How do Eurovision fans connect with the artists of the Song Contest? I’ve made it an annual tradition to buy the official Eurovision CD each year, something that I started doing back in 2005 and have continued to do so since.

When I first started out, I bought the previous year’s Contest on CD as well through sites such as Amazon and Play. I have fond memories of putting the 2003 and Disc 1 of 2004 in my CD player and vibing and connecting with the opening tracks: Iceland’s ‘Open Your Heart’ by Birgitta and Andorra’s ‘Jugeram a estimar-nos’ by Marte Roure. I’d often travel in my Dad’s car and put these CDs on as we’d travel to Speke Retail Park in Liverpool.

Around 2005 and 2006, it was difficult to find, purchase and get your hands on a Eurovision Song Contest  CD, Eurovision songs, or music by Eurovision artists. Either that or you were lucky to have access to iTunes, which stocked digital copies of them. For instance, I was in love with ‘Mambo!’ by Helena Paparizou, which she performed at Eurovision in Athens in 2006, and Helena turned out to be one of the first digital downloads I purchased. What a thrill it was to add this to my iPod as a closeted 15 or 16 year-old Eurovision fan!

As time has passed, I now find myself buying and collecting CDs and vinyl from past Eurovision and National Final artists. I’ve found this a great way of broadening my music horizons even further, beyond Eurovision itself. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of spying an obscure Eurovision CD or record in places you least expect them – for instance, I found a Greek album by Antique for £1 in the “Missing Records” shop in Glasgow which was an instant purchase… obviously.

I’ve also found record and CD buying as my own personal way of staying connected with the contest, given recent political controversies and claims of harassment in the 2024 edition.

So I thought what better way to try and claim back some of that enthusiasm than to share with you some of my favourite songs and albums that I have collected on CD and vinyl – my ‘All Kinds of Everything’ European music playlist if you will.

‘E poi siamo finiti nel vortice,’ by Annalisa

If you know your recent Sanremo history, you will know about Annalisa. I cannot stress how much I love this album. I’ve always enjoyed Italo Disco and those 80s synth-pop-disco vibes and Annalisa’s album does just that. Her single that she released for San Remo in 2024 ‘Sincaremente’ is so joyful and infectious, that whenever I hear it I find myself uttering ‘quando, quando, quando’ and doing some very elaborate hand movements. For me, it’s my favourite song of the year.

‘Euforia’ is also another stunning Italo Disco inspired track and comes exceedingly close to knocking Loreen off the top spot of my list of favourite songs entitled ‘Euphoria’. It was always a struggle to purchase this vinyl in the UK because of the extortionate import fees—thanks, Brexit—but I managed to get it delivered to my friend’s flat in the Netherlands when I was visiting so I transported it home in my suitcase.

‘Fråmling,’ by Carola

‘Fråmling’ is the debut album from Carola and the album title is the name of the song she performed at Eurovision in Munich in 1983. It’s a brilliant debut album and features some good covers of ‘Gloria’ by Laura Branigan and ‘Mickey’ by Toni Basil.

The final two tracks on the 1983 release of the album ‘14 Maj’ and ‘Du försvinner i natten’ are both real bangers that you will be dancing around your living room to while wearing your oversized blazer with shoulder pads. In my recent visit to Sweden this year in August 2024 while visiting my family friend and their newborn baby, we discovered that Carola’s music was just the tonic to stop her crying – mainly ‘Säg mig var du står’ and ‘Fangad av en stormvind’ (not on this album). Carola’s back catalogue of music formed the soundtrack of this holiday and I really wanted to sing her 1991 Eurovision winning song at the karaoke on the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki, except the list was full (you’ll be pleased to know!).

‘Boom Boom Boomerang,’ by Schmetterlinge

OK, hear me out. ‘Boom Boom Boomerang’ is on my list because I found this on a 7” single at a Leeds record fair in early 2024. I may have paid £14 for the privilege of adding this to my collection… but the Austrian entry for Eurovision 1977 is such an iconic stage performance with ridiculously silly lyrics. It’s so bad, it’s so good right?

I was in sheer disbelief that I found this in a ‘Eurovision’ section at a stall that only sells 7” singles. It was begging to be bought and no-one else was likely to choose it! The seller was also surprised that he was selling it and he often goes to the huge Den Bosch record fair in The Netherlands to find Eurovision singles to sell on.

‘If Not For You,’ by Olivia Newton-John

One of my more recent purchases to add to my growing Olivia Newton-John collection. ‘If not for you’ is Olivia’s debut album, released in 1971. It is a covers album that features covers from artists who were popular in the 1960s and early 1970s, including Bob Dylan’s “If not for you”, the title track on this album, and British Eurovision icons Brotherhood Of Man’s “Where are you going to my love” that reached a peak of number 22 in the UK charts in 1970.

I came upon this album from discovering Olivia’s cover of Lesley Duncan’s “Love Song” on a Late Night Tales compilation album put together by indie rock band Friendly Fires in 2012. For me, this is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard Olivia sing and very different to her UK Eurovision entry “Long, Live, Love” from 1974. It’s a touch hippyish, but feels very calm and soothing as a result of Olivia’s soft, gentle vocals. For me, it evokes images of walking around a Finnish lake in the middle of the warm summer with the birds singing.

Total bliss.

‘Sexuality,’ by Sebastian Tellier

And my final record to take to my desert island is Sebastian Tellier’s “Sexuality” released in February 2008. It was produced by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo who is one of the members of Daft Punk, and features Tellier’s Eurovision song that represented France in the same year “Divine”. The album is full-on synth-pop and features synthesisers galore. It’s fair to say that “Divine” is the track that sounds more poppy than the other tracks that are more synthy, such as “Roche” and “Kilometer”. If you want more of a wild ride that feels like an album that may kick-start a people’s revolution, then I’d recommend giving Tellier’s album ‘Politics’ some of your time. Especially as it features the tracks ‘Zombi’ (when screamo meets synthesiser) and the more laid back, piano serenading of ‘La ritournelle’ (it does a Secret Garden ‘Nocturne’ as it only contains a couple of lyrics). It’s certainly a journey.

And The Douze Point Goes To…

So, my joy is building bricks of music – the bricks in this case being the records and CDs that I’ve discovered at record fairs, charity shops and other online outlets. And as Lill Lindfors famously sang in her opening number to hosting Eurovision in Gothenburg in 1985, this music also builds me a home.

If I had to choose my ultimate music brick out of this selection and give it the ‘douze points’ it would have to be Annalisa. It gives me joy and life. Its also the perfect exercise companion (to dance alone in my bedroom too) and I’m usually vibing to this in my car (safely, of course!).

*What’s great about collecting all this music is that depending on how I feel, I can play a CD on the hi-fi when I’m working at home for background music, or stick a record on the turntable and spend some time listening to and explore a whole album. Sometimes, I will see some fans on my X (formerly Twitter) and BlueSky networks listing their favourite albums, or sharing their thoughts about rewatching a particular contest. This then ignites something in me to go and explore the music from an artist they mention. For example, I’ve been reacquainting myself with Lill Lindfors’s discography as a Eurovision fan on X was watching back Eurovision 1985. Even my close Eurovision friends are strong influencers to get me to explore a Eurovision artist’s past music catalogue.

In 2024, ultimately Eurovision for me is about discovering and uncovering new music. It broadens my horizons and I can explore different cultures and musical styles. It also connects us with others and we become ‘United by Music’. Let’s not forget this power of Eurovision in its troubled and controversial times.