We visited Madrid 1969 in June. We took a pleasant stroll in The Hague 1980 in July. And now in August, we’ve journeyed back to Malmo 1992 in this month’s installment of #EurovisionAgain.
The EBU have once again teamed up with Swedish broadcaster SVT to bring us another classic edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The 1992 contest was re-broadcast on YouTube on Saturday, August 21st (as is tradition, the year was revealed 15 minutes prior to airing). That year’s competition saw Linda Martin take the victory for Ireland with her song “Why Me?”
About the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest
The 1992 contest was Sweden’s third time hosting the contest following their third victory with Carola’s “Fangad Av En Stormvind”. The centerpiece of the Malmo Isstadion was arguably the viking ship, complete with light-up dragon head, at the rear of the stage. The songs were introduced by an animated woodpecker, and the postcards consisted of lovely aerial shots of each country. Eurovision Again once more employed a digital scoreboard provided by David Hughes during the voting. Many hallmarks of ’90s fashion also made an appearance, from big hair to oversized jackets.
The 1992 contest was also quite literally the largest Eurovision to that date. Twenty-three countries participated, with only Morocco and Monaco not returning. Presenters Lydia Capolicchio and Harald Treutiger acknowledged the potential for future growth in Eurovision throughout the broadcast. Executive Supervisor Frank Naef – in his final year in the role – also recognized the future growth of the contest.
This was also the first contest to be broadcast after the break-up of the Soviet Union. 1992 marked the final appearance of Yugoslavia, although many of its regions had already declared independence by this time. The following year would see the introduction of preliminary rounds to accomodate the growing number of Eastern European countries who wished to join.
Finally, 1992 marked the beginning of the era of Irish dominance at Eurovision. Linda Martin earned Ireland’s 4th victory in the contest on her second attempt. Johnny Logan also achieved his third Eurovision victory as the songwriter of “Why Me?”. As we all know, Ireland would go on to win 3 of the next 4 contests. The success of Ireland in the 1990s, along with that of the UK, could be seen as a factor in the abolition of the language rule in 1999.
Memorable Eurovision 1992 Performances
Linda Martin’s winning entry was one of many, MANY ballads competing at Eurovision in 1992, with a few uptempo smashes sprinkled throughout. Here are a few memorable entries.
- United Kingdom 🇬🇧 – Michael Ball (yes – THAT Michael Ball) was the hot favourite to win the “One Step Out of Time”. The Les Mis alumni couldn’t muster quite enough fist pumps to pull off the win here, finishing second.
- Sweden 🇸🇪 – Before Christer Bjorkman took over Melfest (and the American Song Contest) he sang for his country in 1992. Alas, “I morgon ar en annan dag” would not be his shining moment, finishing 22nd with 9 points.
- Iceland 🇮🇸 – Heart 2 Heart brought some much-needed schlager with “Nei eda ja”. The colour-coordinated outfits? The upbeat choreography? A recipe for Icelandic success. They finished 7th – their second-best result to that date.
- Italy 🇮🇹 – The legendary Mia Martini represented Italy for the second time with “Rapsodia”. Unlike the other performers, she made effective use of the steadi-cam in her staging, and was rewarded with 4th place.
- Finland 🇫🇮 – Despite its catchy chorus and slick guitar moves, Pave Maijanen’s “Yamma Yamma” ultimately finished last with just four points. Yet another Finnish entry that went under-appreciated in its time…
- France 🇫🇷 – After their loss in a tie-break in 1991, France changed directions with the reggae-inspired “Monte la rivie” performed by Kali. It’s not a genre often seen at Eurovision – perhaps we could see more in the future…
- Israel 🇮🇱 – Dafna Dekel’s “Ze Rak Sport”, which finished 6th, deserves mention not only for its fun vibe, but for its fashion choices. The backing singers/bongo players sported hand-held microphones attached to their chests. Ah, technology…
The Eurovision Again 1992 Voting Results
As is tradition, the fans at home voted for their Eurovision Again winner of the 1992 contest alongside the real jurors. And as it turns out, we have a new winner!
Mia Martini took the win for Italy, whilst Ireland and the UK had to settle for 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Other moves include Iceland finishing fourth, Finland moving up to 15th, and Switzerland becoming our new last-place finisher.
You can watch the contest again here until the next edition of #Eurovision Again on September 18th.
Did you enjoy watching Eurovision Again this month? What are your favourtie 1992 entries? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
News Source: EBU, againeurovision.wordpress.com
Photo Source: RTE Archives
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