Finland

Music/Lyrics: Alfredo Valbuena, Luis Miguelez/Luis Miguelez

Conductor: Javier Losada

Serafin gave the contest a melodic and solid opening. Everything was uncomplicated, from the tune to the presentation.

Music/Lyrics: Claude Barzotti/Anne-Marie Gaspard

Conductor: Frank Fievez

Sixteen year old Morgane arrived in Malmö fresh from her debut single topping the Belgian charts. Nous On Veut Des Violons was her second release and she performed with the shy charm that had won over the accredited journalists all week during rehearsals. Given the title, there are no surprises contained within the arrangement.

Music/Lyrics: Kobi Oshrat/Ehud Manor

Conductor: Kobi Oshrat

Dafna came through one of the highest quality national finals of the year. Her backing singers had problems in rehearsals with the positioning of their microphones, which were eventually hung around their necks. Ze Rak Sport is up-tempo and was suitable in what was an Olympic year.

Music/Lyrics: Aldogan Simsekyay/Aylin Ucanlar~

Conductor: Aydin Özari

It was a family affair for Turkey. The composer (who somewhat worryingly hit the very high note every time) and his sons made up Aylin’s backing group. The song is flavoured with Turkish and European influences and is a bit underwhelming.  

Music/Lyrics: Christos Lagos/Christos Lagos

Conductor: Haris Andreadis

Traditional Greek rhythms and melody made this a strong contender, as did Cleopatra’s performance. 

Music/Lyrics: Kali/Rémi Bellenchombre

Conductor: Magdi Vasco Noverraz

This is the first, and so far last, Eurovision song to be sung in Creole. France continued its recent trend of entering songs with music from specific parts of the world. The tactic had earned it two successive second places, but didn’t work this time.

Music/Lyrics: Niklas Strömstedt/Niklas Strömstedt

Conductor: Anders Berglund

The hometown favourite had a lovely ballad. However, while it moves along freely and unspectacularly, it lacked the impact to make it memorable in a field of 22 songs. 

Music/Lyrics: Dina/Rosa Lobato de Faria

Conductor: Carlos Alberto Moniz

Diminutive Dina was very lively and so she should have been. There are more fruits than a supermarket in her song, which is a cheerful clap-along full of bounce. 

Music/Lyrics: George Theophanous/George Theophanous

Conductor: George Theophanous

Written by Evridiki’s husband, Teriazoume is quietly powerful. The false endings keep the listener guessing and Evridiki was seductive in her performance.

Music/Lyrics: Georgina Abela/Raymond Mahoney

Conductor: Paul Abela

Mary’s big ballad came across very well in the Isstadion, but unfortunately, some of the grandness was lost through the camera lens. Mary had the voice necessary to give the vocal performance the song needed to be a contender.

Music/Lyrics: Fredrik Karlsson, Grétar Örvarsson/Stefán Hilmarsson

Conductor: Nigel Wright

Heart 2 Heart was essentially Stjórnin, the group that represented Iceland in 1990, with a few more members. The song was a crowd pleaser and a mood lifter. 

Music/Lyrics: Pave/Heikki Haarma

Conductor: Olli Ahvenlahti

Pave seemed to have aspirations to be a rocker, but rock songs don’t have lyrics like Yamma Yamma does. The whole chorus is that one word repeated several times 

Music/Lyrics: Gordon Dent/Gordon Dent

Conductor: Roby Seidel

Daisy was only in the contest because the song that won the Swiss final was disqualified. They should have stuck with the other song! Mister Music Man is really just The Stripper with lyrics. 

Music/Lyrics: Jang Linster, Ab van Goor/Jang Linster, Ab van Goor

Conductor: Christian Jacob

Sou Fräi is only the second cong to represent Luxembourg is Luxembourgish instead of French. Her outfit looked not so much spray painted as splash painted. The song is a nice mid-tempo number which you will hum along to, but won’t make you dash for the ‘repeat’ button.

