And here we have the last time the contest has been hosted in Luxembourg (up to this point, who knows what the future will bring). Sadly, this year brings a couple withdrawals (Greece and Israel), but Ireland is back, so we’re now at 19 participants. So let’s dive into the 19 songs waiting for us in this contest.
Is it Germany time? It’s Germany time! Germany finally won it the previous year, so we’re off to Munich. We’re even rejoined by France (under a new broadcaster, TF1 decided they don’t give a damn about Eurovision), as well as Greece and Italy, yay. Sadly, Ireland withdrew due to strikes, which is the only time they withdrew willingly (they’ll also be relegated once, but more on that later). This, as usual, leaves us with 20 countries, which means 20 songs to get through.
Welcome to Harrogate, one of the most random Eurovision host places. France left this year because Eurovision was a “monument to insanity” (I love pointing that out to people who go on about the good old days and such) as well as Greece, who thought their entry was too “low-quality”. This leaves us with 18 countries in the contest since nobody joined or rejoined.
It’s back to Dublin for 1981, exactly one decade after the show was last held here (in 1971, if you don’t remember). Morocco left after their trial participation last year, but so did Italy since Eurovision just isn’t that popular there. On the other hand, Yugoslavia and Israel returned and we got a new debut from Cyprus. This means we have a total of 20 participants, tying the previous record, but not breaking it.
For the first time in Eurovision history, welcome to a contest that doesn’t have an entry by the previous winner. Israel refused to host due to financial issues, then Eurovision was scheduled during a holiday, which meant they withdrew entirely. Instead, it’s back to The Hague for round two. We have a very special appearance from Morocco this year, as well as a Turkish return. Monaco withdrew for good though, which leaves us with 19 total participants.
Welcome to Jerusalem. Turkey got pressured by Arab states to withdraw, leaving us with 19 countries in the running. This is also Monaco’s last attendance until the next century, so let’s see if their send-off is good.
Guess who’s back, back again. Denmark’s back, tell a friend. Sorry, I really wanted to do this joke. But yeah, Denmark is finally back. And so is Turkey. Surprisingly, nobody withdrew, bringing us up to a historical high of 20 countries participating. Yes, 20, crazy numbers, I know. I wonder if Eurovision will ever exceed this number.
Welcome to London, again. We’re back to being hosted by the BBC, so you know this contest will be smooth and simple. Sweden returned (and will never skip again), but Yugoslavia withdrew for the next four years. This leaves us with 18 participants for the millionth time, which is a number I’m getting tired of.
And it’s back to the Netherlands for us. Austria decided to come back and so did Greece, which caused Turkey to withdraw. Malta withdrew as well and wouldn’t come back until 1991, but Sweden withdrew as well because they couldn’t afford to host if they won again (talk about hubris, huh). This left us with the ever-so-popular 18 countries in the contest.
And here we have one of many years hosted in Sweden, which we’ll revisit several times in the next few decades. France and Malta returned and we have a new debutant - Turkey. Sadly, Greece skipped this year, but this still means a record 19 countries took part this year.