Does luck play a part in Eurovision success (or lack of it)? Can your position in the running order help your chances? Has a song been sunk by what was on around it?
Back in 1999 we had a Swedish win. Careful now. But it became popular to think that the winner would come from the songs in the middle part of the contest. The pundits were partly right. Sweden won, and Iceland came second. But sandwiched between them was today’s birthday girl Μαρλαίν Αγγελίδου/Marlain Angelidou. The word was that this was Cyprus’s best chance since, well, whenever. Fate, however, wasn’t smiling on Marlain. The scored a measly two points. What was Europe & Co thinking? The two came from the United Kingdom of stuff. This is still a must-play at any Eurovision disco, so who cares if she didn’t win. She still beat Spain.
Marlain is 44 today.
Χαρούμενα γενέθλια, Μαρλέν!