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 — hops aboard the time-machine for their penultimate journey. It’s a short trip to Copenhagen 2014, where a bearded drag queen called Conchita Wurst moved Europe with her ballad “Rise Like A Phoenix”, snagging a rare victory for Austria. She preached a message of acceptance and unity but do we still accept her win almost a year on? Read on to find out…
Anthony: Some say Conchita’s success is all down to the bearded-lady-in-a-dress gimmick, others claim it’s an excuse to laugh in the face of political correctness. All we know is she nailed it vocally on the night. With no fancy props to distract the viewers, all the attention was focused on Conchita herself. The performance started off dark with minimal lighting, before gradually brightening, before the fiery backdrop kicks in to make it really stand out.
Score: 8/10
Josh: All hail the bearded queen! I absolutely adore Conchita Wurst and “Rise Like A Phoenix”. I love how at the last minute, the song became a huge favourite and Conchita brought it, y’all! Vocals – on point. Costume – on point. Staging – on point. Love love love.
Score: 9/10
Angus: This is the most draggedy-winner ever. The only shortcoming, if any, is that “Rise Like A Phoenix” makes like no sense, whatsoever. Fortunately Conchita’s personality, electric performance, nuanced vocal delivery, intimacy in close-ups and soaring cinematic song glossed over the lyrical problems. A song only a drag queen could ever do justice.
Score: 7/10
Kristín: Until the night of the second semi finals in Copenhagen, I was sure that we would go back to Sweden in 2015. But then Conchita entered the stage and blew us all away. That moment was unforgettable! She wasn’t my all time favourite last year, but she surely deserved every single point she got. End of story. Conchita rocked this Bond-esque power ballad and she truly is unstoppable.
Score: 8.5/10
Chris: It’s very difficult to objectively judge “Rise Like a Phoenix”, because as a song it is highly lacking and it is fairly dated for Eurovision. It’s more Bond theme than an Adele ballad. But whereas with the likes of Dima Balan, the song and performer are both found to be lacking, Conchita manages to completely overturn the song’s faults and make it her own. Is it the perfect winner with the perfect song? No, it isn’t – but sometimes, I don’t think it has to be.
Score: 9/10
Mikhail: You may say that Conchita won because of the beard, but it would have never happened if she hadn’t had such an amazing song! “Rise like a Phoenix” has everything. The chorus is stunning and the refrain is really charming. Think about it – Conchita sang with male voice, like a female, which is extremely hard, but she did it amazingly well. And of course the performance was incredible. Those golden wings are fantastic! The song is the bomb!
Score: 10/10
James: It probably wasn’t my winner. But God, was it an important win for Austria and also for the LGBT community. It hasn’t solved world hunger, but it did get everyone’s attention on the night. Hats off to Conchita. I love instrumental ballads in general and the Bond-esque theme really works with her voice. So I can’t really say much more – it has the wonderful song, the beautiful singer and the terrific message. Just great. Great great great.
Score: 8/10
Padraig: The song was pedestrian at best. But the performance – wow! The lighting, the camera angles, the dress, THE BEARD! Everything worked together to create an absolutely unforgettable moment. And of course Conchita’s showmanship helped too! Truly magical. An amazing atmosphere that could even be felt by viewers at home. Even watching on Youtube months later, I still get tingles. But sadly, the song has little impact without the visuals. I always skip when it pops up in shuffle.
Score: 8.5/10
Patrick: I’m a massive fan. It’s not just because Conchita represented my country, the song itself is a masterpiece. When I listen to “Rise Like A Phoenix”, Conchita takes me to another world – full of glitter, sunshine and of course open-mindness. I really think that we have to accept that there are people out there who are different – and that’s good, because when we all open our minds and come together, we’re a big family. That’s why I love Eurovision – everyone has the chance to be themselves. And she rose like a phoenix – that’s for sure. Conchita, we’re proud of you!
Score: 10/10
All 17 members of our jury rate each song. However, we don’t have room to share written reviews from everyone. Here are the remaining eight scores.
Denise: 8.5/10
Judit: 9/10
Liam: 9/10
Ramadan: 4.5/10
Robyn: 8/10
Sami: 7/10
Sopon: 6.5/10
William: 7/10
The highest and lowest scores are removed before calculating the final score. We have dropped a low of 4.5 and a high of 10.
Chris, if this song were sung by anyone else it wouldn’t have even been selected by Austria as the entry, not alone make the final. This is what got those not emerged in the LGBT agenda so upset. Nobody has a problem with Conchita winning if it was viewed as being a deserving entry. The fact that no song like this has won since ABBA modernized the contest made us believe it was purely a win to advance a cause. There was a fear that Eurovision will be hijacked into a gay pride festival. That seems not to be the… Read more »
This is sooo funny. The jury had it ranked 13th of the 36 contestants before the 2014 contest but now it is the top six of all time Eurovision winners (at least the “best of” participants). What happened? Did the song all of the sudden get better? They heard it plenty before the contest so it wasn’t due to “growing on you”. We can spend all day trying to convince ourselves that it was an amazing song but in reality it is just a cause that everyone is embracing.
Can Ramadan explain his (or her) reasons for such a low score ?
Canzone orribile: incredibly ugly both song and voice… …what else?
My personal favourite was “Calm after the storm”. Incidentally, the best song ever at Eurovision. “Rise Like A Phoenix” is a good song resembling the style of James Bond’s music. A bit dated. The reason why it won was the staging. The performance was planned very precisely and in detail. The movement of the camera and the screen behind Conchita made a huge impression. Apart from that, Conchita’s voice – very powerful. I don’t agree with the common oppinion that her “story” and the famous “beard” helped her. On the contrary! People all over Europe are not so tolerant unfortunately.… Read more »
Finland´s message is more natural “be as you are” than Conchita Wurst. So yes thay are unstoppables
The Finnish band is this year unstoppables in Eurovision 2015!
Finnish band unstoppable this year in Eurovision 2015!
@ eugene Chart positions are completely irrelevant. Adele was a major international star with a huge record label behind her promoting a major motion picture soundtrack. Conchita didn’t even have a record company at the time of her victory. And we all know multinational record companies would rather bend over backwards than promote anything related to Eurovision. If they have any sense, they should offer her a contract to sing the next Bond theme. It is about time that franchise starts being a little more inclusive. As I said , I do see a lot of similarities of “Rise like… Read more »
Ranked it like 30th overall that year. Nothing special
@Beccaboo1212 Oh just stop being so childish
Worst Eurovision song EVER! Total piece of crap (seriously)!!!!
0/10
A very good song, backed with a strong message and a breathtaking performance. My personal favorite was the Dutch entry, but Austria was a deserved winner.
Whilst my winner was Israel last year (She was ROBBED!!!), I was rooting for Ukraine and Hungary in the final. Then Conchita won – at first I was dissappointed but then I realised that the song wasn’t that bad after all. It may not have been a winner for me but it was great. Her staging was EXCELLENT though.
The singer of the Finnish entry has a tremendous voice much better than Conchita and the song is also much better than RLTP. Also they are musicians Conchita is not in this at all for the music is a big different
To be honest the Song from Finland is not good but like Conchita Wurst it is about other things not music
To be honest the Song from Finland is bot good but like Conchita Wurst it is about other things bot music
Aina mun pitää is a better song and Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät sing better than Conchita Wurst I think
Somebody tell Angus that “Rise Like A Phoenix” is about homophobia and inequality and the singers refusal to back down. Regarding the song, I have the upmost respect for Conchita and the message she carries and the song was in my top 10 last year before the contest, but , let’s face it, if the song was song by an ordinary woman or man, it wouldn’t have won and the fact that it was representing Austria (an almost certain non-qualifier) it would have probably stated in the semis. The Eurovision audience can be strange sometimes ???? FairPlay to Conchita though,… Read more »
The Finnish Punk band and Conchita Wurst is nearly the same. Love the song from Finland ! They´re unstoppables !
I think the band from Finland is better than Conchita Wurst
Still don’t like it, but I don’t hate it as well.
