comeback after a long absence. I knew they had tried their luck in the past and I had a bit of an obsession with the tiny states of Europe. I even had a maltese pen-friend. It's so long ago people still had pen-friends.

(My maltese pen-friend was called André and lived in Lija. If anyone out there knows him, tell him I said hi.)

Anyway, Malta's comeback was a big event for me. I kept my fingers crossed for them to do reasonably well and was really pleased when they did. In 1992 they did even better, ending in 3rd place, and suddenly I just knew they were bound for great things.

I was sure that Malta was sure to win anytime soon, they just needed to a bit of luck.

Here we are, more than twenty years later, and I must admit Malta has not been the winning machine I predicted they would be. But considering what a tiny, tiny nation they are, they have some really impressive placings to show.

This weekend, Malta will be the second country to select their entry for Vienna and who knows - maybe this is their time lucky. Maybe the maltese will take Europe by storm and finally get to host the big thing. Last week's Junior Eurovision organised in Malta suggests they would handle it very well.

I'd welcome a strong entry. I haven't predicted maltese victory since 1994 and it would be nice to do it again. And maybe this time the live performance would also match the preview, unlike back then?



Chris & Moira / More Than Love (Malta 1994 preview)

Well, isn't that a lovely outfit?

Ever since I was a very young Tobson, I've been totally fascinated by this Eurovision Song Contest in so many different ways. It seems I'm never running out of new angles that make me love this show even more.

I like it for the uniting factor - one of few things that brings all of Europe together for a mutual activity. I like it for the music, obviously. Few things cheer me up like a good eurovision entry. And I love it for the positive political dimension, how it brings people closer and showcases new ideas and thoughts even to corners of the world where the governments would prefer as little enlightenment as possible.

But I also love the show elements, of course. And I'm never averse to a great outfit. So here - for your entertainment as you wait for this year's extravaganza to take off - I collected a non-exhaustive list of favourite outfits through the years.



Anne Karine Strøm - Mata Hari (Norway 1976)

What could be better than a little bit of gold? The correct answer must be: a whole lot of gold, preferably from head to toe. If you can match it with the biggest sunglasses you could possibly wear before your neck goes snap, then it's all for the better. Wonderful Anne Karine entered eurovision history as the only solo performer to end in last place twice - a complete disgrace.



Linda - No goodbyes (Netherlands 2000)

Must be so awkward when you check your calendar and realised you double booked and have to perform at Eurovision that very day you promised to go camping with your dancers? Linda went for a creative solution and decided to hit two birds with one stone and do both things at the same time. The best "look-what-I-hid-under-my-dress"-effect ever.



Youddiph - Vechni strannik (Russia 1994)

I love this creative red dress that allows the singer to change her appearance completely several times throughout her performance only by making some simple, tasteful movements. Understated, elegant and sophisticated.



Rita - Shara barechovot (Israel 1990)

I must admit to being a lover of colour and I think the smart black dress is just about the most boring option anyone could come up with on a eurovision stage. Black is safe and uncreative and I think the large audience watching you deserve more of an effort than that. But then there are the little black numbers you just can't refuse. Rita looks absolutely stunning and captivating. Mind you, she could probably wrap a towel or an old circus tent around her and still look stunning, but she really works this one to perfection. 18th place? Well done, juries.



Salomé - Vivo cantando (Spain 1969)

I never had the chance to ask her in person, but I am assuming that Salomé shares my point of view that  a stage outfit is something you design and craft specifically, not something you go out and buy in a shop. I'd like to see the shop selling this particular piece. Full of tassels and tiny stones - to weigh the tassels down and give them a life of their own - it weighs five kilos and would probably not qualify as a comfortable garment on any occasion. And that sort of makes it perfect for the stage.

Absent friend: Poland

I really don't know how this happened. Poland was such a revelation, such a powerhouse, such a fantastic new force in Eurovision. They kept sending in good, modern, eccentric and progressive entries that were so good, so good, so good.

