Finland took part in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in
1961. Since then, it has always entered the competition with enthusiasm,
but with varying degrees of success. It seemed that it would be impossible
to ever win the competition; that Finnish entries were doomed to fail
every year. This was until the 2006 competition in Athens, Greece, when
the Finnish monster band Lordi won by a landslide. The historic win
started a nationwide celebration and Finland received the responsibility
of organising the contest in 2007.
This paper discusses Finland's history in the Eurovision Song Contest,
the impact of Lordi's win on Finns and the Eurovision Song Contest in
Helsinki in 2007. How did the Finnish people react to Lordi's victory?
What were the reasons behind those reactions? How did Lordi influence the
Eurovision institution? What effects did the victory and the chance to
organise the 2007 Contest have on Finns' self-esteem? What was
particularly Finnish about the competition in 2007?
Finland's History in the Eurovision Song Contest
The first Eurovision Song Contest was organised in 1956 in Lugano,
Switzerland. Seven countries: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxemburg, the
Netherlands, Switzerland, and West Germany took part in the competition.
Austria, Denmark, and the United Kingdom would have also wanted to take
part, but they sent in their applications too late (Murtomäki 12). The
Eurovision Song Contest was televised in Finland for the first time in
1960; after that Finns demanded that Finland should take part (Muurinen,
Euroviisut 8-9). In 1961, the competition was staged in Cannes, France.
This time 16 countries entered the competition, among them three
first-timers: Spain, Yugoslavia and Finland (O'Connor 18).
Taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest has always been very
important for Finns. Finland is a geographically remote country and the
competition was, particularly in its early years, one of the few chances
for Finland to compare itself with other European countries. Over the
years, the competition has become a part of the shared cultural tradition
for Finns (Murtomäki 9). Finland's first entry was Valoa ikkunassa
[Light in the Window] sung by Laila Kinnunen; it earned a shared tenth
place with Monaco and the Netherlands1.
During the 1960s, Finland's success in the competition varied from one
seventh place in 1962, which was better than average that year, to zero
points.
In 1970, Finland boycotted the competition, together with the other
Scandinavian countries and Portugal. The reason behind the protest was the
voting system, which had resulted in a tie the previous year in Madrid,
Spain, where four countries had tied in the total points, with all being
declared winners (Loivamaa 36). The 1970s were quite a successful decade
for Finland. During the 70s, Finland never finished in the last place; in
1973 Marion Rung even made it to sixth place singing Tom Tom Tom.
This was Finland's best result in the competition until the year 2006
(Eurovision).
The Finnish entries were quite inconsistent during the decade after
Marion Rung's 6th place. Kojo's Nuku pommiin [Oversleep] did not
receive any points and finished in the last place in 1982, whereas Anneli
Saaristo finished in seventh place in 1989 singing La Dolce Vita.
Nevertheless, many entries of the 1980s such as Hengaillaan
[Hanging About] and Sata salamaa [A Hundred Lightning Bolts] have
become Eurovision classics in Finland (Eurovision), as Finns themselves
liked the songs even if Europe did not agree.
The 1990s could be called "the black decade" for Finland in the
Eurovision Song Contest (Eurovision), because Finland finished in last
place three times; even its best position was the relatively low fifteenth
place in 1998. Even in 1994, when the Finnish girl band CatCat represented
Finland with a song called Bye Bye Baby, which had been considered
as one of the favourites by Finns as well as other Europeans, the song
received only 11 points and ended up at the bottom end of the result table
(O'Connor 137).
Finland did not start out strong in the 21st century either. In 2002,
Finland had chosen Laura Voutilainen as its representative for the
competition in Tallinn, Estonia. Again, the Finnish entry Addicted to
You was considered one of the favourites, at least in Finland (Pajanen
339), but in the end, Laura Voutilainen had to settle for 20th place. The
Finnish tabloids covered their representative's disappointment with
dramatic headlines such as "Itkin, itkin, itkin" [I Cried and I Cried and
I Cried] (Pajanen 340).
In 2004, the Eurovision Song Contest was staged in Istanbul, Turkey and
for the first time the competition was divided into two nights: the
semi-final and the final (O'Connor 176). So many new countries were
entering the competition that the European Broadcasting Union wanted to
make sure that all countries could take part every year, but they did not
want the competition to last more than 3 hours (Murtomäki 208). Finland
did not quality for the final either in 2004 or 2005.
Lordi's Victory in 2006
In 2006, Finland was at a crossroads when it came to the Eurovision
Song Contest: the Finnish press only seemed to remember the failures; in
addition, the public's interest in the competition seemed to be fading
(Murtomäki 226). As Finland seemingly had nothing to lose anyway, the
Finnish Broadcasting Company, Yle, wanted to try something different in
order to revive the flagging interest. Yle decided to invite 12 Finnish
artists to compete for Finland's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest,
which was going to be held in Athens, Greece (Murtomäki 226). In the
nationwide televoting procedure used to select the Finnish entry from the
12 competitors, the Finnish public chose as their representative Lordi, a
heavy music band consisting of five members, and their song Hard Rock
Hallelujah.
Tomi Metsäketo, a popular Finnish classical singer.
Image Source:
yle.fi
|
After Lordi had been chosen as Finland's entry for the competition,
Finns started once again preparing for another humiliation. There was a
lot of speculation in the media about whether it would be proper that a
heavy band dressed in monster costumes would represent Finland (Pajala
367). The band was also repeatedly accused of satanism, although the band
members denied all accusations (Murtomäki 228).
Finland has always been very interested in what other countries think
of it, perhaps due to the fact that it is a small country. It has been
important for Finland that its entries have presented the country in the
right way (Muurinen, Euroviisut 4). Lordi did not quite seem to fit that
profile. Finland's entries have often been quite conservative. Even in the
2006 national selection, which Lordi eventually won, a popular Finnish
classical singer, Tomi Metsäketo, received the second largest number of
votes2. Sending the shocking Lordi to
Athens seemed like a big risk.
Lordi celebrating its victory in Athens.
Image Source: BBC World
| |
A few weeks before the competition in Athens, The International
Herald Tribune published an article on Finland: a nation which had
been traumatised by its lack of success in the Eurovision Song Contest and
which was ashamed of its new contestant, the ugly and horned Lordi. The
article sparked the interest of the international media; as a result,
Lordi was the competitor which attracted the most attention during the
week before the competition. As a result it became one of the favourites
to win the competition (Murtomäki 229).
Lordi became the first Finnish entry to make it to the Eurovision final
after the contest had been split into two days. Lordi, monster costumes
and hard rock seemed to capture a general European frustration with the
dullness of previous contests. Many people throughout Europe had grown
tired of the competition years ago; all over Europe the Finnish monsters
were suddenly viewed as a protest candidate (Murtomäki 229). Lordi was to
win the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with a record-breaking score of 292
points3.
How Did Finns React to Finland's First Eurovision Win?
According to Finnpanel, a Finnish company which measures TV ratings in
Finland, 1.5 million Finns watched the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest when
Lordi won (Muurinen, Euroviisut 13). The number is quite large compared to
Finland's population4. After Lordi had
won, Finland started celebrating. Finns drove around playing Lordi with
their car windows open (Ahlroth 183) and celebrated on the streets. The
Finnish media covered the victory extensively; the reactions of the
Finnish people were ecstatic. The curse of 45 years had finally been
lifted (Murtomäki 229).
Overnight Lordi became the nation's favourite; the celebration seemed
to bring people together. Radio stations played Hard Rock
Hallelujah continuously; it was impossible to avoid hearing it in the
months following the victory. On the Friday following the victory, a
celebration was organised in honour of Lordi in the centre of Helsinki.
The event is still the largest public event held in Helsinki to date: in
addition to the 90,000 people attending, over a million Finns watched it
live on television (Muurinen, Euroviisut 13). It was even bigger than the
celebration organised for the Finnish ice hockey team in 1995 (Murtomäki
232), when Finland
won the Ice Hockey World Championship.
|
Olvi's Lordi-Cola (left) and Lordi Cola Light with a
'lighter'-coloured cap and label border.
Image Source: El
Templo del Mal Gusto
|
Even Finnish dignitaries acknowledged Lordi's victory. The Finnish
president, Tarja Halonen, presented the band with an award on behalf of
the Association for Finnish Work; Finland's former Prime Minister Paavo
Lipponen suggested that a commemorative coin should be issued in honour of
Lordi (Murtomäki 232); and then-current Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, the
Prime Minister posed with the monsters and said that they were an
inspiration for many (Ahlroth 183).
