Topic: Ian's Top 100 ESC Songs

[ijm123]

Here it is - my definitive list of the best ESC songs EVER!!!! (at least for the moment - but it's always likely to change)  - with a little personal review of the song


100. France 1968 - La Source - Isabelle Aubret

I'm not a fan of her voice - but this song is lovely.  It has a wonderful melody and incredible lyrics. Infinitely better than either of the songs that finished above it in 1968.

99. Switzerland 1986 - Pas pour moi - Daniela Simons

1986 is a relatively poor year for me, but this song shines.  Nicely written, well performed and it deserved to do well

98. Albania 2004 - The Image Of You - Anjeza Shahini

Her voice can be rather annoying at times but as a song this is actually pretty good.  An excellent debut.

97. Yugoslavia 1987 - Ja sam za plez - Novi Fosili

There's something about the cheap pop songs Yugoslavia sent in the late 80s that I can't help but like   This was one of the best of them IMO.

96. Finland 1979 – Katson sineen taivaan – Katri-Helena

As with a lot of Finnish entries it was ridiculously underrated by the juries.  Fabulous melody, nice lyrics decent performance.

95. Germany 1972 – Nur die Liebe läßt uns leben – Mary Roos

An excellent opening to the 1972 contest.  Strong melody, OK lyrics and a good performance.


94. Slovenia 1999 – For A Thousand Years – Darja Svarger

Apart from "I tremble in your arse" and some other slightly incomprehensible English pronunciation I still like the song and Darja's voice.

93. Ukraine 2004 – Wild Dances – Ruslana
92. Cyprus 2004 – Stronger Every Minute – Lisa Andreas

I've always struggled to separate these 2 songs.  One is a great uptempo song which had a fantastic performance - although she wasn't perfect vocally.  The other is a very simple and effective ballad with a lovely understated performance.  Being a ballad lover I've placed Lisa higher.

91. The Netherlands 1959 – Een Beetje – Teddy Scholten

Without a shadow of a doubt the best song from all of the 50s ESCs.  The melody is catchy and the performance was great.  A thoroughly deserved win.

[ijm123]

90. Andorra 2005 – La mirada interior – Marian van der Wal

I've always been a big fan of this song as soon as I heard it.  She didn't perform it badly but it could have been better.

89. Switzerland 1976 – Djambo, Djambo – Peter, Sue & Marc

Not exactly a fan favourite - in fact it seems to be universally hated by the fans.  I however find it quite sweet.  I love the music, and although the lyrics are quite cheesy they seem to work well with the song.

88. Croatia 1996 – Sveta ljubav – Maja Blagdan

Great song both musically & lyrically.  Excellent performance as well

87. Belgium 2003 – Sanomi – Urban Trad

Should have won in 2003 IMO.  It's original and innovative and they performed it excellently.

86. Norway 1988 - For vår jord - Karoline Krüger

Nice ballad well performed.

85. Austria 1972 – Falter im Wind – The Milestones

One of the most unique songs in the history of ESC.  Musically there's been very little like it.  Lyrically very good and the performance was great as well.  Brilliant

84. Cyprus 1992 – Teriazoume – Evridiki

Hauntingly beautiful ballad and by far the best of her 3 entries.

83. Estonia 2000 – Once In A Lifetime – Ines

Cheap pop again - but I still love it.  The performance was nervy but adequate.

82. Luxembourg 1967 – L’amour est bleu – Vicky Leandros

A strange one for me.  I don't like Vicky's voice at all - yet both of her ESC entries are in my top 100.  Musically this is one of the best songs ever to be in ESC - the tune is fabulous.  Lyrically it was OK but slightly repepetitive.  Performance was adequate.

81. Ireland 1984 – Terminal 3 – Linda Martin

A great performance of a decent uptempo song.  Lyrically it's not exactly challenging - but I still love the song.

[ijm123]

80. Iceland 1990 – Eitt lag enn – Stjornin

Schlager at it's best.  Great performance of a really catchy song.  Deserved to do well

79. Malta 1997 – Let Me Fly – Debbie Scerri

She looked a complete mess wearing a carpet - but the song is gorgeous.  A haunting melody, nice lyrics and a great voice.


78. Serbia & Montenegro 2005 – Zauvijek moja – No Name

As one of the few ESC fans to prefer this to Lane Moje I suppose I should explain my reasoning.  Firstly about Lane Moje - it's a decent song I will agree, BUT to me it's not the masterpiece that lots of ESC fans make it out to be.  Zauvijek moja however appeals more to my taste.  The performance was weird in places but vocally sound.  This is probably the most controversial song in my top 100.