Music/Lyrics: Dieter Bohlen/Joachim Horn-Bernges

Conductor: Leon Ives

A big personality with a big voice; it’s one of Austria’s best, but perhaps it’s position in the running order, plonked immediately before the eventual top two, did it no favours. Tony’s voice sounded slightly strained in some sections of his epic ballad.

Music/Lyrics: Paul Davies, Tony Ryan, Victor Stratton/Paul Davies, Tony Ryan, Victor Stratton

Conductor: Ronnie Hazlehurst

Michael earned every penny of the large fee he was reported as having been paid by the BBC. His voice, charismatic stage presence and dynamic performance lifted One Step Out Of Time beyond where this up-tempo song would otherwise have finished. 

Music/Lyrics: Johnny Logan/Johnny Logan

Conductor: Noel Kelehan

Johnny Logan completed his hat-trick of victories with another ballad. Linda was an experienced singer and paced herself to be at her peak on the big night. 

Music/Lyrics: Carsten Warming/Carsten Warming

Conductor: Henrik Krogsgaard

This is not a lovey-dovey duet expressing eternal love. It’s a couple trying to sort out their relationship but, being Danish, it’s done in a jolly way.

Music/Lyrics: Giuseppe Dati/Giancarlo Bigazzi

Conductor: Marco Falagiani

Having finished second in the Sanremo festival, Mimì, as she was affectionately known, was asked to perform in the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time.  This is a true Italian song, full of sincerity, emotion, intensity, with a hint of desperation. 

Music/Lyrics: Rade Radivojevic/Gale Jankovic

Conductor: Anders Berglund

This proved to be Yugoslavia’s last entry. In fact, the country was already started to disintegrate.  It went out in style with a song that starts softly and builds verse by verse to end the song and Yugoslavia’s participation on a high musically, if not high on the scoreboard. 

Music/Lyrics: Robert Morley/Eva Jansen

Conductor: Rolf Lôvland

Perky Merethe won many friends with her jolly personality while she was in Malmö. She even found time to laugh while she performed her anthem to save the planet, a theme that would crop up with boring regularity in years to come. 

Music/Lyrics: Ralph Siegel/Bernd Meinunger

Conductor: Norbert Daum

The same name, but a very different line up to the Wind of the 1985 and 1987 contests. The subject matter is the same, ’peace for all’, but the result was more deserved than the previous two. 

Music/Lyrics: Edwin Schimscheimer/Edwin Schimscheimer

Conductor: Harry van Hoof

The accordion made a rare appearance. Wijs Me De Weg tries to be a floor filler of a dance tune, but doesn’t quite achieve it. That said, it’s still a worthy tune and may have benefited from using a backing track rather than the orchestra. 

Yugoslavia - Baby Doll - Brazil (Serbo-Croat)

Music/Lyrics: Zoran Vracevic/Zoran Vracevic

Conductor: Slobodan Markovic

Getting things going with some eccentricity was the weird and wacky Baby Doll. She was certainly entertaining and the song, if you can look behind the image, is actually very good.

Iceland - Stefán and Eyfi - Nina (Icelandic)

Music/Lyrics: Eyjóolfur Kristjánsson/Eyjóolfur Kristjánsson

Conductor: Jorn Olafsson

Eyfi was adorned with a bandana to hide his receding hairline. It’s less quirky than Stefán’s song from the 1988 contest, but the regular ballad is an improvement and considerably easier on the ear.

Malta - Paul Giordimaina and Georgina - Could It Be (English)

Music/Lyrics: Paul Abela/Raymond Mahoney

Conductor: Paul Abela

This proved to be a very successful return for Malta. The arrangement was fuller than the preview video and this gave the ballad more substance.

Greece - Sofia Vossou - I Anixi (Greek)

Music/Lyrics: Andreas Mikroutsikos/Andreas Mikroutsikos

Conductor: Haris Andreasdis

Pre-contest, the Greek song was seen as a possible winner. All dreams were shattered by the sax solo, which failed to hit almost any note properly. Sofia pretended not to notice, but the juries definitely did. A real shame as the song deserves to be remembered more fondly. 