After its success in Athens, all the accusations which had been made
against the band were forgot, and leading political figures were eager to
be associated with Lordi (Pajala 367). The band also became a brand: their
picture appeared on debit cards, and a Finnish beverage company, Olvi,
even started making Lordi Cola (Loivamaa 110).
Finns defended the band vigorously against the press. The monster
costumes and masks are an essential part of Lordi's image and the band
members never appear in the media without them. After the victory, Mr.
Lordi, the frontman of the band, asked the media to respect the image of
the band and not to publish pictures of the band members without their
masks but when the tabloid magazine 7 Päivää [7 Days] published the
pictures nevertheless, Finns stood up for their beloved monsters. In only
a few days, over 200,000 people singed a petition against the magazine and
some people went as far as cancelling their subscriptions. In the end,
7 Päivää, along with another magazine which had also published
pictures of the band members without their masks, had to issue a public
apology (Murtomäki 232-233).
What Were the Reasons Behind the Strong Reactions?
The Finnish people had been waiting for their first Eurovision victory
for 45 years. Their reactions were strong because of the long-awaited
victory, but there were also other reasons.
While the possibility that Finland would succeed in the Eurovision Song
Contest had seemed unlikely throughout the years, Finns also always held
out hope for success; as a result of this contradiction, the Finnish
Eurovision experience has been dominantly disappointing (Pajala 88-89).
High hopes have continually changed into bitter disappointments. When
Finland has not succeeded, Finns have often been ashamed of their entries
and felt that their representatives were making a fool of the nation in
front of the whole of Europe.
This is quite different from the attitudes, for example, in Sweden,
where people are usually proud of their representatives despite the
results. For instance, in 2007, the Swedish media blamed the Finnish
Broadcasting Company for Sweden's poor success in the Eurovision Song
Contest, instead of blaming their own representative (Euroviisut).
According to them, Sweden's performance was ruined by the camera work, and
in addition, the small revolving stage did not revolve at the right time
(Euroviisut). However, in 2006, Finns' high hopes were for the first time
rewarded with victory and the shame and disappointment changed into
national pride.
The Finnish media coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest has
emphasised Finland's lack of success. The media has thus ignored the
entries which have succeeded reasonably well. In fact, from the 1980s
onwards, Finland's record-breaking lack of success has been seen as an
achievement in itself; the phrase "Finland, zero points" has become a
common saying among Finns (Pajala 95, 97-99). (However, despite the way
the Finnish media discusses the Eurovision Song Contest, Finland is not
the country, which has finished at the bottom the most times: Norway holds
that record.) The entire history of negative coverage of the Finnish media
toward Finland's Eurovision prospects made Lordi's victory seem almost
miraculous to the Finnish people, which might also explain their strong
reactions.
Finns have always wanted to find explanations for their poor success in
the Eurovision Song Contest. One of the explanations which has been
brought up continuously through out the years is Finns. fondness for
melancholy. Finns have also been concerned about how Finland is perceived
abroad; the melancholic songs have been criticised because it was thought
that they were so 'Finnish' that they would not be able to succeed (Pajala
319).
Finns were especially excited about the fact that almost all countries
awarded points to Hard Rock Hallelujah; only Albania, Armenia and Monaco
did not give any points to Finland. For once the Finnish people felt as
if they belonged (Muurinen, Euroviisut 37; Pajanen 366).
Hard Rock Hallelujah was not only the first Finnish Eurovision
winner, but it was also probably the first Finnish Eurovision entry which
had not been affected by the pressure to succeed (Muurinen, Euroviisut
42). Neither Lordi nor Hard Rock Hallelujah had been created for
the competition (Muurinen, Euroviisut 42). But all the past negativity
changed when Lordi won. In addition to winning, Finns now felt accepted by
Europe, and felt a new sense of national pride as well as pride in their
musical representative.
Lordi's influence on the Eurovision Song Contest
Finland's Eurovision victory was described as historic for two reasons.
