EUROVISION'S 30 MOST CONTROVERSIAL MOMENTS. 
Part 4: 1968 ("La La La"). 
Continues in 2 days.

THE BIGGEST CONTROVERSIES

Of the

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

(1956 - 2019)  

From its inaugural year, the Eurovision Song Contest has had more than its fair share of controversial moments. This is a special look back on 30 significant upsets in chronological order.

1968

“La, La, La”.

The 1968 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest has been controversial for 2 reasons. The first involves an unsubstantiated rumour that Spanish dictator General Franco sent officials around Europe to bribe juries in order to secure a victory for Spain.

Regardless of the accuracy of the allegations, the fact that a song like “La, La, La” could win did bemuse many. The Spanish entry, performed by Massiel, features 138 mentions of “la”. That a song as nonsensical as this could beat a well-known recording artist such as Cliff Richard with the catchy UK entry “Congratulations” caused an upset, throwing the ESC’s credibility in doubt. To rub salt into the wound, the runner-up song was only 1 point behind the winner!