ABBA’s Historic Eurovision Win Revisited Amidst Current Contest Excitement

BASEL, Switzerland — The excitement for the Eurovision Song Contest final is building as 16 countries competed in the second semi-final held on May 15. Among these were Finland‘s Erika Vikman, Denmark‘s Sissal, and Ireland‘s Emmy, with ten finalists moving on to the Grand Final today.

On Tuesday, Sweden secured its spot in the final as well, igniting online discussions about the country’s impressive history in the competition. This year marks a significant anniversary for Sweden, celebrating the 50th year since ABBA‘s historic win with their hit song ‘Waterloo’ in 1974, a victory that launched them into pop superstardom.

ABBA, composed of members Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Anna-Frid, released nine studio albums and sold over 385 million records worldwide. Yet, many music fans are only just realizing that on that fateful night in Brighton, England, they triumphed over another future icon, Olivia Newton-John, who performed her song ‘Long Live Love’ at the contest.

ABBA clinched victory with a score of 24 points, while Italy received 18 points and came in second. The Netherlands claimed third place and, notably, the United Kingdom, represented by Newton-John, tied for fourth alongside Luxembourg and Monaco.

Following Newton-John’s passing three years ago, clips of her performance have circulated on social media platforms like TikTok. One user commented, ‘It wouldn’t have mattered who represented the UK or what the song was, Waterloo was way ahead of the rest.’ Another remarked, ‘She was an angel even here,’ while a third person reflected on how Newton-John later became famous as Sandy in the film Grease.

Several fans also reminisced about comments made by broadcaster Terry Wogan after the contest. Wogan suggested on air, ‘I suppose that’s the last we’ll hear of her!’ after Newton-John lost, highlighting the unpredictability of career trajectories in the music industry.

In the lead-up to tonight’s Grand Final, viewers have expressed excitement at the prospect of two major artists having performed at the same Eurovision event. Newton-John’s track ‘Long Live Love’ initially aired on BBC One’s Clunk Click, which was hosted by the controversial Jimmy Savile. The UK public voted for Newton-John’s song with ‘Long Live Love’ amassing 27,387 votes, defeating her preferred choice, ‘Angel Eyes,’ which earned 18,018 votes.

The Eurovision Grand Final is set to commence tonight, May 17 at 8 p.m. on BBC One and iPlayer, continuing the long-standing tradition of celebrating musical talent across Europe.