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Luis Eurovision Party Crasher :(
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My story
Luis Eurovision Party Crasher :(
50/50 Semifinals! 
Like many Americans and other non-European members I grew up listening to Eurovision entries years before I discovered the actual contest. Spain 1973 "Eres Tu" (what spanish speaker hasn't heard that song 
Even the rest of America who didn't speak Spanish preferred the original version to the English one and helped the Spanish single reach the top 10, [#9] in the 70's!). Then there's UK 1996 "Ooh Ahhh...Just A Little Bit" which became a hit here [#12] and even won a Grammy. (I remember hearing it on a dance compilation CD commercial in the early 00's and downloading it way before I saw my first Eurovision.) And my mom swears she's heard Spain 2000 "Colgado De Un Sueno" before.
More songs that I read that charted in the US:
Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare) - Italy 1958 #1 (One of the few non-English songs to top the charts and the only Italian one to do so. Single of the year for 1958 too 
)
Paul Mauriat's orchestral version of L'Amour Est Bleu, best known under the title "Love Is Blue" - "cover" of Luxembourg 1967 #1 (Paul is the only person from France to top the US Charts)
Waterloo - Sweden 1974 (Contest Winner) #6
Save Your Kisses For Me - UK 1976 (Contest Winner) #27
Singers who made it to the charts with non-Eurovision songs:
Lulu - #1 hit in 1967 and several top 40 hits
ABBA - #1 hit and several top 10s
Celine Dion - #1 hits and several top 10s
Brotherhood Of Man - 2 top 40 hits
t.A.T.u. - Top 20 hit, but they're VERY well-known (in fact when I tell people that they participated and were really close to winning they say WOW 
)
Ofra Haza - as Paula Abdul's featured artist had a top 40 hit
Now about Luis: I'm just an American fan who discovered the contest when an article about it was on the front page of Wikipedia in 2006 (after May though 
).
I only knew a few entries in 2007, but in 2008 I listened to every single one. I then started going backwards using youtube to search for Eurovision clips and now I've caught up with the rest of the decade (00's) and I'm gonna watch every performance since 1956. Wish me luck. I also like to watch the voting vids.
In 2009 I discovered I had TVE International and taped the show so I could watch it at night. It came on at 11am and I didn't want to watch it so early! 
(I wonder if I had TVE International in 2008...)
By the way, all the Americans I've shown Eurovision to thought the contest was interesting and don't care if they don't understand the lyrics. They loved hearing new music styles from the Mediterranean and the East. (I'd just like to add that they were not part of any diaspora). We're not all as close-minded when it comes to foreign music as people tend to think. My friends follow the music, which is what every voter should do >.> *looks at people who say they don't vote for songs they can't understand*
Finally, I think it should be up to the singer to decide what language/languages they'll perform in. There should be no pressure from anyone else.
Ta-ta!
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