[LMBTO] A Winner Any Year - My Eurovision Dead Certs...

If Kyiv 2017 had been a fortnight earlier, with the Final being on 29th April, the long held prophecy by so many fans and pundits who were 'worshipping at the altar of Gabbani' would have almost certainly come true.  What was the catchiest earworm of last year's Eurovision ended up an unexpectedly lowly sixth, mainly because what was a slick and unadulterated performance at Sanremo had been tweaked so much by Final night that it became almost that synonymous 'hot mess' that we see quite frequently at the Contest.  If "Occidentali's Karma" had won then it would have have been a worthy addition to this list of mine, purely because it would have then been seen as a pre-ordained act that Italy's entry was always destined to win...


Ten songs will follow on from this introductory paragraph and you will see that they are all classic tracks that would find themselves on many fan's lists of favourite winning songs - to my mind, they are amazing, they all have something about them that sets them above almost every other Eurovision entry, even the other winners.  There are some runners up that would now be considered to be likely winners most years ('Congratulations', 'Nel blu dipinto di blu') but aren't included here because...well, they didn't win, did they?  So here we go - I am not scared to include a song from the 1960s and three from the 1970s along the way, which might surprise those who think that Eurovision started in the 21st Century...


1964 : Gigliola Cinquetti - "Non Ho L'Età"



Over half a century ago, at a Eurovision Song Contest where the visual footage has disappeared all bar snippets of this reprise, one of the all time classic songs swept up almost every vote from the juries at Copenhagen in 1964, winning with a score three times as many as the runner-up.  16 year old Gigliola provided some of the most delightfully measured vocals of any singer to date, belying her youth.  The build up within each verse is masterful, so controlled and yet so enticing that to then have each chorus following it slowing everything down again makes this such an interesting listen - it keeps you on the edge of your seat and keeps you wondering where the song will go next. 


The music and the singer combine here to provide a very simple performance and that is its strength - we have a song that is timeless 54 years after it was first sung.  I would propose that if Gigliola's emotional delivery, of a woman who is in love but knows that she is too young to show it, had been anything like the Sanremo reprise, the sum of this entry's parts would lead it to take the Eurovision title every year:



Class always wins and "Non Ho L'Età" is the epitome of that...


1973 : Anne-Marie David - "Tu Te Reconnaîtras"



Could a chanson still win Eurovision?  Up until last year in Kyiv, I didn't think so, but Salvador proved me wrong.  He isn't on this list, as I think that he and Portugal encountered a 'perfect storm' in 2017 but it did show that if you put together a very watchable singer with a superb delivery and televisual presence, an inspiring and uplifting piece of music and the right words in whatever language, you would have a potential hit ballad in any year, even now.  Anne-Marie David is still a top draw at any Eurovision event she attends, she still blows every fan away with her presentation of this song even now and that demonstrates that this entry is one that could be presented now and would still 'do the business'.  "Tu Te Reconnaîtras" is a piece of French perfection - the sing-sway musical backing is superb, what with the pounding drum and brass intro that suddenly cuts off to allow Anne-Marie to grab everyone's attention with her amazing voice and her facial emoting. 


In 1973, having a singer sing almost exclusively into the camera was unusual at Eurovision and this would still be a rarity at the Contest now.  Connection of the highest standard, together with the use of her arms to good effect, worked wonders too - having such an incredible voice together with that power and passion would make this an unforgettable performance at any Contest.  Excellence of this nature would be a juror's dream and that stage presence would make televoters pick up the phone whenever this was entered.  If you get the chance to see her live now (I have seen her twice in the last year), do so, you will understand why she is on this list...


1974 : ABBA - "Waterloo"



Now this was always going to make this list - the moment that the Contest fully accepted pop music as the dominant genre.  Unbelievably catchy lyrics and music, sung by possibly two of the best vocalists there has been at Eurovision and dressed for the occasion, looking all Glam and fitting nicely with one of the major music movements of the time.  ABBA played it all as a straight band performance in Brighton, getting themselves noticed with their dress, their stage persona and the fact that the whole act was fun and lively. 


