My all-time ESC 50: the Top 10 revealed!
Alright. I think I’ve kept you waiting long enough. Granted, I did mean to post this three or four days ago, but life kind of got in the way (damn you, life!) and so here we are. It’s well and truly time to bring this countdown to an end and put all of you out of your misery in the process, because I know* you’ve been glued to your wifi enabled devices for the last 96 hours straight, praying to the Eurovision gods that I would post the last part.
I’ve decided to say less than usual about each song, simply because when it comes to the ones you really, really, REALLY love, you shouldn’t have to justify that love with a ramble (as much as I adore rambling). I’ve said a few words, but I’m mostly letting the songs speak for themselves.
Let me know what you think of my choices, as well as which entries would make your list of the best-ever.
* I may or may not have accidentally typed ‘I know’ instead of ‘I like to think’. Whoops.
#10
Rivers of words between us
Sometime they will take us away…
Kicking off the list today is a timeless classic of an entry – its country’s last prior to a fourteen-year absence. It was the perfect song for the world’s most musical language. My 10th favourite Eurovision song of all time is:
Fiumi Di Parole by Jalisse (Italy 1997)
#9
There, love, where the bells toll, you will forever be mine alone…
You know I love a dramatic Balkan ballad, and the fact that this one was performed by a boy band made it that much more appealing. It’s a great song that was enhanced by a cleverly choreographed stage show. My 9th favourite Eurovision song of all time is:
Zauvijek Moja by No Name (Serbia & Montenegro 2005)
#8
Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone, love’s carving it in the stone…
The 2006 contest was my first, and despite the presence of Lordi in all their prosthetic glory, my strongest memory has less to do with Finnish monster rockers and more to do with women climbing out of pianos to the sound of top-notch Russian pop. My 8th favourite Eurovision song of all time is:
Never Let You Go by Dima Bilan (Russia 2006)
#7
It’s hard, it’s hard, when a longing by moonlight is here for a while and then escapes…
The second time Dana International entered the contest, it was as a writer, not as a performer. Who would have guessed the Diva herself could create such a spine-tingling (yet rousing) ballad? Credit also goes to the person who sung it, a man known as ‘The Yemenite Angel’. My 7th favourite Eurovision song of all time is:
The Fire In Your Eyes by Boaz (Israel 2008)
#6
I knock and hope that you don’t hear me
You open the door, as if you don’t care…
Here’s an entry that didn’t make the final, much to the horror of many, who thought the reason had to be the singer’s rather casual choice of costume. The song was full of light and shade, and combined ballad elements with rockier ones – a hybrid that grabbed my attention. My 6th favourite Eurovision song of all time is:
Stop by Omar Naber (Slovenia 2005)
#5
No borders, no flags, from up there, the world is just beautiful…
The message of this song rings so true with the ESC, and just reading the English translation gets me all choked up. Beautifully atmospheric, it scored the country it was representing one of their best-ever results (though I think it deserved to place a little higher). My 5th favourite Eurovision song of all time is:
Keine Grenzen – Żadnych Granic by Ich Troje (Poland 2003)
#4
There’s no tomorrow, no today
It’s easy when a song finds your heart…
We know what happens when a Balkan ballad meets a boyband, but what happens when it meets military? Magic, that’s what. This entry quickly became my favourite of the year, and I championed it even though I knew it had no chance up against a certain boy with a violin. My 4th favourite Eurovision song of all time is:
Bistra Voda by Regina (Bosnia & Herzegovina 2009)
#3
A scent of wind and pain follows me like a shadow
Are you sighing after me somewhere? Where are you hidden from me?
