ABBA’s ‘Waterloo’ Voted Best Eurovision Song Ever By BBC Viewers
The public vote was conducted on the night that the 2020 Eurovision final was due to take place in Rotterdam.
ABBA’s ‘Waterloo’ has been chosen by BBC viewers as the greatest Eurovision song of all time. The public vote, from a shortlist of some of the best-known songs in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, was conducted on the night that the 2020 final was due to take place in Rotterdam.
This year’s contest was, inevitably, cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but media coverage was still extensive throughout Europe. In the UK, the vote for a definitive Eurovision favourite was carried on BBC1 in the Eurovision: Come Together show. There was particular acknowdlegement of what would have been the UK’s 2020 entry, James Newman’s ‘My Last Breath.’
‘Waterloo’ was, of course, the winner of the 1974 Eurovision, held in Brighton on England’s south coast, and set the Swedish quartet en route to global fame. It was one of 19 songs shortlisted for the vote by a panel of Eurovision experts and broadcasters.
The oldest Eurovision song in the list was Domenico Modugno’s Italian entry of 1958 (two years after the contest began), ‘Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu.’ The most recent winner to be included was Israel’s victorious 2018 entry, Netta’s ‘Toy.’
The BBC’s full Eurovision: Come Together shortlist from which ABBA emerged victorious was as follows:
Dancing Lasha Tumbai – Verka Serduchka (Ukraine) – 2007
Diva – Dana International (Israel) – 1998
Euphoria – Loreen (Sweden) – 2012
Fairytale – Alexander Rybak (Norway) – 2009
Fuego – Eleni Foureira (Cyprus) – 2018
Heroes – Måns Zelmerlöw (Sweden) – 2015
Love Shine A Light – Katrina & The Waves (UK) – 1997
Making Your Mind Up – Bucks Fizz (UK) – 1981
Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu – Domenico Modugno -(Italy) – 1958
Ooh…Aah…Just A Little Bit – Gina G (UK) – 1996
Poupée de cire, poupée de son – France Gall (Luxembourg) – 1965
Rhythm Inside – Loïc Nottet (Belgium) – 2015
Rise Like A Phoenix – Conchita Wurst (Austria) – 2014
Satellite – Lena (Germany) – 2010
Save Your Kisses for Me – Brotherhood of Man (UK) – 1976
Soldi – Mahmood (Italy) – 2019
Sound of Silence – Dami Im (Australia) – 2016
Toy – Netta (Israel) – 2018
Waterloo – Abba (Sweden) – 1974
Listen to the best of ABBA on Apple Music and Spotify.
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