77. Moldova 2007 – Fight – Natalia Barbu

The first song chosen for the 2007 contest and it's still one of the best songs.  Musically it's fantastic, lyrically it doesn't make a lot of sense in places - but it's not to the detriment of the song.  An excellent performance - despite not looking great.

76. United Kingdom 1961 – Are You Sure? – The Allisons

Finally the UK sent a contemporary song to ESC.  Reminiscent of the Everly Brothers this song was catchy, well performed and modern for it's time.

75. Russia 2006 – Never Let You Go – Dima Bilan

I still maintain that he's not the greatest live vocalist - but he does enough to perform the song well.  The girl coming out of the piano was a great touch.  The song has a strong melody and an OK text.

74. Finland 1977 – Lapponia – Monica Aspelund

There is only one negative about this song - and it's that scream which almost ruined the song completely for me.  Still it's a great tune and a fantastic performance.

73. Poland 1996 - Chcẹ Znać Swój Grzech – Kasia Kowalska

Stunning - nothing else to say really other than it was very underrated.

72. Germany 2006 – No No Never – Texas Lightning

I've always been a fan of country music - and this song has the essential ingredient - it makes me smile.  Unbelievably catchy, lyrically rather weak and cheesy but that fits with the song. 

71. Cyprus 1982 – Mono i agapi – Anna Vissi

I used to adore this song...but I've fallen out of love with it.  I listen to it now and I can't actually remember why I liked it

[ijm123]

I will do the rest soon.   Can you guess what'll be #1?

[mongol-boy]

I will do the rest soon.   Can you guess what'll be #1?

Something from the UK?

[ijm123]

70. Finland 1987 – Sata salamaa – Vicky Rosti

Another criminally underrated Finnish entry.  I still don't understand why they were so often underrated.

69. Denmark 1995 – Fra Mols til Skagen – Aud Wilken

An unusual entry.  I love the feel of the song.  A nicely understated performance as well

68. Sweden 1962 - Sol och vår – Inger Berggren

Another song that makes me smile.  Incredibly catchy...almost annoyingly catchy.  An adequate performance.

67. Turkey 1975 – Seninle bir dakika – Semilha Yanki

I still find it incredible that this came last.  Perhaps it was too good.  A beautiful song and a perfect vocal performance.  A little too classy for ESC probably.

66. Malta 1992 – Little Child – Mary Spiteri

Another one that seems to be universally hated by ESC fans - but loved by me.  There's something in Mary's voice that appeals to me.  I love the way the song builds up and the note at the end is incredible.

65. Israel 1973 – Ey sham – Ilanit

The best vocal performance of 1973 IMO.  A stunning song beautifully written.  Ilanit's performance was absolutely faultless...and she looked stunning as well.

64. Monaco 1977 – Une petite française – Michèle Torr

A song where the verse and chorus are like 2 completely different songs.  I love Michèle's voice and she performed it well.

63. Morocco 1980 – Bitakat hob – Samira Bensaid

Another song that was perhaps too good (or at least not right) for the ESC it entered.  I don't think that the contest was ready for it in 1980.  It's a song that still sounds fairly fresh and modern.

62. Macedonia 2002 – Od nas zavesi – Karolina

A bit like Mono I Agapi - I used to love it - but now I can't for the life of me work out why

61. United Kingdom 1976 – Save Your Kisses For Me – Brotherhood Of Man

Quintessentially British in every respect.  The best selling ESC single in the UK and probably the most famous ESC song in the UK....but only because most don't remember that Congratulations was an ESC song .  This has all the ingredients for a UK ESC fan to love it.  It's kitsch beyond all reason, it has a dodgy dance routine, a catchy chorus and a decent performance.  It HAD to win.  They're still together and still perform the routine

[ijm123]

60. Yugoslavia 1990 – Hadje da ludujemo – Tajci

More cheap trashy pop from Yugoslavia...and I love it .  Yes she looked like a cheap whore - but the song is just too catchy for me not to like it.

59. Italy 1974 – Si – Gigliola Cinquetti

I'm not a big fan of Italian ESC songs on the whole - Gigliola and Mia being the exceptions.  This has a beautiful melody, decent lyrics and a great performance. 

58. Greece 1977 – Mathema solfege – Pascalis, Mariana, Robert & Bessy

Nice simple, yet very effective song.

