The 2019 Winner
Duncan Laurence - The Netherlands
The Songs That Won The Eurovision Song Contest
Although much derided by music critics and the public alike, the Eurovision Song Contest has been pulling in huge European television audiences since its inception in 1956.
Over the years, many of the winning artists have fallen by the wayside, but several have gained international stardom through their participation. ABBA began their road to fame and fortune with Waterloo in 1974, while Celine Dion's big European break came in 1988 with the winning Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi.
Along the way, established artists such as Cliff Richard, The New Seekers, Olivia Newton-John and Lulu, who all represented the United Kingdom, have also taken part in Europe's biggest song competition to varying degrees of success.
Sometimes even those well-known names could not ensure the winner's place on the rostrum, as can be evidenced here with a gathering of all the Eurovision Song Contest's winning songs since the 1950s.
Check Out the Latest Song Reviews
- The Eurovision Song Reviews
Reviews of recent songs represented at The Eurovision Song Contest.
Eurovision Winning Songs For 1956-1959
| Year/Venue | Song | Artist | Winning Country |
|---|---|---|---|
1956: Lugano, Switzerland | Refrain | Lys Assia | Switzerland |
1957: Frankfurt, Germany | Net Als Toen | Corry Brokken | The Netherlands |
1958: Hilversum, Netherlands | Dors, Mon Amour | Andre Claveau | France |
1959: Cannes, France | Een Beetje | Teddy Scholten | The Netherlands |
Lys Assia: The First Winner
Winner: André Claveau at the 1958 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Winning Songs For 1960-1968
| Year/Venue | Song | Artist | Winning Country |
|---|---|---|---|
1960: London, UK | Tom Pillibi | Jacqueline Boyer | France |
1961: Cannes, France | Nous, Les Amoureux | Jean-Claude Pascal | Luxembourg |
1962: Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Un Premier Amour | Isabelle Aubret | France |
1963: London, UK | Dansevise | Grethe & Jorgen Ingmann | Denmark |
1964: Copenhagen, Denmark | Non Ho L'eta | Gigliola Cinquetti | Italy |
1965: Naples, Italy | Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son | France Gall | Luxembourg |
1966: Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Merci Cherie | Udo Jurgens | Austria |
1967: Vienna, Austria | Puppet on a String | Sandie Shaw | United Kingdom |
1968: London, UK | La, La, La | Massiel | Spain |
1967: Sandie Shaw: Puppet on a String
The Winning Eurovision Songs For 1969
In 1969, there was a four way tie for the winning song and no rules in place to break the deadlock. As a result, four countries shared the winner's rostrum: France, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
| Song | Artist | Country |
|---|---|---|
Un Jour, Un Enfant | Frida Boccara | France |
Vivo Cantando | Salome | Spain |
De Troubadour | Lenny Kuhr | The Netherlands |
Boom Bang-A-Bang | Lulu | United Kingdom |
1969: Lulu: Boom Bang-A-Bang
Eurovision Winning Songs For 1970-1979
Possibly some of the best winning songs occurred during the 1970s. Here are those winners from 1970 to 1979.
| Year/Venue | Song | Artist | Winning Country |
|---|---|---|---|
1970: Amsterdam, Netherlands | All Kinds of Everything | Dana | Ireland |
1971: Dublin, Ireland | Un Banc, Un Arbre, Une Rue | Severine | Monaco |
1972: Edinburgh, UK | Apres Toi | Vicky Leandros | Luxembourg |
1973: Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Tu Te Reconnaitras | Anne-Marie David | Luxembourg |
1974: Brighton, UK | Waterloo | ABBA | Sweden |
1975: Stockholm, Sweden | Ding-A-Dong | Teach-In | The Netherlands |
1976: The Hague, Netherlands | Save Your Kisses For Me | Brotherhood of Man | United Kingdom |
1977: London, UK | L'oiseau et L'enfant | Marie Myriam | France |
1978: Paris, France | A-Ba-Ni-Bi | Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta | Israel |
1979: Jerusalem, Israel | Hallelujah | Milk and Honey | Israel |
Brotherhood Of Man: Winners of the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest
1972: Vicky Leandros: Apres Toi
Eurovision Winning Songs For 1980-1989
While this decade produced some fine songs (and artists that became household names), the fashions and hairstyles left something to be desired!