Firstly, it proved wrong the assumption according to which Finland could
not win the Eurovision Song Contest. Secondly, it was described as a
turning point in the history of the whole competition. It was thought that
Lordi's win would open doors to new music styles and change the show for
the better.
As a result of the contest rules, songs tended to be similar to one
another. The length of a song entering the competition could not exceed
three minutes and only six people could appear on stage during the
performance5. The entries often followed
song structures that were typical of pop music, and even before Lordi,
rock music had been fairly successful in the competition. While Mr.
Lordi's singing style was different from anything that had been heard
before in the competition, in terms of song structure Hard Rock
Hallelujah was not so different. Lordi did not abandon the conventions
of the Eurovision Song Contest completely; they just interpreted them in a
new way (Pajala 364-365).
Mr. Lordi himself has said that they were the wrong band at the wrong
place, but at the right time (Eurovision). They were not the typical
choice for the Eurovision Song Contest, but they happened to be exactly
what the competition needed at the time. Even though the Contest did not
turn into a competition for heavy music after Lordi's win, there have been
considerable changes. Thanks to Lordi, participating countries in the
fossilised song contest institution now realised that their musical
numbers could express variety in spite of being restricted to three
minutes and six performers. As a result, the number of different musical
styles in the 2007 Helsinki competition was higher than ever before
(Muurinen, Todo 80).
Lordi was responsible for many of the changes that the Eurovision Song
Contest has undergone during recent years. The band's success opened the
contest to further change already in the following year. The 2007 Helsinki
winner, Serbia's Molitva [Prayer], was also influential. It was
called "the victory of music"; it has encouraged countries to select songs
which can be taken seriously even outside the Eurovision context (Latva,
Muistathan: Eurovision). During the last few years, the competition has
managed to produce winners which have become big hits in Europe and have
not appealed only to the Eurovision fans, such as Norway's
Fairytale in 2009 and Germany's Satellite in 2010.
Organising the Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki 2007
As the result of Lordi's Eurovision win, Finland automatically had the
honour and responsibility to organise the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007.
Helsinki, the capital of Finland, was chosen from among seven candidates
as the host city. The other candidates were Espoo, Lahti, Kittilä,
Rovaniemi, Tampere and Turku. Hartwall Arena was chosen as the venue where
the competition would be staged. A Finnish presenter, Jaana Pelkonen, and
a Finnish actor, Mikko Lempilampi, were chosen as the hosts of the show;
Krisse Salminen, a Finnish comedienne, co-hosted the contest with them.
The executive producer of the Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki,
Heikki Seppälä, has said that it was clear to him from the start that
failure was not an option with this project, especially considering the
way the Finland's unsuccessfulness had been emphasised. He knew everything
had to be as perfect as possible, since the Eurovision Song Contest is
such a sensitive subject in Finland (Eurovision).
During the year following Lordi's Eurovision victory, many Finns were
worried whether Yle would be able to organise the competition. Perhaps
because of their Eurovision trauma, they were afraid that the show would
be a failure and that they would once again have to feel ashamed. Finns'
interest in the competition had increased after the contest in 2006, and
this put extra pressure on the organisers (Levänen 52). In addition, the
event was a big investment for Yle, since organising the Eurovision Song
Contest costs over 10 million euros (Rytsä).
The organisers received a lot of criticism; they felt that situation
was strange in a way that the general assumption was that they would not
succeed in organising the event, although that thought had never entered
the minds of the organisers (Eurovision). According to the associate
producer of the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest, Heidi Kokki, the organisers
had some problems, such as logistics and funding, but that is the case
with all productions; in the end the organizers were able to solve all the
issues (Eurovision).
In the spring of 2007, it became clear that organising the event was
taken very seriously by the city of Helsinki (Keskinen 21). According to
the organisers, there were 350 side events held in Helsinki related to the
Eurovision Song Contest (Keskinen 14). The events included, for example,
the Eurovision Village in central Helsinki, Ourvision Song Contest and a
Helsinki Party. Those who did not have tickets to Hartwall Arena could
watch the show from a big screen at Senate Square. There were more side
events in Helsinki than there had ever been in previous host cities
(Keskinen 14). On 12 May 2007, around 100 to 120 million people worldwide
followed the competition live on television (Keskinen 14). Despite Finns'
doubts, the event was a success. It has even been described as the best
Eurovision Song Contest of all time (Eurovision).