57. Russia 2000 – Solo – Alsou

Again it could be accused of being cheap - but I like it.  It has a nice melody and her performance was OK.

56. Romania 2003 – Don’t Break My Heart – Nicola

A ground-breaking effort that brought ESC into the modern era.  Vocally she's not great live but the song is strong musically, although lyrically it's dreadful.  The effect of the performance was very effective though.


55. Denmark 1989 - Vi maler byen rød - Birthe Kjær

Denmark were FAB in the 80s and ended it on a high with this ludicrously catchy song.  It was accompanied by one of the best performances of the decade.  Vocally fantastic even the choreography was great.  Another song that makes me smile.


54. Turkey 1996 – Besinci mevsim – Sebnem Paker

The intro is a bit too long I think - but the music is beautiful.  Sebnem is for me the best performer Turkey has ever sent.  This is a gorgeous song.

53. Finland 1983 – Fantasiaa – Ami Aspelund

It's a fantastic song, it's Finnish - guess what? - it was underrated by the juries .  Great tune, great lyrics, great performance.

52. Yugoslavia 1973 – Gori vatra – Zdravko Colic

So modern for it's time that it was doomed to fail.  Shame really as now it seems to be such a fantastic and fresh song.

51. Denmark 1988 - Ka' du se hva' jeg sa? - Kirsten and Søren

Denmark in the 80s again.  Ludicrously catchy, well performed and guess what - it makes me smile

[ijm123]

50. Israel 1979 – Hallelujah – Milk & Honey featuring Gali Atari

It sounds like an incredibly simple song - but the harmonies are difficult and were performed brilliantly.  Throughly deserved it's victory in 1979 IMO.

49. Austria 1964 – Warum nur warum – Udo Jürgens

Forget Johnny Logan - Udo Jürgens is the King of ESC.  This was by a long long way his best song as well.  Melodic, lyrically excellent - it was a magnificent song.  Matt Monro was so impressed with it he never released his ESC entry but released an English version of this song instead (Walk Away).

48. Sweden 1996 – Den vilda – One More Time


Totally un-Swedish.  Haunting, melodic and downright beautiful.

47. Denmark 2002 – Tell Me Who You Are – Malene Winter Mortensen

An incredibly disappointing performance for what I think is a good song.

46. Cyprus 1997 – Mana mou – Hara & Andreas Konstantinou

Upbeat and catchy at the same time.  Ethnic and universally acceptable at the same time.  A remarkable achievement really.

45. Netherlands 1980 – Amsterdam – Maggie MacNeal

The best Dutch entry IMO.  A magnificent song, a magical performance, and after the first 3 votes I thought it was a sure winner.

44. Luxembourg 1972 – Après toi – Vicky Leandros

Again not a fan of her voice particualrly but the song is excellent and she did perform it very well.

43. Norway 1995 – Nocturne – Secret Garden

Stunning piece of music - rather than a song.

42. Finland 1991 – Hullo yü – Kaija

I don't really need to say it - ridiculously underrated.

41. Norway 1993 – Alle mine tankar – Silje Vige

Beautiful song.  Very gentle ballad.

[ijm123]

40. Portugal 2003 – Deixa-me sonhar (so mas uma vez) – Rita Guerra

Gorgeous song and it was well performed.  Cruelly underrated IMO.

39. Poland 1997 – Ale Jestem – Anna-Maria Jopek

Poland's best entry.  A magnificent song, a great performance.

38. Lithuania 1999 – Strazdas – Aiste

Breathtaking.

37. Serbia 2007- Molitva – Marija Serifovic

She gave a faultless vocal performance of a fantastic song.  No surprise it won.


36. Germany 1970 – Wunder gibt es immer wieder – Katja Ebstein

The Queen of ESC.  This song is brilliant.  Modern for it's time and very well performed

35. Croatia 1998 – Neke mi ne svane – Danijela

Beautiful song with a good vocal performance - but the overall effect with the costume change was super.

34. Turkey 1997 – Dinle – Sebnem Paker & Grup Ethnic

Magnificent.  Undeniably Turkish - yet it is accessible to the Western ears as well.  Another fantastic vocal performance from Sebnem.

33. Greece 1991 – I anixi – Sofia Vossou

OK the sax player ruined it - but this is a wonderful wonderful song.  Modern for it's time and the studio version still sounds fresh to me.

32. Iceland 1987 - Hægt og hljótt – Halla-Margaret

A beautiful gentle ballad that was nicely performed.

31. Ireland 1996 – The Voice – Eimear Quinn

One of the finest vocal performances ever at an ESC.  Exquisite vocals, nice melody, decent lyrics.   All round pretty darn good.

[ijm123]

30. Malta 1998 – The One That I Love – Chiara

For me the best voice of the last 10 years.  This song is gorgeous and was beautifully sung.


29. Finland 1985 – Eläköön elämä – Sonja Lumme

Well it finished top 10 so I suppose that's good for a Finnish entry....but it should have finished top 3.  Brilliant song, well performed.

28. Belgium 1993 – Iemand als jij – Barbara

I still don't understand why this finished last.  OK she looked a mess, but it's a beautiful little song and she sung it well.

27. Italy 1964 – Non ho l’eta – Gigliola Cinquetti

The first Italian song I can say I actually liked.  The lyrics are rather cliched but it's still a beautiful song.

26. United Kingdom 1982 – One Step Further – Bardo

This is quite simply the best British entry.  It has all the elements I mentioned when talking about UK 1976 - the kitsch factor, the catchy tune & chorus, the dancing.  It brings back memories of my childhood and I love it all the more for that.

25. Switzerland 1993 – Moi tout simplement – Annie Cotton

Stunning song, excellent performance.

24. Hungary 2007 – Unsubstantial Blues – Magdi Ruzsa

The song took my breath away when I first heard it.  I adore the emotion that Magdi sings with.  Her performance was absolutely stunning as well.


23. Malta 2005 – Angel – Chiara

In a year full of uptempo numbers with lots of drums this song stood out.  Chiara standing alone giving another incredible vocal performance.  Stunning.

22. Denmark 1963 – Dansevise – Grethe & Jorgen Ingmann

They won thanks to some neighbourhood generosity - but quite rightly.  Musically a fabulous song, lyrically OK, vocally great.  A fabulous song.

21. Belgium 1978 – L’amour ça fait chanter la vie – Jean Vallée

Everything a "chanson" should be.  Brilliant.

[ijm123]

THE TOP 20

20. ROMANIA 2005 - LET ME TRY - LUMINITA ANGHEL & SISTEM
An absolutely magnificent song and a terrific performance as well.  Original, innovative and fresh it deserved more than the 3rd place that it got.  Vocally she was perfect.  The instrumental refrain was performed brilliantly with a variety of instruments.  Magical.

19. SPAIN 1995 - VUELVE CONMIGO - ANABEL CONDE
A simply breathtaking performance of a wonderful song.  The passion and emotion that Anabel manages to put into this performance is quite astonishing.  Musically it's excellent, lyrically it's decent.  Would have won in most years but was up against the Norwegian masterpiece so had to settle for 2nd.

18. MONACO 1971 - UN BANC, UN ARBRE, UNE RUE - SEVERINE
Sorry Lonter I know you hate it, but this song is just amazing to me.  It's 1971 and it's fresh and doesn't seem to have aged at all.  Her performance was powerful and vocally sound.  It was always going to win the 1971 contest.

17. SWITZERLAND 1981 - IO SENZA TE - PETER, SUE & MARC
The music in this song is amongst the most pleasing I've heard at ESC.   The pipes at the beginning are wonderous.  The vocals are good, although Peter's voice is a bit off in places.  Sue as usual has a lovely voice.  By a long way the best of their 4 entries.

16. FRANCE 1975 - ET BONJOUR A TOI L'ARTISTE - NICOLE RIEU
One of the sweetest and purest voices to grace ESC.  It has such a simple melody that just captivates me.  The lyrics are lovely and she sung it beautifully.  A million times better than the drivel that won the contest that year.

15. NORWAY 1996 - I EVIGHET - ELISABETH ANDREASSEN
Hauntingly beautiful, wonderfully sung.  This is such a beautiful song it takes my breath away everytime I hear it.  I still can't quite believe that it got no top marks at all.  Quite simply wonderful.

14. GREECE 2001 - DIE FOR YOU - ANTIQUE
In what is quite simply an horrendous year this was a breath of fresh air.  It was fresh, original and very well performed.  Musically it was catchy, the lyrics were pretty good and Helena sung it very well indeed.

13. FRANCE 2002 - IL FAUT DU TEMPS - SANDRINE FRANCOIS
The best song of 2002 by a million miles.  Fantastic song, brilliantly sung.  A fabulous melody with a brilliant vocal performance.  How this masterpiece didn't win I still can't fathom out.

12. SPAIN 1973 - ERES TU - MOCEDADES
The harmonies in this song are quite simply magnificent.  Amaya Uranga performed the lead vocals immaculately.  Musically it's just one of the most beautiful songs ever seen at ESC, stunning in it's simplicity.

11. GERMANY 1985 - FüR ALLE - WIND
Another song that has strong harmonies - but they weren't great live.  Rainer Höglmeier was nervous throughout the performance and it ruined their chances of victory IMO.   I spent years thinking it was a woman singing this song - I was amazed to see it was a man when I first saw the performance.

[ijm123]

THE TOP 10 BEST ESC SONGS EVER!!

10. SPAIN 1989 - NACIDA PARA AMAR - NINA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipqTlbCvEXA

I listen to a lot of music when I am on the computer.  When I was discovering the old ESC songs most of them were playing in my ear and I didn't really pay much attention .  Occasionally one came on and stopped me doing what I was doing just so I could listen properly to the song.  This was one of those occasions.  It came on and I couldn't believe how beautiful everything about the song was.  The music, the lyrics, the voice.  Everything was almost perfection.  A stunning ballad.

[ijm123]

9. GERMANY 1975

[ijm123]

8. FRANCE 1969 - UN JOUR, UN ENFANT - FRIDA BOCCARA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsEo1_3rrJI

This song is quite simply stunning.  Beautifully written, beautifully sung.  It has a haunting melody together with a fantastic voice.  Considering that Frida had a bad throat in Madrid before this performance makes it all the more remarkable.  A song this good should not be mentioned in the same breath as Lulu's rubbish, but history played it's part and meant they were tied. 

[ijm123]

7. IRELAND 1993 - IN YOUR EYES - NIAMH KAVANAGH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqxYXhEhdWA (The video's owner prevents external embedding)

The performance that turned me from someone who watched ESC to an ESC fan.  I still don't think I've seen a vocal performance as perfect as Niamh's was.  A beautiful ballad sung by an exceptional vocal performance.  Everything about this song screamed winner and I wasn't disappointed.  Since then I've been a real ESC fan rather than just someone who watched it because it was on.

[ijm123]

06. HUNGARY 1994

[ijm123]

5. LUXEMBOURG 1973 - TU TE RECONNAITRAS - ANNE-MARIE DAVID

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59-QzONbALw

The best winner of the ESC ever.  A remarkably good song, A strong melody, a fantastic voice.  A true winner in every respect.  For a long time this was my favourite ESC song.....until I heard what is my #1.  The performance was slightly nervous but managed to convey the beauty of the song.

[ijm123]

4. SLOVAKIA 1998 - MODLITBA - KATARINA HASPROVA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6Ot6Dyn0wM (The video's owner prevents external embedding)

An absolutely astonishing song.  As far as ballads go this is one of the best.   Performed with wonderful passion in her voice, despite missing the notes on the first chorus.  The most underrated entry of all time.  Musically stunning, lyrically brilliant, vocally wonderous.  Amazing song that deserved a lot more than the 8 points it got.

[ijm123]

3. ITALY 1992 - RAPSODIA - MIA MARTINI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GmRRYSiKew

There is nothing great about her voice, it sounds like she's swallowed razors, or smoked 60 a day for 30 years (which is probably nearer the truth).  However what this song and performance has in HUGE amounts is passion.  She sings with such wonderful emotion that it never fails to bring a lump to my throat.  I'm not a fan of the Italian entries in general but this is quite simply extraordinary in every respect.  Magnificent.

[ijm123]

02. FRANCE 2001

[ijm123]

1. GERMANY 1981 - JOHNNY BLUE - LENA VALAITIS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keq4eze8eTo

No surprises at my favourite Eurovision entry ever.  I bought a CD of some German ESC entries on a visit to Germany in 1997.  I didn't know many of them by then but this song was on there.  I couldn't imagine hearing a song as good as this being an ESC entry.  Musically it's absolutely stunning.  The story it tells is beautiful.  Lena's voice is wonderful.  I think I can honestly say that I don't expect to hear a better ESC song than this.  As far as Eurovision goes this is PERFECTION.

[ijm123]

Please feel free to comment on my choices.  Or to post your own favourite's list

[My Star]

Wheres For real?

I might work on a top 25 - good job!

[Lonter]

5. LUXEMBOURG 1973 - TU TE RECONNAITRAS - ANNE-MARIE DAVID

The best winner of the ESC ever. 

You must hate ESC winners very much then

[DanielFullard]

Good read! Lot of my favourites in there too.