Eurovision: Attitude writers on their top performers of all time
Attitude looks back on 5 very memorable performances from Eurovisions gone by
Eurovision is well underway, and with Saturday’s (13 May), Grand Final creeping closer, five Attitude writers have chosen their most memorable performances of all time.
The Song Contest has been running since 1956, and hundreds of budding stars have represented their country over the years.
This year, the likes of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Austria are all up there in the running to take the Eurovision crown.
But what about those from years gone by? Here are some of of Attitude’s top picks.
Fuego by Eleni Foureira – Cyprus (2018)
My favourite act of all time? There are so many that spring to mind! But I’m going to have to go with ‘Fuego’ by Cyprus’ Eleni Foureira. I think it was the first time I really ‘got’ Eurovision. I was at a European LGBTQ choir festival called Various Voices, which in 2018 was in Munich.
Taking place on Eurovision weekend the festival put on a big screening in a theatre. Eleni turned it out like some combination of Beyoncé and Shakira mashed together in one glorious camp performance. There’s singing, dancing, hairography, fire!
It’s got everything you need for a solid Eurovision bop, and it’s hella catchy. I sometimes catch myself still singing the lyrics. I think what makes this such a strong memory is being amidst a group of queer people enjoying everything about the Contest and cheering along. All in all, a great show and a great night!
Alastair James, Senior Writer
Diva by Dana International – Israel
I remember the support and outpouring of love when Dana International won Eurovision in 1998 in Birmingham. It was a momentous occasion for trans representation. Finally the ‘T’ in LGBTQ+ was being celebrated on a global level, perhaps for the first time ever in such a very public way, with hundreds of millions of people watching and embracing her.
It was a time when people didn’t really understand what being trans meant, they just accepted Dana for her grace and talent, and being so proudly, authentically herself. We could do with some of that love and humanity today. This is Eurovision at its best, political with a small ‘p’, celebrating diversity and representing all of society through music. Thank you, Dana.
Cliff Joannou – Editor In Chief
Ooh Aah… Just A Little Bit by Gina G – United Kingdom (1996)
I remember the Monday at school after Gina G. performed at Eurovision in 1996 the previous weekend. I was 10 years old and there was scandal in the air. “The best things come in well-wrapped packages,” my teacher remarked when she overheard us talking about Gina’s then-risqué stage outfit, rolling her eyes at the same time.
Absolutely timid by today’s standards, I remember thinking to myself just how stunning this singer’s semi-low-cut sequinned dress was. Yes, her performance was great too, but it was the look that really made it for me. The way the light sparkled across every piece of Gina’s mirrored gown, making her look like a human disco ball.
Her red curls bouncing as she gyrated around the stage working her long, shimmering legs. Gina G. showed a generation that it’s okay to be confident about your body – and how to work a crowd in heels.
Dale Fox – Commercial Content Editor
Hard Rock Hallelujah by Lordi – Finland (2006)
My favourite ever Eurovision act has to be Lordi. For me, they absolutely sum up what Eurovision is about. The craziness, silliness and fun of it all. It’s the first final I ever remember watching back in 2006 and I was immediately hooked.
Their performance to Hardrock Hallelujah is one of the weirdest things I think I’ve ever seen, Mr Lordi and the rest of the band dressed up to the nines in monster masks and costumes while screaming to the audience. Extremely camp really.
They got Finland their first ever win at the Song Content and stormed the votes by scoring 292 points, which was a record at the time. I’ve watched it every year since, and Lordi’s wild staging and vocals mean I’ll never forget the first time I tuned in.
Charlotte Manning – Senior Writer
Zitti E Buoni by Måneskin – Italy (2021)
Formed in 2016, impossibly charismatic Italian rockets Måneskin cut their teeth as buskers on the streets of Rome, later finessing their style and sound on the Italian version of The X Factor. After years of hard-won grit and glitter, planning finally met opportunity as they turned in a turbocharged Eurovision moment that exalted their melodic glam rock to global audience.
With its irresistible guitar lick and Damiano David’s rasping but velvety vocal, ‘Zitti E Buoni’ is instantly arresting, with an impassioned chorus hits you like freight train.
The thought of a heavy metal Eurovision contender was – and sort of still is – inconceivable, but the band beckoned genre novices with pure pop showmanship. Mind you, if every squat, strut, gyration, and devilish grin was choreographed to within an inch of its life, you wouldn’t know it, so loose and natural is their performance style. In fact, the whole arrangement is surprisingly free of theatrics – save for David’s outrageous chest-baring suspenders that we long for the confidence to pull off.
Jamie Tabberer – Content Editor