Our friends in Greece are having a better time at Eurovision in the 21st Century than they did in the 20th Century. Musical tastes have widened. Greek music was once viewed by some as exotic, but it can now be just as contemporary as anything.
Back in that 20th Century, Greek entries were a little unusual to more western European tastes, and maybe it’s just the diehard fans that appreciate them. Today’s birthday girl Ελπίδα Καραγιαννοπούλου/Elpida Karayiannopoulou, known by just her first name, tried twice. Her better result was for Greece, and she made the relatively short trip to Jerusalem in 1979. She sang about a famous Greek from times past, and was rewarded with an eighth place. We won’t talk about her time when she sang for Cyprus and travelled a considerably further distance to do so. But this, perhaps, is Elpida’s finest hour.
Elpida is 70 today.
Χρόνια πολλά, Ελπίδα!