White suits, traditional instruments and Željko Joksimović have long been key to contest success. When they united to represent one of my favourite ESC countries in Athens, none of them disappointed. If I could only use one word to describe the song and/or the performance, it would be ‘stunning’. My 3rd favourite Eurovision song of all time is:
Lejla by Hari Mata Hari (Bosnia & Herzegovina 2006)
#2
No more sad songs on lonely nights, no more seeking the wrongs or rights of it…
I expect some of you to question this one. Then again, some of you may think it should have won rather than been pipped by a repetitive pop number (which also made my list, unfortunately). Power-ballad perfection, it was a runner-up in the late 80s and now it’s the runner-up on my list. My 2nd favourite Eurovision song of all time is:
Why Do I Always Get It Wrong? by Live Report (United Kingdom 1989)
This is the moment! If I didn’t think you guys had already guessed what my favourite was, I’d ask for a drum roll.
Oh, what the heck. *Insert Drum Roll Here*
#1
When I think of you I’m afraid of loving you again…
This entry is on my list for pretty much the same reasons as Lejla, only there’s something especially haunting about it that I love a little bit more. It may be the fact that I get goosebumps every time I hear it (and I think I’ve heard it about 1829813103084 times). That’s what makes my favourite Eurovision song of all time:
Lane Moje by Željko Joksimović (Serbia & Montenegro 2004)
The final fifty
#1/ Lane Moje by Željko Joksimović (Serbia & Montenegro 2004)
#2/ Why Do I Always Get It Wrong? by Live Report (United Kingdom 1989)
#3/ Lejla by Hari Mata Hari (Bosnia & Herzegovina 2006)
#4/ Bistra Voda by Regina (Bosnia & Herzegovina 2009)
#5/ Keine Grenzen – Żadnych Granic by Ich Troje (Poland 2003)
#6/ Stop by Omar Naber (Slovenia 2005)
#7/ The Fire In Your Eyes by Boaz (Israel 2008)
#8/ Never Let You Go by Dima Bilan (Russia 2006)
#9/ Zauvijek Moja by No Name (Serbia & Montenegro 2005)
#10/ Fiumi Di Parole by Jalisse (Italy 1997)
#11/ Wild Dances by Ruslana (Ukraine 2004)
#12/ Nocturne by SecretGarden (Norway 1995)
#13/ Džuli by Daniel (Yugoslavia 1983)
#14/ Tell Me Who You Are by Malene Mortensen (Denmark 2002)
#15/ Kuula by Ott Lepland (Estonia 2012)
#16/ Northern Girl by Prime Minister (Russia 2002)
#17/ Heaven by Jónsi (Iceland 2004)
#18/ Rijeka Bez Imena by Maria (Bosnia & Herzegovina 2007)
#19/ The War Is Not Over by Walters & Kazha (Latvia 2005)
#20/ Reise Nach Jerusalem by Sürpriz (Germany 1999)
#21/ Od Nas Zavisi by Karolina (Macedonia 2002)
#22/ Quedate Conmigo by Pastora Soler (Spain 2012)
#23/ Rändajad by Urban Symphony (Estonia 2009)
#24/ Nije Ljubav Stvar by Željko Joksimović (Serbia 2012)
#25/ Hemel En Aarde by Edsilia Rombley (Netherlands 1998)
#26/ Rock Me by Riva (Yugoslavia 1989)
#27/ This Is My Life by Anna Bergendahl (Sweden 2010)
#28/ Suus by Rona Nishliu (Albania 2012)
#29/ Diamond of Night by Evelin Samuel & Camille (Estonia 1999)
#30/ Every Way That I Can by Sertab Erener (Turkey 2003)
#31/ Ein Bisschen Frieden by Nicole (Germany 1982)
#32/ Work Your Magic by Koldun (Belarus 2007)
#33/ Anytime You Need by Hayko (Armenia 2007)
#34/ Ovo Je Balkan by Milan Stanković (Serbia 2010)
#35/ To Nie Ja! by Edyta Górniak (Poland 1994)
#36/ O Meu Coração Não Tem Cor by Lúcia Moniz (Portugal 1996)
#37/ Sanomi by Urban Trad (Belgium 2003)
#38/ Horehronie by Kristina (Slovakia 2010)
#39/ Die For You by Antique (Greece 2001)
#40/ Love In Rewind by Dino Merlin (Bosnia & Herzegovina 2011)
#41/ My Star by Brainstorm (Latvia 2000)
#42/ Never Ever Let You Go by Rollo & King (Denmark 2001)
#43/ Forogj Világ by Nox (Hungary 2005)
#44/ Dansevise by Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann (Denmark 1963)
#45/ Lako Je Sve by Feminnem (Croatia 2010)
#46/ Euphoria by Loreen (Sweden 2012)
#47/ Nur Ein Lied by Thomas Forstner (Austria 1989)
#48/ Il Faut Du Temps by Sandrine François (France 2002)
#49/ Solo by Alsou (Russia 2000)
#50/ Follow My Heart by Ich Troje (Poland 2006)
Voila! I hope you’ve enjoyed the countdown.
