Today (15 January 2018) is so called “Blue Monday” – the day it is claimed to be the most depressing of the year. It’s all nonsense of course – but an excuse for me to do a blue-related Eurovision post. So here are 5 past Eurovision entries, all with some connection to “blue”.
5. Manuella “Blue and Red” (2016, Slovenia)
Manuella’s country-inspired song failed to make it out of the semis in 2016, but the blue in the title gets her in this list!
4. Magdi Rúzsa “Unsubstantial Blues” (2007, Hungary)
Blues is a rare musical genre to hear in Eurovision – this classy Hungarian entry finished in the top 10, and also features in my own top 5 songs from Hungary.
3. Vicky Leandros “L’amour est bleu” (1967, Luxembourg)
Another very obvious contender for this list, it’s the oldest song of the five and finished in 4th place in the year that Sandy Shaw won for the UK. Greek singer Vicky Leandros would go on to win the contest in 1972, again representing Luxembourg. This also found a place in my top 5 songs from Luxembourg.
2. Lena Valaitis “Johnny Blue” (1981, Germany)
Well before Lena (Meyer-Landrut) won for Germany in 2010, another Lena came within a whisker of winning the contest for Germany – finishing a hair’s breadth behind the UK’s Bucks Fizz. Germany would go on to win the following year though in Harrogate, their first win in the contest.
1. Blue “I Can” (2011, United Kingdom)
Of course, I have to top this list with Blue themselves – they narrowly missed out on the top 10 (finishing 11th), still one of the UK’s best results in the recent years. On the televote alone they would have finished 5th – which definitely goes to show that people WILL vote for the UK – when the song clicks with them (and of course Blue were well known in many countries).
Hope you enjoyed this blue-related list – we are heading into some busy weeks in terms of national selections so make sure you keep an eye on my national selections 2018 page.