It’s the place you want to be if you’re not first or second, it’s of course third. Not every song can win the Eurovision Song Contest, although we wish sometimes we could have multiple winners in the same year, but coming third is a pretty extraordinary effort considering in recent contests there have been 40+ nations competing. Today we want to reminisce and celebrate our Top 5 third place songs between the Kyiv years, 2005 to 2017! Here’s our Top 5!
5. Luminița Anghel & Sistem – Let Me Try
We’re not always a fan of the Romanian entries, but their 2005 entry is simply iconic. There’s just so much happening in the stage performance, from the drumming on the cans, to the angle grinders, to the truly questionable outfits, but despite that, the song still demands your attention. There’s no denying that her voice is powerful, and it suits this hard hitting entry, and some of those notes are absolutely huge but she nails them all. I think only Romania could have pulled this off, and in the context of the 2005 contest, 3rd was definitely deserved.
4. Sunstroke Project – Hey Mamma
Not only were Sunstroke Project a part of our Top 5 returning artists post, but they’re also one of our favourite 3rd place entries. It’s one of those entries that lyrically seems to make no sense at all, but it’s absolutely infectious and hard not to love. From the average production values of the Moldovan national final, they really managed to create a modern and eye catching stage performance at Eurovision that still managed to be a bit kitsch which never goes astray at Eurovision.
3. Hari Mata Hari – Lejla
Here’s our first Željko Joksimović offering for this Top 5, but this time he was the composer with Hari Mata Hari as the performing band of the entry. This song is absolutely timeless, which is on par with every Željko Joksimović composed entry we’ve seen at Eurovision over the years. The stage performance of this entry is subtle and understated, but it allowed the vocals and the music to shine. That final note is incredible, and it just sums up an incredible three minutes. Totally deserving of 3rd place, and we’d even go as far to say that this could have done better.
2. Il Volo – Grande Amore
In our Top 5 second places, we featured Raphael Gualazzi who we strongly believe was robbed of the win in 2011. This seems to be a running theme with Italy, who managed to bring another top quality song to the contest only for it to be robbed. Listening to this song gives me goosebumps, and having seen the trio perform live, I can confirm that their vocals are simply impeccable. If there was ever a song to represent Italy, this is it. We get to hear the beautiful language in the operatic form, sung by three young attractive singers, what more could we want?!
1. Željko Joksimović – Nije Ljubav Stvar
It’s hard to go past the Balkan king of Eurovision, Željko Joksimović. Having two songs in our Top 5 just goes to show that he has incredible talent, and I don’t think anyone would deny that, both as a songwriter and as a performing artist. His Eurovision entries from over the years, inclusive of the entries others performed have all been incredibly classy, and feature that signature Balkan ballad style that we can’t help but love at Eurovision. This entry from 2012 was destined for greatness, and a Top 3 finish was inevitable. His vocals throughout the entire song are truly flawless, and the way that the song builds over the three minutes is seamless. We enjoy that in his songs, he allows time for the instrumentals to shine, and although his voice is incredible, the instrumentation is a huge part of Željko’s charm.
You can find the other posts in this series below: