Tag Archives: eurovision

Cookie Fonster Peeks at Eurovision 1984: The Era of Crazy Presenters

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Intro Post

< 1983 Review | 1984 Review | 1985 Review >

Two days ago, Belgium was the first country to confirm their representative for Eurovision 2024: a singer from Brussels named Mustii. Going by his discography, he’ll probably send a song in English. I’m looking forward to what he’s got in store!

Introduction

Hosted in Luxembourg for the most recent time, Eurovision 1984 had 19 countries participate. Ireland returned after skipping last year, whereas Israel and Greece skipped, due to a national holiday and the broadcaster’s lack of interest respectively. Sweden narrowly won with the first of two Eurovision songs in Swedish. Ireland got second place with a song composed by a prior winner and sung by a future winner.

This contest had the youngest presenter in Eurovision history, at only 19 years old. The presenter’s style is just, oh my god. You have to see it to believe it. She switches back and forth between English, French, German, and Luxembourgish and makes tons of irreverent side remarks, exactly like you’d expect a 19-year-old on TV to do. For people who can only speak one of those languages, this must be like hearing someone from the Philippines alternate between English and Tagalog. I don’t know why this analogy came to mind, but it did. Considering the language mishaps of the last presenter, as well as the next presenter’s famous underwear incident, it’s safe to say we’re in the era of crazy presenters.

The contest begins with a montage of Luxembourg set to an orchestral medley of all five of their winners, plus “L’amour est bleu”, proof that Luxembourg was a Eurovision powerhouse. Oh, how I missed these medleys. As with last time, I watched the contest with British commentary.

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Cookie Fonster’s Sentiments Surrounding Eurovision 1983: Welcome to the Heart of the 80’s

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Intro Post

< 1982 Review | 1983 Review | 1984 Review >

Introduction

Forty years before the publication of this review, Eurovision 1983 was hosted in Munich (München), a city that I have been to! This brought the contest to Germany for the second time out of three. The contest was presented entirely by one person (Marlene Charell) who made sure to say everything in German, English, and French. I admire her multilingualism, but she was infamous for her huge amount of language mishaps, in the presentation and especially the voting. I’m not sure why this contest didn’t have two hosts, like 1978 in France or 1979 in Israel.

France, Greece, and Italy returned after skipping last year, but Ireland skipped out for the first of two times, meaning the contest had a total of 20 participants.

This contest is one of the least talked about of the 1980’s. I’m not sure if the most famous entry is “Si la vie est cadeau” (Luxembourg’s most recent victory), or “Främling” (sung by a future winner from Sweden). It was also the first contest under the 12-point voting system where two entries got zero points: Spain and Turkey. I don’t have high expectations for this year, but that means if I like a good portion of the songs, I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

The intro movie, focused on scenery from German major cities, is the first one whose background music isn’t traditionally orchestral; instead, something partly electronic that you’d hear at the start of an 80’s movie. How’s that for a breath of modernity? The contestants were introduced in something resembling a flag parade, minus the flags, another indication that we’re moving closer to the Eurovision we know today.

I watched this contest with British commentary, which will be my default choice up to at least 1986. Though I may twist things up if I want a break from Terry Wogan. One more fun fact: This was the first Eurovision ever broadcast in Australia, who would get to participate 32 years later.

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Cookie Fonster’s Feelings Over Eurovision 1982: Germany’s Time to Shine!

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Intro Post

< 1981 Review | 1982 Review | 1983 Review >

In a post about a contest that Germany won, there’s no better time to mention that I’ll be in Germany from September 9 to 18! I’m extremely excited about this trip and might write a bit about it on my blog.

Introduction

In the months leading to Eurovision 1982, it seemed like the contest was declining in popularity and prestige. Italy was absent just like last year, and France skipped because their broadcaster TF1 considered Eurovision a “monument to insanity”. This era was rough for Greece too. They withdrew from 1982 and 1986 with a song ready, and 1984 without a song ready, with no transparency or forewarning from their broadcaster. If you’re a pretentious fan who says things like “back in (insert decade before 2000 here), Eurovision was about REAL music”, plenty of people were just as dismissive about the era that you romanticize. You’re just blinded by nostalgia. (Thankfully, France returned in 1983 with a new broadcaster and hasn’t missed a contest since.)

