1. Loreen Euphoria (Sweden, 2012)

‘We’re going up, up, up, up, up, up!’ Euphoria is a song which is well-titled. A number 3 hit in the UK, it was also memorably performed in a Kate Bush-fashion ripe for lampooning years later in best interval act ever Love, Love, Peace, Peace. The song itself is a credible piece of electro pop which only narrowly missed out on our greatest ever winners list but did make it to the Melodifestivalen top 5.

• Read on for reasons including Conchita rising like a phoenix, a fairytale and some flying on the wings of love

2. Conchita Rise Like A Phoenix (Austria, 2014)

A bearded man dressed as a woman now seems less groundbreaking than it did when it won the contest six years ago and beat Loreen to our best ever Eurovision winners list. An uplifting ballad with the feel of a James Bond theme, the lyrics about a fearless rebirth coupled with dramatic spotlights and clever camerawork which makes the most of the reveal, this still has a lot to recommend it.

3. Alexander Rybak Fairytale (Norway, 2009)

This felt like a winner on first hearing. Belarussian/Norwegian violinist Rybak wrote the song himself and the cute lyrics sit well with the almost traditional Irish nature of the music, with driving beat. The presentation with somersaulting dancers Frikar enhanced the song and aided its runaway victory.

4. Måns Zelmerlöw Heroes (Sweden, 2015)

Such is the strength in depth of Sweden’s magnificent Melodifestivalen that London resident Måns didn’t succeed until his 3rd attempt to represent his country and by then he had a sizeable audience already willing him on. Heroes is country pop with a neat visual gimmick whose theme makes it an easy Eurovision concept to grasp.

5. Olsen Brothers Fly On The Wings Of Love (Denmark, 2000)

Copenhagen was the first of our 10 visits to Eurovision finals and we have the Olsen Brothers and their 2000 victory in Sweden to thank for that with this singalong classic. We can remember dearly departed commentator Terry Wogan picking it out at the time as one to watch by ‘two old geezers’ – and so it proved.

• Picture via Facebook courtesy Loreen. Tickets
• Have you heard this album or seen this show? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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