MFÖ

Music/Lyrics: Sverrir Stormsker/Sverrir Stormsker

Conductor: n/a

Despite the title, there is nothing philosophical about Iceland’s third entry. The verses consist almost entirely of the names of famous people such as John Waine and Michael Caine.  

Music/Lyrics: Py Bäckman/Py Bäckman

Conductor: Anders Berglund

Better known for its up-tempo, bouncy songs, Sweden sent a fine ballad and Tommy, appearing in the Eurovision for the second time, had one of the best voices of the 1988 contest.

Music/Lyrics: Pepe Willberg/Kirsti Willberg

Conductor: Ossi Runne

The smiling Finnish band lifted the mood of the audience with their upbeat pop song. They ran on to the stage with arms in the air encouraging the audience to clap along from the start, and the scene was set for the next three minutes.

Music/Lyrics: Julie Forsyth/Julie Forsyth

Conductor: Ronnie Hazlehurst

Written by Julie, the daughter of Sir (well, he should be) Bruce Forsyth, Go is a beautiful ballad which was complimented well by Scott’s suitably melancholy voice. The string arrangement adds to the atmosphere of the song. Runner up was the least it deserved.

Music/Lyrics: Mazhar, Fauat, Özkan/ Mazhar Alanson

Conductor: Turan Yukseler

There is an infectious rhythm driving through the second of MFÖ’s eurosongs. It’s very catchy and even the ‘hey-ya’s’ don’t distract from one of the best of Turkey’s offerings.

Music/Lyrics: Enrique Piero/Francisco Dondiego

Conductor: Javier de Juan

The chirpy Spanish group gave a chirpy rendition of this up-tempo tune. The performance lifted the appeal of a song which would otherwise have blended unnoticed into the pack.

Music/Lyrics: Peter de Wijn/Peter de Wijn

Conductor: Harry van Hoof

Gerard gave his all as he belted out his infectious foot tapper of a song. It even edges towards the anthemic later on.

Music/Lyrics: Boris Dimitshtein/Ehud Manor

Conductor: Eldad Shrem

The host of the 1979 contest picked up the microphone to sing a song whose pace is slow at first, but increases bit by bit so that at the end, it’s difficult to keep up with if you’re singing along.  

Music/Lyrics: Atilla Sereftug/Nella Martinetti

Conductor: Atilla Sereftug

This is where one of the most successful careers of the last 30 years was born. Nella and Atilla had given her the type of ballad which would become her trademark. What a difference one point makes!   

Music/Lyrics: Peter Eades/Peter Eades

Conductor: Noel Kelehan

The hosts entered a soft rock ballad whose theme is along the lines of The Righteous Brothers He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother. It was a credible defence that was unlikely to win.

Music/Lyrics: Ralph Siegel/Bernd Meinunger

Conductor: Michael Thatcher

The Germans employed the slightly gimmicky services of a mother/daughter duo. They both played piano and sported insincere smiles as they sung their Song For a Friend.

Music/Lyrics: Wilfried Scheuz, Klaus Kofler/Wilfried Scheuz, Klaus Kofler

Conductor: Harald Neuwirth

A rather unkempt looking Wilfried may well have felt aggrieved at scoring no points. His heartfelt ballad to a mysterious woman is by no means the worst song of the contest. 

Music/Lyrics: Soren Bundgard/Keld Heick

Conductor: Henrik Krogsgaard

There were six people on stage when the song started, but Kirsten was so heavily pregnant, there may well have been seven by the time this Danish europop song finished. 

Music/Lyrics: Dimitris Sakislis/Dimitris Sakislis

Conductor: Haris Andreadis

The rock edged intro gave way to a more broad European style when a nervous looking Aphroditi started singing. Despite that, it’s all a bit unmemorable.

Music/Lyrics: Anita Skorgan/Erik Hillestad

Conductor: Arild Stav

Candleabra adorned the piano at which Karoline sat, surrounded by her backing singers. The combination created the right atmosphere for Norway’s ballad. 

Music/Lyrics: Joseph Reynaerts, Dany Willem/ Joseph Reynaerts, Philippe Anciaux

Conductor: Dany Willem

Loaded with haunting atmosphere, Laissez Briller Le Soleil (Let the Sun Shine in Your Heart) could be dark and depressing (in a good way) if it had a different theme to the one suggested by the title. The mood remains throughout, supplemented by the backing vocals.

Music/Lyrics: Jacques Cardona/Alain Garcia

Conductor: Régis Dupré

Lara brought a bit of class to the evening with a beautiful, thoughtful ballad. The presentation was effectively simple and Lara was vocally flawless. 

Music/Lyrics: Luca Barbarossa/Luca Barbarossa

Conductor: n/a

Luca was third in the Sanremo festival in 1988 with a very challenging song, especially lyrically. Perhaps deciding that it would have been too much for a European audience, Luca’s rote this for the Eurovision. It has a more internationally appealing theme. The style is more soft rock than Italian.

Music/Lyrics: Gérard Lenorman/Gérard Lenorman, Claude Lemesler
Conductor: Guy Matteoni

The very French Gerard certainly had ‘le charme’ but not the song to contend for victory. It could make up the numbers on an album, but no more than that. 

Music/Lyrics: José Calvário, José Niza/José Calvário, José Niza

Conductor: José Calvário

Voltarei is the second, and far and away the best of Dora’s entries. It’s a very dramatic and emotional ballad which demonstrates that when Portugal gets it right, it gets it very right indeed. Not for the first time, a fantastic song went above the heads of the jurors.

