Eurovision: Come Together

Last updated

Eurovision: Come Together
Eurovision Come Together.png
Dates
Final16 May 2020
Host
Venue Television Centre, London, United Kingdom
Presenter(s) Graham Norton
Directed byStephen Neal
Executive producer
  • Andrew Cartmell
  • Mel Balac
Host broadcaster BBC
Participants
Number of entries19
Vote
Voting system100% online voting
Winning song"Waterloo" by ABBA

Eurovision: Come Together was a one-off television programme, organised and broadcast by the BBC, to determine the most popular song in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, as voted for by the British public. Hosted by Graham Norton, the show was broadcast from Television Centre, London on 16 May 2020, and served as an alternative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nineteen past Eurovision entries, chosen by an assembled jury, took part in the event, with the winner determined by online voting. It was won by the winning song of the 1974 contest, "Waterloo", originally performed by Swedish group ABBA.

Contents

Background

The Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which was planned to be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands on 12, 14 and 16 May 2020, was cancelled on 18 March 2020 by the contest organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Dutch host broadcasters NPO, NOS and AVROTROS, following the outbreak of COVID-19 in Europe. [1] [2]

As part of a wide range of new programming commissioned following the cancellation of several arts and entertainment events as a result of the pandemic, the BBC announced on 24 March 2020 that it would commission a special Eurovision broadcast, titled Eurovision: Come Together. [3] [4] [5] The special would be produced by BBC Studios for BBC One, and feature past Eurovision performances from throughout the years, interviews, and a display of what had been anticipated for the 2020 contest. [3]

The EBU, NPO, NOS and AVROTROS later confirmed that they would organise an official replacement programme to the 2020 contest, entitled Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light and broadcast live from Hilversum on 16 May 2020, the day on which the final would have taken place. [1] [6] [7] Initial reports suggested that the BBC would air Eurovision: Come Together on BBC One at the same time, with Europe Shine a Light being offered to UK viewers instead through BBC iPlayer. [8] The BBC programming schedule for Eurovision, released on 1 May 2020, confirmed that Europe Shine a Light would be broadcast live on BBC One, with Graham Norton providing commentary, and that Eurovision: Come Together would be shown immediately before. [9] [10] This press release also confirmed that Eurovision: Come Together would give viewers the opportunity to take part in a live vote. [9]

Selection process

SuRie, who represented the United Kingdom in the 2018 contest, was a member of the show's selection panel. ESC2018 - United Kingdom 03.jpg
SuRie, who represented the United Kingdom in the 2018 contest, was a member of the show's selection panel.

The shortlist of competing entries for the competitive aspect of the programme was determined by a group of assembled individuals with a connection to Eurovision. The membership of the panel included British broadcasters and journalists, former UK Eurovision contestants, as well as members of the Eurovision fandom and contributors to Eurovision fansites. [11] [12] [13] [14]

Panelists were asked to select ten Eurovision songs from the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, including all songs that had taken part in the contest before 2020. Any entries which were to have competed at the 2020 contest were ineligible. The criteria against which the panelists were asked to rate the entries outlined that the songs selected should be "modern day classics" that "have stood the test of time", taking into account the performance, including live vocals and staging, and song composition. Any entry in which an individual panelist was involved in its original performance, either directly as singer or songwriter, or in a behind-the-scenes role, such as vocal coach or publicist, was ineligible for selection by that panelist. [14] [15]

The selection panel consisted of the following 18 members: [15]

Participants

"Waterloo" by ABBA (pictured), the winning song from the 1974 contest, was declared the winner following an online vote. ABBA - TopPop 1974 5.png
"Waterloo" by ABBA (pictured), the winning song from the 1974 contest, was declared the winner following an online vote.

