Now the concert has been announced, tickets sold, and the acts announced, Eurovision’s Greatest Hits continues to create debate, and discussion online. Metro’s Benny Royston addressed the mainstream ‘who we want to see’ at the Hammersmith Apollo last week, but when ESC Insight asked him who he really wanted to see on-stage over the weekend…
A week later and the initial excitement about the news of BBC hosting a 60th Anniversary Eurovision Song Contest concert has rapidly turned to a debate about why there are so few acts, why some acts have been selected ahead of others and various other negativities that beset any institution with such a widespread number of passionate fans with a voice.
When we look at the Eurovision’s Greatest Hits event, there are some parameters that the BBC have been set by the EBU, parameters set by the BBC charter and parameters set by the list of broadcasters that have committed to televising the event. In short, this means a limit to the number of performances due to time constraints, a rough spread of where the former Eurovision Song Contest acts must be drawn from to suit the overall television audience and a limit to the number drawn from each country.
Earlier this week I wrote a piece for The Metro outlining nine acts I believed should be performing on an event like Eurovision’s Greatest Hits. With an audience such as Metro and before the actual number of artists that could participate within the broadcast slot was know, it was easy to pick nine acts without the constraints the producers will be under, but I could probably have given reason for ninety to be on stage at the London Eventim Hammersmith Apollo.
Now the acts are known, we can look a little more at who’s in, who’s out and a little more controversially, who is rightly not there.
Who Should Be Considered A ‘Greatest Hit’ For Eurovision?
Making Your Mind Up, by Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz are the United Kingdom’s fourth Eurovision Song Contest winners, having captured the crown in 1981. Even though they are from the host nation for the Eurovision’s Greatest Hits Concert, they have not been invited to participate, being overlooked in favour of Brotherhood of Man.
Many fans consider ‘Making Your Mind Up‘ to be a superior offering to ‘Save Your Kisses for Me‘ and Bucks Fizz can lay claim to one of the most memorable Eurovision gimmicks of all time with the skirt rip-off moment. Bucks Fizz were launched by Eurovision and became one of the most influential pop-music bands of the early 1980s. Brotherhood of Man were already well known prior to their Eurovision win.
One deciding factor may be that although both bands are still performing, the legal issues that blighted The Fizz could have made the BBC wary and if Bucks Fizz had been chosen, there would only be one act representing the 1970s on stage. Nonetheless, the absence of Bucks Fizz is perhaps rightly one of the biggest bones of contention for Eurovision Song Contest fans right now.
My Number One, by Helena Paparizou
Helena Paparizou might have won the Eurovision Song Contest for Greece with a song in English, but she would have represented Greece and Cyprus at Eurovision’s Greatest Hits, two countries that have contributed far more to the Eurovision Song Contest than their results might otherwise suggest.
Greece was one of the only countries to show how Eurovision can make a profit for the host city and considering what’s happened to the Greek economy since, it might be seen as a nod towards better times for a population struggling with economic strife. Helena has represented Greece twice and proved she is still a top draw performer by taking fourth place in the Swedish selection show last year with ‘Survivor’. ‘My Number One’, her Eurovision winning entry is still an iconic Eurovision song and will be missed in London.
Fairytale, by Alexander Rybak
Whilst the Nordic nations have a fierce record at the Eurovision Song Contest, there will be only one Swedish act (arguably the least popular of all their Eurovision wins) and one Finnish winner (it is only right and just that Lordi are on the card), and two Danish winners.
Yet Norway who have an equal number of wins to Denmark are not represented even though they will broadcast the show. Alexander Rybak’s ‘Fairytale’ stormed to the biggest points victory in the show’s fifty-nine year history and would also have been a major draw for Eastern European countries with his Belarusian heritage and popularity in Russia. Questions must be asked as to why the biggest Eurovision Winner of all time is absent whilst The Olsen Brothers – a shock winner that relied on a cartoon remix for the song to become an international hit – are on the list.
Nel blu dipinto di blu, by Domenico Modugno
Well, in fairness, seeing Modugno on stage would be slightly more controversial than inviting Lys Assia to perform – considering that the singer of one of the most famous Eurovision Song Contest entries died in 1994.
Although Modugno is no longer with us, he left us ‘Nel blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)’. The song came third in the third Eurovision Song Contest and is one of the most covered songs of all time. It’s also the only one to win a Grammy. Surely Volare must be listed on any Eurovision Song Contest Greatest Hits event?
Perhaps a montage of performances by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Pavarotti, Barry White, Dean Martin and Louis Armstrong could be shown in a mark of respect to some of the greatest performing artists of all time – all of whom performed this Eurovision classic?
Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, by Celine Dion
Celine Dion is one of the world’s most successful recording artists in history. She managed to win the Eurovision Song Contest in 1988 despite a terrible handicap given to her by her stylist and the competition launched her European and global music career.
Celine’s entry ‘Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi’ is still hugely popular in French speaking countries and her name would have ensured the show made many repeat appearances in years to come. It is believed that Celine Dion was high on the list of target artists for the BBC but could not be convinced to perform.
Who Shouldn’t Even Be Considered A Hit?
Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, by Celine Dion
Whilst there are the reasons above that make Celine Dion a must-book act for the Eurovision’s Greatest Hits event, there are equal reasons to say she should be ignored. Not least her abhorrence for the competition that changed the course of her career. She has rarely referred to the Eurovision Song Contest in autobiographies, talking more about becoming engaged to her then manager Rene with the competition as a backdrop or footnote to her love life
She seems to have tried to blot her participation out of her own history and in doing so, has upset many fans that would otherwise have loved to see her perform.
So fair’s fair.
Ooh, Ah (Just A Little Bit), by Gina G
Simon Tauber and Steve Rodway’s Grammy-nominated hit is one of the most successful Eurovision entries of all time and selecting Ms G (or Olivia Newton-John) would have been a popular move with Australia broadcasting the Greatest Hits concert. The problem with Gina G is that she couldn’t match the song’s recording popularity with a live performance and dipped to an unexpectedly low eighth place in the 1996 show. She tried a second time to represent the UK many years later, but came last in the British final before becoming bitter over her Eurovision Experience.
She is believed to have suggested that Eurovision killed her career, which seems a little strong considering it was Eurovision that gave her a career.
‘Believe’ / ‘Never Let You Go’, by Dima Bilan
Dima will perform at the Eurovision’s Greatest Hits concert, and whilst his record of participation matches that of Helena Paparizou, the success of his entry does not
The song’s victory sparked such furious outcries of a political stitch-up that Terry Wogan, the notorious host of the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest and the United Kingdom’s commentator since shortly after the Norman invasion, spat out a vicious rant about the loss of Eurovision to an Eastern Block, signalling the end to his dying reign as the Song Contest’s voice-piece. Many believe it should have been Ukraine’s crown for Ani Lorak and not Dima’s in 2008.
The Eastern nations of Eurovision should rightly be represented on the performance line-up. Dima’s victory came with top marks only from neighbouring countries and failed to score a single point from the Eurovision Big Four. It would not have won if jury votes had counted, and it handed the chalice of ‘Politics wins Eurovision’ to those claiming neighbourly voting could influence the result of the winning song. Dima’s true legacy is the return of jury voting.
I would rather have seen Ani Lorak, Verka Seduchka or the Grannies on the card instead.
‘Boom Bang A Bang’, by Lulu
Although this would be another United Kingdom winner, it would have been good to see one of the winners from the notorious 1969 Eurovision Song Contest represented after the only ever four-way tie. Yet Lulu has also turned her nose up repeatedly at Eurovision, allegedly only appearing on shows to discuss it where a sizeable appearance fee is offered. The success of the Eurovision Song Contest comes more from passionate fans and the love of the event and Lulu has failed to encapsulate that when she could so easily have chosen to be an ambassador for the event.
Je N’ai Que Mon Âme, by Natasha St-Pier
Whilst France are in joint second place on the leader board for Eurovision Song Contest victories racking up five victories (alongside Luxembourg, Sweden and United Kingdom), Natasha St-Pier finished in fourth place in an average year.
It is a shame that Marie Myriam isn’t on the card with ‘L’oiseau Et L’enfant‘ – France’s last winner from 1977. Anne-Marie David won the Contest for Luxembourg and represented France – meaning France has two non-winners in the show.
St-Pier’s place could easily have gone to Bucks Fizz – who’s entry beat Brotherhood of Man in a BBC Radio 2 vote on the best UK Eurovision Song Contest entry; a representative from Greece and Cyprus (the aforementioned Helena Paparizou); or a representative from the Balkan countries who are not represented at all. Only Bulgaria (who have yet to have anything considered a great Eurovision entry) and Romania are broadcasting the show, but issn’t this event tailor made for Željko Joksimović?.
Neither are Netherlands and Belgium represented, with five wins between them and almost 110 entries between them. To have all of these overlooked for a medley of French songs is courageous.
Although if St-Pier does a killer version of ‘Moustache’ we might be placated…
Over To You
Overall, the debate on who should and shouldn’t be performing at a Diamond Anniversary Eurovision Greatest Hits event will run and run. Opinions are personal and subjective and only provide more discussion amongst fans and pundits. One thing that this event does show is that when it comes to hit television shows, there are none greater and none stronger than the Eurovision Song Contest.
You can follow Benny’s Eurovision adveventures on his personal blog at BennyRoyston.com.
I think that having BOM as the UK ‘entry’ is right – they all still like each other and like singing their entry, and they recognise how important winning Eurovision was! It is a shame about Bucks Fizz but which band do you invite?
I suspect the line-up has more to do with who is available to perform on 31st March than real preferences…I’ll just be happy to be there on the night, soaking up the live atmosphere, no matter who is playing!
I suspect two things are driving inclusion criteria: expense and willingness/interest. Many of the top acts (Dion, particularly) are completely out of budget. In Canada, in fact, she has spoken quite warmly about her Eurovision experience. But she manages her career exceedingly narrowly (mostly via Vegas residencies, since she has 3 school age children).
The 50th was interesting because an ostensive fan vote determines the top entries. The producers at DR then had to try and make that work with 3 acts either unavailable or unwilling to participate (Gall, Modugno, Nicole). And they did make it work.
60 just doesn’t resonate the way 50 does either. What’s another…decade?