EUROVISION'S 30 MOST CONTROVERSIAL MOMENTS. 
Part 5: 1969 (4 Winners!). 
Continues tomorrow.

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.

1969

Four winners!?!

After all the controversy surrounding the bewildering Spanish victory in 1968, the Eurovision Song Contest had an even bigger upset in the following year. Madrid was the host city and 16 countries participated.

When the results were announced, it became clear that 4 countries had finished with the highest score: 18 points. With no rules in place to resolve a tie, it was decided to declare all 4 nations the winner!

The winning songs that year were: “Un Jour, Un Enfant” (Frida Boccara, France) performed in French, “Boom Bang-A-Bang” (Lulu, United Kingdom) sung in English, “Vivo Cantando” (Salomé, Spain) in Spanish and the Dutch song “De Troubadour” (Lenny Kuhr, Netherlands).

Rules were swiftly created in the event of another tie. In 1970, the number of participating countries dropped to 12, no doubt in response to the unsatisfactory conclusion of the 1969 Contest. Lots were drawn to determine which country should host the 1970 event out of the 4 victorious nations. The Netherlands won the draw and Amsterdam became the next ESC host city.