This ain’t Texas…
🇺🇸 It’s July 4th in the United States! Once in a blue moon, a Eurovision delegation unexpectedly decides to take the backroads and send a country (or country-like) song. Let’s have a look at the past Eurovision entries who saddled up and brought the show a little twang. We’ve got songs to throw back to, so put your boots on!
I’ll start with this: a country ballad won Eurovision in 1994. Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan, who represented Ireland in that year, won ESC for the third consecutive time for their country, and for the second time in their country, singing their lamenting and romantic “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids” which stole the hearts of many jurors and viewers.
From the top of the scoreboard to the scrappy bottom, Norway was next to send a country song to the contest, which we saw through their entry “San Francisco” by Tor Endresen in 1997. Although it received 0 points overall, the song paints an adventurous scene with its lighthearted lyrics and pleasant chords.
We then move to 2001 with the bumpy and bluegrass-y “Never Ever Let You Go”, sent by the host country, Denmark. Rollo&King, the performers of the home number, walked away with a respectable 2nd place result after charming the world with this squaredanceable melody. Few things feel more ‘country’ than a male-female vocal duet!
I’ll do a little bit of a stretch and include the Eurovision deep cut, “If My World Stopped Turning”, which was performed by Chris Doran on behalf of Ireland in the 2004 contest. I call this a stretch because this can also be viewed as a pop ballad, but the vocal style he uses, paired with the clear, steady instrumentation at least make this to me a country-flavored listen.
In the same year, with admittedly a stronger country sound in its production arrangement and lyrical delivery, the United Kingdom sent James Fox to İstanbul with this wedding aisle banger, “Hold On To Our Love”. I think the guitar and starfish bangs really sell it.
We’re now jumping across to 2006 and into the Eurovision show in Athens, Greece. Texas Lightning from Germany went on to perform “No, No, Never”. This song is a bright and sweet country-pop number with bluegrass elements that landed a 14th place result. The lead vocalist is Jame Comerford from Australia, and she came alive onstage.
“The Worrying Kind” by The Ark represented Sweden in a wildly unexpected way in 2007. Usually a glam rock band, The Ark demonstrated the diversity in their sound by giving us this dive bar-ish punchy moment with badass stage presence, and earned 18th place in Helsinki.
The next song is one I fear that I might be the only one who seeks it out. This is the Danish entry sent to the 2009 contest in Moscow, and it’s “Believe Again”, by Brinck, which received 13th place in the final. I’ll turn your head to this melodically sturdy and rock-adjacent entry.
Another song that had gone to sleep after its competing year was my personal winner of the 2010 edition of Eurovision, which took place in Oslo, Norway. Jon Lilygreen & The Islanders represented Cyprus with the sentimental and emotionally acoustic track “Life Looks Better In Spring”, which straddles the divide between acoustic pop and country ballad. So good!
“Total Eclipe of the Heart” artist Bonnie Tyler joined the Eurovision class of 2013 with the country rock song “Believe In Me”, representing the United Kingdom. Although this song only got a 19th place result on the night of the final, it gave listeners a melody to remember. She wasn’t an icon just once!
Now, we move on to the song which was the first Eurovision entry I’ve ever consciously heard. “Coming Home” by Firelight is a country-folk number from Malta, which opened the second semifinal in Copenhagen then got 23rd place in the 2014 final. Disregarding my nostalgia for the song, this Maltese track has a stunningly positive vibration, and an encouraging atmosphere.
Coming in at 2nd place in 2014 was the Netherlands, sporting The Common Linnets, and the charmingly subtle number, “Calm After The Storm”. Dutch country music excellence in Eurovision began with Waylon and Ilse, and I have to say that despite this entry being one of the least bright and colorful during the final, its slow burn effect encased this song in a deep maturity. I think it’s exquisite.
Continuing our ping pong match with entries from Ireland, we return to the green isle for their 2015 song, “Playing With Numbers”, performed by Molly Sterling. A truly beautiful song and one of the most lyrically impactful ballads in the show, this lamenting and succulently sad entry missed on a spot in the final, but became a cult classic for fans who need somewhere to put their hearts.
In 2016, Slovenia sent an entry that was sonically quite different to both their own track record and Eurovision at large. “Blue and Red” by ManuElla is a banjo-driven self empowerment country-pop number that was marred by confusing staging design, but I love it nonetheless. In addition, it’s almost like I get slight accents of Taylor Swift’s early projects in the way the song is arranged. (The video below is from the Slovenian national selection)
The Netherlands came to the 2016 contest in Stockholm with the casual but sultry entry, “Slow Down,” performed by Douwe Bob. Douwe’s performance was given love, as the Netherlands earned 11th place after the results had concluded. Few Eurovision songs could be described as an effortless listen, and this makes the cut, in my opinion.
The next Dutch entry that made Eurofans glance at music from the United States was “Outlaw In ‘Em”, which came to Eurovision in 2018. A three-minute long version of the phrase “YEEHAW!”, Waylon’s redemption song in Eurovision is stompy, smoky, and rough on the edges. The Netherlands got 18th place in this final, which took place in Lisbon, Portugal.
Again I’ll stretch my neck a little bit, but Latvia in 2019 sent “That Night” by Carousel, which failed to qualify, but nonetheless softened the pace of the show and displayed for us a side of the Latvian music industry that is more demure, luscious, and hypnotic. With few lyrics and a soft delivery, “That Night” is next on our list. (The video below is from the Latvian national selection)
We now head into the countriest year Eurovision was ever given. In 2022, we got the chance to explore three acts that used country elements as solvents for their songs, and I’ll start with the entry “Með hækkandi sól”, from Iceland. Performed by the three sisters of Systur, this song instrumentalized a folk-style melody and presented viewers this sleek and airy number, earning just 20th place in Turin.
Taking a bit more masculine of a turn was the Estonian competing song, “Hope”, which was performed by Eesti Laul heavyweight Stefan. Estonia’s song closed the 2022 final, and Stefan gave listeners this country-inspired wild west pop number that feels as if it was pulled right from a cowboy film. After all was said and done, Stefan brought home a 13th place result. (The video below is from the Estonian national selection)
2022 got “De Diepte”, which was the song from the Netherlands, performed by S10. The production of the Dutch entry includes a somber, folksy guitar melody which is coupled with rugged and intimate vocals. The lyrics are also to die for. After the striking impact left by S10 on the night of the final, “De Diepte” concluded its Eurovision journey at 11th place. (The performance below is from a Dutch TV program, where S10 was performing live.)
Here’s a bit of bluegrass to end the list. A 7th place entry from Finland nearly half a century ago, in 1975, was called “Old Man Fiddle”, and sung by the band Pihasoittajat. It’s smooth, upbeat, and piques the imagination.
What country songs from Eurovision are your favorite? Did we miss any? How do you feel about country music in the contest? Let us know in the comments below, pardner.