oneurope.co.uk

Category: Türkiye

The Turkish entry was chosen by TRT. Ukraine first took part in 1975, but dropped out in 2013. Türkiye has won once.

  • 31 May – You put your trust in me, I’ll take you through the night

    31 May – You put your trust in me, I’ll take you through the night

    Let’s be honest – our friends in Türkiye/Turkey are sorely missed from our favourite TV show. They added that bit of exotica to proceedings, and were gunning for another win when they abruptly stopped coming along after the 2012 shows.

    Over the years, things weren’t good until 2003 when they only went and won. After that, there was one no-show in the Grand Final but top 10 finishes were generally the norm. In 2007, today’s birthday boy Kenan Cihan Doğulu donned a bright red ringmaster’s jacket, as if he were in a circus. Eurovision? Circus? Surely not. Anyway, his vivacious performance got him a fourth place in the Grand Final in Helsinki. He got five maxima, all from ‘Old Europe’ countries in north-west Europe. It must have been the exotica they craved.

    Kenan is 51 today.

    Doğum günün kutlu olsun, Kenan!

  • 1 April – I am avoiding all my friends

    1 April – I am avoiding all my friends

    Do you have a favourite contest of all time? One where every song hits the mark, the host(s) do their job to perfection, and the production is just second to none?. Which on is it?

    In other news, in 1985 today’s birthday boy Fuat Güner, along with his pals Mazhar and Özkan won TRT’s Golden Ticket and headed to sunny Göteborg to a contest that surpasses many (if not all others) as the best. Fuat is on the right. They were definitely not selling ice creams, but selling one of Türkiye’s better efforts of the 1980s. They were even so highly thought of they got the gig again three years later. They definitely didn’t “dai” on stage as they even got a maximum from Spain. This is a classic performance from a classic year.

    Fuat is 77 today.

    İyi ki doğdun Fuat!

  • 28 March – Do you hear my aggrieved silence the moment I don’t speak?

    28 March – Do you hear my aggrieved silence the moment I don’t speak?

    Do you miss Türkiye/Turkey? They weren’t always every juror’s favourite, but they did bring a little extra something to the contests they took part in. They even won once, which proves that anyone can win – yes, even that country that often fails to make the semi-finals.

    Back in 2000, our friends had been in the circus (off and on) for 25 years so thought there win was overdue. They sent today’s birthday girl Pınar Ayhan to fortress Globen (as was) to see if she could bring home the prize. Well, with her pals (Selim, Orkun and husband Sühan) the SOS she possibly stunned everyone by achieving her country’s third-best result at the time. This included two maxima. No mean feat for a country with a certain track record. It also signalled the start of a good set of results for the Turks. It’s a pity they’ve not been back since 2012.

    Pınar is 53 today.

    Doğum günün kutlu olsun, Pınar’ım!

  • 12 February – Rich courtesans are running after you

    12 February – Rich courtesans are running after you

    What’s the oddest subject of a Eurovision song you can think of? Many things have been covered, mostly about falling in love with someone, or falling out of love with someone.

    Today we have a song about fuel. No, not that, erm, Crimson Oxen stuff you can mix with Jägermeister. No, this is the fuel – petrol. Or gasoline if you’re of a North American persuasion. Yep, it’s featured in song, sung by today’s birthday girl (Ayşe) Ajda Pekkan. She was years ahead of her time when she went to The Hague in 1980. Had she sung her song in the 21st Century it would have really done well. But 45 years ago was a different time, when Turkey could do no right. Of the four countries she beat, three have won at least once since 1980. The fourth sits on the sidelines these days. However, as subjects go, songs about petrol beats some of the darker subject people sing about nowadays.

    Ajda is 79 today.

    Mutlu yıllar Ajda!

  • 4 December – Now the rest of the world is overruled

    4 December – Now the rest of the world is overruled

    Many countries have very inconsistent results. For years they could finish way down the scoreboard. And then they win. It makes that win all the more sweeter.

    It came as a shock to a lot of us when our friends in Türkiye/Turkey went and won the competition in 2003. Was it Group Pan? Was it MFÖ? Was it Şebnem Paker? No, it was today’s birthday girl Sertab Erener. I know of someone who picked this out when he saw her first rehearse. That’s a good ear for a winner if you ask me. Still, this particular year the reprises of the songs were in reverse order. Did that have anything to do with it? Or was she just the best in Rīga? Or was she an accidental winner? Either way, it meant we all went somewhere sunny in 2004.

    Sertab is 60 today.

    Doğum günün kutlu olsun, Sertab!

  • 19 September – Stay, don’t leave now, I’m lonely inside

    19 September – Stay, don’t leave now, I’m lonely inside

    Our friends in Turkey/Türkiye are taking a sabbatical at the moment, and many of you out there miss them. They brought something slightly exotic to proceedings, and their language – for many years anyway – was alluringly different.

    Just over twenty years ago we were living it up in Tallinn, where the sun hardly ever set. It must have been a culture shock for today’s birthday girl Buket Bengisu and her pals, travelling so far north. There was all manner of bonkersness in the 2002 contest, so anything that was a little bit serious might have fallen away. That fate befell our Buket, and she only managed a 16th place. However, she belongs to that very exclusive one-year-too-early club, as we all know what happened to Turkey’s/Türkiye’s song in 2003.

    Buket is 46 today.

    Doğum günün kutlu olsun, Buket!

  • 20 July – Is this the end of this crazy love?

    20 July – Is this the end of this crazy love?

    The running order is always an interesting topic of debate. Is there a best spot to perform in if you want to win? Are there truly graveyard slots? Could a good song win wherever it appears in the running order?

    Today’s birthday girl Şebnem Paker performed in back-to-back contests – so she’s part if an elite bunch of acts. And her two appearances in the Saturday night show was first on and second on. That must make her pretty unique. The other noteworthy thing about our Şebnem was her finish in 1997. She was second on – traditionally a very bad draw – and she finished third – a feat only equalled once. When you look at the two songs that beat her, it gives more credence to the argument that any song can win from any position. She scored from three-quarters of the countries voting, and she scored from every country operating televoting that year. Maybe a more widespread televote and she might have finished even higher. As a footnote, she tried again in the Turkish national final in 1998 but didn’t win. Had she won, who knows what her last-but-one draw would have done.

    Şebnem is 47 today.

    Doğum günün kutlu olsun, Şebnem!

  • 29 September – Your eyes are glittering

    29 September – Your eyes are glittering

    Here’s something we thought we’d never see. It’s a performer from one country singing in another with whom there was no love lost for a long time. These days, most European countries generally get on, apart from the obvious. But who is today’s enigmatic singer?

    She was already a lady who might have been old enough to know better when she was on stage on Athens, plancing around with four guys who probably also should have known better. Perhaps she was singing about herself too. Anyhow, the routine offered by singer, dancer, actress, rally driver and general Turk-about-town Sibel Tüzün.

    Sibel is 52 today.

    Doğum günün kutlu olsun Sibel’im!

  • 28 September – My road is the road of wisdom

    Do you want someone who made an impression when she took part in our favourite TV programme? One who’s performance will leave you out of breath.

    Back in 1987 we were in plucky little Belgium for the biggest contest ever at that time. Twenty-two were there, all wanting to win. We know who won. Pies. But 21 places below him was today’s birthday girl Seyyal Taner. She had some pals with her – the ‘Grup Lokomotif’ – who were as frantic in delivery and really really trying. Despite all of that, Seyyal scored nothing – perhaps her song was the eleventh-favourite with every jury. Perhaps. But Turkey have never come last since. Such is Eurovision, but songs coming last often don’t deserve to. Is this one of those occasions?

    Seyyal is 71 today.

    Doğum günün kutlu olsun, Seyyal!

  • 22 September – Laugh, laugh without stopping

    Look towards the eastern Mediterranean, and you’ll spot a large country that used to take part with gusto in our favourite TV show. They may not have always had a good contest, but they were relied upon to bring a bit of freshness to proceedings.

    In 1995, today’s birthday girl Arzu Ece (née Arzu Özkaraman) took part in her second contest. Her first gave us a memorable number that was roundly “panned” by the juries. In Dublin, her song wasn’t about a late, great, Spanish golfer, but instead about music’s favourite subject – love. Ahhhh. What could go wrong? Well, she got a scattering of points mainly from southern Europe. As we know, Türkiye has been sitting and watching (or perhaps not watching) proceedings for over a decade. Who wouldn’t love to see them back?

    Arzu is 60 today.

    Doğum günün kutlu olsun Arzu’m!