The results of the competition did, however, cause controversy in
Western Europe. Many Eastern European countries were successful, and
Western European countries accused the Eastern countries of voting only
for each other. Finland's representative Hanna Pakarinen had to settle for
17th place in the competition, but Finns were nevertheless proud of the
event. The visitors to the contest were happy and proud that Finland had
the chance to show the world what it could do (Levänen 51). The Eurovision
Song Contest in Helsinki was as an event important to the self-esteem of
Finns as well as their feeling of national pride (Levänen 52).
The Eurovision Song Contest was seen as a good opportunity for Helsinki
to promote itself and improve its image internationally. The competition
receives different amounts of attention in the different countries, but
since all countries focus on their own representatives and the results,
the host city is usually not covered very extensively in the media
(Pelkonen 110-111).
Comments in the international press varied from country to country, but
where there was coverage it was mainly favourable. In Germany's media,
for example, Helsinki was described as a city of sauna, high culture,
vodka and heavy music; whereas in Sweden, Helsinki was said to be a
beautiful and timeless city (Pelkonen 113). Helsinki was also described as
an expensive city, but otherwise the descriptions were mainly positive
(Pelkonen 114). Otherwise Helsinki did not receive very much attention in
the international media; it might be that the visitors to Helsinki during
the Eurovision week promoted the city better than the international media,
for example by telling about their experiences.
The Finnishness of the Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki
Finns are quite particular about their image and the way they are
perceived outside Finland. The 2007 Helsinki Song Contest combined both
traditional and modern elements related to Finns.
True Fantasy was chosen as the theme of the contest. Dog Design,
a Finnish design agency, was responsible for the visual design of the
competition. Their "aim was to create a colourful festival ambiance with
the help of modern and fresh Finnish design approach" (Dog Design). The
design included colourful kaleidoscope patterns. The stage was inspired by
the traditional Finnish instrument, the kantele, and the shape
mimiced a pike's jawbone (Euroviisu-Areenalle; Eurovision Song Contest
2007 Final). New Finnish technology could also be seen in Hartwall Arena:
a fogscreen6, which is a video screen
through which people can walk, was used during the final (Keskinen 20).
|
The bright and colourful logo of the Helsinki Eurovision Song Contest
by Dog Design.
Image Source:
Eurovision.tv
|
The opening act and the interval act of the semi-final included, for
example, traditional and modern dancing; traditional Finnish music;
beatboxing, which means imitating the sounds of a drum machine using one's
lips, mouth, tongue and voice; and elements from the Kalevala, the
national epic of Finland. Mikko Leppilampi actually introduced the
interval act by saying "let's see how modern a tradition can be"
(Eurovision Song Contest Helsinki).
The final opened with a video, which combined Lapland's mystique with
Lordi's monsters, after which Lordi performed Hard Rock Hallelujah.
The interval act was the Finnish cello rock band, Apocalyptica. The
Finnish Joulupukki [Santa Claus], who according to Finnish mythology lives in
Korvatunturi in Northern Finland, had come to open the televoting;
the countdown which marked the end of the televoting was conducted in
Finnish (Eurovision Song Contest Helsinki).
The Finnish audience was polite and applauded every contestant, but the
audience was also quieter than the audiences in other countries have been
in the past (Ahlroth). This coincides with the stereotype of the reserved
and quiet Finns. Actually, even the way in which Finns doubted whether Yle
would be able to organise the contest could seen as something very
Finnish.
How were Finland and Finns presented in the Helsinki Eurovision Song
Contest?
The Eurovision Song Contest offers many opportunities for the host
country to showcase itself to the international audience. Postcards are
perhaps the best chance for this. They are short videos of around 30
seconds, which are shown between the performances of the competitors.
During the Helsinki Contest , 52 postcards were shown, five of which were
made by Yle. A Finnish production company, Tarinatalo, was responsible for
producing the rest (Euroviisujen postikortit).
The organisers wanted the postcards to convey a diverse image of
Finland. According to executive producer Heikki Seppälä, the goal was to
create an image of Finland that was not too serious. They also wanted to
tell stories of Finland as a country of high technology and know-how as
well as a country that appreciates nature (Eurovision 2011).