Until next time…
eurovisionbyjaz.com 
10 Responses to “My all-time ESC 50: the Top 10 revealed!”
[…] beginning in a pretty predictable place, but as I’ve only established my top 10 ESC entries of all time, not from a particular span of time, I figured it would be interesting for me and for you (anyone […]
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[…] for adult Eurovision (a ranking which is already outdated, but if you’d like you can see it here) which had to be harder, right? After all, there’s a much bigger pool of songs to pick from. But […]
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I don’t want to say to much.. only this:
this is absolutly what I wanted to see/read
=D awwww.
stbiklbswrckl.fznklkftxgjkolliu.
thats what I feel when I listen to Lane Moje . (: I can’t describe it =D
& Bistra Voda & Lejla also =o soo great.
you are awesome(: & your list. ❤
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^^ I thought you would like a few of my top 10!! Just a feeling…
Lane Moje = kadhfh/ef/lh/hflfeklahewdgyQTSW6TGEGWKFDNBJSBjncdsaklc + goosebumps + more crazy letters.
Thanks for reading. That makes you awesome too!! Ahaha.
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oh yay finally! I almost died while waiting…and then I almost died again because OMG LANE MOJE, KEINE GRENZEN AND BISTRA VODA?!?!?!?!?!?!
That’s like, like like…..my top 3 favorite esc songs ever!!! *cries of joy*
Lejla, Never let you go and fiumi di parole are epic too and they are among my favorite esc entries as well…
I like Zauvijek Moja, but not as much as you do. I find it a bit repetitive. I never really got Slovenia 2005, and as for Israel 2008, well I thought it was weird. I like parts of it, but yeah…
I couldn’t even remember UK 1989 xD
Well, I guess I don’t get to bash your top 50 too much. I guess I could bash it for including Suus, but the fact that you have Lane moje first, Bistra voda in your top 5 and both of Ich troje songs makes it up for Suus xD I’m seriously surprised, most people seem to dislike ich troje!
As for the entries that would make my list, those in the video I showed you (especially Bosnia 1999, Romania 2006, Spain 2003, Turkey 1997, Serbia 2008 and Norway 2006) + Bosnia 1993, Poland 1997, Cyprus 1998, Israel 1978, Yugoslavia 1990, ugh I don’t know there are too many!
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I’m sorry I nearly killed you =( It was totally unintentional I swears.
I actually know nothing about Ich Troje outside of Eurovision, but the fact that they are amazing in it probably means I should further acquaint myself. And of course, you with your always amazing taste are a big fan of them, so…#shamelessflattery
Putnici, Tornero and Dime…oh how I agonised over whether to put them in my 50 or not!! As much as I loved Pastora this year I really want Spain to send go back to the Dime-ish type stuff.
I don’t know why, but I’m surprised you like Alvedansen so much. But I’m totally unsurprised about Cyprus ’98!
PS – I think you have the right idea re: not wanting to rank songs. It’s so traumatic.
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I guess this means an ich troje appreciation day is needed 😀
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Why yes. Yes it does!! Looking forward to it already.
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Wait, so “Fangäd en stormvind” Isn’t even on the list?
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That’s how fickle I am! If I redid my favourite winners list it would no longer be on top.
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