The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — have been reviewing and scoring the winners, runners-up and third placers at Eurovision between the years 2010 to 2019. With only one song left to be reviewed, we’re about to find out the decade’s winner as we return to Sweden. Will Eleni Foureira hold on to the victory or will Loreen‘s “Euphoria” grab the crown?
It all started with Melodifestivalen 2011, where Loreen competed with her dance banger “My Heart is Refusing Me”. She was cruelly robbed in the andra chasen round of the competition but went on to enjoy top-ten success in Sweden nonetheless. Well, thank goodness this didn’t knock her back, because 12 months later she was back with “Euphoria”, another upbeat song packed with emotion and intimacy despite being a dance track.
As we all know, Loreen won in an absolute landslide. However, we don’t even need to question the longevity of this song. Number one in multiple countries, the winner of the ESC 250 competition seven years running, a Euroclub staple: “Euphoria” will be famous for many decades to come. Question is, with “Fuego” on the scene, is Loreen still number one over the decade? Let’s find out…
Loreen – “Euphoria”
“Euphoria” reviews
Pablo: There’s very little to say about Loreen and “Euphoria” that has not been said before. Being the first Eurovision I watched live, I didn’t see this for the milestone that it was back then, but now, it’s clear as day she was there to make it happen. This is ethereal, magical and the peak of Sweden’s Eurovision ambitions post-ABBA. Loreen is one for the books and years to come.
Score: 10/10
Sebastian: When I hear “Euphoria” blaring out of a karaoke room in Sydney at the wee hours of the morning, it says everything about this Sweden-pop track. It’s the song that defined this decade’s sound at Eurovision, and brought the contest roaring back straight into the charts worldwide. “Euphoria” can’t be defined by a simple score — it’s an anthem that will define a generation, in the same way that ABBA did in the ’70s, and Katrina and the Waves did in the ’90s.
Score: 10/10
Deban: Loreen’s brazen performance of “Euphoria” transcends borders. When singing this dance-pop classic, she executes flawless choreography whilst stretching her voice in perfect synchronicity. There is no doubt that her delivery adds magic. But despite this, “Euphoria” has all the makings of a perfect pop song. Seven years on, and covered by anybody and everybody, this Eurovision hit never gets tired… and Loreen deserves credit for using this hit tune as a gateway to creating many more gems.
Score: 9/10
Edd: Although we may be tired of “Euphoria” being cited time and time again as the best Eurovision song ever, the truth is that it just is. You are taken on an emotional journey through the songs peaks and troughs, and when that killer beat comes in you just cannot help but dance. I further believe that Loreen has one of the most beautiful and captivating voices in this world, and along with her beauty and striking stage performance, this more than just a pop banger; this is artistry. A flawless three minutes that still gives me goosebumps.
Score: 10/10
Steinunn: “Euphoria” became a legend even before it entered the actual Eurovision stage. Usually I don’t like it when one song is predicted to triumph with such an advantage like in the case of “Euphoria”, but it was just so obvious that this would win over Europe. Back in 2012 it was an amazing pop-dance song and it just shows how timeless it is that seven years later it still is a relevant pop banger. Something you surely can’t say about a lot of songs that were released in the early 2010s. All in all, it is a classic pop song that will never stop being considered one of the best Eurovision songs in history.
Score: 10/10
Tom: Timeless is the best word to describe this Eurovision classic. If “Euphoria” was released this year, the result will be the same. Whenever anyone who doesn’t like or doesn’t know anything about the contest, I show them this song — it has everything. The mesmerising voice, the pulsating beat, the catchy chorus, the beautiful woman and the best drop that gets even the biggest “Euro-sceptics” dancing. It’s Eurovision perfection.
Score: 10/10
In the Wiwi Jury we have 24 jurors but only have room for six reviews. The remaining scores are below:
William: 9.5/10
Antranig: 9.5/10 Robyn: 9.5/10 Angus: 10/10 Lucy: 8.5/10 Jonathan: 10/10 Bernardo: 10/10 Calvin: 10/10 Luis: 9/10 |
Oliver: 8.5/10
Kristin: 9/10 Lukas: 10/10 Barnabas: 7/10 Florian: 10/10 Natalie: 10/10 Julian: 10/10 Katie: 10/10 Charlotte: 8.5/10 |
We have removed the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. This is to remove outliers and potential bias. We have removed a low of 7 and a high of 10.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 9.59/10
What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!
Euphoria is timeless song so it is definetly one of the best songs!
No one said that Sweden was the winner that year, people said Loreen won. People still say Loreen won which defines what impact the song had on Europe, she was not bound to a nation, she was the voice of Eurovision. That is what I love about artists that make epic songs…
Delusional?