In this sense, you may consider Eurovision 1982 like a party where the two most awaited guests couldn’t make it, and thus the others have to make do without them. It’s also like a party where your friends chose a bizarre location: the small spa town of Harrogate, England. The broadcast of this contest embraced the bizarrity of this choice by putting a “Where is Harrogate?” sketch at the start.

This year was most famous for Germany’s first victory, which was by a landslide. This meant Belgium would be the last of the original seven participants to take the crown. Since this was 17 years before I was born, I would say “I can only imagine what it was like to be German and see your country finally win”, but I actually have a story to tell about it. I’ll tell it when I review Germany’s entry, at the end of this contest.

I wanted to watch this contest with German commentary, but I’m sorry, Ado Schlier’s style of commentary (1980 to 1986) is so boring. So instead, I watched it with Luxembourg’s commentary from a woman named Marylène Bergmann, who was almost 25 years old. Her younger age should provide a fresh perspective on this competition, as well as train my French listening skills. From 1987 to 1991, Germany had a different commentator every year, and that should be more interesting.

Dear god… all this commentator talk made me realize that eventually, there will be a Eurovision commentator younger than me. That’s assuming there isn’t already one, but I didn’t find any from a Wikipedia search. Being 24 years old is weird, guys.

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Cookie Fonster’s Opinions About Eurovision 1981: I Hope You Like Disco

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Intro Post

< 1980 Review | 1981 Review | 1982 Review >

Introduction

Hosted in Dublin, Ireland, Eurovision 1981 had quite a different lineup of countries from last time. First off, the Mediterranean island of Cyprus (aka Greece’s Girlfriend) joined for the first time. No one talks much about Cyprus’s early entries, but their best result (and most iconic entry) is a second place in 2018. Although the island is divided between Greeks and Turks, Cyprus’s entries have only ever come from the Greek half.

Israel returned after skipping last year, and Yugoslavia returned after skipping the last four years. On the other hand, Morocco left never to return again, and Italy skipped the contest for the first time. It wasn’t for political reasons or lack of money—Eurovision just wasn’t very popular in Italy. It was the first of Italy’s several absences in the 1980’s and 1990’s, culminating in a hiatus from 1998 to 2011.

This contest had one of the narrowest victories yet: with their famous band Bucks Fizz, the UK beat Germany by four points. This was the closest Germany had come to tasting victory, but they would take home the prize next time. With the narrow race between the UK and Germany and the many returning contestants, including the winner from 20 years prior, it seems this will be a very interesting year! Because of the winner, I watched the contest with Terry Wogan’s British commentary.

The postcards in this contest were notable because they didn’t just feature the singers of each song: also the composers and writers, exploring Dublin together.

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Cookie Fonster’s Thoughts on Eurovision 1980: Oddball Year, Normalball Winner

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< 1979 Review | 1980 Review | 1981 Review >

Introduction

Before I begin, I’m obligated to say that “normalball” is totally a real word. If you think it isn’t, there’s probably something wrong with you.

In many ways, Eurovision 1980 was the opposite of a normalball. First off, it’s the only contest since 1958 hosted neither in the previous winner nor the United Kingdom. Israel wasn’t willing to host after winning, and neither was Spain (the runner-up) nor the UK (the usual fallback). So instead, the Netherlands stepped in and hosted a low-budget show in The Hague, in the same building as 1976. This was the last time until 2023 that the previous winner didn’t host the contest, and the last contest hosted in the Netherlands until 2021. Unlike the last two years, this contest had only one presenter, and she almost entirely spoke Dutch.

Another oddity that this was the only Eurovision with an Arab country participating, and the only one with an African country. The country is Morocco, which participated for the first and only time due to Israel’s absence, which was itself due to Israel’s Remembrance Day. Turkey returned after skipping last year, and Monaco withdrew, only to return in 2004 to 2006.

In terms of the winner, this contest was the opposite of the opposite of a normalball, or more concisely, a normalball. Johnny Logan won for Ireland with “What’s Another Year”, the first of many Irish ballads to win in the 80’s and 90’s. It was the second of Ireland’s seven victories, and first of Johnny Logan’s two victories—three, if you count the song he composed in 1992.

This contest didn’t have proper postcards, but in their place is something I found super cool. Before each song, a presenter went on stage to introduce it in its country’s native language, accompanied by a slideshow of photos in the corner. Now I wish Eurovision did that every year. I watched the contest with German commentary.

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Cookie Fonster Demystifies Eurovision 1979: Dschinghis Khan and Some Other Stuff

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< 1978 Review | 1979 Review | 1980 Review >

Introduction

Eurovision 1979 was the first of four contests hosted outside Europe: three in Israel and one in Azerbaijan. The one contest hosted in Turkey was in its European portion. Both 1979 and 1999 were hosted in the Jerusalem International Convention Center, meaning they’re tied for the southernmost Eurovision contest; 2019 was a little further north, in Tel Aviv. It was also the easternmost host city until 2012, when Azerbaijan hosted. The introduction sequence gave me a feel for the enormous history of Jerusalem. It’s a holy city for three major religions, it’s been fought over by many nations and empires, and it’s the subject of a dispute today.

All countries returned from last year, except for Turkey—their Arab neighbors pressured them to skip it, even though they had a song ready. It was Monaco’s last time participating until 2004. Israel won the contest twice in a row, becoming the third country to do so after Spain and Luxembourg. However, the most famous entry is Germany’s “Dschinghis Khan”, a cult classic to this day.

This contest was hosted by two presenters, again one male and one female. The female presenter was a member of the trio that sang for Israel in 1976. As a change of pace, I watched this contest with French commentary. Before the songs began, the commentator suggested the viewer to get a pencil and paper and rate every song like the juries do. As it so happens, I am doing something similar on a strange, newfangled device called a “laptop”.

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Cookie Fonster Inspects Eurovision 1978: Two Mischievous Nordic Competitors

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< 1977 Review | 1978 Review | 1979 Review >

Introduction

It might surprise you that Eurovision 1978 was the only contest ever hosted in Paris, France. However, French people who are sick of Paris getting all the attention are probably happy about that. This contest brought the number of countries to 20 for the first time—Turkey returned after two absences, and Denmark returned after eleven absences. This means it’s the first contest where Denmark’s entry was broadcast in color. This was also the first contest with two presenters and the first with a male presenter since 1956. The other presenter was female. The purpose of two presenters was so that Denise spoke French while Léon spoke English.

Most importantly, this contest was the first time Israel won. Since we’re talking about Israel, obviously there was controversy. When I read months ago about how Arab broadcasters handled this victory, I got a feel for how different life was, and how much bigger the world seemed, before the Internet. Most Arab countries played commercials during Israel’s entry and cut the contest short when it was clear Israel would win, but Jordan went the extra mile. Their broadcaster pretended there were technical difficulties, then claimed Belgium (the runner-up) won instead. Censoring the real winner would NOT have been possible today!

On the opposite side, this was the first contest with the twelve-point voting system where a song got zero points. This happened to the unluckiest country of 1970’s Eurovision: Norway.

I watched this contest with British commentary, done once again by our good friend Terry Wogan. The postcards were filmed live and feature contestants going up an elevator (or lift, as the Brits call it) to the stage, so they barely counted as postcards.

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Cookie Fonster Writes About Eurovision 1977: No More English for You

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< 1976 Review | 1977 Review | 1978 Review >

Introduction

Hosted in London, England for the fourth and last time, Eurovision 1977 had a lineup of 18 countries like last year. Yugoslavia skipped out, not to return until 1981, and Sweden returned, starting a streak of attendance unbroken to this day. It was almost going to be the first Eurovision with an Arab country participating, namely Tunisia. However, Tunisia withdrew before selecting a song. Despite many of them being in the European Broadcasting Union, Arab countries have been reluctant to join Eurovision due to Israel’s presence. Lebanon almost participated in 2005 and had a song ready, but withdrew for the same reason. The only Arab state to participate was Morocco in 1980, in a year where Israel skipped out.

In this contest, the language rule was brought back with an asterisk. If a country selected a song before the change was announced, it was exempt from the language rule. That’s why Germany and Belgium sang in English this year.