Switzerland - Sandra Simò - Canzone Per Te (Italian)

Music/Lyrics: Renato Mascetti/Renato Mascetti

Conductor: Flaviano Cuffari

The Swiss chose a song in Italian to represent them in Rome. It’s a ballad that builds well and surprised a few when finishing fifth.

Austria - Thomas Forstner - Venedig Im Regen (German)

Music/Lyrics: Robby Musenbichler, Hunbert Moser/Wolfgang Eltner

Conductor: Richard Österreicher

Things got off to a sartorially bad start when Thomas appeared on stage in a purple suit! As with his 1989 song, it tries to be an epic, unlike Nur Ein Lied, it doesn’t quite do it.

Luxembourg - Sarah Bray - Un Baiser Volé (French)

Music/Lyrics: Patrick Hippert/Mick Wersant, Linda Lecomte

Conductor: Francis Goya

After the saxophonist had ruined any chance of winning the contest, it was the turn of the guitarist to play his part. In fairness, one of the strings broke, which wasn’t his fault. Sarah remained unfazed and delivered her ballad well

Sweden - Carola - Fångad Av En Stormvind (Swedish)

Music/Lyrics: Stefan Berg/Stefan Berg

Conductor: Anders Berglund

Carola was the bookies favourite and she didn’t disappoint. She used her experience to good effect and had as much bounce as her winning song. Like it or hate it, it stays in your head.

France - Amina - C'est Le Dernier Qui A Parlé Qui A Raison (French)

Music/Lyrics: Wasis Diop/Amina Annabi

Conductor: Jérome Pillement

Having been influenced by African rhythms the year before, the French chose an Arabic flavoured song. The result was the same, second place, although it took the tie-break rule to separate Amina from Carola. While it might be more musically credible than the Swedish song, it’s not nearly as nice to listen to and that is what counts. Unlucky not to win? No, lucky to be second.

Turkey - Izel Çeliköz, Rayhan Soykarçi and Can Ugurluér - Iki Dakika (Turkish)

Music/Lyrics: Sevket Ugurluer/Aysel Gurel

Conductor: Turan Yukseler

This song moves along at an almost frantic speed, but if you can keep up, it’s good for a toe-tap. The trio gave it their all and were constantly smiling.  

Ireland - Kim Jackson - Could It Be That I'm In Love (English)

Music/Lyrics: Liam Reilly/Liam Reilly

Conductor: Noel Kelehan

Kim had been one of Liam’s backing singers in Zagreb the year before. She wasn’t quite up to the task of of giving his ballad the necessary boost it needed and the result was underwhelming. 

Portugal - Dulce - Lusitana Paixão (Portuguese)

Music/Lyrics: Fred Micaelo, Jorge Quintela/Fred Micaelo, Jorge Quintela

Conductor: Fernando Correia-Martins

Finally Portugal got close to achieving a deserved high position on the scoreboard. Dulce oozed class, as did her song. It’s not as melancholy as the traditional Fado style it is about, but it is could only be Portuguese. 

Denmark - Anders Frandsen - Lige Der Hvor Hjertet Slår (Danish)

Music/Lyrics: Michael Elo/Michael Elo

Conductor: Henrik Krogsgaard 

Denmark’s song is an understated ballad. If you want to knock it, you should first listen to the song that it beat into second place in the Danish final, and be grateful it exists.  

Norway - Just 4 Fun - Mrs. Thompson (Norwegian)

Music/Lyrics: P.G. Roness, Dag Kolsrud/P.G. Roness, Kaare Skevik

Conductor: Pete Knutsen

Without knowing what NRK (the Norwegian broadcaster) had rejected, it seems they made a good choice of song. Mrs Thompson is catchy yet musically credible, with an easy to remember refrain. 

Israel - Duo Datz - Kan (Hebrew)

Music/Lyrics: Uzi Chitman/Uzi Chitman

Conductor: Kobi Oshrat

Husband and wife duo Orna and Moshe Datz had more chemistry than a high street full of pharmacies. The song is a wonderful Israeli sing-along and very memorable. It was always going to be in contention.

Finland - Kaija - Hullu Yö (Finnish)

Music/Lyrics: Ile Kallio/Jukka Välimaa

Conductor: Olli Ahvenlahti

Once again, the Finns can count themselves unlucky to score so few points. Hullu Yö is a rock song with a restrained power which Kaija delivered with the required level of feeling.

Germany - Atlantis 2000 - Dieser Traum Darf Niemals Sterben (German)

Music/Lyrics: Alfons Weindorf/Helmut Frey

Conductor: Hermann Weindorf

Yet again, the Germans had an anthemic song urging peace and love to everyone. Following the fall of the Berlin wall, the group even included an East German woman for good measure.  

Belgium - Clouseau - Geef Het Op (Flemish)

Music/Lyrics: Kris Wauters, Koen Wauters, Bob Savenburg, Jan Leyers/Kris Wauters, Koen Wauters, Bob Savenburg, Jan Leyers

Conductor: Roland Verlooven

Clouseau were the biggest name in Belgian music at the time they tried to expand their success to the rest of Europe with an uplifting, brassy pop song which deserved better. The performance was very professional.  

Spain - Sergio Dalma - Bailar Pegados (Spanish)

Music/Lyrics: Julio Seijas/Luis Escolar

Conductor: Eduardo Leiva

Host Toto Cotugno nicknamed Sergio ‘little Toto’. Bailar Pegados was one of the favourites going into the contest and rightly so. It’s a classic Spanish ballad which, if given an additional chorus, could have done better. At two minutes 32 seconds, it ends rather unexpectedly and quickly. 

United Kingdom - Samantha Janus - A Message To Your Heart (English)

Music/Lyrics: Paul Curtis/Paul Curtis

Conductor: Ronnie Hazlehurst

The United Kingdom delegation arrived in Rome with hopes high. However, the rock element of the song seemed to have been left behind in London. This, combined with inappropriate outfits (including the backing singers) and Samantha’s nerves on the night combined to scupper any hope of winning. Samantha’s engagement to her Italian boyfriend during the week (an engagement that was soon broken off) may have proved a distraction. A great, great shame as the studio version of the song demonstrates how good it really sounds and it would have been a worthy winner.

Cyprus - Elena Patroclou - SOS (Greek)

Music/Lyrics: Kypros Charalambous/Andrteas Christou

Conductor: Alexandro Kirou-Zografou

This song is weaker than a shandy without the lager. Songwriters ego overcame common sense and Kypros appeared on stage with his bass guitar when there was absolutely no need for him to be there. The presentation needed only Elena and no-one else to be on the stage.

Italy - Peppino di Capri - Comme E' Ddoce 'o Mare (Italian)

Music/Lyrics: Marcello Marrocchi/Giampiero Artegiani

Conductor: Bruno Canfora

This song was originally intended for the Sanremo festival, but RAI instead nicked it to represent Italy in the Eurovision. It’s in Peppino’s native Neapolitan dialect, which adds a greater flavour to the Neapolitan style of the song. 

Music/Lyrics: José-Luis Abel/Raúl Orellana, Jaime Stinus

Conductor: Eduardo Leyva

Despite a false start, the sisters of Azucar Moreno performed strongly. Their passionate vocal combined with Spanish rhythms and dance beat to provide a very trendy opening to the contest.

Music/Lyrics: Giorgos Papagiannakis/Giorgos Paleokastriris

Conductor: Michalis Rozakis

Christos is the nephew of top English actor, Simon Callow. The presentation wasn’t helped when the microphone of the female backing singer didn’t work. The song is sensitive and sincere, and well done to Christos for hitting the big high note at the end. 

Music/Lyrics: Philippe Lafontaine/Philippe Lafontaine

Conductor: Rory Brack

Philippe wrote this song about his Macedonian wife. There is a romantic, almost monastic feel about it, supplemented by the strong arrangement.

