EUROVISION'S 150 MOST INFLUENTIAL SONGS. This post: 1982. More: tomorrow.

EUROVISION

1956-2022

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SONGS

(in chronological order)

 

This year’s Contest will see the 70^th song declared a winner. Caffè Lattè lists all of the past winning entries and other songs that have had a lasting impact on the Eurovision Song Contest.

1982

The choice of Harrogate as host city was baffling as most ESC viewers had no idea where it was! France withdrew calling the Contest "drivel". Italy was absent for the second consecutive year. Greece also withdrew 2 weeks before the event, bringing the number of competing nations down to 18- the lowest in years. Eurovision seemed in trouble. 

 

EIN BISSCHEN FRIEDEN Nicole

Germany

 

Germany had participated 26 times without ever tasting victory at Eurovision. That finally changed in 1982. The Contest was held in Harrogate, United Kingdom. Nicole’s song was a plea for “a little peace”. It was a resounding success, accumulating 161 points, leaving the Israeli runner-up behind with a score of 100. This was also the first winning entry composed by Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger. The former has helped write about 24 songs for Eurovision.

 

DAG EFTER DAG Chips

Sweden

 

ABBA had given Sweden its first victory at Eurovision. Other countries had tried to recreate the group’s magic with subsequent entries, but Sweden had resisted the temptation. In 1982, the Swedish tried to recapture the winning formula set by “Waterloo”. The duo Chips performed “Dag Efeter Dag” which means “Day After Day” in Swedish. The song finished eighth out of 18 entries.

ADIEU

Jahn Teigen & Anita Skorgan

Norway

 

Norway had been languishing at the bottom of the scoreboard for years. In 1981, its entry “Aldri I Livet” ended the night in last place and with zero points. The country welcomed the efforts of an English academic to apply his “formula” for success on the ESC stage. “Adieu” was the result. As countries were still limited to songs in one of their official languages, the Norwegian song was smoothed out. For decades countries have tried to analyse what ingredients are essential to secure a win, with limited success. In 1982, “Adieu” gave Norway its best result for about a decade; finishing twelfth with a score of 40 points- a marked improvement.