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EUROVISION: HOW TO SCORE A BIG FAT ZERO - THE EARLY YEARS


The Eurovision song contest points system with the famous 12 points was introduced in 1975 - and invented by a Finn by the way - and the idea was to avoid zero points and make the top favorites stand out more. Until then there were most every year several entries with zero points when the few points to give landed on the same few favorites. Now it was thought it was easy to get a fll ranking and almost impossible to score a zero. Of course history would prove different-
The first and most legendary zero came in Paris 1978 when Norway's jahn Teigen got nothoing for his Mil efter mil.  That didn't stop him coming back twice (and trying about a zillion times) with better results. 
And three years later another Norwegian, Finn Kalvik followed with Aldri i livet. That Abba produced the song in their studio and Agnetha and Frida sung backing vocals didn't help.
In 1982 it was time for Finland's Kojo with Nuku pommiin. He's still known in Finland as "Nolla-Kojo" or "Zero-Kojo" and there are phrase saying "do Kojo" meaning to fail big time. Curiously that year peace songs either won or scored zero.
The year after in 1983 there was even a double zero when both Turkey and Spain scored zero. In Turkey's case maybe deserved, in Spain's absolutely not! 
Fantastic song and maybe too ahead of times for 1983.

Turkey did it again in 1987 ...
...and Austria did their first in 1988 ...
and then Iceland in 1989, 
And Austria again in 1991. Poor Thomas, he did very well two years earlier placing 5th!
After a few years break Lithuania entered the contest in 1994 and debuted with a flat zero. 
Not exactly a debut they hoped for I guess. 
1997 was again a double zero year when both Portugal and ...
...Norway (again!) did that. 
The year after Switzerland debuted as a zero in the new era. 
It took five years for next zero, and this time the very famous United Kingdom's Jemini with Cry baby. United Kingdom haven't been the same since.
The year after Switzerland was at it again with Celebrate in the semi-final. 
Not much to celebrate I guess.
Another five years for Czechia shout Ave Romali with Gypsy.cz and earn zero points. Czechia had collected in their three years of participation two last places and a total of 10 points and decided to stay home until 2015. 


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