EUROVISION'S 150 MOST INFLUENTIAL SONGS. This post: 2004.  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.

2004

In order to accommodate the ever expanding list of countries wishing to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, a radical new development was implemented. The “Big 4” (France, Spain, United Kingdom and Germany) would continue to automatically qualify. Also retained was the practice of the previous year’s winning country pre-qualifying, as did the next 9 highest scoring nations. A semi-final would now be used to determine which others would compete in the Grand Final. A record-breaking total of 36 countries were involved.

The results of the Semi-Final meant that Switzerland, Slovenia, Monaco, Belarus, Andorra, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Finland, Denmark, Israel and Estonia failed to progress to the Grand Final.

Twenty-four countries did compete in the Grand Final. Istanbul was the host city, following Turkey’s triumph in 2003. The Contest simultaneously spanned two continents- Europe and Asia - for the first time.

 

WILD DANCES Ruslana

Ukraine

Ruslana delivered one of the Contest's most unforgettable attention-grabbing performances with Ukraine’s entry “Wild Dances”. The country had first competed the previous year and in 2004, claimed its first victory. Ruslana sang in both Ukrainian and English.

 

LANE MOJE

Željko Joksimović

Serbia & Montenegro

Formerly part of Yugoslavia, Serbia & Montenegro competed as a joint entry for the first time in 2004. “Lane Moje” proved popular on the night. Ruslana won with 280 points. Željko Joksimović finished in the runner-up position with a score of 263. The title of the song means “My darling”.

 

SHAKE IT Sakis Rouvas

Greece

Like Serbia & Montenegro, Greece was represented by one of its most popular artists. Sakis Rouvas delivered an energetic performance of “Shake It”. Singing in English and buoyed by his good looks, Rouvas was rewarded with 252 points.