| Year/Venue | Song | Artist | Winning Country |
|---|---|---|---|
1980: The Hague, Netherlands | What's Another Year | Johnny Logan | Ireland |
1981: Dublin, Ireland | Making Your Mind Up | Bucks Fizz | United Kingdom |
1982: Harrogate, UK | Ein Bisschen Frieden | Nicole | Germany |
1983: Munich, Germany | Si La Vie Est Cadeau | Corinne Hermes | Luxembourg |
1984: Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley | Herreys | Sweden |
1985: Gothenburg, Sweden | La Det Swinge | Bobbysocks | Norway |
1986: Bergen, Norway | J'aime la Vie | Sandra Kim | Belgium |
1987: Brussels, Belgium | Hold Me Now | Johnny Logan | Ireland |
1988: Dublin, Ireland | Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi | Celine Dion | Switzerland |
1989: Lausanne, Switzerland | Rock Me | Riva | Yugoslavia |
Johnny Logan: Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1980/1987
1980: Johnny Logan: What's Another Year?
Eurovision Winning Songs For 1990-1999
This was Ireland's decade. Four winning songs, with the Celtic sound mesmerizing voters three years in a row (1992-1994 inclusive).
| Date/Venue | Song | Artist | Winning Country |
|---|---|---|---|
1990: Zagreb, Yugoslavia | Insieme 1992 | Toto Cotugno | Italy |
1991: Rome, Italy | Faangad Av En Stormwind | Carola | Sweden |
1992: Malmo, Sweden | Why Me? | Linda Martin | Ireland |
1993: Millstreet, Ireland | In Your Eyes | Niamh Kavanagh | Ireland |
1994: Dublin, Ireland | Rock'n'Roll Kids | Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan | Ireland |
1995: Dublin, Ireland | Nocturne | Secret Garden | Norway |
1996: Oslo, Norway | The Voice | Eimear Quinn | Ireland |
1997: Dublin, Ireland | Love Shine A Light | Katrina & the Waves | United Kingdom |
1998: Birmingham, United Kingdom | Diva | Dana International | Israel |
1999: Jerusalem, Israel | Take Me to Your Heaven | Charlotte Nilsson | Sweden |
1991: Carola Fangad: Faangad Av En Stormwind
Eurovision Winning Songs For 2000-2009
Eurovision entered the new millennium with ever more countries participating in the contest. Eastern Europe was now heavily involved and this was reflected in the voting which appeared to show Eastern Bloc nations voting for their neighbours. Politically influenced voting also shut out some superior songs from either winning or reaching the Top 5.
