UNITED KINGDOM -Sixty-seven songs have claimed the top prize since the competition began in 1956 – and some are a lot better than others. The Eurovision Song Contest is a cultural extravaganza, designed to draw the people of Europe together through light entertainment and healthy competition. But ultimately, it’s all about the songs.
Since the first competition in 1956, there have been 67 winners (due to an infamous four-way tie in 1969). Those contestants have ranged from the good (Conchita) to the bad (most of the early 2000s), to the downright ugly (Lordi), but it’s worth exploring the list for some of the gems hidden among the decades.
Eurovision can also be viewed as a kind of cultural history of our evolving – and sometimes dubious – musical tastes. If you thought Brexit was a disaster, let this be your reminder that European votes have been throwing up some very questionable results for more than half a century. Let us begin…
67. “Satellite” – Lena (Germany, 2010)
66. “Un premier amour” – Isabelle Aubret (France, 1962)
65. “Everybody” – Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL (Estonia, 2001)
64. “Poupée de cire, poupée de son” – France Gall (Luxembourg, 1965)
63. “I Wanna” – Marie N (Latvia, 2002)
62. “Net als toen” – Corry Brokken (Netherlands, 1957)
61. “Nocturne” – Secret Garden (Norway, 1995)
60. “Nous les amoureux” – Jean-Claude Pascal (Luxembourg, 1961)
59. “De troubadour” – Lenny Kuhr (Netherlands, 1969)
58. “Een Beetje” – Teddy Scholten (Netherlands, 1959)
57. “Merci, Chérie” – Udo Jürgens (Luxembourg, 1966)
56. “Dansevise” – Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann (Denmark, 1963)
55. “Dors, mon amour” – André Claveau (France, 1958)
54. “Wild Dances” – Ruslana (Ukraine, 2004)
53. “L’oiseau et l’enfant” – Marie Myriam (France, 1977)
52. “Non ho l’età” – Gigliola Cinquetti (Italy, 1964)
51. “Tom Pillibi” – Jacqueline Boyer (France, 1960)
50. “The Voice” – Eimear Quinn (Ireland, 1996)
49. “Un jour, un enfant” – Frida Boccara (France, 1969)
48. “Ein bißchen Frieden” – Nicole (Germany, 1982)
47. “Ding-a-dong” – Teach-In (the Netherlands, 1975)
46. “A-Ba-Ni-Bi” – Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta (Israel, 1978)
45. “Un banc, un arbre, une rue” – Séverine (Monaco, 1971)
44. “La, la, la” – Massiel (Spain, 1968)
43. “Rock Me” – Riva (Yugoslavia, 1989)
42. “Vivo cantando” – Salomé (Spain, 1969)
41. “Insieme: 1992” – Toto Cutugno (Italy, 1990)
40. “Hallelujah” – Gali Atari and Milk and Honey (Israel 1979)
39. “La det swinge” – Bobbysocks! (Norway, 1985)
38. “Toy” – Netta (Israel, 2018)
37. “Refrain” – Lys Assia (Switzerland, 1956)
36. “Believe” – Dima Bilan (Russia, 2008)
35. “Heroes” – Måns Zelmerlöw (Sweden, 2015)
34. “Fairytale” – Alexander Rybak (Norway, 2009)
33. “Running Scared” – Ell & Nikki (Azerbaijan, 2011)
32. “Après toi” – Vicky Leandros (Luxembourg, 1972)
31. “All Kinds of Everything” – Dana (Ireland, 1970)
30. “Tu te reconnaîtras” – Anne-Marie David (Luxembourg, 1973)
29. “Arcade” – Duncan Laurence (The Netherlands, 2019)
28. “My Number One” – Helena Paparizou (Greece, 2005)
27. “Fly on the Wings of Love” – Olsen Brothers (Denmark, 2000)
26. “Take Me to Your Heaven” – Charlotte Nilsson (Sweden, 1999)
25. “J’aime la Vie” – Sandra Kim (Belgium, 1986)
24. “Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley” – Herreys (Sweden, 1984)
23. “Save Your Kisses for Me” – Brotherhood of Man (United Kingdom, 1976)
22. “Why Me?” – Linda Martin (Ireland, 1992)
21. “Si la vie est cadeau” – Corinne Hermès (Luxembourg, 1983)
20. “What’s Another Year” – Johnny Logan (Ireland, 1980)
19. “Everyway That I Can” – Sertab Erener (Turkey, 2003)
18. “1944” – Jamala (Ukraine, 2016)
17. “Diva” – Dana International (Israel, 1998)
16. “Puppet on a String” – Sandie Shaw (United Kingdom, 1967)
15. “Amar pelos dois” – Salvador Sobral (Portugal, 2017)
14. “In Your Eyes” – Niamh Kavanagh (Ireland, 1993)
13. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids” – Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan (Ireland, 1994)
12. “Only Teardrops” – Emmelie de Forest (Denmark, 2013)
11. “Boom Bang-a-Bang” – Lulu (United Kingdom, 1969)
10. “Molitva” – Marija Šerifović (Serbia, 2007)
09. “Hard Rock Hallelujah” – Lordi (Finland, 2006)
08. “Hold Me Now” – Johnny Logan (Ireland, 1987)
07. “Fångad av en stormvind” – Carola (Sweden, 1991)
06. “Making Your Mind Up” – Bucks Fizz (United Kingdom, 1981)
05. “Ne partez pas sans moi” – Céline Dion (Switzerland, 1988)
04. “Love Shine a Light” – Katrina and the Waves (United Kingdom, 1997)
03. “Rise Like a Phoenix” – Conchita Wurst (Austria, 2014)
02. “Euphoria” – Loreen (Sweden, 2012)
01. “Waterloo” – ABBA (Sweden, 1974)
ABBA burst onto the stage at the 1974 competition, kickstarting Sweden’s international reputation as masters of pop. Early adopters of the kind of kitsch which would come to typify the show, ABBA used their platform to offer a taste of the cultural phenomenon they would go on to become. From the opening piano build to the switch between a minor bridge and major chorus, to the catchy hooks littered throughout, “Waterloo” is a masterclass in how to write a hit, and the song rightly went on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time. ABBA continue to influence Eurovision contestants to this day, and while you may have another favourite, ”Waterloo” is a song on which most people can agree is a solid gold classic. We promise to love you forevermore.
