Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

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. Dio, come ti amo! (God how I love you) by Domenico Modugno (1928-1994) is the only Italian nul pointer, and very undeserved one. In fact it's one of  this blogger's all time favourite entries. It's Modugno's third Eurovision entry following global success of Nel blu dipinto di blu aka Volare and Piove (Ciao ciao bambina) and was performed in Sanremo also by 1964 Eurovision winner Gigliola Cinquetti (as at the time songs were performed by two artists each), but Modugno went to Luxemburg himself and apparently managed to insult the orchestra along the way and wanted to perform it in his own arrangement and musicians. Many various stories are around about the incident but as said, it all resulted in zero points. Did the j...

  Belinda is still around but for me she's one of the most iconic 80's singers with hit after hit from her first solo albums, including Heaven is a place on heart . Isn't that one of the most iconic 80's hits? Maybe others think the same as she hasn't really bothered the charts since early 90's.... and her latest album is a collection of Sikh chants for yoga or something..... Oh dear. And the one before a collection of French chansons, including oddly Eurovision winner Merci, cherie ... Check out also:

Just 16-year-old Gigliola Cinquetti charmed first Italy by winning the talent contest Castrocaro 1963 and then Sanremo 1964 with her Non ho l'etá, and went on to charm the rest of Europe as well by winning the Eurovision song contest a few weeks later in Copenhagen.  She beat UK to second place by scoring 47 points vs. their 17, when over half the juries gave her full marks. The song sold over 4 million singles worldwide and launched her international career. She has had singles released in 120 countries! In Italy she enjoys fame and success participating in various festivals and Sanremo. She almost got back to the contest already in 1966 when she won Sanremo with Domenico Modugno and Dio come ti amo . Modugno decided to go himself back to the contest and came last....  (Such a shame as it is one of the best Italia entries ever, if you ask me! And Gigliola's version is much bettr anyways) In 1974 she was chosen to represent Italy again and the song is Si. Italy ...

Ann-Christine Nyström turns 73 today. She had a short lived singing career in the 1960's that included her Eurovision adventure. Between 1962-69 she released about 20 singles (and a total of 42 songs) in Finnish, German and English, but no album. She also toured in Sweden, where she moved back in early 1970's and went into finance business. She made a surprise duet with Katja Lukin in 2003.  Congratulations!

The streaker who jumped to the stage while Eurovision winner Jamala was performing last night and lowered his pants showing his arse to the world in live broadcast has been arrested and identified. He's journalist Vitalii Sediuk, a know streaker who seems to be doing stuff like this as a hobby. Recently he has been caught grabbing Gigi Hadid and trying to kiss Kim Kardasian's bum. He has also harassed bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt and America Ferrara among others, and was expelled from the USA. Now he can expect a heavy fine or even prison up to five years, confirms Ukrainian minister of the interior according HS . Sediuk says he only wants to entertain people.....  Kudos to Jamala who didn't miss a note and kept a straight face all through it! Last time something like this happened was in 2010 when Spain got an extra dancer on stage when infamous Jimmie Jump entered and joined the choreography before being chased off by the guards. In Helsinki 2007 someone tried t...

Udo Jürgens saw Austria win Eurovision song contest again this May after 48 years since his victory back in 1966 with Merci chérie but he didn't live to see the contest take place in Vienna again next May. Udo, aged 80, passed away today. He was also supposed to feature in the interval act next May. Besides winning Eurovision with his third consecutive try he was a superstar in the German speaking world with over 800 songs to his credit and sales of over 100 million records. His career started in 1950 with Je t'aime and over the years his songs were covered by world famous artists who in turn made them hits, like Shirley Bassey, Matt Monro, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr.... He released over 60 albums since 1965, his latest one, Mitten in Leben , came out this year. Merci for your music, Udo. 

Ossi Runne (86), the legendary Finnish Eurovision conductor (22 editions from 1966's self-penned Play-boy to 1989's La dolce vita . He also commented Eurovision for YLE in 1981 and 1990) is still following Eurovision, as he tells in Studio55's interview (in Finnish here ) but only the final these days. He thinks a good Eurovision song is a one that is liked all over Europe and the secret of Eurovision's sucess is the fact each and every TV-viewer is an expert. True.  In the old days the conductor besides conducting the orchestra obviously also arranged the song. He says he did so many Eurovision that he wasn't nervous anymore, it was routine and he felt no stress. "We had two 45 minute rehearsals with the orchestra those days.  They were always already well rehearsed beforehand, both orchetra and the artist. My main target was always make justice to the Finnish song, and take it and make others take it seriously. Some other conductors didn't take it s...

The Finnish Eurovision entry Playboy from 1966 lives again. Timo Pieni Huijaushas sampled it to his new album's lead single. Here . No comment.

Carola Standertskjöld would have been 70 today had she not died in Alzhaimer's in 1997. She was popular in the 1960's thanks to her unique voice and looks, and her repertoire from pop to jazz  chanson and blues singing in Finnish, Swedish, English, French, Spanish, German, Jiddish, Russian, Italian and Portuguese. Something about her talent tells that she might be more respected and loved today than back then.  For the anniversary a new compilation (2CD) and a box (8CD+book) titled Rakkauden jälkeen - kaikki levytykset 1963-1988 are released. And the box is indeed a very interesting one as it includes a lot of rarities and for the first time recordings in all languages together. Her classic covers of Aprés toi and Un banc, un'ambre, une rue are there, but so is also a French version of the latter! Her Euroviisut entries Ge mig en krabb / Tahdon pojan (1965) and Meren laulu (1966). Her duet with Aarno Raninen in 1971 was unfortunately never recorded, it seems. Other ori...

I wrote about the Italian entries earlier post today and somehow I came across Joe Damiani Trio's tribute to late Domenico Modugno. They have actually covered all three Eurovision entries Volare, Ciao ciao bambin a and Dio come ti amo . Very interesting and different versions, have a listen here . Joe is a multi-instrumentalist, drummer and musician from Brescia. He has collaborated and played with the greatest Italian artists and this is his fourth album so far.

Maria Lund will be participating in the Euroviisut 2010 as planned despite the sudden death of her father, Romanian opera singer Alexandru Ionitza (61). Maria will also keep on peforming in Sound of Music as planned. Maria spent the Christmas time in Germany with her father but he died on January 2. She lost her mother Tamara Lund in 2005. Tamara Lund participated in Euroviisut 1963 with Olen mikä olen (3rd) and also in 1965 and 1966. Maria will participate instead in the third semifinal on January 22 with Sydän ymmärtää .

No, not the Swedish one but one of the greatest Finnish singers ever, Carola Standertsköld-Liemola who died this day in 1997 at the age of 56 of Alzheimer's. She started singing in 1962 and soon was scoring big hits like Kielletyt leikit , Nuori tumma , Rakkauden jälkeen   and Mä lähden stadiin together with Lasse Mårtenson, who also penned her first Euroviisut song Ge mig en grabb in 1965. She was back in Euroviisut 1966 with Meren laulu and tried for the third and last time in 1971 with Ei koskaan (with Aarno Raninen). In 1970's she scored other hits like Herrojen kanssa pellonlaidassa , Penkki, puu ja puistotie (Un banc, un ambre, une rue) and Rakastan saavuthan (Aprés toi). She took then a break but returned in the 1980's with two more albums, including hits Sydämeen jäi soimaan blues and Maria, Maria . She had one of the finest voices ever, singing also jazz and blues, chancons like La mamma , and latin influenced material like Agua de beber and  Perfidia and ...

My favourite Eurovision flop, Domenico Modugno's Dio come ti amo , that scored a flat zero for Italy in 1966 gets its about 154.753rd cover version when Paola Turci does it in her new album Attraversami il cuore with Paolo Fresu, a regular collaborator in Alice's albums since Park Hotel in 1986. My favourite version though remains Gigliola Cinquetti's .

The 11th Eurovision song contest took place March 5, 1966 in Grand Auditorium de RTL in Luxembourg and Austria's Udo Jürgens was third time lucky with Merci chérie . Milly Scott from the Netherlands was the very first coloured singer, and also the very first who didn't stand behind her microphone but used a handy. Jurors didn't like the combination and it took another 35 years before a coloured singer won the contest, namely Dave Benton for Estonia. Udo's win was very clear: 31 votes against 16 for Swedish Lill Lindfors & Svante Thuresson. Denmark said goodbye to Eurovision for 11 years and returned only 1978. And Italy scored a flat zero with Domenico Modugno's Dio come ti amo . How do you explain that? And Udo still tours and records... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeeStaXs1sQ

The Spanish entry from 1966 by Raphael, Yo soy aquel - that is also this blog's favourite's in the Spanish selection 2009, Rafael De Alba's all time Spanish favourite - has been living mostly in the South America in recent years due to TV-series Montecristo . Now the series has been adapted also in Russia and the theme song is sung by Alexej Vorobyov, who came 5th in the Russian selection 2008 with the questionable New Russian Kalinka. You can hear the version on his website http://alekseyvorobyov.ru/ click АУДИО and then 16) Ты и я. (Thanks to Eurocovers)

In YouTube there's a voting for the most undeserved null pointer in history so go and vote here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RcaLWg-Fas . In early years before the current voting system was introduced it was quite easy and common to get a flat zero, however for me Italy 1966 still remains a mystery as it's a fantastic track and Domenico Modugno was a big star at the time. In more recent years Remedios Amaya did absolutely not deserve a zero in 1983. On the other hand if she got say 15th place would we remember her this well? There's always two sides to null pointer, too. A fact proved by Finland's own Kojo who made it his trademark and still lives on its glory! And frankly, you remembers those last placed ones who got a few points?

Sometimes one comes across something very unexpected and surprising. Would you think a track named Cabaret short circuit from album named Disastro by DJ Sonny J turns out to be rework of Oh how much I love you by Jack Jones, an English version of Dio come ti amo , the Italian entry 1966 by Domenico Modugno, also by Gigliola Cinquetti? Nope, me neither. And it's fabulous. Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSJXRL5baRs

Mike Patton, the ex-leader of Faith No More has been involved in several musical projects since he left the band ten years ago. The latest is Mondo Cane where he sings Italian classics from the 50's, 60's and 70's. One of the songs is the unfortunate zero pointer Dio come ti amo from 1966. How it scored so bad is still beyong me as it is fantastic, even by Mike Patton. Judge yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CocwaE9JvGU For comparison the original by Domenico Modugno: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9Ae1nALMUQ and my favourite version by Gigliola Cinquetti: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAEUNjmNL6Q