| Year/Venue | Song | Artist | Winning Country |
|---|---|---|---|
2000: Stockholm, Sweden | Fly on the Wings of Love | The Olsen Brothers | Denmark |
2001: Copenhagen, Denmark | Everybody | Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL | Estonia |
2002: Tallinn, Estonia | I Wanna | Marie N | Latvia |
2003: Riga, Latvia | Every Way That I Can | Sertab Erener | Turkey |
2004: Istanbul, Turkey | Wild Dances | Ruslana | Ukraine |
2005: Kiev, Ukraine | My Number One | Helena Pararizou | Greece |
2006: Athens, Greece | Hard Rock Hallelujah | Lordi | Finland |
2007: Helsinki, Finland | Molitva | Marija Serifovic | Serbia |
2008: Belgrade, Serbia | Believe | Dima Bilan | Russia |
2009: Moscow, Russia | Fairytale | Alexander Rybak | Norway |
Alexander Rybak: 2009 Eurovision Winner
2005: Helena Paparizou: My Number One
Eurovision Winning Songs For 2010-2019
| Year/Venue | Song | Artist | Winning Country |
|---|---|---|---|
2010: Oslo, Norway | Satellite | Lena | Germany |
2011: Dusseldorf, Germany | Running Scared | Ell & Nikki | Azerbaijan |
2012: Baku, Azerbaijan | Euphoria | Loreen | Sweden |
2013: Malmo, Sweden | Only Teardrops | Emmelie de Forest | Denmark |
2014: Copenhagen, Denmark | Rise Like A Phoenix | Conchita Wurst | Austria |
2015: Vienna, Austria | Heroes | Måns Zelmerlöw | Sweden |
2016: Stockholm, Sweden | 1944 | Jamala | Ukraine |
2017: Kiev, Ukraine | Amar Pelos Dios | Salvador Sobral | Portugal |
2018: Lisbon, Portugal | Toy | Netta | Israel |
2019: Tel Aviv: Israel | Arcade | Duncan Laurence | The Netherlands |
Emmelie de Forest: The 2013 Winner
Winner 2019: Duncan Laurence - Arcade
Opinions, Opinions...
Love it or hate it, the Eurovision Song Contest has been around for over 60 years. Let us know what you think of the competition below!
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2007 Richard
Which is Your Favourite Eurovision Winner?
Julia from Russia on June 03, 2015:
Nice, in-depth research.Thanks.
Mihaela Vrban from Croatia on March 13, 2010:
I grew up with this competition. :) Still, my all time favorites are ABBA: :)))
justholidays on March 13, 2010:
You make me wonder if you invented the Eurovision Song Contest because you really master the subject!
Wonderful lens, as usual, Richard!
Dom.
smange lm on February 22, 2010:
Wow - This lens rocks!
julieannbrady on July 21, 2009:
Wow! This is such a remarkable competition -- I was not familiar with it until now. Nicely done.
nickupton lm on May 28, 2009:
Eurovision is brilliant.
Paula Atwell from Cleveland, OH on May 13, 2009:
This is not a contest that I follow, but I love this lens. Blessings.
Debbie from England on March 28, 2009:
Great memories!!! Some of these I had forgotten long ago so it was great to see them all again :)
Achim Thiemermann from Austin, Texas on May 10, 2008:
What a great trip down memory lane for me! Growing up in Germany, in the 50s, 60s, and 70s - we were glued to the TV sets, every year at Eurovision's time. Gigliola, France, Udo, ABBA - all very familiar characters from my past. Germany finally won in the year after my emigration to the US. (I don't think my move had anything to do with it, though!) 5*s
anonymous on May 03, 2008:
Great lens. I remember a lot of these!
akrause2112 on April 21, 2008:
Thank you for adding this lens to the BIG LENSES Group!
sokrato lm on March 10, 2008:
What a fascinating lens!
but really makes me feel my age .. lolll
Antoni Sokrato
Property in Turkey
JusticeDude on February 15, 2008:
Fantastic detail!
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I will link to this lens on my page as well!
Janet2221 on November 18, 2007:
Great lens! Welcome to the TV Game Shows and Competitions Group.
Mark N on October 12, 2007:
Amazing job, you've put so much hard work into this. You're featured in the Television Group now - great job!
kathysart on July 20, 2007:
~~*~~
Amazing.. wonderful and a huge FIVE STARS!
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KimGiancaterino on May 22, 2007:
Wow... what a fun lens! Very well put together. ~ Kim
Lady Gotrocks on May 19, 2007:
Wow that is so Cool!
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the777group lm on May 15, 2007:
Awesome kitsch-fest! My memories are very Brit-based but Eurovision is a true "European" phenomenon...and Abba's Waterloo has to be the best winner, ever. Surely?
Crystal Booth from Wellston, Ok on May 13, 2007:
Lots of great videos! Welcome to the Squidoo Ratings Swap. ~ Crystal
Gail Faulkner on May 13, 2007:
welcome to Best Ratings Group Gail
