Retro Reviews

Welcome to “Retro Reviews”, my journey through the brilliant history of the Eurovision Song Contest. Moving in chronological order, this series looks at each year's contest with fresh eyes – setting the scene with some important context of the time, recapping how the show itself unfolded and diving into the songs that defined (or occasionally derailed) the night. Along the way, I'll be sharing my own thoughts, favourites and potentially hot takes; celebrating the classics, questioning some of the choices and rediscovering what made each contest unique and memorable. For lifelong Eurovision fans and curious newcomers alike, this is a look back at how Europe's biggest music spectacle became what it is today.

Whilst of course the idea of reviewing contests from years gone by isn't in any way unique, and there are many people in the Eurovision fan community doing similar things, I would like to give particular credit to Anna from the Love Love Peace Peace blog, which has provided the main inspiration for this series. I absolutely love reading her reviews, and mine will follow a similar format. At the end of each review, I will award both my douze points and nul points, before sharing my top ten songs and awarding them 1-8, 10 and 12 points – exactly as we are used to seeing at the contest today. I hope you enjoy reading my reviews just as much as I enjoy reading Anna's.

Follow the series so far:

  1. Frankfurt 1957
  2. Hilversum 1958
  3. Cannes 1959
  4. London 1960

All-Time Scoreboard:

Position

Country

Points

Douze Points

Nul Points

1

Switzerland

31

1957

 

2

France

27

 

 

3

United Kingdom

25

1959; 1960

1957*

4

Italy

23

1958

1960

5

Netherlands

22

 

 

6

Denmark

22

 

 

7

Austria

21

 

 

8

Germany

20

 

 

9

Belgium

13

 

1959

10

Sweden

10

 

 

11

Monaco

10

 

 

12

Luxembourg

8

 

1958*

13

Norway

0

 

 

* Both 1957 and 1958 only featured ten competing songs, so despite receiving my 'nul points' for being the worst song of their respective fields, the indicated entries still score 1 point.

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