Some of you may recall that last year I published a best and worst at Eurovision article for every country that was taking part in Eurovision 2016 with the exception of Australia who were only competing for the second time. So this year I will publish one for Australia and Portugal who are returning. Also I will revisit each of the other countries to see if last years entry has entered the best or worst hall of fame. Now that the National Finals season is finished and all songs for Eurovision 2017 have been selected we now have 6 weeks where we wait for the rehearsals to begin in Kiev. What better way to fill the time than to look back over the 61 years of Eurovision at some of the best and worst entries that countries have sent to the Eurovision stage. There are 43 countries going to Kiev to take part in the 2017 edition of our favourite musical extravaganza and we continue our journey with Denmark who have won the contest three times, come second once and third on three occasions. They have also come last once in 45 participations. You can check out the previous articles from last year in the best and worst series for Ireland HERE ,Spain HERE, Austria HERE, Bosnia & Herzegovina HERE, Iceland HERE, Belarus HERE, Denmark HERE, Georgia HERE, Germany HERE, Cyprus HERE, Finland HERE, Belgium HERE, Hungary HERE, Switzerland HERE, Ukraine HERE, Moldova HERE, Estonia HERE, Norway HERE, Italy HERE, Slovenia HERE, The Netherlands HERE, Armenia HERE, Azerbaijan HERE, San Marino HERE, Israel HERE, Albania HERE, Poland HERE, Serbia HERE, France HERE, Romania HERE, Russia HERE, Croatia HERE, Czech Republic HERE, Malta HERE., Macedonia HERE, Lithuania HERE, Latvia HERE, Sweden HERE,  United Kingdom HERE, Greece HERE, Bulgaria HERE  and Montenegro HERE. Also the articles for this year for Belarus HERE., Germany HERE., Hungary HERE., Austria HERE. and Cyprus HERE.

So this year Denmark are represented by Anja Nissen with the song ‘Where I Am’. We will have to wait and see if it turns  out to be more of a best or  worst song for Denmark but the overall reaction is fairly positive so far. You can read our announcement of the winner in Denmark here.

So last year Denmark were represented by Lighthouse X with the song ‘Soldiers of Love’. So how did Lighthouse X do in Stockholm? Well they came 17th in their Semi Final failing to qualify for the Final.  Despite this being the 2nd worst result in a Semi Final for Denmark they have failed to be added to the hall of fame as a best or worst entry ever. Here we can see their Semi Final performance last year.

So my selections for best and worst entries are based on a combination of actual results and personal taste. Denmark have had 45 previous entries and many of them are memorable enough. So many to choose from Denmark tend to go for many MOR entries which are all quite good so its a case of finding those few which stand out from the pack for good or for bad.

My first choice for one of Denmark’s finest takes us back to 1989 in Lausanne where the Danish entry was sung by  Birthe Kjær  and was called ‘Vi maler byen rød‘.

The song was  an evocation of good times, with Kjær describing the fun that can be had by “painting the town red”. The vocal style was memorable as was the performance. She was accompanied on the stage by 3 dancer/singers in white suits and red bow ties. In fact fact one of them started the performance as the conductor(remember them?) and was invited on stage by Birthe which he duly did. The song was well received and came 3rd with 111 points.

Moving along we now look at one of the worst entries for Denmark. The year was 1997 and we were in Dublin to see Kølig Kaj perform the song ‘Stemmen i mit liv‘.

Now this was the last song to be performed in Danish at Eurovision and the artist brings his hip hop style to the Eurovision stage with little success or plaudits. The song deals with the singer’s difficulties in speaking to the object of his strong affections. The lyrics are ambiguous as to whether this is a real person or an automated voice on the directory enquiries service. It finished in 16th place with only 25 points.

So now I can introduce you to another best of Danish Eurovision. The last time we were in Stockholm was also at The Globen Arena and the year was 2000. The rather unfancied Danish entry was The Olsen Brothers singing ‘Fly on the Wings of Love’

Now this was only my second live Eurovision Final that I attended and my first on foreign soil. So this year is like going back to where it all began. I remember chatting to some press people before the show and asking who to watch out for. Denmark was the general consensus which surprised me as it had gone completely underneath my radar. So after sticking a tenner on the nose I trooped into The Globen to see it romp home at 40/1 winning the whole darn thing with 195 points.

Moving on now we are back to one of the worst entries that Denmark have sent to the contest. It was in 2002 and we were in Tallinn to see Malene Mortensen singing ,Tell me who you Are’.

Now this was a very disappointing performance from Malene, very lacklustre on the night and a song that had plenty followers seem to fall flat on its face. Ultimately its fate was sealed and it finished 24th and last with only 7 points.

The last best of Danish Eurovision is a timeless classic as far as I am concerned. The year was 1995 and it was in Dublin where we saw Aud Wilken take the Eurovision stage at The Point with the song ‘Fra Mols til Skagen‘.

The song was not well received initially by the Danish public as it had been selected by jury professionals but the performance of this slow love ballad proved to be a real winner in the hearts of the fans and it placed in 5th with 92 points.

Now we have arrived at the last song in this little selection for Denmark and it is another of those baddies. The year was 1980 and we were in The Hague to see a rather stripey Bamses Venner singing ‘Tænker altid på dig‘.

This  was wrong for all the right reasons. Good looking guy lets himself go a bit and laments about missing his ‘friend'(lover). But he promised that he will always be thinking of them. The outfits were certainly memorable as you will see in the video. But alas it came in a lowly 14th with only 25 points.

So there we have it folks, my little delve into Danish Eurovision history and some of the best and worst moments over the years. Do you agree with all or even any of my choices? Feel free to comment below.

This series will continue with another look at songs over the years for each and every country competing in Eurovision 2017 so keep coming back for more reflections of the best and worst that Eurovision has had to offer us.

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Author: Andrew Main

Source: Eurovision Ireland