Eurovision No 36 - held in 1991 in Rome
Think music - Whitney Houston, Cher, Bryan Adams, Michael Jackson - they were all topping the charts in 1991 and Eurovision was also a loud celebration of mullets and backcombed bouffants with some dazzling colour from Yugoslavia’s Baby Doll and fashions that might be making a comeback today.
Think world changes - apartheid dismantled, Soviet Union collapse, Gulf War, Balkan conflict- and Eurovision was impacted by each of these world events.
Italy was supposed to host Eurovision from its beach resort town of San Remo in Northern Italy, however due to the Balkans conflict, it was decided very late, to shift the Contest’s location further south for safety, and Rome was awarded host duties.
This of course caused an upheaval, but let me just say that the Italians do chaos so well!
From the 2 Italian hosts who were both previous Eurovision winners, Gigliola Cinquetti (1964) and Toto Cutugno (1990) who only speak Italian for the whole broadcast and leave most of the Eurovision audience around the world in the dark as to what is actually happening on stage, to the hastily erected tin sheds that house the international commentators, to the remote Green Room ( reportedly devoid of alcohol and food) that is a long long way from the Cinecitta Film Studio ( the Hollywood of Italy) where the performances are actually happening, and finally to the Postcards all filmed entirely at the beach community of San Remo that somehow seem at odds with the formal and ancient feel of Rome. But somehow, the show goes on.
The tone was set with the opening act by American entertainer Sara Carlson whose performance of “New Day” challenges the Eurovision audience to celebrate the freedoms emerging from the changes in society and world events. It is a feeling of optimism that permeates the show.
A total of 22 countries took part in Rome, after Netherlands withdrew and Malta threw its hat into the Eurovision ring.
And of course the chaos continued when Sweden and France inconveniently tied for first place on 146 points. So the count back system was used and a count back of 12 points received by each country was checked and Sweden and France scored the same number so they still remained tied! After some confused discussions with the Executive Supervisor Frank Naef (the Jon Ola Sand of 1991) it was then necessary for the scrutineers to count the total 10 point scores received by each country and this resulted in Sweden finally being declared the winner of the contest.
Sweden’s pop entry “Fangad av en Stormvind” performed by Carola gave the optimism and a new a raw energy and contemporary pop style that the contest needed to remain relevant to the times.It also featured the famous Wind Machine and maybe that helped get Carola over the line with the voters. It was a blustery performance!
France’s entry, “ C’est Le dernier qui a parle qui a raison”- although in stark contrast to Sweden- was performed by Tunisian French artist Amina, and this performance also took the Eurovision audience on a journey that was needed; but to a quiet calmer place of peace and wisdom. It was World Music and remains a unique performance in Eurovision history and in my mind it is the clear winner of the contest.
Eurovision 1991 could have been a train wreck, but somehow Italy and the Italians persisted and pulled together a great contest and reminded the world that music can still bring together diverse cultures and people. The performances were of a high standard and the songs are still celebrated today.
Grazie Italia.