(written by Michelle Dewsbury)
Eurovision is a celebration of unique musical styles and cultures from across the continent, bringing people together in the spirit of friendly competition. Over the years some of the biggest names from Scandinavia have won with memorable performances like ABBA’s Waterloo, Loreen’s Euphoria, and the Olsen Brothers’ Fly on the Wings of Love.
These songs have become massive pop hits around the world, enjoyed by millions of people still to this day. The positive vibes and high tempos of these popular Eurovision songs make them great for everyday listening.
Upbeat songs like this are great for listening to while you work as they can help you focus and drown out distractions. Office workers, students, and even professional poker players all use such tracks to “soundtrack” their work. There is even scientific evidence that proves listening to music can make us more productive. It’s so effective that factories throughout the 20th century had upbeat music piped to their production staff to make them work faster.
Eurovision songs, particularly many of those from Scandinavian countries, make great candidates for this. Here are some of the best of all time.
Charmed – My Heart Goes Boom
In 2000, the Norwegian entry was the perfect embodiment of late-1990s and early-2000s fashion and cheesy Euro-pop. It reached 11th in the voting on the night with 57 points, a respectable position for the band’s debut single. Unfortunately though, the group didn’t go on to do much else after Eurovision.
Lordi – Hard Rock Hallelujah
It’s not often that hard rock makes it into Eurovision, which makes Lordi’s performance all the more special. This Finnish entrant in 2006 made history, winning the competition with 292 points, the highest ever achieved at that time. It was the first time a group from Finland had done so and they broke records as the first heavy metal band and Finnish group to take the Eurovision title.
Malena Ernman – La Voix
In 2009, the Swedish entry managed to combine classical music with a high tempo dance track, while the opera singer, Malena Ernman, blasted out the lyrics in what looked a lot like a wedding dress. Despite being a great track, it ranked 21st having scored only 33 points.
Euroband – This is My Life
The 2008 entry from Iceland was classic Eurovision; the song’s high-tempo beat and catchy lyrics make it a great dance track that would still fit right in at a club today. It reached 14th, scoring 64 points.
Carola – Invincible
Finishing 5th in 2006 was the Swedish entry, Invincible, which was performed by the popular performer, Carola Häggkvist. While her back catalogue of tracks is very varied, Invincible was another classic Eurovision track with a powerful chorus, high tempo and catchy lyrics. It was one of the favourites to win, but only managed 5th with 170 points.
Friends – Listen to Your Heartbeat
Back in 2001, the Swedish entry confused everyone into thinking they’d stepped into a time machine as they performed Listen to Your Heartbeat, a song that sounds like it should have been performed by ABBA. It was unable to replicate ABBA’s success though, placing 5th with 100 points. There was some controversy after the event as it was accused of being a plagiarised version of the 1996 Eurovision entry from Belgium, a song called “Love is a Card Game”.
ABBA – Waterloo
While in 2001 we enjoyed an Abba-esque performance, in 1974 fans got to enjoy the real thing. Waterloo was the group’s first single released from their second album, although only the first under the name “ABBA”.
Many credit Waterloo with pioneering the upbeat tempo and flashy outfits now common in Eurovision performances. ABBA were also the first group to win with a song not in their native language, something we see a lot of today.
In 2020, the song was voted the “greatest Eurovision song of all time” in a poll conducted by the BBC.
Loreen – Euphoria
The 2012 entry from Sweden is one of the most powerful songs ever seen in Eurovision history. Euphoria was the third song from Loreen’s album and saw success in both Eurovision and the music charts. It scored 372 points, receiving points from all but one of the other voting countries in the contest.
It reached number one in the Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Austrian, German, Icelandic, Greek, and Swiss charts, as well as top-ten positions in many other European countries. It also became the most downloaded Eurovision single in the UK, beating all British entries and ABBA’s Waterloo.
