Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  Swiss televisions have launched officially the search for the host city for Eurovision 2025 with a logo that made me think of Istanbul 2004 immediately. I have no idea what skyline is supposed to be there but it certainly doesn't make me think of Switzerland! Istanbul hasn't been the only city to feature the skyline or similar in their Eurovision branding as also Helsinki 2007 did so, as you can clearly see even today in this blog, lol. Eurovision song contest is coming back home after this rather chaotic and disastrous 2024 edition as the very first edition took place in Switzerland's Lugano in May 24, 1956 in attempt to unite post-war Europe and bring some entertainment and excitement for the new media called television. Loosley modeled after Italy's Sanremo festival seven countries took part, each with two songs: Switzerland, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Switzerland won but the next contest moved to Frankfurt in Germany. And ever...

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...

Eurovision song contest is heading to its 64th edition so the sad side of long history is we are losing its key personalities every year. The 2018 hasn't been exception when we have lost two winners, a legendary hostess and very sadly some youngers names, too... France Gall  (9 October 1947 - 7 January 2018) ESC 1965 winner Madalena Iglesias  (24 October 1939 - 16 January 2018) ESC 1966 Katie Boyle (26 May 1926 - 20 March 2018)  ESC 1960, 1963, 1968, 1974 hostess Lys Assia  (3 March 1924 - 24 March 2018) ESC 1956 winner, 1957 , 1958 Sabahudin Kurt  (18 July 1935 - 30 March 2018) ESC 1964 Lill-Babs  (9 March 1938 - 3 April 2018) ESC 1961 Jürgen Marcus  (6 June 1946 - 17 May 2018) ESC 1976 Teddy Johnson  (4 September 1919 - 6 June 2018) ESC 1959 Vlatko Ilievski  (2 July 1985 - 6 July 2018) ESC ESC 2011 Hanna-Riikka Siitonen  (13 March 1970 - 23 July 2018)  multiple backing singer and nationa...

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?

Namely only these three acts have participated in the Eurovision song contest FOUR times. (If I am missing someone please correct me in comments!) A special mention goes to Lys Assia who has participated in three years with four songs, and in three consecutive years just like Valentina until now (and Udo Jürgens for the matter). Not forgetting Elisabeth Andreasson ; three times in various duets but only once as solo, for two countries. Fud LeClerk sung for Belgium in 1956 ( Messierus les noyés de la Seine ), 1958 ( Ma pètite chatte , 5th), 1960 Mon amour pour toi , 6th) and 1962 Ton nom (13th) Peter, Sue & Marc sung for Switzerland, and every time with a different language! in 1971 ( Les illusions de nos 20 ans , 12th), 1976 ( Djambo, Djambo , 4th), 1979 ( Trödler & co ., 10th) and 1981 ( Io senza te , 4th)

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, 

Valentina Monetta releases a new video L'Amore verrá (Love will come) today. It's taken from her album La Storia di Valentina Monetta released this spring even and the song itself is written by the artist herself. You can download the song here . The video is shot in Rimini and San Marino’s Hotel Titano with the production of SMRTV and directed by Michele Massari with the art direction by Fabrizio Raggi. In the song Valentina deals with the mystery of love: ” bambina dolce e giocosa curiosa e smaniosa di sapere già l'amore cos'è,  l'amore che ti riempie e poi chissà dov'è se l'amore c'è”   “sweet baby girl, curious and playful and eager to know already what is love,  the love that fills you up and then who knows where it is, if it's love” This video comes after her two Eurovision adventures and before her third one in a row when she will represent San Marino again next spring in Copenhagen 2014. She’ll be only ...