If you’ve been on the Internet this summer, it’s been hard to miss the viral TikTok parodying 90s Eurodance. “Planet of the Bass”, by DJ Crazy Times (real name Kyle Gordon), contains such excellent lyrics as “women are my favorite guy” and “all of the dream, how does it mean”. The full song has charted in the United States and reached #1 in Romania! In honor of the song’s full three-minute release and official music video on August 15th (it is, unfortunately, 30 seconds too long for Eurovision), I’m making a list of 10 entirely serious, non-parody Eurovision entries in the same style. If you haven’t seen the original TikTok, watch it below!
1. Ping Pong – Sameach (Israel 2000)
This dance track–whose title “Sameach” means “happy”–caused a great deal of controversy when it was performed in 2000. The group PingPong opened the show in Stockholm, Sweden, and placed twenty-second overall. Before the show, the Israeli public was deeply dissatisfied with it; it was regarded as a joke entry and beat out a more popular song in the national selection. The performers displayed the flag of Syria onstage alongside the flag of Israel and were ultimately forced to cover their own travel expenses as punishment from the broadcaster. Choreographer Eytan Fox said of this decision, “we would like to have peace with Arab countries. We represent a new kind of Israeli who wants to be normal and have peace. We want to have fun and not go to war, but the right wing is not happy about that message.”
2. Kølig Kaj – Stemmen i mit liv (Denmark 1997)
The only song on this list actually from the 1990s–Eurovision tends to be a little behind the times–heavily features rap elements and takes a midtempo hip-hop approach. At the time, rap in Eurovision was still relatively new; it had only been tried once before, in 1995. This entry was therefore regarded as a bit of a risk. However, “Stemmen i mit liv” (which translates to something like “the voice of my life”) outperformed its betting odds, ultimately placing 16th on the night.
3. Skamp – You Got Style (Lithuania 2001)
Skamp’s performance was the highest Lithuania had ever placed at Eurovision at that time, placing thirteenth. Some fun facts: “You Got Style” absolutely swept the Lithuanian national final, gaining over 60% of the vote, and Skamp’s guitarist went on to become a member of LT United, who represented Lithuania in 2006 with “We are the Winners”. While it might seem dated, this is one of my favorite songs from Eurovision 2001!
4. Euroband – This Is My Life (Iceland 2008)
Since the introduction of the semifinals in 2004, this was the first Icelandic entry to advance to the grand final. And, in my opinion, it’s a prime example of the Eurodance genre. “This Is My Life” advanced through an absolute labyrinth of a national final–“eleven heats, a Second Chance round, four semi-finals and a final,” per Wikipedia–and granted two longtime national final vets the chance to finally represent their country in Belgrade.
5. Ilinca ft. Alex Florea – Yodel It! (Romania 2017)
If any of our readers weren’t paying attention to Eurovision in 2017, this entry got memed to hell, first by Eurofans and then by the general public once Eurovision week came along. Romania made a splash that year with their colorful staging, rap lyrics, and yodeling done by a teenager. Originally written for and rejected by the Swiss entrant for that year, “Yodel It!” was Ilinca’s debut release, and ultimately placed seventh at the final.
6. Nuša Derenda – Energy (Slovenia 2001)
Originally performed in Slovenian at the national final, the song was renamed to “Energy” in an English revamp prior to Eurovision. “Energy” is, in fact, Slovenia’s best result at the contest to date, placing seventh; since then, they haven’t made the top ten.
7. Tanel Padar & Dave Benton ft. XXL – Everybody (Estonia 2001)
“Everybody” made all kinds of history in 2001–it was the first song from a former Eastern Bloc country to win the Eurovision Song Contest, and Dave Benton is the first Black contestant to win. Both men have also had family members involved in Eurovision. Tanel Padar’s sister Gerli represented Estonia in 2007, while Benton’s daughter Sissi competed in the Estonian national finals in 2019, 2021, and 2023.
8. Julie & Ludwig – On Again, Off Again (Malta 2004)
This is classic early-aughts Eurovision disco. Although midtempo, the vibes of the song are really a lot like “what if the TikTok song, but instead of rap, it was an opera singer?”. Julie and Ludwig placed twelfth in a field of 24, scoring 50 points.
9. Waldo’s People – Lose Control (Finland 2009)
This entry gets the closest to actually being “Planet of the Bass”. Lead singer Waldo and the group Waldo’s People were big names in the Eurodance scene in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They represented Finland at the 2009 contest in Moscow, and qualified to the final, but placed dead last out of the 25 finalists.
10. Sunstroke Project ft. Olia Tira – Run Away (Moldova 2010)
You know this song. Even if you don’t know this song, you know this song; Epic Sax Guy became an enduring meme. Sunstroke Project went on to represent Moldova a second time in 2017, and placed third, which is Moldova’s best result to date. Moldova is, in fact, the home of meme-y Eurodance! “Dragostea Din Tei”, otherwise known as the maia-hee song, was also sung by a Moldovan band.
Should Eurodance come back to Eurovision? Which one of these songs is your favorite? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok as we look ahead to Eurovision 2024!
