ABBA's Waterloo Revealed as UK Public's No. 1 Eurovision Song

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BBC TWO

ABBA’s Waterloo has been revealed as the UK public’s favourite Eurovision song following an online vote. Making Your Mind Up by Bucks Fizz came in second, Love Shine a Light by Katrina and the Waves came third, with Brotherhood of Man’s Save Your Kisses for Me in fourth, and Sandie Shaw with Puppet on a String coming fifth.

Voters were asked to select between three and fifteen of their favourite Eurovision songs from the last 65 years with the results being compiled for a special show - The UK’s All-Time Eurovision Top 50 – presented by Ken Bruce. The show will be available on BBC Sounds from 8pm, Tuesday 18th May, and on Radio 2 from 1-3pm, Saturday 22nd May, ahead of the Grand Final of Eurovision 2021 in Rotterdam that night – which will be broadcast live on BBC ONE, Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.

Frida Lyngstad of ABBA said: “Waterloo was our first song under our new name, ABBA, which - after we performed it to audiences across Europe thanks to Eurovision - became a huge global hit. The success of Waterloo changed everything for us as a band, so we would like to thank all the Eurovision fans who voted for the song!”

Presenter Ken Bruce said: “Well, who’d have thought it? Waterloo comes top but as ABBA sang, ‘I feel like I win when I lose’ - a massive 18 of the Top 50 are UK songs, so well done us!”

Laura Busson, Radio 2 Commissioning Executive, said: “Waterloo has consistently been a Eurovision favourite ever since it won back in 1974, which just shows the talent ABBA had right from the very beginning. The song has stood the test of time extremely well, incredibly almost five decades on. Do tune into The UK’s All-Time Eurovision Top 50 on BBC Sounds and Radio 2 which will be getting the party started ahead of the Grand Final.”

Fascinating facts about Waterloo:

  • On 6 April 1974, the song was the winning entry for Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton – the first time Sweden had won. The interval act that year was a performance by The Wombles.

  • Waterloo was the first single to be credited to the group performing under the name ABBA. Before then, they were known as Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid.

  • The single became a No. 1 hit in several countries. It reached the U.S. Top 10 and went on to sell nearly six million copies, making it one of the best-selling singles in history.

  • In the UK, it was the first of nine No. 1 singles for ABBA.

  • The Contest in 1974 was the first time ABBA had been seen across Europe.

  • The band considered submitting another song to Eurovision, Hasta Mañana, but decided on Waterloo since it gave equal weight to both lead vocalists Agnetha and Anni-Frid, while Hasta Mañana was sung only by Fältskog.

  • The group broke from convention by being the first winning entry in a language other than that of their home country; prior to 1973 all Eurovision singers had been required to sing in their country's native tongue, a restriction that was lifted briefly for the contests between 1973 and 1976 (thus allowing Waterloo to be sung in English). The former rule was reinstated before ultimately being removed again in 1999.

  • Famously, the UK failed to award ABBA any points on the night.


The Top 20 in order are as follows:

  1. ABBA
    Waterloo (Sweden, 1974)

  2. Bucks Fizz
    Making Your Mind Up (United Kingdom, 1981)

  3. Katrina and the Waves
    Love Shine a Light (United Kingdom, 1997)

  4. Brotherhood of Man
    Save Your Kisses for Me (United Kingdom, 1976)

  5. Sandie Shaw
    Puppet on a String (United Kingdom, 1967)

  6. Loreen
    Euphoria (Sweden, 2012)

  7. Conchita Wurst
    Rise Like a Phoenix (Austria, 2014)

  8. Johnny Logan
    What's Another Year (Ireland, 1980)

  9. Måns Zelmerlöw
    Heroes (Sweden, 2015)

  10. Gina G
    Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit (United Kingdom, 1996)

  11. Alexander Rybak
    Fairytale (Norway, 2009)

  12. Cliff Richard
    Congratulations (United Kingdom, 1968)

  13. Dana
    All Kinds of Everything (Ireland, 1970)

  14. Lulu
    Boom Bang-a-Bang (United Kingdom, 1969)

  15. Johnny Logan
    Hold Me Now (Ireland, 1987)

  16. Michael Ball
    One Step Out of Time (United Kingdom, 1992)

  17. Lordi
    Hard Rock Hallelujah (Finland, 2006)

  18. Nicole
    Ein bißchen Frieden (Germany, 1982)

  19. Dana International
    Diva (Israel, 1998)

  20. The New Seekers
    Beg, Steal or Borrow (United Kingdom, 1972)


The UK’s All-Time Eurovision Top 50 is compiled by this year’s host broadcaster NPO. The UK results are fed into a wider Top 50 taken from across many countries who are taking part in Eurovision.

BBC Radio 2 is the UK’s most listened to radio station, with a weekly audience of 14.4 million (RAJAR Q1, 2020). The network’s presenters include Michael Ball, Zoe Ball, Tony Blackburn, OJ Borg, Ken Bruce, Craig Charles, Rylan Clark-Neal, Fearne Cotton, Sara Cox, Jamie Cullum, Gary Davies, Vanessa Feltz, Paul Gambaccini, Bob Harris, Ana Matronic, Cerys Matthews, Trevor Nelson, Graham Norton, Paul O’Grady, Dermot O’Leary, Mark Radcliffe, Liza Tarbuck, Jeremy Vine, Johnnie Walker, Jo Whiley, Claudia Winkleman and Steve Wright.

Source BBC TWO

May 18, 2021 4:00am ET by Pressparty  

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