The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest will take place on Saturday 17th May in Switzerland.
I started to write a short history for those who aren’t familiar with it but it was quickly becoming a very long essay and I’d still be writing it when the contest is on next year.
- started in 1956 to promote the newly formed European Broadcasting Union and bring some light entertainment to post war Europe
- now watched by a global audience of around 160 million
- participating countries enter an original song less than 3 minutes long, and the winner is voted for by individual juries and the public
- voting has been hugely controversial over the years, can be quite politically motivated
- The UK used to be really good(ie quality songs, won a lot, runner up more than anyone else), now we just think that ‘everyone hates us’. Personally I think we’ve only entered about 3 decent songs in the last 25 years, plus the rest of Europe have realised that most people in the UK are incredibly condescending about the contest and think that because The Beatles invented pop music (maybe) that gives us the right to win all the time
- Anything goes with genres- traditional folk, hard rock, gentle ballads and dancefloor hits have all been winners
I’ve been a huge fan since I was a kid, it’s one of my nerd topics that I will happily talk about for hours, whether anyone wants me to or not.
There are hundreds of songs in the almost 70 years of Eurovision so the back catalogue for covers is both huge and limited as probably 90% of the songs no-one really wants to hear again. I’m going to post as many as I can record over the next week- you have be warned!!
