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The History of The Eurovision Song Contest – 62 Years of High-Quality Music

Eurovision 2017, which will take place in May in Kyiv, Ukraine, is the 62nd edition of the famous eurosong contest which has fascinated and entertained entire generations of people from all over the world. If you are a big music fan, you’ll undoubtedly be interested in learning as much as possible about the history and evolution of this amazing competition. Thus, keep on reading, and you’ll come across some really interesting facts!

Where Is the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Taking Place and Past Winners

This year’s edition will take place in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 13 May, at 21:00. This comes as a result of Ukraine winning the 2016 Eurovision song competition with Jamala’s highly acclaimed song “1944”. “1944” set a new record, as it won the contest with no less than 534 points! Ukraine is one of the countries which have been very successful in this competition, as it’s hosting it for the second time already. Ukraine also organised the Eurovision 2005, after winning the 2004 edition with Ruslana’s electrifying hit “Wild Dances”.

Up to the present day, Ireland is the country that has won the most Eurovision editions, namely seven. Sweden comes very close to Ireland’s record, having won six contests. The UK, France and Luxembourg have each came in the first place five times. Other important winners from the history of Eurovision are the Netherlands, Denmark, Israel, Norway, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

Contests

1956 - 1976	1977 - 1997	1998 - 2017
Lugano 1956	London 1977	Birmingham 1998
Frankfurt am Main 1957	Paris 1978	Jerusalem 1999
Hilversum 1958	Jerusalem 1979	Stockholm 2000
Cannes 1959	The Hague 1980	Copenhagen 2001
London 1960	Dublin 1981	Tallinn 2002
Cannes 1961	Harrogate 1982	Riga 2003
Luxembourg 1962	Munich 1983	Istanbul 2004
London 1963	Luxembourg 1984	Kyiv 2005
Copenhagen 1964	Gothenburg 1985	Athens 2006
Naples 1965	Bergen 1986	Helsinki 2007
Luxembourg 1966	Brussels 1987	Belgrade 2008
Vienna 1967	Dublin 1988	Moscow 2009
London 1968	Lausanne 1989	Oslo 2010
Madrid 1969	Zagreb 1990/span>	Düsseldorf 2011
Amsterdam 1970	Rome 1991	Baku 2012
Dublin 1971	Malmö 1992	Malmö 2013
Luxembourg 1973	Dublin 1994	Vienna 2015
Brighton 1974	Dublin 1995	Stockholm 2016
Stockholm 1975	Oslo 1996	Kyiv 2017
The Hague 1976	Dublin 1997

European Song Contest – How It All Started

The origin of this spectacular European music competition can be traced back to the 1955 committee meeting of the European Broadcasting Union when the idea of creating a global music competition was proposed. The song contest was inspired by the Sanremo Music Festival, which takes place every year in the picturesque Italian city.

Eurovision started out as an audacious and ground-breaking live television project, unlike anything ever seen before. Its target was to unite a large number of states in a unique global network. The very first contest was hosted in 1956, in Lugano, Switzerland and welcomed participants from 7 countries. Unlike the other editions, in the first Eurovision, each country entered two songs instead of one.

How the Eurovision Song Festival Changed Over Time

Although the basic rules of Eurovision have remained the same, the festival has evolved to a great extent in the course of time. As we’ve already mentioned, the first edition only included seven European states, namely Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Over the years, many other countries made their debut entry in the competition. Overall, a number of 52 countries participated in the competition at least once. Eurovision has also welcomed non-European countries, like Israel, Morocco and Australia.

Another element that has undergone many changes throughout the years is the voting system. Initially, the winner was decided exclusively by a professional jury. Starting with 1997, participant countries have introduced the televoting system, which nowadays allows any viewer to cast a vote via telephone, SMS or even a mobile app.

We hope you found our presentation of the history of Eurovision interesting and that we’ve managed to clear some things up for you. Stay updated on the latest news on the Eurovision 2017 final and be a live witness to a whole new chapter of the contest!

Countries & winners

Name	First participation	Times participated	Victories
Albania	Istanbul 2004 Anjeza Shahini \| The Image Of You	14	0
Andorra	Istanbul 2004 Marta Roure \| Jugarem A Estimar-nos	6	0
Armenia	Athens 2006 André \| Without Your Love	11	0
Australia	Vienna 2015 Guy Sebastian \| Tonight Again	3	0
Austria	Frankfurt am Main 1957 Bob Martin \| Wohin, Kleines Pony	50	2 Copenhagen 2014 Conchita Wurst \| Rise Like a Phoenix Luxembourg 1966 Udo Jürgens \| Merci Chérie
Azerbaijan	Belgrade 2008 Elnur & Samir \| Day After Day	10	1 Düsseldorf 2011 Ell/Nikki \| Running Scared
Belarus	Istanbul 2004 Aleksandra & Konstantin \| My Galileo	14	0
Belgium	Lugano 1956 Mony Marc \| Le Plus Beau Jour De Ma Vie	59	1 Bergen 1986 Sandra Kim \| J'aime La Vie
Bosna i Hercegovina Bosnia & Herzegovina	Millstreet 1993 Fazla \| Sva Bol Svijeta	19	0
Bulgaria	Kyiv 2005 Kaffe \| Lorraine	11	0
Croatia	Millstreet 1993 Put \| Don't Ever Cry	23	0
Cyprus	Dublin 1981 Island \| Monika	34	0
Czech Republic	Helsinki 2007 Kabát \| Malá Dáma	6	0
Denmark	Frankfurt am Main 1957 Birthe Wilke and Gustav Winckler \| Skibet Skal Sejle I Nat	46	3 Malmö 2013 Emmelie de Forest \| Only Teardrops Stockholm 2000 Olsen brothers \| Fly On The Wings Of Love London 1963 Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann \| Dansevise
Estonia	Dublin 1994 Silvi Vrait \| Nagu Merelaine	23	1 Copenhagen 2001 Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL \| Everybody
F.Y.R. Macedonia	Birmingham 1998 Vlado Janevski \| Ne Zori, Zoro	17	0
Finland	Cannes 1961 Laila Kinnunen \| Valoa Ikkunassa	51	1 Athens 2006 Lordi \| Hard Rock Hallelujah
France	Lugano 1956 Mathé Altéry \| Le Temps Perdu	60	5 London 1977 Marie Myriam \| L'oiseau Et L'enfant Madrid 1969 Frida Boccara \| Un Jour, Un Enfant Luxembourg 1962 Isabelle Aubret \| Un Premier Amour London 1960 Jacqueline Boyer \| Tom Pillibi Hilversum 1958 André Claveau \| Dors Mon Amour
Georgia	Helsinki 2007 Sopho \| Visionary Dream	10	0
Germany	Lugano 1956 Walter Andreas Schwarz \| Im Wartesaal Zum Großen Glück	61	2 Oslo 2010 Lena \| Satellite Harrogate 1982 Nicole \| Ein Bißchen Frieden
Greece	Brighton 1974 Marinella \| Krassi, Thalassa Ke T'agori Mou	38	1 Kyiv 2005 Helena Paparizou \| My Number One
Hungary	Dublin 1994 Friderika Bayer \| Kinek Mondjam El Vétkeimet	15	0
Iceland	Bergen 1986 Icy \| Gleðibankinn	30	0
Ireland	Naples 1965 Butch Moore \| I'm Walking The Streets In The Rain	51	7 Oslo 1996 Eimear Quinn \| The Voice Dublin 1994 Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan \| Rock 'n' Roll Kids Millstreet 1993 Niamh Kavanagh \| In Your Eyes Malmö 1992 Linda Martin \| Why Me Brussels 1987 Johnny Logan \| Hold Me Now The Hague 1980 Johnny Logan \| What's Another Year Amsterdam 1970 Dana \| All Kinds Of Everything
Israel	Luxembourg 1973 Ilanit \| Ey-sham	40	3 Birmingham 1998 Dana International \| Diva Jerusalem 1979 Milk and Honey \| Hallelujah Paris 1978 Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta \| Abanibi
Italy	Lugano 1956 Tonina Torielli \| Amami Se Vuoi	43	2 Zagreb 1990 Toto Cutugno \| Insieme: 1992 Copenhagen 1964 Gigliola Cinquetti \| Non Ho L'étà