The postcards were shot throughout the year, because the aim was that
all four seasons of Finland would be represented (Euroviisujen
postikortit).
Many postcards showed traditional Finnish activities such as ice
swimming, tango dancing, skiing, going to sauna, ice hockey and fishing.
More modern Finnish elements such as Nordic walking, snowboarding, text
messaging and playing computer games were also included.
Some postcards also presented exotic Finnish elements, such as swamp
soccer, the Tuska open air metal festival and other curiosities,
as well as Finnish celebrities, for instance the famous orchestra
conductor Sakari Oramo. One postcard even showed Santa Claus and
Moominmamma, a famous character from the Finnish Moomin series, playing
chess together in the Moomin house (Eurovision Song Contest Helsinki).
The postcards were quite funny. They combined traditional and modern
Finland, modern technology and nature and they presented things that are
typical to Finland and Finns, but they did it with a twist. One postcard
shows a businesswoman coming out of a summer cottage, walking to a shore
of a lake and jumping onto her jet ski, driving her jet ski to work and
walking straight into a skyscraper (Eurovision Song Contest Helsinki). The
businesswoman could be seen as representing equality between men and
women, which is often seen as typical to Finland. The video might also
describe the way even modern Finns appreciate nature.
The postcards were also self-ironic; the people on the videos were
ordinary Finnish people of all ages. Romance and family are also themes
that are present in many of the postcards. One postcard tells a story in
which a young man proposes to his girlfriend by sending her a text
message. After a moment, the man receives a text message in reply; judging
by the smile on his face, his girlfriend has accepted his proposal. Next
the girlfriend touches the man's shoulder and the camera moves to reveal
that the two have been sitting next to each other the whole time
(Eurovision Song Contest Helsinki). This postcard taps into the stereotype
of the quiet Finns in a modern way. The man in the video chooses to send a
text message to his girlfriend instead of proposing to her out loud.
Finns are represented as utilising modern technology in addition to
being outdoor enthusiasts. The Finnish scenery also plays a big part in
many of the postcards. The Finnish language, on the other hand, was not
emphasised when compared to, for example, the postcards of the 2009
Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow, which introduced Russian vocabulary and
phrases.
The visitors to the rehearsal of the final, who were interviewed, were
pleased with the postcards and felt that they represented Finland
successfully. The videos were especially praised for their modern themes,
which had been chosen with tongue in cheek (Levänen 51).
Finnish elements were clearly visible in the Eurovision Song Contest in
Helsinki. But the postcards did not settle just for reproducing Finnish
stereotypes, such as Finns as quiet and reserved outdoor enthusiasts;
instead the stereotypes were combined with modern 'Finnishness' in often
humorous ways. They were successful in representing Finland and Finns in
varied ways without being too serious, which was exactly the aim of the
organisers.
The Eurovision Win as an Important Cultural Event for Finland
Finland has taken part in the Eurovision Song Contest since the early
years of the competition. Although many of the Finnish entries have become
hits in Finland, they have not been successful in the competition itself.
The lack of success has resulted in a Eurovision trauma. When Lordi
surprised everyone and won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006, it seemed
as if the celebration would never end. Finns celebrated together as a
nation and even Finnish politicians awarded the band.
The victory was especially important to Finns, because they had been
waiting for it for 45 years. In addition, it proved wrong the general
assumption according to which winning would never be possible for Finland.
Finns also now felt accepted by the whole of Europe.
Lordi was the change that the Eurovision Song Contest needed. As a
result, the number of different musical styles presented in the
competition is now more diverse than ever before, and the songs have once
again begun to appeal to a wider audience instead of being popular only
inside the Eurovision genre. Only time will tell how the competition will
develop in the future, but Lordi will be looked back on as one of the acts
who changed the Contest.
The Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki in 2007 included a lot of
Finnish elements, for example traditional dancing, Finnish design and
Finnish technology. The postcards were perhaps the best opportunity to
present the host country; the main theme of the postcards seemed to be the
combination of traditional and modern Finland. Most importantly, the event
turned out to be a success despite the initial doubts.
All in all, both the Eurovision victory and the organisation of the
2007 Helsinki Eurovision Song Contest were a memorable experience which
continue to be a great source of pride for many Finns. It was especially
important to the self-confidence of Finns; they now know that winning is
possible, even if they may have to wait another 45 years for their next
victory.
