After I had an absolute blast last week researching the Eurovision Covers of 2018 article, I thought it would be a shame to stop there – so meet some of the best covers of classic Eurovision songs!
Whilst it would be great to say that this is the best of the bunch, there are literally thousands and thousands, and this small sample just scratches the surface of what is out there
So sit back, relax and enjoy this selection with some familiar faces and some surprises!
Eleni Foureira – Sto Theo Me Paei (Israel 2015)
We will start with a cover that you may already be aware of, with the official video notching up over 20m views over the last 3 years. Eleni was a well known figure to many Eurovision fans prior to her selection for Cyprus this year and her song “Fuego”, which ended up in 2nd place in the Grand Final in Lisbon.
Eleni’s take on “Golden Boy” stays true to the instrumental, but the lyrics express her feelings towards her man, telling us “He takes me to God when he holds me” and the video is full of her trademark high energy moves and hair flicks!
Engelbert Humperdinck – In Love With You (Netherlands 1984)
Engelbert was 76 years old when he represented the United Kingdom in Baku in 2012 with his song “Love Will Set You Free” where he finished in 25th place. He had enjoyed over 50 years in the business at the time of his Eurovision participation, so it’s no surprise really that he would have stumbled across a Eurovision song or two within that time. His 1997 Album “A Little In Love” included this surprising cover, a fan favourite from the 1984 contest, and an English version of Maribelle’s song “Ik Hou Van Jou” which, after a nervous performance by the young Dutch singer, finishing 13th out of the 19 entries.
Kollisionen – Euphoria (Sweden 2012)
There are thousands and thousands of covers available on YouTube of Loreen’s classic, fitting for a song that has been voted the fan’s top favourite for the last 6 years in the annual ESC250 poll.
The one that I’ve chosen is from a Swedish rock covers band Kollisionen. It’s been tough finding information on the band, their facebook page has been inactive for a couple of years and a google search reveals nothing .. I mean literally nothing! In retrospect maybe I should have chosen another cover! But this does put a new spin on Euphoria yet keeps the soaring female-led vocal which we all love from the original. Enjoy!
Dusty Cowshit – Nocturne (Norway 1995)
This is one of the more “out there” covers I found! Dusty Cowshit are a Norwegian band, founded in 1991 and mostly known for putting a country spin on well known tunes.
They competed in the Norwegian selection, MGP, in 2007, coming a very respectable 4th, with their original song “Chicken Rodeo”. The band’s own website will tell you that they are a 9 piece “vulgar-sparkling-cowboy-polka-orchestra” and the instruments that they play include a suitcase, spoons, saw, washboard and dried beanstalks.
Therefore it does not seem very obvious that out of the 3 winning Norwegian songs over the years, they would choose to cover the quiet atmospheric beauty of “Nocturne”, which won the contest in 1995 for the group “Secret Garden” and thus ended Ireland’s domination, but that’s exactly what they did back in 2009 on a Norwegian talk show called “Wiese”
Emma Marrone – Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Italy 1958)
Arguably, the most famous song in Eurovision history, the first one to make it over the pond courtesy of Dean Martin, here we have two Eurovision’s colliding in a most memorable fashion!
Emma is of course known to Eurovision fans for her 2014 entry “La Mia Citta” which came 21st in Copenhagen, however she had previously competed in the famous San Remo festival, winning in 2012 with “”Non è l’inferno”.
This cover of Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare, to give it it’s most popular title) was made as the closing song for the Italian Film “da Benvenuti al Nord” (“Welcome To The North”) which is an Italian comedy film by the director Luca Miniero and is a sequel to the high-grossing “Benvenuti al Sud” (“Welcome To The South”)
In the video clip, we see Emma and her guitar dancing through the streets and through the backstage of the film, giving this Eurovision classic a terrific makeover
West End Eurovision 2011 – Cast of Les Miserables – Shady Lady (Ukraine 2008)
Since 2008, the charity MAD (Make A Difference Trust) has been putting on the “West End Eurovision” event in London, where top West End shows present their renditions of Eurovision classics to a live audience with a live orchestra. The cast members really throw themselves into creating innovative and hugely enjoyable performances of well known, and not so well known entries.
The cast members compete for best performance, best creativity and best pre-recorded video indent, and the previous winners have included Legally Blonde and Wicked
In 2011, the cast of Les Miserables took to the stage to give their interpretation of Ani Lorak’s “Shady Lady” which came second for Ukraine in the 2008 contest in Belgrade.
The female lead singer looks very comfortable singing a Eurovision song, little did she know that in just 6 years she would be appearing on stage in Kiev representing the United Kingdom – yes, it’s Lucie Jones!
So that is just a small selection of what is out there for your enjoyment. Until we start getting some new songs for Israel, have fun searching for some of your old favourites and make them your new favourites again!
