EUROVISION'S 150 MOST INFLUENTIAL SONGS. This post: 2008.  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.

2008

When Yugoslavia won back in 1989, the Eurovision Song Contest was held the following year in Zagreb. Serbia competed as an independent nation for the first time in 2007 and claimed the top prize. Belgrade was selected to be the host city in 2008. A record-breaking 43 countries participated. This was made possible by the introduction of a second semi-final. The new vacancies accommodated the debut of San Marino and Azerbaijan. Austria withdrew and did not return to the ESC until 2011.

The new structure meant new rules required for a slot in the Grand Final. Pre-qualifiers would be limited to the previous year’s winning country (in this case, Serbia) and “The Big 4”: France, Spain, United Kingdom and Germany. The remaining 20 places in the Grand Final were determined by the 2 Semis. Televoting would be used for the 9 countries achieving the highest scores in each heat. Juries would then select one more entry in each Semi-Final (i.e. the highest scoring entry from jury votes that was not in the Top 9). The 2 wildcards in 2008 were Poland and Sweden.

Eliminated in the Semi-Final were: North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Switzerland,  Malta, Slovenia, Moldova, Cyprus, Lithuania, Netherlands, Belarus, Montenegro, Ireland, Andorra, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and San Marino.

 

BELIEVE Dima Bilan

Russia

Russia’s entry was sung in English. “Believe” was performed by one of its co-writers, Dima Bilan. He had first represented Russia at Eurovision in 2006 with the song “Never Let You Go”. That song finished third in the Semi-Final and was the runner-up in the Grand Final. Bilan improved on his first result 2 years later; finishing third in its Semi-Final but winning at the Grand Final with a score of 272. Ukraine finished in second place for the second year in a row. “Shady Lady” accrued 230 points.

 

DIVINE Sebastien Tellier

France

As one of the founding participants back in 1956, France has played an integral role in Eurovision history. The first winning song was sung in French. Most of the early Contest winners were sung in that language. For some time, France lead the pack for the most wins at the ESC. Until 2008, the French entries were sung either in French or a dialect of the country. “Divine” was performed mostly in English. When this provoked controversy, some French verses were inserted. The song was catchy, but the presentation may have left viewers and jurors confused. Sebastien Tellier drove a golf caddy on stage and began breathing helium which gave his vocals a higher pitch. He finished the night parked in 19^th position.