Sweden has won the Eurovision Song Contest five times, which makes them runners-up to only one country, Ireland, who has seven victories. Out of 58 Eurovisions, Sweden has finished in the top ten 35 times.
And what about Ace of Base? Robyn? ABBA. Icona Pop, Europe (responsible for the song "The Final Countdown"), Roxette, The Cardigans, Swedish House Mafia. Did you know Eagle-Eye Cherry was from Sweden? Outside of the ESC, Swedish writers and producers have been responsible for dozens Billboard Hot 100 songs. The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce lists the Billboard top ten for April 2012, and half of the songs have a Swede behind them.
This article from The Atlantic examines why Swedish music has infiltrated the global market, and the many reasons behind their international dominance.
In 2006, Silvía Night was sent to the ESC to represent Iceland. She sang a song proclaiming she was the best candidate to ever participate in Eurovision and, additionally, "God's favorite person in the world." In the song, she declared that she was the winner, and congratulated Europe for making the right choice and voting for her, thereby "saving the world."
Austria has announced they will send Conchita Wurst to Eurovision in 2014! Conchita, whose real name is Tom Neuwirth, competed for a chance to represent Austria in 2012, but she was defeated by this MESS. Her entry, "That's What I Am" came in second place.
Austria, typically, does not do very well at Eurovision. They have only won the Contest once, in 1966. And they have placed last seven times, with many of their entries receiving zero votes.
Will next year be different for Austria? There's no way to know for sure, but Conchita Wurst does have a hot name, a perfectly manicured eyebrow/beard situation, and I'm sure she'll put on a great show. Great work, Austria! I look forward to seeing Conchita in Copenhagen!
In 2004, Ruslana became the first Ukrainian artist to win the Eurovision Song Contest. The Ukrainians debuted at Eurovision the year before; on their second try, Ruslana was awarded 280 points by audience votes, the most in ESC history at the time.
And it's Copenhagen! Not a surprise, considering that Copenhagen has been the city of choice for all three Eurovision Song Contests that Denmark has had the honor of hosting (in 1964, 2000, and 2014).
Some fans are disappointed in the uninspired choice. Early rumors predicted that the city of Herning would be the favorite, and another city, Horsens, proposed hosting Eurovision in an old prison. But the Danish producers of Eurovision have big plans for Copenhagen. The Contest will take place on a former shipyard called the B&W Hallerne. The whole area will be revamped into a "Eurovision Island," complete with shops and a state-of-the-art music arena.
The official slogan of Eurovision 2014 is "Join Us," and the Contest is scheduled to take place May 6, 8, and 10.
In 1998, Germany sent Guildo Horn and his backing band, Die Orthopädischen Strümphe (translation: The Orthopedic Stockings) to Eurovision. Guildo's song was called "Guildo hat euch lieb!" which means "Guildo Loves You!" in German.
Oh, boy. It's all very, very interesting. The lyrics are sugary-sweet, about how Guildo wants to come to your house and cheer you up when you are sad. But they are being sung by a giant, stomping, wild-eyed man, and that can seem like a disturbing sentiment. Still, Guildo and The Orthopedic Stockings finished in seventh place that year.
Alright, I know you're thinking that I messed up the dates, and this is actually a performance from the 1970s. But it's really 1998. In America, The Backstreet Boys and Destiny's Child were making their way up the music charts. In Germany, Guildo wore velvet bell-bottoms and platform boots and sang about "nut bars and raspberry ice cream." That's just some classic German humor for you.
Guildo, unfortunately, hasn't been back to Eurovision, but the composer of this song, Stefan Raab, has. Raab, a German television host, comedian, and musician, is responsible for several more Eurovision entries. He performed a terrible nonsense-rap in 2000 (Germans are just the goofiest!), and mentored the 2010 winner of Eurovision, Lena Meyer-Landrut.
Guildo marked a turn in German entries at Eurovision. For years leading up to this, Germany didn't put much effort into the Contest. Guildo's erratic, enthusiastic performance in 1998 is credited for bringing German attention back to Eurovision and paving a way for their win in 2010.
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