Finland will take part in the Eurovision song contest 2026 for the 59th time. Finland has taken part every year since its debut in 1961 - 65 years ago - except in 1970 (when boycotting along with Austria, Norway, Sweden and Portugal the voting system and previous year's chaos) and due to being relegated in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003 thanks to those insane rules back then. Over the years Finland was considered quite an under achiever with last places coming this way a bit too often in the first decades. In this series I will go through the first contests, how we came up with the eventual entry and we can remember from the other songs from those years.
Euroviisut 1965 was an open submission event and Yle received a total of 111 songs. Ten were chosen for the semi-final phase and were played on radio in the end of January and six were voted for the final by postcards. Those ten were chosen by a professional jury and one of them declared "they were all awful but these then are the less awful". Ok, the reputation started already back then. Among the not chosen ones was Sinun omasi sung by Tamara Lund that has become an evergreen.
The final took place on February 13, 1965 and the same voting system was used as the year before with ten regional juries plus the Nordic jury. Should they agree the deal is done then and there, if not Yle would have the final word on the matter.... and wrong it all went. The juries didn't agree and a couple of days later the Nordic jury's favorite was declared worth the trip to Naples. It didn't end well. Flat zero points and last place.
Katri Helena was people's favorite by far (17.000 votes against Eero & Jussi's 6.000 as the second most voted one) and and caused a lot of speculation, even more so when France Gall stormed to victory in Naples with a similar song and look..... If only....The Finnish Eurovision history may have taken another direction for a lot brighter future.
And poor Marjatta Leppänen! She won again the selection but didn't get the ticket to Eurovision after all....
Final results (total of regional + Nordic juries):
1. Marjatta Leppänen - Iltaisin 210
2. Viktor Klimenko - Aurinko laskee läntee 195
3. Katri Helena - Minne tuuli kuljettaa 186
4. Kai Lind - Mon amie, mon amour 133
5. Ritva Mustonen - Lapin taikarummut 93 (cover)
6. Eero & Jussi - Tahdon saaren 84
semi-finalist:
Pentti Lasanen - Vanha kunnon dixieland
Vieno Kekkonen - Pavane itkevälle neidolle
Carola - Ge mig en grabb
Tamara Lund - Ota tai jätä
Several artists were already Euroviisut veterans: Marjatta Leppänen won in 1963, Kai Lind was there already 1961, 1962 and 1964. Ritva Mustonen 1961, Vieno Kekkonen 1962 and 1964 and Tamara Lund 1963. Read about them in the previous posts. Debutants:
Viktor Klimenko (b.1942) would return in 1966 (3rd), 1969 (3rd), 1972 (6th), 1977 (3rd). He hit it big in early 1970's when he recorded Russian songs (being of Russian origin) and toured also Europe with them. In early 1980's he found God and started singing gospel instead in Finnish and Swedish and had success also in Sweden. He's done also acting and dubbing and is still around.
Katri Helena (b.1945) became one of the most loved if not the most loved Finnish artist. Last August the day before her 80th birthday she ended her multi platinum selling career in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. She did Eurovision twice (1979 and 1993) and participated in Euroviisut also 1969 (2nd), 1972 (2nd) and 1978 (2nd). Some 500 recorded songs and over 1,5 million albums sold she's a Legend.
Eero (1944-2025) & Jussi (1943-2024) Raittinen, a brother duo. Both made a long career in music first as The Boys and then solo or in other projects.
Carola (Standertskjöld) (1941-1997) was one of the most talented and most international Finnish artists ever. She spoke fluently five languages and performed in nine languages. She would return in 1966 (5th) and 1971 (6th). Her recording career includes only four studio albums and one released 38 years after recording it, but her catalogue includes many evergreens and countless singles. She toured Czechoslovakia and Poland, had tv shows in Germany and Switzerland among others.
Pentti Lasanen (1936-2021) was a jazz musician and made a long successful career in various forms and groups.
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