Music/Lyrics: Kayahan Acar/Kayahan Acar

Conductor: Ümit Eroglu

Kayahan came across as a very likeable, his friendly smile added charm to his folk song. He sat on his stool, strummed his guitar and let the song sell itself.

Music/Lyrics: Alice May/Alice May

Conductor: Harry van Hoof

This is an example of the unpredictability of the contest. Prior to the contest, Maywood was rightly one of the favourites, but the juries combined to put the sisters in 15th place. Ik Wil Alles Met Je Delen is worth a higher placing than that. It is well constructed, memorable, and powerful and was well performed.

Music/Lyrics: Jean-Charles France/Thierry Delianis

Conductor: Thierry Durbet

The beautiful, sultry Céline was plucked from obscurity by the writers and RTL (Luxembourg’s national broadcaster) to sing this striking, atmospheric ballad. The co-ordinated presentation was just right, but somehow it passed over the heads of the juries.

Music/Lyrics: Paul Curtis/Paul Curtis

Conductor: Alyn Ainsworth

Emma was 15 at the time of the contest, but was just old enough to compete as she turned 16 in the year of the contest. Give A Little Love Back To The World is a big anthem which she performed well, ably assisted by, amongst others, Miriam Stockley, with whose voice the big note was safe.

Music/Lyrics: Hördur Olafsson/Adalsteinn Asberg Sigurdsson

Conductor: Jón Kjell Seljeseth

Iceland’s duo were full of energy and they needed to be! Eitt Lag Enn is the type of song the Eurovision Song Contest Is often criticised for; it’s chirpy, fast and fun, and we all need that sort of thing from time to time.

Music/Lyrics: Ketil Stokkan/Ketil Stokkan

Conductor: Pete Knutsen

Four years after he sang about Romeo, Ketil made the Brandenburg Gate the subject of his second contest entry. It doesn’t sound as serious as maybe it should and is a bit too sing-along for the subject matter. 

Music/Lyrics: Rami Kleinstein/Tzurya Lahav

Conductor: Rami Levine

Barefooted Rita changed the atmosphere. After the carefree feel of the previous two songs came her dramatic, emotive ballad. The camera loved her!

Music/Lyrics: John Hatting, T. Leandager/Keld Heick

Conductor: Henrik Krogsgaard

Young Lonnie did her best but looked uneasy and stiff with the very little choreography she was given. It wasn’t necessarily her fault, swaying on the spot was not what her up-tempo song full of zip needed. 

Music/Lyrics: Cornelia Lackner/Cornelia Lackner

Conductor: Bela Balint

Clad all in white and armed with a violin (also white) and a cheesy grin, Egon had to be alert to flit quickly between singing and fiddle playing. His song - written by his wife - is melodic, uplifting and very hummable.

Music/Lyrics: Ralph Siegel/Michael Kunze

Conductor: Rainer Pietsch

Daniel returned to his native country to represent Germany with Chris, who looked the much more relaxed of the two. It’s German, therefore it’s anthemic with a peace theme which was of the time.

Music/Lyrics: George Ougier de Moussac/Serge Gainsbourg

Conductor: Régis Dupré

Over-rated is the word that springs to mind. Yes, it is original, but that doesn’t mean it’s any bloomin’ good! Joelle sang and danced well and the flavour was very African.

Music/Lyrics: Zrinko Tutic/Zrinko Tutic, Alka Vuica

Conductor: Igor Kuljeric

The hosts turned to youth rather than experience. Looking like a young Marilyn Monroe, 17 year old Tajci flirted with her backing singers and had a great time performing this rock song, which had a touch of innocence about it.

Music/Lyrics: Jan van Dijck, Luis Filipe/Teotonio Pereira

Conductor: Carlos Alberto Moniz

The occasional blast of brass gives the song a bit of life. All the same, it does get slightly lost in the crowd.  

Music/Lyrics: Liam Reilly Liam Reilly

Conductor: Noel Kelehan

In an attempt to please everyone everywhere, the lyrics mention almost every country in Europe, together with its major tourist attraction as Liam pines for his holiday romance. It must have been a coach tour of epic proportions! Finishing second, it clearly worked and, desperate lyrics aside, it is a pleasant ballad.  