The best song EEEEEVEER. 10/10
OMG, today I had to listen to YUUUUUFFOOOOOOOOORIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH in my lunch break. My poor ears 🙁
A proud owner of a signed copy of her album, I have to admit: at first I didn’t like it so much. But later on, I was convinced; hence buying the signed cd.
However, songs like Shady Lady, Fuego and Spirit In The Sky should be above this song. Shady Lady because Ani Lorak had a better voice, Fuego because it wanted you to enjoy the contest, and Spirit In The Sky because it’s both full of brilliant voices AND doesn’t get out of your head. But that’s just my opinion.
I loved this song in 2012. But when judging it by the unique and original factors, it’s not the most daring and original song this decade. I can only call it “solid”.
well u can’t really say anything negative bout it
Very predictable score.
Great song but also one of the most overrated song ever. The best since 2010? Never. It’s amazing but nowhere near the best ever. No no no
And you are the Swedish racist supramicist. Delusional? Yes, of course, you! I guess you should migrate to Hungary or Russia where your racist views would be much more appreciated…
This song did not age too well. For me. I don’t listen to this song at all.
It didn’t have serious competition in 2012, which was a song contest full of terrible songs. Its win paved the way to more interesting and compelling songs for sure. But Euphoria on its own is just a club track à la 1999, with a very loud chorus, a Kate Bush-ish staging.
1999 ? the production sounds very 2012 to me. what were u even listening to in the 90s lmao
And you are the Swedish racist supramicist. Delusional? Yes, of course, you! I guess you should migrate to Hungary or Russia
Her vocals were not good in the verses
This song and the proud nation of which it hails from, allowed the song contest to evolve so much more than what the vast majority of people thought was possible. This song and Loreen’s performance transcended the standard ESC fare and became something global. From 2012, the face of Eurovision changed forever.
“Euphoria” is the song that put Eurovision back on the international popular culture map, watching the first live performance in Melfest 1st semi I knew Loreen was a strong contender to win Eurovision and in the build-up to Baku 2012 I told everyone in sight Sweden were gonna win and while it was obvious but a record number of 18 sets of 12 points… wowzer! the Trance floorfiller was always gonna be a global hit and is still often played in nightclubs and parties to this day, was also the highest charting Eurovision entry in UK since Katrina & The… Read more »
Those are some good picks!
Mine are: ’10 Lena, ’11 Dino/Lena again ’12 Rona Nishlu/Rambo Amadeus (don’t judge me), ’13 Anouk, ’14 Common Linnets, ’15 Aminata, ’16 Jamala (but Nika Kocharov is a very very strong runner-up), ’17 Blanche/Joci Papai, ’18 Claudia Pascoal/AWS/MM, ’19 Duncan (the “slashes” change from day to day)
Can we please get a Spotify playlist based on this ranking?
In case somebody’s interested, here’s the ranking of how the reviewed songs’ ratings differ from their original Wiwi Jury scores: 1. NET 2014 +3.47 (4.44 -> 7.91) 2. CYP 2018 +1.48 (7.61 -> 9.09) 3. AUT 2014 +1.19 (7.31 -> 8.50) 4. POR 2017 +1.17 (6.56 -> 7.73) 5. RUS 2015 +0.64 (7.06 -> 7.70) 6. MOL 2017 +0.56 (6.67 -> 7.23) 7. SER 2012 +0.45 (7.25 -> 7.70) 8. ITA 2015 +0.44 (7.31 -> 7.75) 9. RUS 2012 +0.42 (5.63 -> 6.06) 10. SWE 2012 +0.34 (9.25 -> 9.59) 11. AUS 2016 +0.22 (7.92 -> 8.14) 12. UKR 2016… Read more »
It’s so loved that I almost want to dislike this song, yet I can’t – it’s just really really good. I don’t know if I would call it a masterpiece, but it’s definitely something more than your typical pop track – it’s not only catchy, memorable, slick and anthemic – it’s meaningful, it’s ethereal, it a spiritual experience. I think saying that it’s “Euphoria” that completely changed the contest back then is a bit of an underappreciation for what Alexander and Lena did before Loreen won in Baku, but it certainly was an important winner for Eurovision, and a chart… Read more »
We really agree more than disagree, Tibor.
2012: Loreen, but I absolutely loved Nina too
2013: Back then, Emmelie. Nowadays, possibly Anouk (I want to rewatch this year)
2014: The Common Linnets
2015: Morland and Debra, but Maraaya would be top 5
2016: Like I told you before, each day I would pick a different one (today’s flavor would be Iveta), but Nina had my favorite studio version.