This contest was delayed by a month because the technicians were on strike. It was held in May instead of the then-usual April. Because of the strikes, there were no postcards this time; shots of the audience were put in their place, which just isn’t the same. I wanted to watch this contest with French commentary due to the winner, but I couldn’t find it, so I settled for German.

In the intro, when the German commentator mentioned Prince Charles of Wales, I realized that up to 2022, Eurovision took place within Elizabeth II’s reign. If only Eurovision ended before her death, it could be like the famous fact that Homestuck ran entirely within Barack Obama’s presidency.

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Cookie Fonster Summarizes Eurovision 1976: Backtracking to Traditionalism

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< 1975 Review | 1976 Review | 1977 Review >

Introduction

Eurovision 1976 was hosted in the Netherlands’ only city to host two Eurovisions: The Hague. It was the first contest presented by a former contestant, namely Corry Brokken, the winner of 1957.

The country lineup is a bit unusual this time, because Sweden skipped it for the third and last time. The reason is because their broadcaster didn’t have enough money to host if they won next year, so a change was made in response: for later contests, every participating broadcaster had to help pay. Once again, this is a rule change caused by a controversy, and it won’t be the last one caused by a country’s absence. That is also how the Big Five happened. Malta skipped this contest too, not to return until 1991, as did Turkey. On the other hand, Greece and Austria both rejoined this contest.

This contest is also notable for a high concentration of English. Of the 18 songs in it, seven are entirely in English, and two partly. The language is in entries from countries like Switzerland, Austria, and even Italy. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was why the language rule was reinstated next year. To the EBU, Italy singing (mostly) in English must have crossed the line. Speaking of English, I watched the contest with British commentary—appropriate considering the winner.

One more thing: The postcards feature each participant exploring their countries, enclosed by a circle of all the participants’ flags in order. Helpful for knowing which song is next!

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Cookie Fonster Nitpicks Eurovision 1975: The Year of Songs About Songs

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Intro Post

< 1974 Review | 1975 Review | 1976 Review >

During this quiet season of Eurovision news, I have to admit I said a little “yesssss” when Serbia confirmed they’ll participate in 2024. Why are the former Yugoslav countries so much better at using their own languages than most others?

Introduction

We’ve reached the 20th year of Eurovision! The 1975 contest was the first of six (soon to be seven) Eurovisions hosted in Sweden, and the first of three hosted in its capital: Stockholm. This contest had 19 countries total: all returned from last year, France and Malta rejoined, and Turkey made its debut. Unfortunately, due to Greeks and Turks’ conflict over Cyprus, Greece skipped out this time. For the same reason, Turkey skipped out when Greece rejoined the next year. It took until 1978 for Greeks and Turks to participate in Eurovision together.

Turkey has a mixed history in Eurovision—they scored poorly at first, but their results gradually improved as fans started to enjoy their style of music. Turkey won in 2003 and scored second place in 2010, but their last time participating was in 2012. It’s generally accepted that Turkey’s absence is due to anti-LGBT sentiment in their government, which is a huge tragedy. Aside from this topic, this contest saw the Netherlands win with one of the most beloved 70’s Eurovision songs: Ding-a-Dong. It was the first opening entry to win a Eurovision contest, and the Netherlands’ last victory for 44 years. The UK scored second place, as you’d expect from them. Germany had one of the lowest scoring entries, but today their song is a fan favorite.

Speaking of Germany, I watched the contest with German commentary. The commentator called it the “Eurovision Schlager Wettbewerb” which is so much cooler of a name than what Germans normally call it: the Eurovision Song Contest. I’m now pissed that the name “Eurovision Schlager Wettbewerb” isn’t in common use. It sounds so badass!

The contest’s broadcast opened with a super cheesy wordless skit about the history of Sweden, with blatant green screen effects. Then we get to the show itself! It was the first Eurovision where the presenter dominantly spoke English over the host country’s native language. There was also the obligatory French, of course. The contest featured postcards where each contestant painted themselves holding their country’s flag, which is rather cute. One more thing: this was the first contest to feature the “12, 10, 8 to 1 points for each country’s top 10 songs” voting system that’s been consistently used (with some variation) to this day.

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