| Eurovision Song Contest News - 2008 Belgrade, Serbia 

Urska *

Hi there to all Eurosong contest fans!

Slovenia calling, more exactly Urška, one of ESC fans from this side of Europe.
The first time I remember watching the whole contest was in 1989 when Jugoslavija won with song Rock me. Since then I watch Eurosong and our national contest every year. It became a sort of addiction for me.


Slovenia competes as an independent country since 1993, but as a part of Jugoslavia we got a chance to send our musicians even before independence, since 1961 four times happened that slovenian representatives won Jugoslavian preselections (it was not easy for us to win):

1966 Berta Ambrož - Brez besed (some say Eres tu is so similar to this song...)
1967 Lado Leskovar - Vse rože sveta
1970 Eva Sršen - Pridi dala ti bom cvet (such beautiful song and so low at the final score...)
1975 Pepel in kri - Dan ljubezni ..........(evergreen in Slovenia, should get better than 13th place)

[b]SOME OF MY FAVOURITE SONGS FROM ALL PREVIOUS CONTESTS:[/b]

1958 Volare...Domenico Modugno
1964 Non Ho L'Eta...Gigliola Cinquetti
1971 Un banc, Un arbre, Une rue...Severine
1973 Power to all our friends...Cliff Richards
1976 Un, Deux, Trois...Catherine Ferry
1976 Save all your kisses for me...Brotherhood of man
1977 L'Oiseau et L'Enfant...Marie Myriam
1978 Parlez-Vous Francais...Boccara
1979 Su cancion...Betty Missiego
1980 What's another year...Johnny Logan
1981 Io Senza Te...Peter, Sue & Marc
1982 Ein Bischen Frieden...Nicole
1983 Džuli...Danijel
1987 Gente Di Mare...Umberto Tozzi e Raf
1988 Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi...Celine Dion
1989 Rock me baby...Riva
1990 Insieme...Toto Cutugno
1991 Kan...Orna Datz&Moshe Datz
1992 Linda Martin...Why me


MILLSTREET 1993:

1. France: Patrick Fiori - Mama Corsica
2. Sweden: Arvingarna - Eloïse
3. Croatia: Put - Don't ever cry
4. Norway: Silje Vige - Alle mine tankar
5. Slovenia: 1X Band - Tih dezeven dan
6. Ireland: Niamh Kavanagh - In your eyes
7. Bosnia & Herzegovina: Fazla - Sva bol svijeta
8. United Kingdom: Sonia - Better the devil you know
9. Portugal: Anabela - A cidade até ser dia
10.The Netherlands: Ruth Jacott - Vrede


DUBLIN 1994:

1. Portugal: Sara Tavares - Chamar a música
2. Poland: Edyta Górniak - To nie ja!
3. Malta: Moira Stafrace and Christopher Scicluna - More than love
4. Hungary: Friderika Bayer - Kinek mondjam el vétkeimet
5. Norway: Elisabeth Andreasson and Jan Werner Danielsen - Duett
6. Germany: MeKaDo - Wir geben 'ne Party
7. Ireland: Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan - Rock 'n' roll kids
8. Croatia: Tony Cetinski - Nek'ti bude ljubav sva
9. Finland: CatCat - Bye bye baby
10.Cyprus: Evridiki - Ime anthropos ke ego


DUBLIN 1995:

1. Sweden: Jan Johansen - Se på mej
2. Slovenia: Darja Svajger - Prisluhni mi
3. Norway: Secret Garden - Nocturne
4. Cyprus: Alexandros Panayi - Sti fotia
5. Croatia: Magazin and Lidija - Nostalgija
6. Spain: Anabel Conde - Vuelve conmigo
7. Denmark: Aud Wilken - Fra Mols til Skagen
8. Russia: Philipp Kirkorov - Kolybelnaya dlya vulkana
9. Iceland: Bó Halldórsson - Núna
10.Israel: Liora - Amen


OSLO 1996:

1. Portugal: Lúcia Moniz - O meu coração não tem cor
2. Croatia: Maja Blagdan - Sveta ljubav
3. Sweden: One More Time - Den vilda
4. Cyprus: Constantinos - Mono gia mas
5. Slovenia: Regina - Dan najlepših sanj
6. Belgium: Lisa del Bo - Liefde is een kaartspel
7. Austria: George Nußbaumer - Weil's dr guat got
8. Ireland: Eimear Quinn - The voice
9. The Netherlands: Maxine and Franklin Brown - De eerste keer
10.Norway: Elisabeth Andreasson - I evighet


DUBLIN 1997:

1. United Kingdom: Katrina and The Waves - Love shine a light
2. Italy: Jalisse - Fiumi di parole
3. Slovenia: Tanja Ribič - Zbudi se
4. Turkey: Sebnem Paker and Group Etnic - Dinle
5. Malta: Debbie Scerri - Let me fly
6. Croatia: ENI - Probudi me
7. Estonia: Maarja-Liis Ilus - Keelatud maa
8. Russia: Alla Pugachova - Primadonna
9. Ireland: Marc Roberts - Mysterious woman
10.Cyprus: Chara and Andreas Konstantinou - Mana mou


BIRMINGHAM 1998:

1. United Kingdom: Imaani - Where are you?
2. Croatia: Danijela - Neka mi ne svane
3. Germany: Guildo Horn - Guildo hat euch lieb
4. Cyprus: Michael Hajiyanni - Genesis
5. Norway: Lars A. Fredriksen - Alltid sommer
6. Sweden: Jill Johnson - Kärleken är
7. Belgium: Mélanie Cohl - Dis oui
8. The Netherlands: Edsilia Rombley - Hemel en aarde
9. Ireland: Dawn - Is always over now?
10.Malta: Chiara - The one that I love



JERUSALEM 1999:

1. Iceland: Selma Björnsdóttir - All out of luck
2. Croatia: Doris Dragović - Marija Magdalena
3. Bosnia & Herzegovina: Dino and Beatrice - Putnici
4. Denmark: Trine Jepsen & Michael Teschl - This time (I mean it)
5. Slovenia: Darja Svajger - For a thousand years
6. Sweden: Charlotte Nilsson - Take me to your heaven
7. Estonia: Evelin Samuel and Camille - Diamond of night
8. Germany: Sürpriz - Reise nach Jerusalem - Kudüs'e seyahat
9. Israel: Eden - Yom huledeth
10.The Netherlands: Marlayne - One good reason


STOCKHOLM 2000:

1. Denmark: Olsen brothers - Fly on the wings of love
2. Croatia: Goran Karan - Kada zaspu andeli
3. Latvia: BrainStorm - My star
4. Sweden: Roger Pontare - When spirits are calling my name
5. Turkey Pinar Ayhan & S.O.S. band - Yorgunum anla
6. Russia: Alsou - Solo
7. Estonia: Ines - Once in a lifetime
8. The Netherlands: Linda Wagenmakers - No goodbyes
9. Iceland: Einer Ágúst Víðisson en Telma Ágústdóttir - Tell me!
10.Germany: Stefan Raab - Wadde hadde dudde da


COPENHAGEN 2001:

[b]1. France: Natasha Saint-Pier - Je n'ai que mon âme[/b] (My favourite song of all ESC)

2. Slovenia: Nuša Derenda - Energy
3. Greece: Antique - Die for you
4. Croatia: Vanna - Strings of my heart (Vanna is the best Croatian singer)
5. Denmark: Rollo & King - Never ever let you go
6. Spain: David Civera - Dile que la quiero
7. Bosnia & Herzegovina: Nino - Hano
8. United Kingdom: Lindsay D. - No dream impossible
9. Estonia: Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL - Everybody
10.Sweden: Friends - Listen to your heartbeat


TALLINN 2002:

1. Slovenia: Sestre - Samo ljubezen
2. Denmark: Malene - Tell me who you are
3. France: Sandrine François - Il faut du temps
4. Croatia: Vesna Pisarovic - Everything I want
5. Spain: Rosa - Europe's living a celebration
6. Switzerland: Francine Jordi - Dans le jardin de mon âme
7. Cyprus: One - Gimme
8. Austria: Manuel Ortega - Say a word
9. Malta: Ira Losco - 7th wonder
10.Russia: Prime minister - Northern girl


RIGA 2003:

1. Norway: Jostein Hasselgård - I'm not afraid to move on
2. Belgium: Urban Trad - Sanomi
3. Russia: t.A.T.u. - Ne ver’, ne boisia
4. Turkey: Sertab Erener - Everyway that I can
5. Austria: Alf Poier - Weil der Mensch zählt
6. Spain: Beth - Dime
7. France: Louisa Baileche - Monts et merveilles
8. Portugal: Rita Guerra - Deixa-me sonhar
9. Iceland: Birgitta - Open your heart
10.The Netherlands: Esther Hart - One more night


ISTANBUL 2004:

1. Serbia & Montenegro: Željko Joksimović - Lane moje
2. Cyprus: Lisa Andreas - Stronger every minute
3. FYR Macedonia: Tose Proeski - Life
4. Malta: Julie & Ludwig - On again...off again
5. Croatia: Ivan Mikulic - You are the only one
6. Andorra: Marta Roure - Jugarem a estimar-nos
7. France: Jonatan Cerrada - A chaque pas
8. Russia: Julia Savicheva - Believe me
9. United Kingdom: James Fox - Hold on to our love
10.The Netherlands: Re-union - Without you


KIEV 2005:

1. Switzerland: Vanilla Ninja - Cool vibes
2. Malta: Chiara - Angel
3. Serbia & Montenegro: No Name - Zauvijek moja
4. Croatia: Boris Novkovic feat. Lado members - Vukovi umiru sami
5. Monaco: Lise Darly - Tout de moi
6. Slovenia: Omar Naber - Stop
7. Hungary: NOX - Forogj világ
8. The Netherlands: Glennis Grace - My impossible dream
9. Norway: Wig Wam - In my dreams
10.Latvia: Walter & Kazha - The war is not over


ATHENS 2006:

1. NORWAY: Christine Guldbransen - Alvedansen
2. BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: Hari Mata Hari - Lejla
3. IRELAND: Brian Kennedy - Every song is a cry for love
4. SWEDEN: Carola - Invincible
5. ICELAND: Silvia Night - Congratulations
6. RUSSIA: Dima Bilan - Never let you go
7. GREECE: Anna Vissi - Everything
8. FINLAND: Lordi - Hard rock hallelujah
9. CROATIA: Severina - Moja štikla
10.TURKEY: Sibel Tüzün - Superstar


HELSINKI 2007:


1. [b]SLOVENIA:[/b] Alenka Gotar - Cvet z juga

2. [b]Serbia:[/b] Marija Šerifović - Molitva (wonderful ballad and strong vocal performance)
3. [b]France:[/b] Les Fatals Picards - L'Amour a la francaise (great humour and very interesting song)
4. [b]Macedonia:[/b] Karolina Gočeva - Mojot Svet (beautiful song with just enough ethno sound inside)
5. [b]Ireland:[/b] Dervish - They can't stop the spring (interesting Irish folk music)
6. [b]Romania:[/b] Todomondo - Liubi, Liubi (multilingual song with some folk elements inside)
7. [b]Bosnia-Herzegovina:[/b] Marija Šestić - Rijeka bez imena (lovely ballad with some ethno sound)
8. [b]Belarus:[/b] Dimitrij Koldun - Work your magic (there is really something magical about this song)
9. [b] Austria:[/b] Eric Papilaya - Get a life, Get alive
10.[b]Spain:[/b] D'NASH - I love you mi vida


See you in BELGRADE 2008!

Not much impressed with 2008 songs, but here are some that I find quite good:

1.Portugal: Vânia Fernandes - Senhora Do Mar
2. Serbia: Jelena Tomašević - Oro
3. Belgium: Ishtar - O julissi na jalini
4. Croatia: KRALJEVI ULICE - Romanca
5. Switzerland: Paolo Meneguzzi - Era stupendo
6. Norway: Maria Haukaas Storeng - Hold on, be strong
7. Turkey: Mor ve Otesi - Deli
8. Ireland: Dustin the turkey - Irelande douze points
9. Lithuania: Jeronimas Milius - Nomads in the night
10.Albania: Olta Boka - Zemren e lame peng

and that's it...shame that Slovenija won't be represented by Langa or Brigita Šuler or Eva Černe who were much better than Rebeka Dremelj.



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I will not make a list of my favourite countries because it doesn't matter to me which country the song represents, it's not even important the style of music but I usually find my favourites among songs that are ORIGINAL and include some elements of traditional music of the country they represent. Big plus for me is if the song is in the official language of a country because when I start watching Eurovision in the 80s there were so many different languages and I found it more interesting than today when most of songs are in English!