Voting in Eurovision is the highlight of the show for many it's also one of the more controversial areas of the contest. Since the current voting system (1-8, 10, 12 points) was introduced in 1975, 16 countries have received the dreaded nul points. They must’ve been pretty awful to have attracted no points at all from any country right? Not necessarily. Each country awards points to ten participating songs, so in theory a song could be ranked 11th place by most and still go on to receive nothing but a wooden spoon. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and review the best of the worst...
5) Turkey 1987 “Åžarkım Sevgi Üstüne” by Seyyal Taner and Group Lokomotif
Kicking us off we have Turkey’s 1987 effort, where singer Seyyal, according to the presenter, “offers her melody tonight”. The jurors clearly didn’t appreciate her kind offer! It's not Turkey’s finest moment but deserves attention given the sheer energy of the performance and questionable choreography. They should have been awarded points for the drummer’s moves alone!
4) Switzerland 1998 “Lass' ihn" by Gunvor
Ten years after Celine Dion’s stunning victory, the Swiss thought they would try out of the same formula; strong power ballad, dodgy perm and even dodgier dress. Sadly what worked for Celine didn’t work for Gunvor and she romped home with nothing to show for her efforts. Perhaps if the song had been staged differently it might have attracted a few more votes? You tell me.
3) United Kingdom 2003 “Cry Baby” by Jemini
Trust us the UK was once a force to be reckoned with in Eurovision and rarely out of the top 10. Up until 2000, the UK’s worst placing was 13th in 1987. Fast forward to 2003 and the UK not only comes last for the first time but crashes and burns in spectacular fashion. Chris and Jemma, known as Jemini, initially blamed the Iraq war for the lack of points. Others pointed to the rather flat performance of an average song. Jemini are still interviewed about their Eurovision experiences today demonstrating that if you’re going to come last you may as well do it properly!
2) Norway 1978 “Mil etter mil” by Jahn Teigen
Norway have finished last in the Eurovision more times than any other country. In 1978 Norway clocked up its 5th appearance at the bottom of the scoreboard and provided the contest with its first nul points since the current scoring system was introduced. On reflection Jahn Teigen’s song and performance weren’t actually that bad. Overblown and over the top perhaps, although vocally Jahn pulled off quite a strong performance. What might have been a loser in Eurovision became a winner in Norway and Jahn’s song became a big hit, proving that being overlooked by the jurors isn’t necessary a barrier to success.
1) Spain 1983 “¿Quién maneja mi barca?”by Remedios Amaya
Even after more than 30 years Remedios Amaya’s barefoot performance in Munich stands out as tempestuous, daring and very different but Spain was rewarded with absolutely no thanks for this from the jurors in 1983. Coming nearly two decades before the more exotic or ethnic numbers would go on to do well at the contest, this was simply ahead of its time. Whilst the song, which translates as “who sails my boat?”, might not be everyone’s cup of tea, the Spaniards should be applauded for daring to be different. I wonder if she ever did find out who sails that boat of hers?