2017: Salvador, but Blanche would be top 3
2018: Madam Monsieur, but Eugent would be the runner-up
2019: Duncan and Mahmood, Conan would get top 5
Was it a weak decade for Denmark? More like an average one – lots of what Danes are best at – safe, pleasant, sing-along kind of songs. It was more consistent than the last one (in terms of quality that is). Nothing either terrible or terrific. There were some highs (Emmelie), there were some lows (Lighthouse X). I can see someone saying it was a great decade, cause there’s nothing to hate there, I can see someone saying it was there absolute worst one, because of how boring it was. I’m in the middle – I really enjoyed ’19, I… Read more »
Now that’s something we agree on – I freaking love “Fra Mols til Skagen” – it’s so simple, calming, atmospheric, by far my winner of 1995. Actually, Denmark didn’t participate between ’67 and ’77, but from the period you mentioned I recommend ’57 (that chemistry, that kiss!), ’59 (very charismatic and expressive singer), ’60 (the umbrella was a cute touch), ’63 (I’m sure you know that one), ’66 (upbeat and jazzy), ’78 (sweetness overload, same with ’80) and ’79 (Tommy Seebach is a Eurovision legend, though his best entry was definitely “Kroller eller ej”, my favourite of 1981).
1995 provided my favorite Danish entry too. I loved that year, I think the dark staging was perfect for so many songs, and maybe that’s why they impressed on me so much. My second favorite Danish entry is probably 1989…completely different…but should’ve won, though.
1989 was so much fun, I can completely understand why it’s your second, I don’t really have a winner in ’89 (because it was SO mediocre) but Denmark would have surely been better than the actual winner. I love “Kroller eller ej” a tiny bit more than “Fra Mols…”, and I guess their entries from ’63 and ’19 complete my top 5. Actually, there’s no Danish entry I strongly dislike (maybe apart from ’97 and ’07, which were on the edge of “funny” and “embarrasing”).
My least favorite is probably 1999 – I don’t actively dislike it, but it’s just so boring. As far as Tommy Seebach’s three, I think 1993 would be my tops. I love a good whistle in a song.
Not that I’m looking for excuses for liking it, because I listen to “Only Teardrops” until today and still works to me, but back then I only watched the final, without knowing a thing about any entry. So probably I missed some things that I would enjoy more if I took some time. For example: I only paid attention to Anouk after reading here many people pointing it as a turning point for the Netherlands. About Denmark’s decade, I agree with Skiwalko, most of the entries were plain average. A positive is that they never tried to redo Emmelie’s. A… Read more »
Still the one to beat in terms of what I would consider a perfect Eurovision performance. Not my favorite song in the contest, not the kind of music I like the most, but a classic on its genre and the entry that pushed Eurovision forward. Every single year we keep seeing dance tracks being hyped, but this one put the bar too high for all of them. It has progression, it has depth and the staging is… well, an everlasting piece of art. When Loreen sang the word “Euphoria” for the 1st time, I knew it was a done deal.
This is it. The big one. The song that set the pace for this decade at Eurovision and re-established Sweden’s status as the Eurovision game-changers. Is it my favorite winner ever? No (still Nocturne). Is it my favorite Swedish entry? No (Waterloo, duh). Is it even my favorite winner this decade? No (Amar pelos dois all the way). But it’s a fantastic dance track, a perfect blend of vocals, staging, and production. Sweden just nailed it in a way countries rarely do at Eurovision, in such a way as to take this EDM track and elevate it to the stratosphere… Read more »
That being said: having looked over the full Wiwi jury rankings, how exactly did Playing with Fire outpace Amar pelos dois, 1944, Grande Amore, AND Calm After the Storm? I love it, but something ain’t right there.
Where can we see the full ranking, Joe?
I’m not Joe, but here you go:
https://wiwibloggs.com/2019/06/30/wiwi-jury-2010s-reviews-rankings/
Thank you, Bean. 🙂 There some things there I wished I hadn’t seen, though. 😀
It’s about how divisive a song is rather than which is better. I also think all those songs are way better but they are all easy to hate for some people (Grande Amore is essentially opera, the Linnets and Salvador require patience and close listening to love, 1944 is very unorthodox and quite political). Playing with Fire is just a solid pop song. Euphoria is also so universally loved because it’s very creative, artsy Europop- who could sniff at that?
My favorite winner is still “Molitva”. Oh Serbia, please become yourself again. But after that, I think no other winner beats “Euphoria” for me. Definitely not since I started watching the contest. I really like a couple of oldies, though. “Making Your Mind Up”, “Love Shine A Light”, “De Troubadour”, or “Un jour, un enfant” to name a few.
All good ones.