- One must remember, however, that the scores are not directly
comparable between years, since the number of countries taking part has
increased over the years and the voting system has also undergone several
changes.
- Lordi's Hard Rock Hallelujah received 67,369 votes; Tomi
Metsäketo's Eternamente Maria received 45,431 votes (Latva,
Muistathan: Suomen).
- Lordi's record was broken by Norway's winning entry in 2009.
Alexander Rybak's Fairytale received 387 points (Norway).
- Finland's population was 5,351,427 at the end of 2009 (Population).
- The official rules of the Eurovision Song Contest are very
detailed and they have changed numerous times over the years.
- More information on the fogscreen can be found at FogScreen.
Works Cited
- Ahlroth, Jussi. Mie oon Lordi. Helsinki: Johnny Kniga
Publishing, 2006.
- - - - .
Suomalaisyleisö oli kohteliasta. 14 May 2007. Helsingin
Sanomat.
- Dog Design. Eurovision
Song Contest 2007. Viewed 14 March 2011. [The DogDesign page was coded
in Flash and did not allow an individual page URL. A screenshot of the
page cited is here.]
-
Euroviisu-Areenalle tulee hauen leuka. 25 April 2007. Helsingin
Sanomat.
-
Euroviisujen postikortit kertovat tarinoita suomalaisista. 8
May 2007. Helsingin Sanomat.
-
Euroviisut kuolivat Helsingissä. 15 May 2007.
Ulkoasiainministeriö.
- Eurovision 2011: Suomi parrasvaloissa. Dir. Rami Lindholm. Yle,
2011. Viewed 21 February 2011.
-
Eurovision Song Contest 2007 Final. European Broadcasting
Union. Viewed 16 March 2011.
- Eurovision Song Contest Helsinki 2007. DVD. EBU, 2007.
- Keskinen, Vesa. Asukasmielipiteet Helsingin Eurovision
laulukilpailusta. Täydet pisteet: Eurovision laulukilpailut
Helsingissä 2007. Ed. Vesa Keskinen. Helsinki: Helsingin kaupungin
tietokeskus, 2008.
- Latva, Tony.
Muistathan: Eurovision laulukilpailu 2007. 23 May 2010.
Viisukuppila.
- - - - . Muistathan:
Suomen karsinnat 2006. 19 March 2011. Viisukuppila.
- Levänen, Hanna. Elämyksellisyyden kokeminen Euroviisuissa.
Täydet pisteet: Eurovision laulukilpailut Helsingissä 2007. Ed.
Vesa Keskinen. Helsinki: Helsingin kaupungin tietokeskus, 2008.
- Loivamaa, Ismo, and Juha Seitajärvi. Euroviisutriviaa vuosi
vuodelta. Helsinki: Helmi Kustannus, 2007.
- Murtomäki, Asko. Finland 12 points! Suomen euroviisut.
Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Teos, 2007.
- Muurinen, Anna. Euroviisut: Kisastudion käsikirja. Helsinki:
Kustannusosakeyhtiö Nemo, 2007.
- - - - . Todo esto es la música - tämä kaikki on musiikkia.
Täydet pisteet: Eurovision laulukilpailut Helsingissä 2007. Ed.
Vesa Keskinen. Helsinki: Helsingin kaupungin tietokeskus, 2008.
-
Norway 2009. European Broadcasting Union. Viewed 16 March 2011.
- O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest 50 Years the
Official History. London: Carlton Books Limited, 2005.
- Pajala, Mari. Erot järjestykseen! Eurovision laulukilpailu,
kansallisuus ja televisionhistoria. Jyväskylä: Nykykulttuurin
tutkimuskeskus, 2006.
- Pelkonen, Antti. Euroviisu-Helsinki kansainvälisessä
mediassa. Täydet pisteet: Eurovision laulukilpailut Helsingissä
2007. Ed. Vesa Keskinen. Helsinki: Helsingin kaupungin tietokeskus,
2008.
- Population. 25 March 2010. Statistics Finland.
- Rytsä, Paavo. Suomi
sekaisin voitosta. 8 September 2006. Elävä arkisto, Yle.
