Dana International, Conchita Wurst and ABBA make list of best-ever Eurovision songs ahead of weekend of celebration
Austrian singer Conchita Wurst won Eurovision 2014. (Getty)
Dana International, Conchita Wurst and ABBA have all made a list of the best-ever songs ahead of a public vote for the Eurovision: Come Together special on Saturday, May 16.
The Eurovision Song Contest – one of the most important dates in the calendar for the LGBT+ community – was called off this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But fans won’t have to go completely without their Eurovision fix.
Tomorrow night, BBC One will air Eurovision: Come Together, which will broadcast some of the contest’s best ever songs from a shortlist of 19 past winners.
Viewers will then vote for their favourite all-time winner of the classic competition.
The public will vote for their favourite past winner on Eurovision: Come Together.
The shortlist was compiled by broadcasters such as Rylan Clark-Neal, Scott Mills, Ken Bruce, Adele Roberts and Mel Giedroyc, as well as former UK acts SuRie and Nicki French.
Trans woman Dana International won for Israel in 1998, and she is just one of the 19 acts on the BBC’s shortlist of past winners.
Other queer classics include Conchita Wurst, who won for Austria in 2014 with “Rise Like a Phoenix”.
Four past UK winners made the shortlist, including Bucks Fizz for “Making Your Mind Up” and Katrina and the Waves with “Love Shine a Light”.
Italy has two past winners on the shortlist, while Sweden came out with three – which of course includes ABBA’s winning entry from 1974, “Waterloo”.
Israel’s 2018 winning entry, “Toy” by Netta, is the most recent winner on the shortlist.
The broadcast will be followed by another programme which will showcase this year’s intended entries.
Viewers who tune into the BBC One contest will be able to cast a vote online for their favourite past winner on the shortlist.
The broadcast will also feature Eurovision fans and famous faces performing their own versions of classic songs from the contest from their homes.
Graham Norton, who normally presents the BBC’s Eurovision coverage, will also interview James Newman, who was set to represent the UK at this year’s contest before it was cancelled.
Eurovision: Come Together will broadcast at 6.25pm on BBC One and will be followed by Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light at 8pm, which will showcase the 41 songs that were due to compete at this year’s contest.