They were supposed to come in, crush all resistance, work their way to victory and drag this old contest kicking and screaming into the future. It all looked so promising.



Edyta Górniak - To nie ja! (Poland 1994)

Their sensational debut, when Edyta made a coup and sang her song in English during the jury final and scored a phenomenal second place in the end, really left the feeling that Poland was on to something big. And then they opted for something seriously different.



Justyna - Sama (Poland 1995)

Justyna's etno-pop-yoik did take some getting used to, admittedly, but in the endless ocean of toothless ballads that was ESC 1995 it stood out like a monument of anarchy. Violently, provocatively different and modern. And the judges just didn't get it.



Anna Maria Jopek - Ale jestem (Poland 1997)

The juries would continue not to get the Polish entry. The quirky and folksy dance that was Ale jestem also ended outside the top ten (not by much, but anyway) and maybe now Polish tv was getting a bit exhausted. They were doing their best but kept getting ignored.

In 1998, I was convinced that TVP had finally hit the bull's eye again. The group Sixteen had a very fresh sound and their song was engaging and instant, but at the same time it kept growing on you for every listen.

Sophisticated and hit-friendly. Would this be Poland's return to top five?

On the night of the final in Birmingham, Poland passed under the radar of almost everyone and ended in a shockingly low 17th place. I could not believe my eyes.

Since then, the Polish entries never regained that original sparkle that they used to have. Some of their entries have been good, but never as overflowing and captivating as their early efforts. After having missed out in one semi final too many, TVP withdrew after the 2011 contest.

If they stay away in order to evaluate the situation, re-group and try to find their own self, then this absence is well worth it. I just hope they won't stay away too long.



Sixteen - To takie proste (Poland 1998)

Preview clip: Germany 1994

Since Ralph Siegel is back in the game (was he ever really gone?) I thought I'd have a look back to when Uncle Ralphie still had a bit of a finger on the pulse and came up with things that felt happening.

It was, admittedly, an easy thing to seem youthful and happening in the neverending stream of more or less passionate ballads that filled the line-up of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, but this explosion of colour and happiness seemed pretty real and genuine in the preview show of that year.



MeKaDo - Wir geben 'ne Party (Germany 1994 preview)

This is Siegel by the numbers and the last time that the old formula worked flawlessly. Just like with Dschinghis Khan in 1979, he assembled an attractive and energetic group, out of session singers and lesser known solo singers he had worked with before, to suit the song he wrote. One of the girls, Melanie Bender, was the daughter of one of the Dschinghis Khan members.

The song is full of little hooks and clever ideas and the chorus is a way of getting around the rule stating everybody had to sing in their own language - the phrase "Wir geben 'ne Party" is sung to sound more or less exactly like the english title "We're giving a party".

In Dublin, the whole package felt less fresh than the clip. The girls were still energetic enough, but the styling - as well as the backing singers - gave this an air of "old people trying to produce whatever young people may like". A review in newspaper The European said it sounded like a pop song remixed by a bunch of grandmothers.



MeKaDo - Wir geben 'ne Party (Germany 1994)

The entry managed to achieve a respectable third place in Dublin but was a commercial flop and the group soon disbanded.

There were stories in the press that the first choice of German television would have been to send punk legend Nina Hagen - who declined the offer - to Dublin. I can't help but wonder what kind of commotion she could have created had she gone to the ESC.

MeKaDo's blond member - the lovely Kati Karney - almost made it to Eurovision again eight years later when she suddenly resurfaced in the national final of Bosnia-Herzegovina together with Boris Režak. Their song ended in fourth place.



Boris Režak feat Kati Karney - Ti i ja smo mogli sve (Bosnia-Herzegovina national final 2002)

Preview clip: Russia 1994

During the last month, there has been nothing but evaluation based on preview clips on this blog. I have always loved the previews as they are the first taste you get, as well as the first chance of predicting how things will shape up on the final night.

But through the years, I have also learned to doubt the previews. We don't necessarily know a lot about what an entry will be like live on stage just because there was a convincing/disastrous preview clip of it.

One entry like that is the debut entry of Russia back in 1994. To be honest, I found the song a bit dull. Not very dynamic. A very nicely filmed clip, but I enjoyed that more than the song.



Youddiph - Vechni strannik (Russia 1994 preview)

Then came the big final night in Dublin where Youddiph made more of her performance than I had ever imagined she would.

Only seconds into the song, Youddiph brings her dramatic red dress to life through a few tasteful little movements - possibly the most elegant costume effect in the history of the contest - but she also charged her entire performance with a sharp presence, a captivating vocal and a rare touch of understated sophistication.

She turns her song into something bigger and better. With small means she manages to add elements to her song instead of distracting from it.

From a pleasant but unremarkable preview version to a massive anthem that remains one of my biggest favourites of that year. Will any of the 2013 entries transform itself like this in Malmö?



Youddiph - Vechni strannik (Russia 1994)

Estonia - I Love You

When Estonia debuted in Eurovision, I (and most of my fellow countrymen in Sweden) mainly thought of them as a financially poor country that we sent massive amounts of charity. Geographically close but culturally distant.

Maybe their first attempt didn't change much in how most Swedes percieved them, but Silvi Vrait stroke a chord with me and a very special relationship developed between me and Estonian eurosongs. A relationship that would, in its own little way, change my life radically.

Silvi sang her heart out but only scored a mere two points, but she and her song are fantastic in my book.



Silvi Vrait - Nagu merelaine (Estonia 1994)

Two years later, Estonia would be back with a new conviction and I was to see my first Eurovision live in Oslo. My Estonian neighbour in Västerås hand-painted an Estonian flag for me as my favourite was "Kaelakee hääl", the remarkably catchy little duet about placing your voice inside a necklace so somebody can carry it with him/her into the world.




Ivo Linna & Maarja - Kaelakee hääl (Estonia 1996 preview)

In Jerusalem in 1999, I thought it could be time for the first Estonian victory - I predicted that had it been the turn of a ballad, it had to be Evelin Samuel to take the title. I was not entirely wrong - she got sixth place and was the best placed ballad on the night.



Evelin Samuel & Camille - Diamond Of Night (Estonia 1999 preview)

The life-changing thing, then? When Estonia finally won and hosted the contest in 2002, I made friends with the Finnish delegation which, in addition to many other things, lead to me changing countries and moving to Finland.

So I have many reasons to love Estonia. Producing a pop star like Ines is just one of them.



Ines - Once In A Lifetime (Estonia 2000)

Nul points: Lithuania 1994

It is quite logical, actually - the more countries take part, the bigger the risk of not gaining any points. In 1994, fourteen countries were left with zero by each jury compared to only seven in 1982.

Halfway through the voting, it seemed Dublin would see not only the first winner ever to gather more than 200 points, but also the first multiple last place since the 70's. No less than eight countries were still left with nul points before Malta started scattering their points all over the place.

The 90's were sad days for Eurovision in many ways: low ratings, no entries became hits and, in order to avoid relegation, some countries traded points with each other. You can spot this very easily by comparing voting patterns, and it went on until the EBU decided to centralise all televoting in 2003.

The only one clinging on to the big zero at the end of the voting was poor Ovidijus from Lithuania, whose delegation clearly had not been to any points-trading-parties during that week.

Nul points?

Oh no. This song is maybe not the best entry under the sun, but there were many weaker ones who got saved by their trading partners. When this sweet and melodic lullaby was left with nothing it was largely due to tricks and games, and had very little to do with music. Which was shameful for the entire contest.