The list of participating entries was revealed by the BBC on 15 May 2020. [11] [12] Footage of the original performances for each entry from their original contests was shown. Voting took place via the BBC website; a BBC account was required to vote, and each account holder was able to cast up to three votes. [15] The winner was revealed at the end of the live show, and the top ten were announced on the BBC website following the event's completion. [16] [17] [18] [19]

DrawYearCountryArtistSongLanguagePlace
1 2015 Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Måns Zelmerlöw "Heroes" English 5
2 1998 Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Dana International "Diva" Hebrew –
3 2016 Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Dami Im "Sound of Silence"English–
4 1981 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Bucks Fizz "Making Your Mind Up"English8
5 2018 Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus Eleni Foureira "Fuego"English–
6 1965 Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg France Gall "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" French –
7 2012 Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Loreen "Euphoria"English3
8 2007 Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine Verka Serduchka "Dancing Lasha Tumbai" German, English, Ukrainian, Russian 7
9 2019 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Mahmood "Soldi" Italian –
10 1974 Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden ABBA "Waterloo"English1
11 2015 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Loïc Nottet "Rhythm Inside"English–
12 1996 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Gina G "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit"English10
13 2010 Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Lena "Satellite"English–
14 1958 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Domenico Modugno "Nel blu, dipinto di blu"Italian–
15 2018 Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Netta "Toy"English–
16 1976 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Brotherhood of Man "Save Your Kisses for Me"English9
17 2014 Flag of Austria.svg  Austria Conchita Wurst "Rise Like a Phoenix"English2
18 2009 Flag of Norway.svg  Norway Alexander Rybak "Fairytale"English6
19 1997 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Katrina and the Waves "Love Shine a Light"English4

Interval

Additional content was produced and broadcast following the performances of the competing acts and during the voting period. A pre-recorded interview conducted by Graham Norton with James Newman, the UK representative for the 2020 contest was shown, along with a pre-recorded acoustic performance of his intended Eurovision entry "My Last Breath". [3] [9] [19] Music videos for a number of the entries which were set to compete at the 2020 contest were also featured. [19]

As part of an open call for submissions by the BBC, footage was shown of Eurovision fans and former Eurovision entrants recreating moments from Eurovision history. Applicants could record themselves performing to one of the specified former Eurovision entries and could submit their footage to the BBC for inclusion in the show. The featured songs which applicants could recreate were: [13] [20] [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Eurovision Song Contest, often known simply as Eurovision, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union. Each participating country submits an original song to be performed live and transmitted to national broadcasters via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks, with competing countries then casting votes for the other countries' songs to determine a winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest</span>

The Netherlands has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 64 times since making its debut as one of the seven countries at the first contest in 1956. The country has missed only four contests, twice because the dates coincided with Remembrance of the Dead, and twice because of being relegated due to poor results the previous year. It has missed the final despite qualifying once, in 2024, due to the personal conduct of its entrant which led to disqualification. The current Dutch participant broadcaster in the contest is AVROTROS. The Netherlands has hosted the contest five times: in Hilversum (1958), Amsterdam (1970), The Hague, and Rotterdam (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Shine a Light</span> 1997 song by Katrina and the Waves

"Love Shine a Light" is a song by British rock band Katrina and the Waves written by Kimberley Rew. It represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 held in Dublin, resulting in the country's fifth and most recent win at the contest. It was released as a single on 28 April 1997 and later included on the band's ninth studio album, Walk on Water (1997), serving as the album's lead single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest</span>

Greece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 44 times since its debut in 1974, missing six contests in that time. Greece's first win came in 2005 with "My Number One", sung by Helena Paparizou. The Greek participant broadcaster in the contest is Elliniki Radiofonia Tileorasi (ERT). Greece has never finished last in the contest.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Still in Love with You" written by David Mindel and Adrian Bax White. The song was performed by the duo Electro Velvet, which was internally selected by the British broadcaster BBC to represent the United Kingdom at the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. Electro Velvet and "Still in Love with You" was announced as the British entry in a special presentation show titled Our Song for Eurovision 2015 broadcast on the BBC Red Button service in March 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurovision Song Contest 2019</span> International song competition

The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was the 64th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, following the country's victory at the 2018 contest with the song "Toy" by Netta. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan), the contest was held at Expo Tel Aviv, and consisted of two semi-finals on 14 and 16 May, and a final on 18 May 2019. The three live shows were presented by Israeli television presenters Erez Tal, Assi Azar and Lucy Ayoub, and Israeli model Bar Refaeli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurovision Song Contest 2020</span> Cancelled international song competition

