Matt MacDonald from the United States of America sent us this article about A Look at How Eurovision Hosts and Defending Champions Have Fared
As Grigol Kipshidze bounded out onto the Tbilisi stage on Nov. 26 in the first few moments of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017, the crowd roared. During the show’s final moments, those cheers only escalated in volume when Georgia kept receiving more and more points as the tallies were revealed. He ended up coming within three points of claiming the title and making Georgia the first-ever repeat winner of the show.
That experience brings to mind what it would be like if a hosting Eurovision Song Contest country was able to once again be right in the running or even win and spark celebrations amongst a considerable portion of those in the crowd. Unfortunately, it’s been a while since a hosting Eurovision country was able to come as close to winning as Kipshidze did at the most recent Junior Contest.
However, there have been a number of top-10 placements by hosts and defending champions in the past couple of decades. Most recently, the young Frans powered Sweden to fifth place at Eurovision 2016 in Stockholm. Two years before that, Denmark’s Basim finished ninth in Copenhagen. In 2012, Sabina Babayeva pleased many of those at Azerbaijan’s newly built Baku Crystal Hall when she came in fourth.
But we have to go back 12 more years to find another top-five finish for the home supporters. At Eurovision 2004, Athena received applause in Istanbul for taking Turkey to a fourth-place showing. Meanwhile, two years earlier was the most recent top-three finish by a host and defending champion. Estonia’s Sahlene sang, “Runaway,” in Tallinn and was rewarded with 111 points, good enough for a third-place tie.
Those results came at the end of an impressive run of hosts and defending champions coming very close to winning again but falling just short: Denmark (2001 – second), Israel (1999 – fifth), United Kingdom (1998 – second), Ireland (1997 – second) and Norway (1996 – second). The U.K. came especially close to prevailing in Birmingham in 1998, but the country’s 166 points were just outmatched by Israel’s 172.
That’s when we finally get to our most recent host and defending champion to win, and this country accomplished this impressive feat in back-to-back years.
The Irish duo of Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan won Eurovision 1994 in Dublin after singing, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids.” The year before, Niamh Kavanagh’s “In Your Eyes” was strong enough to claim an Irish victory in Millstreet.
Ireland was able to get the chance to start this run after Linda Martin’s “Why Me?” won in Malmö, Sweden, in 1992. The win streak of three, still the record, finally came to an end when Ireland’s 1995 entry finished 14th in Dublin.
A trip down memory lane to 1979 is necessary to go back to the next country to win at home and defend a title. That year, Israel’s Gali Atari and Milk and Honey sang, “Hallelujah,” in Jerusalem and were rewarded for their outstanding performance with the Eurovision title.
However, Israel did not attempt to repeat in 1980 as the nation turned down the hosting nod and did not attend the contest in The Hague, Netherlands, because it conflicted with the country’s Day of Remembrance.
In 1973, Luxembourg, who last participated in Eurovision in 1993, was successful when Anne-Marie David’s French song, “Tu te reconnaîtras,” earned 129 points and the first-place nod in Luxembourg City. That and its preceding win in 1972 were Luxembourg’s third and fourth titles. (The small country also won in 1961, 1965 and 1983.)
The first defending champion to win again in the following year was Spain although the Spaniards had to share their second crown with three other countries. That’s because Eurovision 1969, held in Madrid, resulted in four countries – the other three being the United Kingdom, Netherlands and France – all receiving 18 points while no tiebreaker measures had been put in place prior to the show.
The last winner that we’ll look at is the first. Switzerland’s Lys Assia won Eurovision 1956, which was held in Lugano, with her song, “Refrain.” Of course, since it was the first contest, there was no defending champion that year.
How will Portugal do at Eurovision 2018? Is a return trip to this beautiful country in the offing for 2019?