Music/Lyrics: Mikael Wendt/Mikael Wendt

Conductor: Curt-Eric Holmquist

Having come close with a rock song one year earlier, Sweden sent another song in that genre. The two sets of brothers gave it their all, but Som En Vind was never going to repeat the success of its predecessor.

Music/Lyrics: Toto Cutugno/Toto Cutugno

Conductor: Gianni Madonini

Eighteen years after Italy first won the contest, the second victory was finally achieved. Nothing much was expected after the preview video was very under produced, leading some to wonder if Toto had actually finished writing the song at that stage. These thoughts would not exactly have been dispelled when he turned up at his first rehearsal with a music stand and sheet music.  The song is about the creation of a more unified Europe due at the end of 1992 and, as might be expected, is an anthem which builds gradually. 

Music/Lyrics: Wolfgang Berry/Mario Botazzi

Conductor: Richard Österreicher

Glamorous Simone was thankful just to have the chance to sing having finished second in the first Austrian final for a few years. Keine Mauern Mehr is a fairly ordinary song about the political changes of the time. Lines like “no walls anywhere” and “tomber le barriers” are used to re-inforce the image. 

Music/Lyrics: John Vickers/Haris Anastasiou

Conductor: John Vickers

Anastasiou (as he was known) livened things up a bit with his energetic, if slightly forced, choreography to his disco tune.

Music/Lyrics: Kim Engblom, Janne Engblom, Tina Krause/Tina Engblom

Conductor: Olli Ahvenlahti

The brothers and sisters of Beat stood side by side to perform this soft rock song. While it is decent enough effort, there was a feeling the songs had ended with more of a whimper than a bang.  

Music/Lyrics: Franco Fasano/Franco Ciani, Franco Berlincioni

Conductor: Mario Natale

Anna and Fausto won the Sanremo festival in 1989, and three of the writers of that song also wrote Avrei Voluto. It needed a stronger input from the orchestra, who were not yet warmed up, and as a result, it sounded less strong than it is. The argument set to music is a very strong theme which Anna and Fausto got into the spirit of.

Music/Lyrics: Shaike Paikov/Shaike Paikov

Conductor: Shaike Paikov

Despite being surrounded by Galit and a couple of backing singers, Gili started very nervously but did become more relaxed. The song had potential to be a big belter, but suffered because of Gili’s immature voice.

Music/Lyrics: Kiev Connolly/Kiev Connolly

Conductor: Noel Kelehan

Kiev’s song is soft rock and moves along smoothly. As well as The Passengers, Kiev was accompanied by a female singer who was never far from his shoulder and was surplus to requirements.

Music/Lyrics: Jan Kisjes/ Jan Kisjes

Conductor: Harry van Hoof

A week of rehearsals had taken its toll on Justine’s voice, which cracked on the big note right at the end. That didn’t detract from the quality of her big power ballad.

Music/Lyrics: Timur Selçuk/ Timur Selçuk

Conductor: Timur Selçuk

Usually, if the most memorable thing about a song is the performance of the conductor, it wouldn’t be saying much about the quality of the song. However, despite Timur’s energetic display with the baton and a repetitive lyric, there is still a very infectious tune and rhythym to make the song stand out on its own.  

Music/Lyrics: Stef Bos/Stef Bos

Conductor: Freddy Sunder

Door De Wind starts modestly staying within itself, but by the end, it comes out of its shell by picking up the pace and power.

Music/Lyrics: John Beeby/Brian Hodgson

Conductor: Ronnie Hazlehurst

As usual, the United Kingdom was near the top of the bookmakers list. This year, it was fully justified. Why Do I Always Get It Wrong is a quiet, yet emotive ballad that leaves its mark.

Music/Lyrics: Inge Enoksen/Leiv Grotte

Conductor: Pete Knutsen

Heard on its own, Venners Nærhet is an appealing song; a sincere and gentle ballad. However, it doesn’t quite have the strength to pull itself above the competition. 

