1986 was another decidedly weak
year for Eurovision. The host's diamond-encrusted dress did not manage
to enliven proceedings.
Switzerland gave us a Luxembourgian power-ballad with big hair and a
piano. It was one of number of power-ballads this year. The hair may or
may not have been on loan from Jennifer Rush.
The UK tried a different angle in the form of '80s synth-rock outfit
Ryder doing a sub-Whitesnake thing; their singer, the son of Bill
Maynard, doing his best Bryan Ferry impersonation. Spain took a similar
sort of approach with slick Spandau Ballet types Cadillac.
Turkey also did their bit to prevent tedium with a female duo grooving
down to a song about a comet. Alas it was a bit too slow and umph-less
for our like.
The winner of the contest was 13-year-old Sandra Kim, looking like a
Mini-Pops retiree, doing an up-beat number that sounds a bit like a
theme tune. It all looks a bit wrong, and she doesn't have a great
voice on account of being a toddler, but the song has a pulse at least.
Switzerland protested on the grounds that she misrepresented her age as
15 in the lyrics of the song and that at 13 she was every so slightly a
bit young. Indeed, under the current rules neither age would be
considered legal as the minimum is today set at 16.
As far as our jury went, Israel turned up and therefore won with their
rather glitzy duet "Yavo yom".
For each year's songs we apply our points in the 12-10-8 style of the
modern contest, irrespective of how the voting functioned at the time.
In brackets is the position the song came on the night:
HERE
ARE THE VOTINGS
OF THE AVIEW JURY:
|
12pts
(19th)
|
ISR |
Moti
Giladi & Sarai Tzuriel
"Yavo Yom" (יבוא יום) |
10pts
(2nd)
|
SUI |
Daniela
Simons
"Pas pour moi" |
8pts
(9th)
|
TUR |
Klips
ve Onlar
"Halley" |
7pts
(10th)
|
ESP |
Cadillac
"Valentino" |
6pts
(8th)
|
GER |
Ingrid
Peters
"Über die Brücke geh'n" |
5pts
(7th)
|
GBR |
Ryder
"Runner In The Night" |
4pts
(12th)
|
NOR |
Ketil
Stokkan
"Romeo" |
3pts
(16th)
|
ISL |
ICY
"Gleðibankinn" |
2pts
(17th)
|
FRA |
Cocktail
Chic
"Européennes"
|
1pt
(5th)
|
SWE
|
Lasse
Holm & Monica Törnell
"E' de' det här du kallar kärlek?" |
As mentioned, Europe had Belgium first, with Luxembourg third, Ireland
fourth, Denmark sixth, Yugoslavia eleventh, the Netherlands 13th,
Portugal 14th, Finland 15th, Austria 18th and Cyprus 20th.
|
Israel win us over by default
for the second year running.
Daniela Simons captures the zeitgeist.
 The UK's Ryder:
A counterblast to power-balladry.
Turkey sing a song about a comet.
Europe's winner. Eurovision rule changes
would make her illegal now.
|