Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Loreen of Sweden is the 15th previous Eurovision song contest winner who has decided and/or managed give it another try. Only Ireland's Johnny Logan has managed to win twice, as we all know. One can't really do a ranking however as the contest had changed so much from the 1950's with maybe a dozen songs to the approx 40 we have these days. In coming days I will feature the winners who decided to come back after winning the contest as there also many winners who have won with their second or third try.   We start of course with late Lys Assia (1924-2018), who didn't come back once but twice and indeed three years in a row, or the first three editions of the newborn contest representing the first host nation Switzerland. She won the first one, kinda flopped the second one but came back once more and almost won, placing second 3 points short of winner's 27. Italian Domenico Modugno and global hit Volare placed 3rd with only 13, so it was really between Lys and winner...

  Italy took its well deserved third victory - finally! - at the Eurovision song contest 2021. Over the years several other Italian entries would have been worthy winners. In this series I will go through all of them from the worst ranking to the winners.  First however, the two unplaced debuting entries from 1956 as a warming up. Enjoy!  Aprite le finestre (Open the windows) was the Sanremo 1956 winner sung by Franca Raimondi (1932-1988). Like Tonina Torrielli Franca's career didn't last for many years and she recorded just one EP and handful of singles and this happy little ode to spring being the one people remember today.

Italy took its well deserved third victory - finally! - at the Eurovision song contest 2021. Over the years several other Italian entries would have been worthy winners. In this series I will go through all of them from the worst ranking to the winners.  First however, the two unplaced debuting entries from 1956 as a warming up. Enjoy! Amami se vuoi ( Love me if you want) by Tonina Torrielli (87)   placed second in Sanremo, where she participated a total of seven times, with multiple songs and were considered the rival of Nilla Pizzi, aka Sanremo's own Lys Assia. Four albums and over 70 (!!!) singles to her credit she left the music business in 1965 to concentrate on her family and family's music store in Torino that they run until 2003. She has appeared in television rarely after that in revival and Eurovision related occasions.  Apparently she only realized she took part in Eurovision thanks to Francesco Gabbani, as she told the media in 2008. Until then she thought it ...

Lys Assia, the first ever Eurovision song contest winner took part in the first three editions representing her native Switzerland (just like Corry Brokken did for the Netherlands).  However Lys holds the record of four entries as she sung both songs in 1956.  Das alte Karussell wasn't a hit, but Refrain won the whole thing. The year after she was back with L'enfant que j'étais finishing 8th and finally in 1958, third year in a row and she took Giorgio to the second place losing closely to France's Andre Claveau 27-24. Those two were real runaway favorites, as third placed Italy's Domenico Modugno's Volare only got 13 points.... Giorgio became a hit also in Italy and is played still today in its various cover versions and ... other things . Had it won, it could have changed Eurovision already before 1965 for more uptempo songs..... Maybe... Lys started her career as a dancer but switched to singing in early 1940's. In 1950's and 1960...

I was to publish Lys Assia today in the series of Eurovision winners - was it worth returning? but instead today we have the sad news of her passing away in the age of 94. Tonight we remember her with her winning song .... She was a true Eurovision fan til the end and one real Diva, in a positive way. Rest in peace, the legend lives on.... Les jours s'en sont allés  Et nous avons grandi L'amour nous a blessés Le temps nous a guéris Mais seule et sans printemps Je cours en vain les bois, les champs Dis, souviens-toi  Nos amours d'autrefois?

Eurovision song contests 1956-58 have two artists in common, Swiss Lys Assia and Dutch Corry Brokken. Lys managed to win in 1956 but Corry only placed 7th (apparently) with Voorgoed voorbij .  But she was back the year after and won with Net als toen . She was a runaway winner with her 31 points vs runner up's 17. (Lys only scored 5 and placed 8th out of 10).  But Corry didn't stop there. She was back again for the third time in a row in 1958 as previous winner with Heel de wereld and got only one point and shared last place. This didn't have any effect in her succesful career in the 1950's and 1960's. She stopped her musical career and started studying law and became an attorney in late 1970's, after having presented the Eurovision song contest 1976 in The Hague. She was also the Dutch spokesperson in 1997 after a brief comeback to music business with an album Nooit geedacht in 1996 and performing live again. She died in 2016 at the age of 83. 