Favourite winner ever: “1944” (tho “Dansevise”, “L’oiseau et l’enfant”, “Apres toi” and “A-Ba-Ni-Bi” are not too far behind)
Favourite Swedish entry: “En gang i Stockholm” (so beautiful!), honorable mentions: “Framling”, “If I Were Sorry”, “Nygammal vals”
Favourite winner of the decade: the aforementioned “1944”, “Satellite”, “RLAP”, “APD” and “Euphoria” are amazing just as well)
My favourite Eurovision song until 2016. [9.5/10]
Euphoria alongside Arcade and Amar Pelos Dois are the most deserved winners of this decade.
Amar pelos dois completely undid what euphoria had done for Eurovision. Thankfully Arcade brought it back on track.
The blasphemy in your comment is so dope.
I dont know but for me Amar Pelos Dois did great things for esc, making it about real soulful music again.
APD is soulfood
What exactly was that that was undone?
I don’t really understand this comment beyond you saying “I like Euphoria and Arcade but hate Amar Pelos Dois”. If anything Arcade owes thanks to Salvador because it proved slow, meaningful, classic-sounding songs could still win big. (Though there are some vital differences like Arcade being less intimate but more cinematic)
I think the best thing you can say about “Euphoria” is that even those who don’t like it particularly (me amongst them), still acknowledge the quality of the entry and still end up putting it in their top ten of that year.
Sidenote: 2012, like 2009, was an incredible year in terms of song-quality. Can’t understate the achievement of both winners winning as comfortably as they did.
Euphoria won televoting by only 11 points though.
Other songs have won televoting more comfortably this decade and with bigger scores.
I love Euphoria and deserved to win but it had some competition which is good
I feel like I’m alone in saying 2012 wasn’t that good besides the heavy hitters. Besides Euphoria, there are only a few other entries I listen to regularly (Albania, UK, Russia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Denmark, Estonia, Serbia, North Macedonia, OK I think I’m starting to see your point)
This is true. Worth comparing to other years in the 2010s, I suppose. Heavy(ish) rotation by year (aka songs I’d give an 8/10 or higher): 2010: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey (23) 2011: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom (18) 2012: Albania, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom (19) 2013: Belgium,… Read more »
It would be massively overrated for all the praise it gets except that it actually deserves it. Its victory in 2012 really helped to create a lasting change in the public’s perception of Eurovision to a serious music competition
Euphoria has a dark vibe that ends in an epic hymn. Loreen’s character and dancing is what makes the song standing out as well. It was not my favorite in 2012 (Italy! <3) and I will never get all the hype around it in its fully strength, but this is due to personal music taste, so I'll give this a deserved 9/10
Nina was also my winner in 2012 <3
Yes, she should have. With the song ‘Per sempre’ that I’m going to listen to today. I’ll keep that one for myself. 😉
I think “Per sempre” is the better song, but I don’t think it would have done so well in Baku. It would not have been appreciated and that would have pained me…I was happy with her 9th place. The song I really would have loved to see at the contest was the previous year’s “L’Uomo Che Amava Le Donne” at the contest, but only back when there was an orchestra that could have done it justice.
I should have edited out one of those “at the contest”s.
Bless you! We have the same winner in 2011! And song-wise in 2017 as well. Partly 2019, a little 2013. I can see 2014, 2015 and 2016. I can even see 2010 and 2012, but definitely ONLY Nina.
Me too. But as far as this one goes, I’m afraid I gotta strongly agree with the “others”. 😛
Top five song for me!
(Same winner 2018 btw).
This really seems to become an „everlasting piece of art“, I’m still into the studio version. I wish Mr. G:sson had more „moments like this“ and less mass products. Unfortunately, when it comes to my personal taste, not a single one of the winners that came after her was on the same level in terms of song quality, far from it. Therefore, I don’t think it’s what paved the way for more quality in Eurovision, it’s just what all the others WISH they were in terms of appeal and success. Of course, Loreen contributed greatly to the song’s success. I… Read more »
Obviously, the wiwijury stressed the fact that it is a “banger”. But what makes this song really interesting and indeed outstanding, it’s not that it is a “banger” (actually the rhythmic base is quite standard and nothing special) it’s the fact that it is actually a melodic ballad, disguised as a “banger” for the “banger” addicts.
(BTW Arern’t you guys tired of that terms “banger” and “bops”?…)
Ethereal, timeless, magical, inspiring, and clearly the BEST song of the decade and my favourite of the whole ESC history.
I said this would be number one…. meh
Mic drop.
Uninteresting unflavored generic. Never understood the hype and never will.
Fully agree, this probably the most overrated ESC song there ever was, and it was unfortunately what launched the trend of uninteresting generic pop songs that we got a bunch of every year ever since.