The Eurovision final is almost upon us once more. Thursday (May 15) saw 16 nations compete in the second semi final including Finland (Erika Vikman), Denmark (Sissal) and Ireland (Emmy).
The Eurovision final is just around the corner. Thursday (May 15) saw a fierce competition among 16 nations in the second semi-final, including Finland’s Erika Vikman, Denmark’s Sissal, and Ireland’s Emmy.
Ten acts advanced to the grand finale, set to take place in Basel, Switzerland today. Meanwhile, Tuesday’s first semi-final witnessed Sweden securing their spot, sparking online interest due to the country’s rich history in the competition.
Rewinding back to 1974, ABBA’s Eurovision triumph with ‘Waterloo’ catapulted them into pop superstardom. The quartet – Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Anna-Frid – went on to release nine studio albums and sold over 385 million records.
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However, some music enthusiasts are only now discovering that on that fateful night in Brighton in 1974, ABBA beat out another big name who would later find fame on the silver screen.
That film was Grease, and the artist was Olivia Newton-John. ABBA clinched the victory with 24 points, while Italy trailed behind as runners-up with 18, reports the Mirror.
The Netherlands secured third place, while Luxembourg, Monaco, and the United Kingdom tied for fourth – the latter represented by Olivia, who performed ‘Long Live Love’.
Clips of her performance have been circulating on TikTok, three years after the Cambridge-born star’s passing at age 73.
“It wouldn’t have mattered who represented the UK or what the song was, Waterloo was way ahead of the rest,” one person commented.
One individual was clearly moved, remarking: “She was an angel even here.”
Another chimed in with admiration: “Four years later she donned the spandex and immortalised herself as Sandy Olsen. Hard to think it’s the same person.”
A TikTok user reminisced: “After she lost Eurovision, Terry Wogan heard she’d moved to USA and said on radio, ‘I suppose that’s the last we’ll hear of her!’ How wrong was he?”
Meanwhile, another confessed: “It’s so insane that two of my favourite artists performed at the same Eurovision.”
Olivia Newton-John had presented ‘Long Live Love’ alongside five other tunes on BBC One’s Clunk Click, helmed by the notorious Jimmy Savile.
The nation cast their votes to decide Olivia’s Eurovision song, ultimately choosing ‘Long Live Love’ (27,387 votes) over her preferred ‘Angel Eyes’ (18,018 votes).
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