Music/Lyrics: Rajko Dujmic/Stevo Svikic, Rajko Dujmic

Conductor: Nikica Kalogjera

There are hints of desperation and anger in Srebrna Krila’s song, which is essentially a pop tune. The lead singer gives a spirited performance.

Music/Lyrics: Brendan Graham/Brendan Graham

Conductor: Noel Kelehan

The contest was opened by a below par Irish ballad. Maria’s performance was a bit on the sickly side.

Music/Lyrics: Petri Laaksonen/Veli-Pekka Lehto

Conductor: Ossi Runne

Finland is capable of sending a song which is capable of sounding good only to natives. Not this time!! Eläköön Elämä is one of their best entries, a powerful, almost rock song, which Sonja delivered very well.

Music/Lyrics: Lia Vishy/Lia Vishy

Conductor: Haris Andreadis

Lia (sister of Anna - Greece 1980 and Cyprus 1982), looked very vulnerable as she sung, sometimes with a wobble, this nice, soothing ballad.

Music/Lyrics: Soren Bundgard/Keld Heick

Conductor: Wolfgang Käfer

Kirsten and Soren, who had represented their country the year before, came back for more and this time, they had a secret weapon, or at least they thought they did; an ever so slightly annoying child. Not content with joining in with the song, the child (boy or girl, who knows? Who cares?!) got dressed into adult clothes while the others did their bits.

Music/Lyrics: Juan Carlos Calderón/ Juan Carlos Calderón

Conductor: Juan Carlos Calderón

Classic elegance was the order of the day for Paloma. La Fiesta Terminó shows how good Spanish songs can be when they really try. This is how big ballads should sound.

Music/Lyrics: Didier Pascalis/Didier Pascalis

Conductor: Michel Bernholc

The most memorable thing about this song is the fantastic string arrangement. It dominates the whole song, lifting it out of the realms of the ordinary into something that should have been placed in the top five.

Music/Lyrics: Mazhar, Fauat, Özkan/ Mazhar, Fauat, Özkan

Conductor: Garo Mafyan

MFO were three chaps who clearly enjoyed their three minutes on stage. They gave a cheery performance of a cheery song. You might not vote for it, but it will make you smile. 

Music/Lyrics: Pieter Verlinden/Bert Vivier

Conductor: Curt-Eric Holmquist

Linda can count herself unlucky to have finished last with this sincere ballad for which she gave a sincere, professional performance.

Music/Lyrics: Tozé Brizo/Adelaïde Ferreria, Luis Fernando

Conductor: José Calvário

If ever Portugal deserved a place in the top five, this was it. The powerful and emotional ballad seemed to take its toll on Adelaïde. She ended her performance of one knee with her head bowed and took time to stand up again. Eigtheenth? The juries must have been listening to a different song!

Music/Lyrics: Hanne Haller/Hanne Haller

Conductor: Rainer Pietsch

This song is more highly regarded than it deserves. The ‘peace for all’ theme was starting to become boringly predictable in the German entries, a description which can also be applied to Für Alle.

Music/Lyrics: Kobi Oshrat/Hamutal Ben Ze’ev

Conductor: Kobi Oshrat

Izhar won the contest in 1979 and went for the double with a song which is almost guaranteed to fill dance floors and sounds as good today as it did then. It’s full of bounce and zip.

Music/Lyrics: Dario Farina, Michael Hofmann/Christiano Minellono

Conductor: Fio Zanotti

Italy’s favourite husband and wife team came back for a second attempt nine years after their first, with a slightly cheesy cabaret number. That said, it’s given a lift by the quality of Al’s voice, and when you look as good as Romina, you can get away with anything.

Music/Lyrics: Rolf Lövland/Rolf Lövland

Conductor: Terje Fjaern

The country which had unfairly become famous for not scoring found itself at the top of the scoreboard for the first time. It’s a bouncy, catchy, clap-along which was given an appropriately lively performance by Elisabeth Andreasson and Hanne Krogh, both experienced song contest performers.

Music/Lyrics: Vikki Watson/James Kaleth

Conductor: John Coleman

Chosen from a high quality ‘A Song For Europe’ competition, it might have been expected for Love Is to do well. So it proved for the contemporary pop song.

Music/Lyrics: Anita Kerr/Trudi Muller-Bosshard

Conductor: Anita Kerr

Having sang solo two years earlier, Mariella was joined by the splendidly moustached Pino for this fairly unmemorable song.

Music/Lyrics: Lasse Holm/Ingela ‘Pling’ Forsman

Conductor: Curt-Eric Holmquist

Kikki wisely moved only a little, leaving her two dancers to perform the acrobatics. Her song spoke for itself, an up-tempo, foot tapping and wonderful slice of Schlager. The title also allowed Lill Lindfors to make a saucy joke about the English translation of the title.  

Music/Lyrics: Mick Jackson, Geoff Bastow/Michael Kunze

Conductor: Richard Österreicher

Singing the first of two successive songs in the 1985 contest about children, Gary appeared for the first time as a solo artist. His song is not quite an anthem, but moves along freely.

Music/Lyrics: Ralph Siegel/Bernd Meinunger, Jean-Michel Beriat

Conductor: Norbert Daum

An array of singers from almost as many countries as were in the contest joined forces for Luxembourg to sing what is almost a series of duets. It should have been messy, but it actually worked reasonably well.

Music/Lyrics: Takis Biniaris/Maro Bizani

Conductor: Haris Andreadis

The contest ended with a very gentle song. Takis' performance was rightly understated and respectful of his own composition.