No pyros or lasers required here - Agnetha and Anni-Frid lit up proceedings all on their own, all the men totally in the background and yet watchable too, and the fact that the one word title is repeated so often throughout this entry just makes "Waterloo" one of the ultimate Eurovision earworms.  Maybe the glam rock outfits might have to change as time goes by but the rest of this song, the music and the performers would guarantee a win for Sweden in whichever year ABBA chose to enter - still a winner for me 44 years later...


1976 : Brotherhood Of Man - "Save All Your Kisses For Me"



Here you go, yet another entry from the 1970s that I believe would still do the job even now.  Why so?  It is ultimately about the 'ahhhhhhhh' factor that this song generates and the unexpected twist in the tail - everybody knows that this is a song being sung to a loved one but after listening to the song the whole way through first time, the fact that it isn't to his partner but to his three year old daughter gives this a level of complexity that you wouldn't expect.  Being able to listen to all of the lyrics and follow the story from beginning to end is one of this entry's bonuses too, everything is so easy to understand and it appeals to all ages, in particular those parents and families watching the show. 

"Save All Your Kisses For Me" is wonderfully sung with Martin taking the lead and Nicky, Lee and Sandra providing the perfect accompaniment.  That choreography is so basic compared to modern standards and yet works perfectly (back in 1976 it was cutting edge), enhanced by the coordinated outfits that all four members were wearing.  Everyone smiles watching this, in the crowd and at home, all giving a chuckle as you realise the final twist and the memorability factor would be through the roof.  For me, Brotherhood Of Man would still be a winner, even in the 1976 format...


1997 : Katrina And The Waves - "Love Shine A Light"



Of all bar one of the entries in my list, this would be my dead cert winning entry in whatever year it was sent.  "Love Shine A Light" is the ultimate anthem, the gold standard uplifting evangelical tune and the most inspirational and complete band performance since ABBA.  It is an entry that could be lifted off that Point Theatre stage and placed anywhere else in the Eurovision world, flying straight to the top of the table.  Katrina Leskanich is a delegation's dream vocalist, providing power, control and emotional interest that is complimented wonderfully by possibly two of the best backing singers to have performed at the Contest, providing that iconic tambourine work in perfect synch with the beat of the chorus.


Pigeon-holing this song into the pseudo-religious area of music is perhaps unfair but having an almost gospel mood to it, where the intro sounds as though Katrina is almost praying and each chorus has the volume and backing increasing throughout, works so well and keeps this entry's freshness.  The flute and trumpet sounds add another layer midway without you really realising that they are there as a final touch - everything put together, along with Katrina's command of the stage and her control of her live delivery, provides one of the most professional and joyous Eurovision shows ever...


1999 : Charlotte Nilsson - "Take Me To Your Heaven"



You thought that "Waterloo" was the ultimate Eurovision 'pop song' winner?  For me, Sweden's fourth winner tops that song for so many reasons.  First off, "Take Me To Your Heaven" is one of the happiest Contest songs ever, with lyrics describing Charlotte's excitement about the night to come, her feelings when she is with her loved one and the morning after.  The music bounces along, providing so many key changes that all fit and do not sound contrived - it meshes nicely with Charlotte's superb vocals and those of the five backing singers, all providing an instant earworm with that chorus that will never leave you once heard for the first time. 


Added to the lyrics and music is the simplistic staging - anything more complicated would take attention away from Charlotte Nilsson who has an endearing watchability, always smiling and exuding joy that is passed onto the viewer.  There is another odd quality about this song that might explain my belief that this could win any Contest it was entered into, something that is not present with any other Eurovision song that I can think of - "Take Me To Your Heaven" sounds almost festive in its sound, as though it is more suited to being played during Winter, rather than late Spring as befits the timing of the Contest.  And that is another factor for its success - it sounds homely and safe whilst being uplifting and fun too.  You cannot get to the end of this song without smiling and it playing in your head over and over - sounds like a stonewall Christmas and Eurovision hit to me...


2007 : Marija Šerifović - "Molitva"



The best ballad of the 21st Century gave a debut win for Serbia with the seminal "Molitva".  Everything about this entry was perfection itself - the amazing vocals by all six singers on stage interacted superbly by voice and presence with Marija Šerifović giving the emotional delivery of her life, together with the physical connection between her and all of The Beauty Queens behind the lead.  Visually this worked on so many levels - the stark difference between Marija's 'Brat Pack' look and The Beauty Queens' coiffured "Charlie's Angels" vision, the emotional chemistry between the five backing artists and with the lead, hinting at a relationship between some or all of them and also a nod to either Marilyn Monroe in "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" or Madonna's "Material Girl", you chose which era you want to delve into. 


The dramatic music throughout tops off this amazing entry and provides us with a ballad that transcends language, one that would beat any other ballad and would make jurors and televoters alike forget about any uptempo dance show there might be that year...


2009 : Alexander Rybak - "Fairytale"



Until 2012, this was the ultimate winner.  An entry that had cross Europe exposure before the Contest and so the only question was how big a margin of victory was "Fairytale" going to get.  Even so, Alexander Rybak still had to perform on the night and that he did!  Everything is perfect about this entry - you've got a guy who can sing about something poignant and emotional in his life, he 'plays' his instrument in a very flamboyant and 'modern' way, you have two beautiful backing singers who are integral to the song and the staging, native Norwegian dancers who perform the traditional martial art of Halling to link to the nation itself and those final pyros to top it all off. 


The lyrics tell of a lost love and his fantasy of finding her again - that intrigue and interest are the final part of the puzzle that adds up to one of the most successful Eurovision entries ever and a song that, based on staging alone, would beat every other entry put forward up to May 12th 2018. The next one would give this a good run for its money though...


2012 : Loreen - "Euphoria"



Now the votes of enough Eurovision fans to have this winning the Eurovision Top 250 for six years in a row can't be wrong, can it?  Always the top of every chart it is ever entered into, "Euphoria" is still as fresh as it was when it was first performed in Växjö on 4th February 2012 at Melodifestivalen.  This piece of 'of the moment' pop takes you in so many directions (even more so than her distinctive dance) - Loreen provided a stunning and yet relatively simple show that relied on her stage charisma and the interaction between her and her solo male dancer. 


This song would still fit nicely into any mainstream pop radio playlist, as would the video of this on any video channel - the electro beats throb throughout but that quiet part of the song that coincides with the only additional 'prop', that of the snowfall, provides a delightful visual moment that stands out a mile.  This entry is definitely the best tune from the 21st Century, from the first cacophony of sound that was used with such great effect the following year to introduce the 2013 entries, all the way through to the final bar and that trademark 'dance move'.  This is the ultimate winner for me - the other nine on my list would be hard pushed to take the title away from this lady...


2014 : Conchita Wurst - Rise Like a Phoenix



And so we reach my tenth choice of winning entries that should win any year that they were entered.  Some fans would say that Conchita Wurst only won Eurovision due to the overall package of song, staging AND the backstory that occurred during the 2014 season but there is so, so much more to "Rise Like A Phoenix" than that.  This song is THE ultimate Eurovision power ballad, it is the ESC entry that sounds most like a 'Bond theme' which is high praise in itself and if you listen closely to the lyrics, never has a song tied in so well with an artist's circumstances at that time.  Conchita sings this sublimely well and provides almost as good facial emoting and delivery as a certain Anne-Marie David did 41 years before. 

The fact that she stays on a podium for the entire performance gives focus to Conchita, her voice, her face and that wonderful dress that gets lit so perfectly by the shafts of light from the ceiling.  And those 'phoenix wings' behind her?  An absolute masterstroke by whoever designed the staging and having a short burst of pyros hit the spot perfectly -  all of that was topped off by some of the best camerawork ever.  The DR production staff in 2013 were some of the best and that allowed the Austrian delegation to produce this wonderful show.  All of this makes this entry a winner all the time - the backstory behind Conchita just made the victory in 2013 all the more obvious but it was in no way the sole reason for her win...


So there you go, the ten winning songs that I believe would take the win any year that they were entered (obviously not against each other!).  They all have the following in common:


Of course this is just my list - I am certain that every other fan and pundit will think totally differently, the chances of anyone agreeing with all my ten would be much the same odds as winning the lottery!  What entries do you think would be unbeatable irrespective of the Eurovision they performed at?