Eurovision’s Greatest Hits: Wiwi Jury Reviews Nicole With “Ein Bisschen Frieden”

Eurovision’s Greatest Hits takes place in London on 31 March. The one-off concert will see a host of past Eurovision stars take to the stage to mark 60 years of the contest. While the show itself will be purely celebratory, we’ve decided to add a little competition to proceedings by ranking and reviewing all 19 Eurovision entries sung by the 15 confirmed acts. Today the Wiwi Jury— our in-house panel of musical unprofessionals — land in the British town of Harrowgate. The year is 1982 and Germany’s Nicole has charmed her way to victory with “Ein Bisschen Frieden”. Do we still appreciate “A Little Peace”? Read on to find out…

https://youtu.be/vHNIsldGnFo

Angus: This is all about that voice. Nicole’s dulcet tones are everything in this performance. Of course this has aged over the past thirty odd years, but the softness and sweetness is as fresh as if 1982 was yesterday.

Score: 7/10

Josh: Look, the song was good at the time, and it’s still okay to listen to. But “Ein Bisschen Frieden” needs to be placed in the Eurovision archives and never pulled out again. It’s pretty repetitive and gets boring quite quickly, but Nicole’s voice is pleasant. I’d be interested to see how she sounds at the live show, 32 years later.

Score: 5.5/10

Judit: This is beautiful and pure. Nicole was perfect to sing it. A soundtrack for thinking about life or fond memories.

Score: 9/10

Anthony: Before Lena Meyer-Landrut came along in 2010, Nicole was Germany’s girl! One of Ralph Siegel’s finest moments as a Eurovision composer, this pop ballad has a slight American twang to it. The song is entirely in German and innocently sweet. And Nicole looked cute back then! I’m pretty pleased that it’s one of the very few non-UK Eurovision entries to reach number one in the British singles chart.

Score: 8/10

Liam: This would be dated if entered today. But, in 1982 it was the most deserving song. It’s something I could play while going through every day life. I won’t be expecting this in the clubs, but it is a good song.

Score: 8.5/10

Inaki: Oh!!! I was only two and Ralph Siegel was already there. Sweet song with very good vocals,and a peaceful message. Boring if you look at it from a 2015 perspective, but very much in tune with the taste of the early 80s. The song in general sounds more Mediterranean than German.

Score: 7.5/10

Mikhail: Such a lovely song. I just want to relax as I listen. Guitar tunes sound really good and Nicole’s voice is so sweet. It all creates a wonderful atmosphere.

Score: 9/10

Ramadan: I honestly cannot stand the German language, but this is brilliant. Excellent song and a deserved winner in such a poor year. This is a true classic Eurovision winner. I just love every bit of it.

Score: 10/10

Patrick: It’s still unbelievable that she sang the song, and won just after the Falkland-war started. I think it was probably the message that helped Nicole to victory. “Ein bisschen Frieden” is still played on the radio and I still like it! I think the best song won that year.

Score: 8/10

William: Instantly catchy and ultimately memorable, “Ein Bisschen Frieden” is timeless. It’s filled with youthful optimism, but her voice (and the lyrics) show flashes of vulnerability that prevent it from becoming cringe: “I know my songs won’t help very much, I’m just a girl who says what she feels.” Europe felt it and so do I. The difficulties of her day — the Cold War, a divided Europe, the escalation of nuclear arms — have largedly passed. Yet the song remains pertinent and moving.

Score: 9/10

All 18 members of our jury rate each song. However, we only have room to share 10 written reviews. Here are the remaining eight scores.

Chris: 9.5/10

Denise: 5/10

James: 7/10

Kristín: 8/10

Padraig: 8.5/10

Robyn: 5/10

Sami: 8.5/10

Sopon: 5.5/10

The highest and lowest scores are removed before calculating the final score. We have dropped a low of 5 and a high of 10.

THE WIWI JURY VERDICT: 7.72/10

SEE THE LATEST EUROVISION’S GREATEST HITS REVIEWS AND RANKINGS

YOU CAN READ ALL OF OUR 60TH ANNIVERSARY NEWS HERE.