From Spanish to Japanese, and everything in between
The 1968 contest was one for the history books. British singer Cliff Richard (center left) was a favorite to win for his song, 'Congratulations.' However, the prize went to Spanish singer Massiel (center right).
As reported by Time magazine, dictator Francisco Franco (allegedly) rigged the contest, to boost tourism in Spain. "It would be wonderful if someone official [...] said: 'Cliff, you won that darn thing after all,'" Richard told The Guardian.
The song featured lyrics that were arguably anti-American. The next year, Spanish singer Lucía caused a stir by performing the Argentinian tango dance. Apparently, this was a message to the British hosts, who were currently involved in the Falklands War.
The European Broadcasting Union cut ties with Mango TV, after they censored tattoos and rainbow flags that referenced LGBT rights. They also cut part of the performance because there were two males dancing together.
But he wasn't the only Brit to say so. A YouGov poll showed that 75% of British people agreed that the event was politically biased and some countries never stood a chance of winning.
Why not also get to know Europe's cute little countries?
Italian glam rock band Måneskin, who won the top prize for their song 'Zitti e buoni' in 2021, were embroiled in a very glam rock controversy after images from the Grand Final ceremony seemed to suggest drug use to some viewers. More specifically, one viral photo shows lead singer Damiano David leaning forward with his head bowed at a table, prompting viewers to suggest that he was sniffing a line of cocaine. In a post-ceremony press conference, the band vehemently denied the allegations and explained that David was inspecting broken glass on the floor, which was later confirmed by the European Broadcasting Union. The band posted a statement which read: “We are really shocked about what some people are saying about Damiano doing drugs. We really are AGAINST drugs and we never used cocaine. We are ready to get tested, cause we got nothing to hide," according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Some commentators took issue with Israel's entry back in 2007. The country was represented by Teapacks, with the song 'Push the Button.'
Israeli officials condemned the performance, and the group came 22nd place. However, it turned out that the group was made up of journalists, and had entered the competition as a joke.
Carvalho's song, 'And After the Goodbye,' was broadcast across Catholic Radio Renascenca, which apparently kickstarted the Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974.
The next year, Israeli singer Ilanit came fourth place with the song 'Ey Sham.' There were hysterical rumors that the singer wore a bulletproof vest, and Time reported that the audience was asked to stay seated, to avoid being shot by security.
ABBA (left) stole the show back in 1974, with their winning song 'Waterloo.' However, Portugal's Paulo de Carvalho (right) was actually involved in some serious conflict.
The ceremony is intended to be apolitical, but Europe's relations are always exposed on the Eurovision stage. Allied countries vote for each other, rival countries give the cold shoulder, and some subliminal messages always seem to slip in to someone's lyrics. The buzz around 2019's Eurovision Song Contest was about Iceland waving Palestinian flags during the live broadcast filmed in the host city of Tel Aviv. Then 2020, though ultimately canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, saw Hungary pull out of the competition citing no official reason (though it was widely suspected that it was due to the country's far-right government and media viewing Eurovision as 'too LGBT-friendly'). When the competition returned in 2022, Russia was officially banned from competing in the wake of the country's continued military assault against Ukraine. Ukraine went on to win that year but couldn't host the 2023 contest due to the ongoing war. For the first time in Eurovision history, another country had to host on the winner's behalf, and this year's spectacle is taking place in Liverpool in the UK.
So far, there have already been rumors of an apparent fix surrounding Poland's entry, Blanka. The competition to represent Poland was hosted by the national broadcaster TVP. Blanka made it into the final with another artist named Jann. Polish viewers voted, and believed that Jann had received an overwhelming majority, yet Blanka was announced the winner. The jury was accused of reducing Jann's score after it was discovered that at least two members had personal connections to Blanka. More than 87,000 members of the public petitioned TVP to change the representative while Polish media outlets criticized their lack of transparency with the voting results. TVP refused to allow an independent committee to review the voting and claimed that they had complied with all the necessary regulations.
Controversy is a well-documented part of Eurovision's history. Intrigued? Then click on to to read about the most delicious drama at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Silvía Night is a character played by Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir. The spoof singer is a hit in Iceland, but the joke didn't translate at Athens in 2006.
Eurovision's craziest controversies
The 2023 Grand Final takes place this Saturday in Liverpool!
MUSIC Controversy
The ceremony is intended to be apolitical, but Europe's relations are always exposed on the Eurovision stage. Allied countries vote for each other, rival countries give the cold shoulder, and some subliminal messages always seem to slip in to someone's lyrics. The buzz around 2019's Eurovision Song Contest was about Iceland waving Palestinian flags during the live broadcast filmed in the host city of Tel Aviv. Then 2020, though ultimately canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, saw Hungary pull out of the competition citing no official reason (though it was widely suspected that it was due to the country's far-right government and media viewing Eurovision as 'too LGBT-friendly'). In 2022, Russia was officially banned from competing in the wake of the country's continued military assault against Ukraine. Ukraine went on to win that year but couldn't host the 2023 contest due to the ongoing war. For the first time in Eurovision history, another country had to take over hosting duties on the winner's behalf, and this year's spectacle is taking place in Liverpool in the UK.
So far this year, there have been rumors of an apparent fix surrounding Poland's entry, Blanka. The competition to represent Poland was hosted by the national broadcaster TVP. Blanka made it into the final two, going up against another artist named Jann. Polish viewers voted, and believed that Jann had received an overwhelming majority, yet Blanka was announced the winner. The jury was accused of reducing Jann's score after it was discovered that at least two members had personal connections to Blanka. More than 87,000 members of the public petitioned TVP to change the representative while Polish media outlets criticized their lack of transparency with the voting results. TVP refused to allow an independent committee to review the voting and claimed that they had complied with all the necessary regulations.
Controversy is a well-documented part of Eurovision's history. Intrigued? Then click on to to read about the most delicious drama at the Eurovision Song Contest.