It's all in your head sung Lys Assia and Dima Bilan follows with   В твоей голове (In your head) and the flow's good. An uptempo song for a change that comes with a beautifully colored funny video. The song is his 22nd Top-20 hit in Russia, 

The 1957 Eurovision song contest winner for the Netherlands Corry Brokken has died. She's one of the very few artists who sung at the Eurovision three years in a row and she won with her second attempt. The year after she came last so she hold the record of being first and last. She also presented the contest in 1976, and was the Dutch spokesperson in 1997.

The very first Eurovision song contest in 1956 was hosted by Swiss Lohengrin Filipello. So far despite already 60 editions of the contest, the only male solo host! A lot of ladies have done it alone, but since then no solo male host have been seen. SVT is fond of breaking records and making new things - could this fact be the little something that gives Måns the job? Or rather, ccould it be even counted as these days even a solo presenters need sidekick(s) for the greenroom. Look at #milf Petra Mede......  Meanwhile late Filipello who died at 75 in 1993 didn't leave much trace after him. Incredible but true you can't find even his photo on internet! Except the on top where he's on right, next to winner Lys Assia. Or so I think. Anyone does better, let me know!

Exactly 60 years ago today, on October 19, 1955 the Eurovision song contest was born in Rome, Italy. The idea was inspired the annual Sanremo festival in Italy and Marcel Bezençon is considered the father of the contest. In Rome's General Assambly of the EBU (born itself five years earlier) the idea was approved and Switzerland agreed to host the very first contest next May in Lugano. The first steps forward the born of the song contest were taken earlier in January in Monaco.  No one could have thought Grand prix Eurovision de la Chanson would be the world's biggest single entertainment show 60 years later gathering together more than 40 countries!  'to encourage the creation of original songs and to stimulate, by means of an international competition, a spirit of friendly rivalry between writers and composers' The contest has helped newly born nations find their identity and visibility and made the old ones question their strenghts and political status ov...

Lys Assia, Eurovision winner anno 1956 has arrived to Malmö 2013 and is meeting fans in the Press Center and apparently recovered from pneumonia she had last week and was even hospitalized. Let the party begin!

Now as the possible withdrawal and the possibility of Lys Assia singing for San Marino are only a sad memory (I don't know which option would have been sadder...) SMTV has give out some news. They have been very clever with the media game now with this Lys affair, and last year with the Facebook affair and now they hint they have four artists in the list, two would be highly appreciated by the international fans. One can only wonder who they are....  When San Marino joined Eurovision I was overjoyed, especially because Italy was still missing. And I loved their debut entry Complice by Miodio. Since then they have not delivered what I would have expected and desired from the tiny state. Can't they just send Miodio again? Or get a big Italian singer do the honors for them, just like Monaco used French singers in the good old days... The mystery will be revealed on January 30, 2013. 

How's the flow?  All in your head is the song Lys Assia is trying to get to Malmö 2013 bringing along a group of rapper-dancess under name NewJack. This Ralph Siegel penned song is a lot of fun and much better effort than her last year's power ballad C'etait ma vie . If and when she gets to the Swiss final and if she wins she'd return to the Eurovision for the 4th time after 55 years break, and 57 years after winning the very first edition back in 1956 with Refrain . And this would be Ralph Siegel's 21st Eurovision entry.... Real veterans here! Oh, and the "fans" will hate this with all their heart just because it's written by Siegel. So this blog is going to give it all its support!

Out of 32 Italian Eurovision performers only six have been female soloists before Nina Zilli who now becomes the seventh. That's against 17 male soloists, two groups and six duets! Some consolation comes from the fact that two of these six ladies have done it twice. It all started with the first Eurovision in 1956 where Italy, like the other six countries, sent two songs by two female artists who were also the top-2 of Sanremo festival. Franca Raimondi (1932-1988) won Sanremo with Aprite le finestre while Tonina Torrielli came second with Amami se vuoi . Both ladies soon left the show business and Torrielli officially stopped singing in 1965, but has made occasional appearances in nostalgic shows since 2008! Five years later it was time for Betty Curtis (1936-2006), that year's Sanremo winner with Al di là . She remained some what active in the music business until late 1970's and was also seen in nostalgic variety shows on TV in the 2000's.  Three yea...

The 2012 season just got a bit weirder when BBC announced the nearly 76-year-old Engelbert Humperdinck will be their entrant in Baku 2012. Martin Terefe who has worked with Mary J. Blige has written the song with Sasha Skarbek who has worked with Adele, Lana Del Rey and James Blunt amongst others. Engelbert himself has a career going on for 45 years now, has sold over 150 million records, has received 63 gold and 24 platinum records, has won a Golden Globe and has stars on both Hollywood Walk of Fame and Las Vegas Walk of Fame. Now beat that! Who knows, maybe it's a goodie? And shame Lys Assia isn't going for Switzerland - they would have had a nostalgic small talk together!

Just what I feared. The stress of the Swiss national final and all the holabaloo around it and especially after it - that she mainly caused herself I would like to add, read more here - was too much for the 87-year-old legend.  She has undergone some examinations and needs to rest. After all she has a heart surgery lass than a year ago. And just think if she had won.... It was propably to everyone's best, especially hers, she did not win. Blogilkar wishes a speedy recovery, Lys!

It looks like the grand old lady Lys Assia didn't take easy her defeat in Saturday's Swiss final. Not that the song would have been dated - I must say I think she did it surprisingly well and even if the song isn't maybe exactly my cup of tea it suited her and it was a whole package - and people didn't vote it because of that but first she attacked the voting system but admitted then that these are the times and styles. And she has a point that this is supposed to be a song contest and not a dance contest but..... the biggest thing of all: One of the panelists used "Du" instead of "Sie" when addressing her. OMG! How dared he? Didn't he know who she is? She felt so humiliated she went speechless, if you believe her. Well, she has a point there, too, but... But can't she just gracefully step back and retain the last of her dignity before she makes a complete fool of herself? And maybe demand the apology in private as no one noticed until she b...

Tonight the Eurovision 2012 season starts for real when we will have the first national final.   Die grosse Entscheidungsshow – Eurovision Song Contest 2012 will be aired live on SF1 at 20:05 CET from Bodensee Arena in Kreuzlingen. The line up is pretty solid (even if someof my favourites didn't make it) and it's hard to predict the outcome. I guess the live performance and the stage presense is crucial once again. Three songs in French. Sosofluo and Ze Flying Zezettes Orchestra both follow nicely Anna Rossinelli's acoustic sound while Eurovision legend Lys Assia goes totally nostalgic. Canadian Katherine St-Laurent sings bits in French in her classic Eurovision ballad. One song in Italian. Chiara Dubey is sweet and fragile with her acoustic song. Flirting with Italian are I Quattro with boombastic tenor pop heard about zillion times before - and most of them better. (I would have preferred this tenor pop in the line up) Patric Scott & Fabienne Louves offer c...

Many artists have represanted their country in Eurovision twice. Some even three or four times or maybe even more in various duos, trios or groups and we don't even want to talk about backing singers and so on. Only Johnny Logan has won twice as a singer but we have four artists that nearly made it as well: Lys Assia, Gigliola Cinquetti, Linda Martin and Dima Bilan . On the other hand one can wonder if Linda and Diman ever came back if they won the first time? Lys and Gigliola made it to second after being a winner already before. Then we have Anne-Marie David who came third the second time around and Carola who won after being already third previously. For example. On the other hand we have recent examples from Charlotte Perrelli, Niamh Kavanagh and Dana International that previous winners are not treated with due respect anymore (in this blogger's opinion each deserved better) and it might even be more difficult for them to impress voters these days. Or what do you thi...

The Swiss line up is now ready when SF also revealed its chosen ones. And there really is a little bit everything for everyone, including the very first Eurovision winner Lys Assia who will be 86 in Baku if chosen. And there is a risk she might be chosen and then also giving songwriter Ralph Siegel his 20th Eurovision entry! This blogger is only worried who the grand old lady will survive the two weeks of rehearsals, PR and the infamous Eurovision holabaloo... But let's not go that far yet. I would have rather seen Vittoria Hyde in her place but.... Atomic Angels - Black symphony (DRS 3) Chiara Dubey - Anima nuova (RSI) Emel - She (SF) Guillermo Sorya - Baby baby baby (DRS 3) I Quattro - Fragile (SF) Ivo - Peace & freedom (SF) Katherine St-Laurent - Wrong to let you go (RTS) Lys Assia - C'était ma vie (SF) Macy - Shining (SF) Patric Scott feat. Fabienne Louves - Real love (DRS 3) Raphael Jeger - The song in my head (SF) Sinplus - Unbreakable (RSI)...