Singing competition shows are big deals in America but folks in Europe know the REAL enchilada is the EUROVISION. Not just people but nations compete. I think the grand prize is you get to occupy Norway. Anyway, this has been going on for years and is gearing up for the 2012 edition. Among the big winners have been Abba so you know it's legit.
Anyway, this was the WINNING song in 1969. Let me repeat that: WINNING song. This one beat all the entries of all the many nations. Nothing could top it. Can you even imagine the song that finished tenth?
So here is Eurovision '69 winner, Lulu with... well, you'll hear it.
As a Brit, I should point out that we LOVE Eurovision, for the horrific car crash joke that it is. There is actual POLITICAL voting between allied countries, if you can imagine such a thing. What a batshit institution it is. Terry Wogan, vet broadcaster, made ha from his dry piss-take commentary. Including our own useless acts. This year, we are seding Inglebert Humperdink out to slaughter.
ReplyDeleteYeah, everyone outside Europe should watch this show as a Brit. Since 1997 we've consistently failed to perform and generally come near the bottom end of the table. We just watch it now to laugh at how bad all the acts are. And, yes, the powers at be (I have no idea who chooses our act each year) have sent Engelbert Humperdinck to the slaughter this year.
ReplyDelete1969 Eurovision Song Contest was actually a bit of anomaly, as FOUR tunes received the same highest amount of points:
ReplyDeleteFrida Boccara (France): Un jour, un enfant
Lenny Kuhr (Netherlands): De troubadour
Lulu (United Kingdom): Boom Bang-a-Bang
Salomé (Spain): Viva cantando
Also, the ninth place was divided between two entries. As a result, there was no song finishing tenth.
Great Big Radio guy would probably say that's a song that shouldn't have been.
ReplyDeleteEurovision can go either way, there's really no knowing in advance. Sometimes the winner is really bizarre (like in 2004 or 2006). Sometimes it's a fine piece of pop music (like in 1994, 1997 or 2010). Though a lot of the time, it's either a sappy overproduced ballad from Eastern Europe or a campy dance track from Israel or Turkey.
ReplyDeleteAh, the Eurovision Song Contest was fun back in the day when it was called Le Grand Prix De La Chanson d’Eurovision and artists had to sing in their own language. Being German, the big question was always if the Austrian jury would dare to give us 1 or 0 points AGAIN … This must be the one true camp event that unites Europe.
ReplyDeleteNowadays the all sing in English, needn’t be amateurs anymore and anyone with a cell phone can vote for their favourite artist. Still, it has that air of Great Entertainment. :-)
Once won by Dana International
ReplyDeletean Israeli transexual
Poor Lulu, I always loved her. Always wondered how she became the queen of Norway.
ReplyDeleteGreat Big Radio guy might ban Lulu's good songs from his station for a month as her penalty for performing that little ditty.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but I just can't quit her version of "Shout."
ReplyDeleteDon't evr forget the brilliance of Bucks Fizz.
ReplyDeleteThe weirdest part of winning is that you get/have to host the competition the next year. It is very expensive and Ireland (after winning several years in a row) refused to do it again.
ReplyDeleteIt has been going on since the 1950s and this year it is in Baku!
"Wunnerful....uh...wunnerful." I didn't know the "Champagne Lady" was Norwegian.
ReplyDeleteWhat's worse is that she plagiarised the song from the theme song for "Flipper".
ReplyDeleteHow did she get away with that?!
I'm fond of Lithuania's entry from 2006; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxfyg0__vB4
ReplyDeleteTitled "We Are The Winners", the majority of the lyrics consist of "We are the winners of Eurovision", making it what amounts to a campaign speech/song. Then around the 1:20 mark, the bullhorn comes out, followed by strange dancing.
This is the one that left my jaw on the floor, Lordi, the 2006 Eurovision winners "Hard Rock Hallelujah"....and I thought KISS dressed to excess! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh3hj9-J76Y
ReplyDeleteWunnerful...um..uh...wunnerful." Now I know that the "Champagne Lady" is Norwegian.
ReplyDeleteOf course this was the winning song in 1969 - the judges were too busy Walking in Space (with a little help from Lulu) to do their proper jobs.
ReplyDeleteMonty Python also parodied this song as "Bing Tiddle Tiddle Bong" during a Eurovision parody at the end of one of their episodes.
ReplyDeleteI love Lulu! For nearly 50 years she's been both earnest & self-deprecating. Yet always dignified.
ReplyDeleteThere have been some good songs, fair do's. Not many, I'll grant, but some. It always amuses me that Cliff Richard took part one year and came second. And let's not forget Celine Dion won it in the 1980's, competing for Switzerland!
ReplyDeleteFor bad winning Euro songs though, surely "Diggi Loo Diggi Lay" has to take the cake!
For some reason I have always thought that Lulu's 'The Boat That I Row' won the Eurovision contest. I guess maybe the AM stations on the Least Coast plugged it as being by the Eurovision winner but neglected to Name That Tune you posted as her winning song.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite: Ukraine's entry from 2007, which placed 2nd.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XGMb5PakOQ
I find few things funnier than the Father Ted episode that spoofed Eurovision...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYzVMcgWhg