If there's one live music event that never fails to entertain, it's Eurovision.
Over the years, the annual event has become more and more outlandish as countries bid to outdo each other in terms of both the staging and the songs.
While we're sad that it won't be happening this year, here are ten of the most memorable Eurovision tunes to reminisce over until 2021.
These are a combination of weird, wonderful and just plain 'WTF?'
1. LORDI – 'Hard Rock Hallelujah'
Of course Lordi are going to feature on any list of bizarre Eurovision entries. In fact, the Finnish metal group – who formed in 1992 – won the contest with this song in 2006.
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2. CONCHITA WURST – 'Rise Like a Phoenix'
The Austrian singer and drag queen absolutely killed it with her 2014 entry – making her an international gay icon and looking far better in a dress than anyone with a full beard ought to.
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3. VERKA SERDUCHKA – ‘Dancing Lasha Tumbai'
You may not have known the name of this song, but you'll remember the performance. The pop star/comedian/drag queen caused members of the Ukranian government to denounce 'Dancing Lasha Tumbai' as 'grotesque and vulgar'. We reckon it was great craic.
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4. DUSTIN THE TURKEY – 'Irlande Douze Points'
It was the song that well and truly buried Ireland's glory days in the competition, but it was certainly memorable. For Irish people, it was strange enough seeing a puppet of a turkey representing us on the world stage – imagine what someone in Latvia or Greece or Switzerland must have thought?
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5. BURANOVSKIYE BABUSHKI – 'Party for Everybody'
AKA 'the song with the grannies', Russia's 2012 entry was a stroke of genius, to be fair. Who doesn't love eight elderly babushkas in traditional garb singing about making bread and preparing a party for their kids to come home to? Who could possibly not vote for that? (in fact, it finished 2nd so lots of people, apparently.)
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6. LT UNITED - 'We Are The Winners Of Eurovision'
These guys must have read 'The Secret' before entering Eurovision; Lithuania's 2006 entry was presumably all about visualisation, with lyrics like "We are the winners of Eurovision / We are, we are! / So, you gotta vote, vote, vote for the winners!". Unfortunately for them, it didn't work – they finished 6th.
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7. ABBA – 'Waterloo'
This song was memorable for all the right reasons – it marked the international launch of one of music's greatest ever bands. Back in the day when the Eurovision placed an emphasis on songcraft over silliness, it was clear that the 1974 winner was special. 46 years later, it's still an absolute tune.
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8. SCOOCH – 'Flying the Flag'
One of the best parts of the Eurovision every years is watching the UK's entry (which is usually rubbish, in fairness), loudly declaring it rubbish , and then laughing as the votes – or lack thereof – start rolling in. Not that Ireland can talk lately, of course. However, their 2007 entry by dance-pop band Scooch brought new levels of brazen campness to the show that simply had to be admired. And yes, they really did sing 'Would you like something to suck on for landing, sir?'
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9. SEBASTIAN TELLIER – 'Divine'
He arrived on stage in a golf buggy, had five lookalike backing singers in sunglasses and beards (even the women) and inhaled from a helium balloon during his performance. There may have been more extravagant performances than Sebastian Tellier over the years, but few of them were as effortlessly cool as France's 2008 entry.
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10. Daði FREYR – 'Think About Things'
We're making a special dispensation for this entry, considering that there's no question it would have won Eurovision 2020 if it had gone ahead. If their staging had been anywhere as good as their deadpan video, we all would have been doing the Daði dance in celebration this weekend. Instead, it'll go down as the best non-winner ever.
