Eurovision: Who delivered the top five performances?

3. Russia – Buranovskiye Babushki – Party for Everybody – 2012

You definitely won’t be able to remember the lyrics to this one, but the performance of eight elderly Russian ladies, baking bread in an ancient-looking oven while performing their heart-warming warble is simply unforgettable.

The song itself isn’t up to all that much, but the meaning (as explained by one of the ladies) is completely heart-warming and wholesome:

“We sing about lighting the oven, kneading dough, and spreading out a tablecloth while waiting for the children to come home. And we say when our children come home, we will have fun and dance.

2. Finland – Lordi – Hard Rock Hallelujah – 2006

What would happen if you crossed Iron Maiden, Andrew WK and GWAR, then sprinkled a little Finnish ‘ingenuity’ over it all?

Apparently, you’d get a man dressed as a rotting guitar-playing demon, barking out lyrics like: “Wings on my back, I got horns on my head, my fangs are sharp and my eyes are red,” while a giant pair of leathery bat-wings are unfurled from his back.

Finland’s 2006 contest winners Lordi showed that rock can win Eurovision and that if you commit yourself entirely to even the most absurdly over-the-top performance, the audiences will love you for it.

1. Sweden – ABBA – Waterloo – 1974

While most Eurovision-winning songs are likely to receive sales boost and increase the profile of the performing artists, most acts – internationally at least – tend to return to obscurity shortly after their performance.

ABBA are the exception to the rule, going on to huge worldwide success on the back of Waterloo – their first single going under the name ABBA.

Chances are, you could sing the chorus verbatim right now without looking up any of the lyrics. That’s probably not true of any other Eurovision song.

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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication