The 1991 contest was hosted in Italy and it looks like the person in charge of the staging ran out of money before he had even started thinking about his plans.Seriously, I’ve seen better kid’s puppet theatres that have been made out of old shoeboxes than the Italian set. The autocue must also have been part of the stage manager’s budget hence why the presenters were reading from clipboards all night.
Never mind, it’s all about the performances isn’t it?
Anyone who has ever watched Eastenders or Game On will recognise this year’s UK entry. Yes, it was Samantha Janus singing “A Message To Your Heart”. She’s not a singer these days and well, she wasn’t really a singer back then but she gave it a good shot.
If you can imagine a stoned version of Jem, singing out of tune and being backed by a budget version of Charlie’s Angels then that’s pretty much the UK entry in 1991…
If you thought the break up of Yugoslavia and the resulting Ten-Day War was caused by regions such as Slovenia seeking independence then you are very much mistaken. It was caused by this year’s entry – Lady Gaga’s grandmother singing about a country that is not even in Europe.
This was always going to end in tears…
Next up is Turkey and it looks like they entered their equivalent of the fantastic Rod, Jane & Freddy that have graced the UK’s television screens since Bungle was a bear cub, George was straight and Zippy was a…….younger puppet?
Here’s “Iki Dakika” by Izel, Reyhan & Can…
Have you ever watched a foreign news report without subtitles and all of a sudden you hear a familiar word like “Marks & Spencer” or “iPod”?
Well, it’s the same with this song from Norway…oh and I hope this Mrs Thompson that they sing of is their hairdresser and they are asking her for an appointment…
Here’s a guy who decided to cut off part of his singing partner’s suit, wrap it around his head and start singing about the noise that an ambulance makes.
“Nina” from Iceland….
That brings us to the climax of this year – the winner. And, what a winner it was. It was my favourite by far. Carola, from Sweden. Sweden know how to give us a great Eurovision song and this is one of their best. I loved the way she came bouncing on the stage like a little pop pantomime pixie and I’m pretty sure she was the first singer to have a wind machine – so, in your FACE Jennifer Lopez!
When she sang it again upon winning I was amazed! I knew Swedish! No, she was just singing in English…
The winner of 1991 – “Fångad av en stormvind” by Carlola.
Until next time – keep kitsch and carry on!
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