Eurovision is a weird thing in many ways. At first glance, one might think it's one of those polarising 'Marmite' topics that splits people into distinct 'love it!' vs 'hate it!' camps, but it's not quite that simple.
There is also the very substantial 'love to hate it' faction. These are the people who profess dislike or cynicism of the whole Eurovision circus, but who cannot seem to escape a certain perverse fascination with it.
Resistance is futile
People have Eurovision parties - real-life and online. Pubs hold Eurovision nights. It's like football during a championship: ubiquitous and inescapable. Even those of us who experience a sinking feeling at the very mention of Eurovision can find ourselves involuntarily (or so we claim) watching it from start to finish, mocking and criticising for the entire duration of the event. If it were that bad, would we really devote four precious, irreplaceable hours of our lives to watching it - as many of the Regtransfers team will on Saturday 11th May?
Why a playlist of Eurovision songs for driving?
Because, although it hurts to admit it, some of the songs are really not bad. They're perfect for singing along to and some will even get your passengers dancing in their seats. Check out the list below and see if you can say, honestly, that you have never sung along, or had a sneaky boogie, to at least one of them.
The list
- Euphoria ~ Loreen (Sweden) The 2012 Eurovision winner can make a credible claim to being the best track on this list. 'Euphoria' is as good a Eurodance banger as you could ask for. Its appeal certainly extended beyond the song contest: it was an international hit, achieving the number one spot in many countries. Loreen's most successful record wouldn't sound out of place at any club or festival. Another perfect track for a summer drive with the windows down.
- Spaceman ~ Sam Ryder (UK) Not technically a Eurovision winner, but many people believe that it would have won by a big margin in 2022 had it not been for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 'Spaceman' was top of the jury element of the voting but the public televote ultimately pushed Ukraine past the winning post. Few people would begrudge the gesture of support at a time when Ukrainians needed all they could get, but it may have cost Ryder the victory. Ryder was magnanimous in defeat and the great song enjoyed well-deserved chart success.
- Waterloo ~ ABBA (Sweden)Possibly the most famous Eurovision entry ever, 'Waterloo' is still famous and still gets regular radio play 50 years after winning the contest for Sweden. It was a worldwide hit and the start of ABBA's meteoric rise to pop-legend status. A well-crafted pop song and a definite sing-along.
- Ooh Aah … Just a Little Bit ~ Gina G (UK) Despite the iffy title, the UK's 1996 entry, performed by Aussie singer Gina G, was a solid Eurodance/techno pop offering that topped the British pop charts, despite not winning Eurovision. It still holds its own as a summer sing-along track.
- Hard Rock Hallalujah ~ Lordi (Finland) Many viewers did an incredulous double-take when they first saw Finland's representatives in the 2006 song contest. Many more did the same when the band won. Lordi identifies as a hard rock band, although their stage masks and costumes are strongly reminiscent of the American metal/comedy-metal band Gwar. 'Hard Rock Hallelujah' has a surprisingly catchy chorus and it boasts the surreal distinction of being the track used in setting a world mass-karaoke record, when 80,000 people gathered to sing it in 2006 - in Finland, of course.
- Tempo ~ Margaret (Sweden) This 2019 song never made the final. It was yet another Swedish contender, although the singer, Margaret, was from Poland. Another upbeat earworm, it kind of sounds a little Camila-Cabello-ish… Is that actually an adjective? It is now.
- Zitti e buoni ~ Måneskin (Italy) Italy's 2021 winner is another rocker. Måneskin was formed in 2016 by a bunch of former school friends and 'Zitti e buoni' was their first real international success. Perhaps not as much of a sing-along song as many here, 'Zitti e buoni' is still an excellent, lively track that will help you stay awake on a long drive.
- Heroes ~ Måns Zelmerlöw (Sweden) This 2015 winning song is another from Sweden. We're not doing this deliberately and it's not like we can do anything about it: Sweden just churns out an unending flood of great Eurovision songs. This one has a catchy, singable chorus. It also has the honesty to actually sound at least a bit Eurovisiony.
- Apres Toi ~ Vicky Leandros (Luxembourg) One for the veterans. Back in the days when Eurovision really was a song contest rather than a gimmick contest, Luxembourg won the 1972 competition with this strong performance by a Greek singer who lived in Germany and sang in French. If that's not Eurovision, we don't know what is. Ms Leandros also recorded an English version entitled 'Come What May' which made number two in the UK charts. Either version will soon have you howling along with the dramatic chorus.
- Say Yay! ~ Barei (Spain) Another Europop dance song, 'Say Yay!' was co-written by its singer, Barei, whose real name is Bárbara Reyzábal. It received some criticism from within Spain for being the first Spanish Eurovision entry to contain no Spanish lyrics at all. Barei was an independent artist who worked hard to get her song to the contest. Despite her efforts, and the catchy positivity of the song, 'Say Yay!' only managed 22nd place in 2016. We reckon she was robbed.
Well, those are our nominations for Eurovision-themed car tunes. Could you offer a better list? And what about this year's contest? What do you think of the UK's offering, 'Dizzy', from Years and Years star Olly Alexander? Let us know on social media.
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