The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would have taken place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the 2019 contest with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. This edition was the first and only one in the contest's history to be cancelled, with it being called off on 18 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

San Marino planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which was scheduled to be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Italian singer Senhit was chosen to represent the nation with her song "Freaky!". Sammarinese broadcaster San Marino RTV (SMRTV) internally selected the singer, while her song was selected through a national final entitled Digital Battle. Senhit previously represented San Marino in the 2011 contest, but failed to qualify for the final. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe during 2020, the Eurovision Song Contest was cancelled in mid-March 2020. "Freaky!" was subsequently an entry for several replacement events including Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light, Der kleine Song Contest and Sveriges 12:a. Senhit announced during the former of the three that she would return to represent the nation at the 2021 contest the following year.

Iceland planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which was scheduled to be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) held a televised selection process, Söngvakeppnin2020, to choose its entry for the contest. Following two semi-finals and a final, "Think About Things", written by Daði Freyr Pétursson and performed by Daði og Gagnamagnið, emerged as the winner of the event in February 2020. In mid-March 2020, due to the spread across Europe of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced the contest's cancellation, with Daði og Gagnamagnið subsequently announcing that they would represent Iceland at the 2021 contest.

The United Kingdom originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "My Last Breath" written by James Newman, Ed Drewett, Adam Argyle and Iain James. The song was performed by James Newman, who was internally selected by the British broadcaster BBC to represent the United Kingdom at the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Newman and "My Last Breath" was announced as the British entry on 27 February 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurovision Song Contest 2021</span> International song competition

The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's win at the 2019 contest with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The Netherlands was set to host the 2020 contest, before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcasters Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO), Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) and AVROTROS, the contest was held at Rotterdam Ahoy, and consisted of two semi-finals on 18 and 20 May, and a final on 22 May 2021. The three live shows were presented by Dutch television presenters and singers Chantal Janzen, Edsilia Rombley and Jan Smit, and Dutch YouTuber and make-up artist Nikkie de Jager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chains on You</span> 2020 single by Athena Manoukian

"Chains on You" is a song by Greek-Armenian singer Athena Manoukian. It was to represent Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. The song was released as a digital download on 14 February 2020. The song is influenced by R&B and Hip-Hop music and is about individualism, empowerment and sexuality.

Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with the song "Karma" performed by Anxhela Peristeri. Its entry was selected through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2020. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixteen times since its first entry in 2004. Prior to the contest, the song was promoted by a music video and various television and radio appearances in Albania, Greece, Kosovo and San Marino.

Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) chose Daði og Gagnamagnið to represent the nation with the song "10 Years", written by Daði Freyr Pétursson. Daði og Gagnamagnið were due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Think About Things" before the event's eventual cancellation, having won the 2020 edition of Iceland's national selection Söngvakeppnin. For the 2021 contest, RÚV decided to continue its association with Daði og Gagnamagnið, with the group's 2021 entry being selected internally and as such, no edition of Söngvakeppnin was organised for 2021.

Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Greek-Dutch singer Stefania was internally selected by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) to represent the nation with the song "Last Dance", written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, Arcade, and Sharon Vaughn. Stefania was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Supergirl" before that event's eventual cancellation. The visual content for the performance was created by Asterman, contributing to the staging and artistic direction of the performance.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The Sammarinese broadcaster San Marino RTV (SMRTV) internally selected Senhit as their representative with the song "Adrenalina" featuring Flo Rida. Senhit was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Freaky!" before the event's eventual cancellation and had also served as the nation's 2011 entrant. "Adrenalina" was written and composed by Thomas Stengaard, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Jimmy Thörnfeldt, Kenny Silverdique, Suzi Pancenkov, Malou Linn Eloise Ruotsalainen and Chanel Tukia, along with Senhit and Flo Rida themselves. While Flo Rida had provided vocals for the track, his participation in the performance of the song on the Eurovision stage was only confirmed on the day of the second semi-final due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions.