Latvia	Stockholm 2000 BrainStorm \| My Star	18	1 Tallinn 2002 Marie N \| I Wanna
Lithuania	Dublin 1994 Ovidijus Vyniauskas \| Lopine Mylimai	18	0
Luxembourg	Lugano 1956 Michèle Arnaud \| Les Amants De Minuit	37	5 Munich 1983 Corinne Hermès \| Si La Vie Est Cadeau \| Tu Te Reconnaîtras Luxembourg 1973 Anne-Marie David \| Tu Te Reconnaîtras Edinburgh 1972 Vicky Leandros \| Après Toi Naples 1965 France Gall \| Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son Cannes 1961 Jean-Claude Pascal \| Nous Les Amoureux
Malta	Dublin 1971 Joe Grech \| Marija L-maltija	30	0
Moldova	Kyiv 2005 Zdob si Zdub \| Boonika Bate Toba	13	0
Monaco	Cannes 1959 Jacques Pills \| Mon Ami Pierrot	24	1 Dublin 1971 Séverine \| Un Banc, Un Arbre, Une Rue
Montenegro	Helsinki 2007 Stevan Faddy \| Ajde Kroci	9	0
Morocco	The Hague 1980 Samira Bensaïd \| Bitakat Hob	1	0
Norway	London 1960 Nora Brockstedt \| Voi-voi	56	3 Moscow 2009 Alexander Rybak \| Fairytale Dublin 1995 Secret Garden \| Nocturne Gothenburg 1985 Bobbysocks \| La Det Swinge
Poland	Dublin 1994 Edyta Górniak \| To Nie Ja!	20	0
Portugal	Copenhagen 1964 António Calvário \| Oração	49	0
Romania	Dublin 1994 Dan Bittman \| Dincolo De Nori	18	0
Russia	Dublin 1994 \| Dublin 1994	21	1 Belgrade 2008 \| Dima Bilan \| Believe
San Marino	Belgrade 2008 Miodio \| Complice	8	0
Serbia	Helsinki 2007 Marija Šerifović \| Molitva	10	1 Helsinki 2007 Marija Šerifović \| Molitva
Serbia & Montenegro	Istanbul 2004 Željko Joksimović \| Lane Moje	3	0
Slovakia	Dublin 1994 Martin Durinda and Tublatanka \| Nekovecná Piesen	7	0
Slovenia	Millstreet 1993 1X Band \| Tih Dezeven Dan	23	0
Spain	Cannes 1961 Conchita Bautista \| Estando Contigo	57	2 Madrid 1969 Salomé \| Vivo Cantando London 1968 London 1968
Sweden	Hilversum 1958 Alice Babs \| Lilla Stjärna	57	6 Vienna 2015 Måns Zelmerlöw \| Heroes Baku 2012 Loreen \| Euphoria Jerusalem 1999 Charlotte Nilsson \| Take Me To Your Heaven Rome 1991 Carola \| Fångad Av En Stormvind Luxembourg 1984 Herrey's \| Diggi-loo Diggy-ley Brighton 1974 ABBA \| Waterloo
Switzerland	Lugano 1956 Lys Assia \| Refrain	58	2 Dublin 1988 Céline Dion \| Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi Lugano 1956 Lys Assia \| Refrain
The Netherlands	Lugano 1956 Corry Brokken \| Voorgoed Voorbij	58	4 Stockholm 1975 Teach-In \| Ding-A-Dong Madrid 1969 Lenny Kuhr \| De Troubadour Cannes 1959 Teddy Scholten \| Een Beetje Frankfurt am Main 1957 Corry Brokken \| Net Als Toen
Turkey	Stockholm 1975 Semiha Yanki \| Seninle Bir Dakika	34	1
Ukraine	Riga 2003 Olexandr \| Hasta La Vista	14	2 Stockholm 2016 Jamala \| 1944 Istanbul 2004 Ruslana \| Wild Dances
United Kingdom	Frankfurt am Main 1957 Patricia Bredin \| All	60	5 Dublin 1997 Katrina and The Waves \| Love Shine A Light Dublin 1981 Bucks Fizz \| Making Your Mind Up The Hague 1976 Brotherhood of Man \| Save Your Kisses For Me Madrid 1969 Lulu \| Boom Bang-a-bang Vienna 1967 Sandie Shaw \| Puppet On A String
Yugoslavia	Cannes 1961 Ljiljana Petrovic \| Neke Davne Zvezde	27	1 Lausanne 1989 Riva \| Rock Me