Ovidijus Vyšniauskas - Lopšinė mylimai (Lithuania 1994)

ESC rejects: Croatia 1994

Croatia had made its eurovision debut in capacity of their own country the year before, and the national television company worked hard on turning the national final into an event of real importance, a contest with a real impact on domestic pop culture.

An impressive amount of local pop stars turned up, eager to represent their new country in Dublin, and the crisis that eurovision went through in most territories at this time was nowhere to be seen.

For some reason, the regional juries went for a neat and clean-cut little ballad, not likely to stand out or raise any eyebrows anywhere. Surprising, giving how badly HRT wanted to score well internationally.

The song that obviously would have left a mark in the running order in these times of heartfelt ballads is the entry of Nina Badrić, which would have been almost aggressively updated and modern at that time. If we pretend that it would have been given a better choreography and that it wouldn't have been slaughtered by the Irish orchestra, Nina could probably have created a little bit of a sensation in Dublin.

The song only made it to tenth place out of twenty-one entries in the national final, but I believe it turned out to be the disco hit eurovision would have needed so badly back then.


Nina Badrić - Godine nestvarne (Croatia NF 1994)

Tobson's Winners: 1991 - 1995

Seriously, there had been some downhill ever since the early 80's, as commercial success started to evade the contenders. The winners didn't necessarily have any serious impact on the charts around Europe, not to mention that fewer and fewer of the non-winners found success internationally (or domestically).

But in the early 90's, the downhill turned into free falling. The contest failed to attract modern sounds and new styles, and, added the juries' clear inability of finding commercial winners, Eurovision soon turned into a big has-been of an event.

Some countries still wanted to win it and host it, some countries made the sporadic effort to modernise and update their national selections, but the ratings were dropping to all time lows in most countries.

Ireland's win-athon, with four victories in five years, did nothing to improve things. When a country like Ireland failed to chart internationally with their winners, what could countries like Switzerland, Greece or Belgium hope for?

However, the thing that would eventually save the old contest came in through a back door, not being hugely popular at the time. But with the new countries, "the Eastern bloc", came a real breathe of fresh air and a will to keep the ESC alive.

1991 - Greece



Sophia Vossou - Anixi (Greece 1991)

More of a monument than a simple song, this elegant creation with its delicate verses and explosive verses is an evergreen in Greece. On home ground, they can not still quite grasp how it didn't fare better than 13th.

I can only agree. What were the juries thinking? (And did the Greek delegation give the saxophone player the beating he deserved after ruining his solo like that, or did they let him get away?)

Greece really made an effort in the early 90's before realising nothing was to come out of it, that the juries would never go their way, and threw in the towel.

Real winner:
Carola - Fångad av en stormvind (Sweden)


1992 - Greece



Kleopatra - Olou tou kosmou i elpida (Greece 1992)

1992 does in no way offer the strongest line-up ever, but it does offer more quality Greek drama than any other year. In fact, my personal runner-up this year is the very intense delivery Evridiki did for Cyprus.

But the Greek entry is again like a modernised tragedy with a drum beat, Kleopatra is like a Medea with a taste for Bond themes.

Elegant, convincing and, above all, catchy and very modern-sounding compared to most songs in competition. Not unimportant during these years.

Real winner:
Linda Martin - Why Me?


1993 - Norway



Silje Vige - Alle mine tankar (Norway 1993)

A soft little ballad with a bouzouki flavour was not what the contest needed at this time, really.

The best move would have been if one of the two really modern entries could have won. If the Spanish rap-sprinkled pop fest would have sounded as updated as it wanted to. If Dutch Ruth Jacott could have been a bit more easily accessible.

But Silje Vige's soft little plea for love (of the very platonic kind girls only want when their fathers wrote their lyrics) is so pretty that I shiver and go to pieces a bit.

Nothing short of wonderful.

Real winner:
Niamh Kavanagh - In Your Eyes


1994 - Poland



Edyta Górniak - To nie ja! (Poland 1994)

The year when Ireland completed its famous (infamous?) hat-trick and scored its third consecutive win, there were a couple of other winners that would steal the thunder from the Rock'n'roll Kids.

Riverdance, of course. The spectacular interval act that set out to conquer the world in its own right.

But also the countries from the East. Seven of them were let into competition, after a few years of EBU hesitation.

They were all to mark the future of the ESC in many ways, and on this first edition three of them impressed Europe and made top ten. Russia ninth, Hungary fourth and Poland second.

Of course, the Polish Mariah Carey should have won with her powerful chorus and flawless delivery. But Eurovision wasn't ready just yet.

Real winner:
Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan - Rock'n'roll Kids (Ireland)


1995 - Poland



Justyna - Sama (Poland 1995)

Poland really gave eurovision their best during the 90's. Few countries sent in entries as headstrong, as obstinate, as original.

Justyna was a real shocker of an entrant, opening the 1995 contest with her odd mixture of a beat, weird strings and high-pitched notes. A Swedish tabloid described it like "a Björk track played in reverse".

Complete with a dark set of lyrics full of doom, depression and Catholic imagery, this was the very opposite of what a eurosong should sound like in the mid-90's.

Poland sent it in anyway, convinced that quality would bring them success in the end. What they got was 15 points and an eighteenth place.

Well done, juries.

Real winner:
Secret Garden - Nocturne (Norway)

Scoreboard extravaganza: Irish variations

In the 90's, Ireland won Eurovision four years out of five consecutive years (which, frankly, made me develop a certain allergy towards Irish entries which lasted for at least ten years after their last victory) and also made history by hosting it after each victory.

In the past, countries had always handed over the task of hosting to someone else had they won two years in a row (or even if they won too often - Netherlands gave it up after winning in 1959, France after winning in 1962).

What surprised me and many others is that RTÉ managed to stage very individual contests, that did not feel like repeat runs. New stage designs, new hosts, new creative teams.

They even managed to make the scoreboards look fairly different to one another, even if they are clearly all variations on the same look.



Millstreet 1993



Dublin 1994



Dublin 1995



Dublin 1997

They all follow the same pattern and are all programmed the same way, but connect nicely to the colours and themes of each year. Clean-cut and easy to follow.

It would really be rather nice to see a new RTÉ scoreboard again someday. But then they have to break their trend and start winning again...

Runner-up: United Kingdom 1994

One of the worst choices one would have to make during a national final would, according to me, be the choice between really good and really original.

The 1994 UK national final, where Frances Ruffelle sang all eight songs on offer, was in all honesty a really lousy event. Most of the songs had nothing going for them, making Frances look pretty limited in terms of interpretetation instead of having her stand out as a versatile pop star.

The top two songs, however, were modern, original, bold. The runner-up seems almost frighteningly complicated given the almost ridiculous user friendliness displayed by the UK most years in the past.



Frances Ruffelle - Sink Or Swim (UK NF 1994)

Firstly, had this been an entry this year, the lyrics would probably have had to be rewritten. Given the recent news events, I don't think a lyric about the flood coming to take us all away would have been greeted with any particular enthusiasm.

That aside, this is a very bold effort - demanding but catchy once you get a grip on it. Something tells me the juries would have struggled with it and maybe placed poor Frances even lower had she been sent to Dublin with this one.

Not that I weep too bitterly about the outcome. The eventual winner is one of my favourite UK entries of all times, also modern, rather sophisticated and not to badly desperate to be liked.



Frances Ruffelle - We Will Be Free (UK 1994)

It didn't really work out with the RTÉ orchestra (show me one song that sounded better played by them, anyone?) and in the end the juries only placed it in a pale tenth place. For you kids, who were not around back then, that was about as bad as the UK ever placed. The last places of recent times were simply unthinkable.



Frances Ruffelle - We Will Be Free (UK 1994)

But of course the best version of them all is the studio version. Top marks from me anytime.



Frances Ruffelle - Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free)

Ireland: the highlight of the evening

Came in late after a night with friends, and thought I would come home to find an Irish winner. The broadcast still goes on, and there will not be a winner for another twenty-five minutes or so.

I haven't seen any of the performances, but I have a feeling I have still seen the best part of the show.

Which is the chat show part with former Eurovision hosts Cynthia Ni Mhurchù (1994) and Mary Kennedy (1995) who still look absolutely fantastic, who are still witty, funny and professional.

If Ireland would win again soon, I would team both of them up for hosting. What a dream duo!



Cynthia Ni Mhurchù hosting in 1994 together with the late Gerry Ryan



Mary Kennedy handling the voting elegantly in 1995

Iceland 1990: the first taste of success

Iceland had a difficult beginning at the ESC: despite high hopes and a very good dose of the strongest confidence, their first entry landed in a lackluste 16th place out of twenty entries in Bergen 1986.



Icy - Gleðibankinn (Iceland 1986)

Icy were followed by two more 16th places and then a nul pointer. Was Iceland bound to be a hopeless little nation at the edge of the world, never going to achieve ESC success?

All it needed was for someone to do their homework properly. For 1990, some Icelandic composers took a careful listen to what kind of sounds and rhythms had worked well for Sweden, Norway and, above all, Denmark in the near past.

The result was a very cheerful little song called "Eitt lag enn", a jaunty euroschlager you could twist again to. Performed by Stjórnin (Grétar & Sigga), Iceland managed to make quite an impression and ended on a fourth place in Zagreb. Iceland's first taste of success!



Stjórnin - Eitt lag enn (Iceland 1990)

Iceland has only managed top five placings on two more occasions: 1999 and 2009, both times ending in second place. Icelandic thunder seems to strike roughly every tenth year. Does that mean victory in 2019?

Sigga entered twice more, (once with Heart 2 Heart - basically an enlarged version of Stjórnin - and once as a solo singer) trying to better herself, ending in 7th and 12th place respectively.



Heart 2 Heart - Nei eða já (Iceland 1992)



Sigga - Nætur (Iceland 1994)

It should have been Poland

Let's rewind the tape a bit and go back to the 90's. The 90's, when Eurovision was declining in many countries, when many doubted the contest would survive for particularly long, when it didn't generate any major international hits.

One thing that saved the ESC was a number of established countries taking turns to breathe new life into the event: France with ethnic entries, Spain with modern entries, UK with rap and Gina G, Germany with some dramatic rule changes in the late 90's (introduction of televoting, free choice of language, no orchestra).

Another thing was of course the formerly socialist countries of eastern Europe making their grand entrance. They brought in new attitudes, new styles, new sounds. Most of which more modern than anything Switzerland or Belgium would whip up.

The country leaving the biggest mark on many eurofans was probably Poland. From their sensational debut in 1994, when Edyta Górniak ended in second place, their first five entries was a continuous string of artistic success.

Poland sent in good singers, ambitious compositions and a very different ambience into this old contest. Apart from their debut, their songs didn't do very well, but they were impressive on many levels.

I suppose I was not the only one thinking it was only a matter of time until Poland would hit the correct button at the right time and be the first country of the former East to win.

Unfortunately, Poland has lost their touch since. Their entries are still more often good than bad, but they have not felt like a contender for years now.

I'm hoping Poland will get back in shape and impress everyone again sometime soon. It would be great to see the ESC broadcast live from Sopot, for many years the home of the Intervision Song Contest - the socialist equivalent of Eurovision.



Edyta Górniak - To nie ja! (Poland 1994)



Justyna Steczkowska - Sama (Poland 1995)



Kasia Kowalska - Chcę znać swój grzech (Poland 1996)



Anna Maria Jopek - Ale jestem (Poland 1997)



Sixteen - To takie proste (Poland 1998)