Belarus had originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. They internally selected Galasy ZMesta as their representative, initially with the song "Ya nauchu tebya ", but the entry was deemed ineligible to compete by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) due to violation of the contest's rules against political entries. After their replacement entry "Pesnyu pro zaytsa " was also deemed ineligible, Belarus was disqualified from the contest on 26 March 2021. This was the first time Belarus was absent from the contest since the country's debut in 2004. Belarus was originally set to compete in the first half of the first semi-final on 18 May 2021.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Embers" written by James Newman, Conor Blake, Danny Shah, Tom Hollings and Samuel Brennan. The song was performed by James Newman, who was internally selected by the British broadcaster BBC to represent the United Kingdom at the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands after he was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "My Last Breath" before the event's cancellation. Newman was announced as the British entrant on 19 February 2021, while the song "Embers" was presented to the public on 11 March 2021.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy. British singer-songwriter Sam Ryder represented the country with his song "Space Man", which he co-wrote with Max Wolfgang and Amy Wadge. He was selected as the 2022 UK entrant by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in collaboration with record label TaP Music and their management company.

Austria participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, with the song "Halo" written by Anders Nilsen, Gabriele Ponte, Luca Michlmayr, Rasmus Flyckt and Sophie Alexandra Tweed-Simmons. The song was performed by Lumix, which is the artistic name of DJ and producer Luca Michlmayr, featuring Pia Maria. On 8 February 2022, the Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) announced that they had internally selected Lumix and Pia Maria to compete at the 2022 contest, while "Halo" was presented to the public on 11 March 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 "Official EBU statement & FAQ on Eurovision 2020 cancellation". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  2. ↑ Savage, Mark (18 March 2020). "Eurovision Song Contest 2020 cancelled over coronavirus". BBC News . Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "BBC entertains the nation in time of need". BBC. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  4. ↑ Quinn, Angus (24 March 2020). "United Kingdom: BBC announces "Eurovision: Come Together" compilation show for May 16". wiwibloggs. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  5. ↑ Ryan, Tom (24 March 2020). "BBC to broadcast "Eurovision: Come Together" on 16th May". ESCXtra. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  6. ↑ Granger, Anthony (1 April 2020). "Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light To Be Broadcast Live From Hilversum". Eurovoix. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light will bring audiences together on 16 May". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  8. ↑ Muldoon, Padraig (16 April 2020). "UK: Reports suggest that BBC will not broadcast 'Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light' on television". wiwibloggs. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 "May means Eurovision on the BBC". BBC. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  10. ↑ Adams, William Lee (1 May 2020). "Eurovision month! BBC reveals extensive ESC programme schedule…with "Europe Shine A Light" on BBC One". wiwibloggs. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Eurovision: Abba, Bucks Fizz and Conchita Wurst make BBC's best-ever vote list". BBC News . 15 May 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  12. 1 2 "Eurovision: Come Together voting shortlist confirmed". BBC. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  13. 1 2 Muldoon, Padraig (15 May 2020). "Eurovision Come Together: BBC releases shortlist of the best ever entries". wiwibloggs. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  14. 1 2 Ryan, Tom (16 May 2020). "BBC announces "Eurovision: Come Together" entries". ESCXtra. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  15. 1 2 3 "Eurovision:Come Together Voting Info". BBC . Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  16. ↑ "ABBA win Eurovision: Come Together". BBC. 17 May 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  17. ↑ "Eurovision: Abba's Waterloo voted best song of all time". BBC News . 16 May 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  18. ↑ Ryan, Tom (17 May 2020). "BBC reveals top 10 of Come Together vote". ESCXtra. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  19. 1 2 3 Stephens, Heidi (16 May 2020). "Eurovision: Come Together and Europe Shine A Light – as it happened". The Guardian . Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  20. ↑ Adams, William Lee (23 April 2020). "Eurovision Come Together! BBC calls on fans to join interval act by recreating "classic performances"". wiwibloggs. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  21. ↑ "Be part of our Eurovision Come Together Interval Act!". BBC . Retrieved 22 June 2020.
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