Music/Lyrics: Ricardo/Pedro Luis

Conductor: Luis Duarte

Portugal tried a rock song for the first time. The final position on the scoreboard doesn’t reflect how good the song is. The downfall comes when the lyrics go all geographic.

Music/Lyrics: Tim Norell, Ola Hakansson/Tim Norell, Ola Hakansson

Conductor: Anders Berglund

Sporting a hairstyle that any lead singer of a rock band would be proud of, Tommy gave everything as he delivered his uplifting piece of rock. Time has not diminished its quality.  

Music/Lyrics: Maggie Parke, Gast Waltzing/Maggie Parke, Bernard Loncheval

Conductor: Benoit Kaufman

Fronted by American Maggie Parke, the band representing Luxembourg gave us something different. An obvious bass, brass and plucked strings make Monsieur stand out from the crowd

Music/Lyrics: Soren Bundgard/Keld Keick

Conductor: Henrik Krogsgaard

Veteran Birthe showed the others how to do it as she lifted this bouncy little number to third place. There was even a chance to Henrik to dash from the orchestra pit to join in the proceedings on stage. How fortunate that the conductor from the previous song was on hand to take over, and seemed to know exactly where to start.  

Music/Lyrics: Dieter Bohlen/Joachim Horn-Bernges

Conductor: n/a

Thomas (a former member of the Vienna Boys Choir) achieved Austria’s highest placing since 1976, and the top five has eluded them ever since. Nur Ein Lied starts in dramatic style and maintains its grandness right to the end.

Music/Lyrics: Matti Puurtinen/Turkka Mali

Conductor: Ossi Runne

A song in Finnish with an Italian title and Spanish influences, what more could you ask for?

Music/Lyrics: Guy Matteoni, G. G. Candy/Sylvein Lebel

Conductor: Guy Matteoni

The second of the annoying child singers was much more confident than Gili had been earlier in the evening. She breezed her way through this admittedly good ballad.

Music/Lyrics: Juan Carlos Calderon/Juan Carlos Calderon

Conductor: Juan Carlos Calderon

In a year that contained more than its fair share of big ballads, Spain’s stood apart from the rest.  Nina sang with real feeling and could have brought her country its third win.

Music/Lyrics: Marios Meletiou/Efi Meletiou

Conductor: Haris Andreadis

A couple of wobbles with the vocals didn’t help a song already in need of all the assistance it could get. It’s rather empty and unsatisfying. 

Music/Lyrics: Marie-Louise Werth/Marie-Louise Werth

Conductor: Benoit Kaufman

This is the only song in the history of the contest to be sung in Switzerland’s fourth language, Romanche. It’s a rather subdued effort which passes by almost unnoticed.    

Music/Lyrics: Yannis Kyris, Marianna Efstratiou/Villy Saniánou

Conductor: Yiorgos Niachros

Marianna was one of the stronger singers in the contest but had one of the weakest songs. It holds itself together, but seems to drift along aimlessly, never really taking off or achieving its potential. 

Music/Lyrics: Valgeir Gudjonsson/Valgeir Gudjonsson

Conductor: Valgeir Gudjonsson

Perhaps a little unlucky to score no points at all, this is a steady rather than strong ballad. It wasn’t the worst song in the contest, but was probably just outside the top ten of most of the juries.  

Music/Lyrics: Dieter Bohlen/Joachim Horn-Bernges

Conductor: n/a

Had Austria chosen a different song, Germany may well have been fifth instead. The two are very similar in style and presentation. This is not such a big surprise when you consider that the same songwriters were responsible for both songs.  

Music/Lyrics: Rajko Dujmic/Stevo Cvikic

Conductor: Nikica Kalogjera

Yugoslavia’s 24th entry brought it its first and only win. The often tried Balkan ballad was abandoned in favour of a europop tune of the type so often derided by cynics. It is one of the less musical credible songs Yugoslavia entered, but a win is a win and it is fun. Not only that, but the ‘Rock me baby’ refrain is very memorable.