The songs themselves have evolved in interesting ways. Diggi-loo Diggi-ley represents the high-point of the nonsense-chorus Eurovision song, designed to appeal to the multi-lingual audience. This lowest common denominator approach produced successes throughout the first thirty years of the contest, including such classics as Boom-Bang-a-Bang (UK), Ding Dinge Dong (Netherlands), A-ba-ni-bi (Israel) and of course Diggey-loo Diggi-ley. (I promise I am not making these up.)
The breakup of the Eastern Bloc and the Soviet Union in the 1990s caused all kinds of problems for the contest (too many countries) but also injected a fresh dose of bad taste. Countries like Slovenia, Estonia and Romania can use odd native instruments to produce Euro-Heritage songs, and also have the advantage of being 10 or 20 years behind the rest of the world in terms of popular music genres.
(ta, Mitch)
Well, it's the first time Turkey have won it. So that's new.
Aside from that, this contest didn't have quite as much weirdness as the last couple. I'm not sure that I could be bothered sitting through it all again, even with Terry Wogan's remarks this time.
It might be the first time Turkey has won it, but it isn't the first time a turkey has won by a long shot.
Bring back Abba I say.
Business slow today is it, Ben?
Don't worry, Fred, that's what Sweden do every year.
You forget that Monday is my day off!
As that dreadful man Sean Micallef said on his woeful program I had the misfortune to see the start of (I thought The Sopranos started at 9:30), "The headline said 'Turkey wins Eurovision Song Contest'. So what else is new?"