I think the jury underrated it a bit. For me, “Hard Rock Hallelujah” and “Only Teardrops” are by no means better than “Rise Like A Phoenix”. I pay attention to the song, and the song was a true masterpiece. I love it, it’s classy and the vocal performance was exquisite. It was my #3 last year, so I believe it was a deserved win. For the other two songs I mentioned, I can say that Lordi made an unforgettable performance, but I’m not a fan. And for Denmark’s winner, I believe it is overrated. It is a really catchy tune,… Read more »
Conchita also sings beautifully “live”…I saw and heard her in Manchester in August last year and she really pulled it off…….
fabulous and a deserved winner. No doubt. Hungary should have also made the top three.
@ eugene
“Rise like a phoenix” was actually written for a different project four years prior to the contest which actually makes it older than “Skyfall”. Not that it matters anyway, as it was obviously written after the fashion of older Bond songs like Shirley Bassey’s. Which makes it just perfect for a drag-queen to perform.
For my taste, “Skyfall” is a very dull song for a very bad Bond movie. Of course you could say that this is a matter of personal taste, but when it comes to non-sensical lyrics “Skyfall” definitely wins hands-down.
@ Eugene
*Not Alone * might was big favorite 4 the bookies but i think totally otherwise…
It was top10 song 4 me but definitely was NOT winning one..
Personally i did not expect at all Armenia to win in Copenhagen with that song..
It was good descent one indeed but so much overrated..!
And Aram was not at all sympathetic..!
Anyway..
Most undeserved winner ever, maybe I’m biased but I can’t stand this song xD
Patrick <3
Conchita? 1000/1000. 1 000 000/1 000 000. Because she is perfect.
@Pete: No, I am (still) not a member of Conchita’s team. I am just a huge fan. Conchita’s fans have every right to express themselves here, just like everybody else. You may not care about Conchita, and you may have other musical tastes. So you probably can’t even imagine how many people love Conchita. And no, I won’t stand up for Finland in 2015. There’s a huge difference between the Finnish entry for 2015 and Conchita. Conchita can sing. She has a tremendous voice. Sorry to say, those guys can’t sing. I don’t care, what a contestant looks like. I… Read more »
@Eugene ESC UK
Placing 4th among 37 countries competing can hardly be called “crashing”
I don’t think it is about love and hate, love maybe but not hate. Don’t think people hate Conchita and or the song at all. I think most of people will that Eurovision shall be a song contest as the title E S C stands for. That why I think not all like that history, message, gimmics is the main thing it is about music
when they revealed conchita’s song i totally gagged because it is soooo good. i don’t get what angus mean by lyrical problem tho. i think it’s fine?
Conchita is one of those acts you either love or hate, and people love and hate her with the same intensity. Personally, I do love her and was very happy when she won, but I also share Eugene’s opinion; it wasn’t the best song of the year, however it was the sum of everything, an amazing (and fitting) staging, a powerful message, and yes, why not? the beard, which whether you like it or not, grabs people’s attention. Also, @Anna, the’re reviewing Eurovision’s Greatest Hits, an event that will take place next tuesday, they’ve been reviewing all the participating acts… Read more »
Sorry, it was wrong word .. don´t mean Finland has a gimmic, mean that it´s more about the act than the song .. to be different, as you are. The message behind
Finland also have a gimmick this year! Will the Conchita Pr-team stand up in the same way for this act? (I think Conchita team comment every time when it´s an article about Conchita push him, as “her” up). Will you do the same about Finland entry? To be different, be your self, be as you are?
Isn’t it one year late to review the 2014 year’s winner now? We are in an upcoming new Eurovision season so I think Wiwibloggs can stop the massive promotion of Conchita now focusing on Eurovision 2015! Conchita has not done any music work for a year so for me and most of us (I think) he is a one hit wonder from the past now
Isn’t it one year late to review the 2014 year’s winner now? We are in an upcoming new Eurovision season so I think Wiwibloggs can stop the massive promotion of Conchita now focusing on Eurovision 2015! Conchita has not done any music work for a year so for me and most of us (I think) he is a one hot wonder from the past now
Conchita’s song was one of the pre contest hot favorites of Copenhagen’s Vision.. Austria was voted on the top4 in OGAE voting.. Holland’s *Calm After The Storm* was really invisible to the fans before the live shows and everyone was saying how boring dull this song really is.. Sweden’s *Undo* was the no1 hot favorite among the fans and by OGAE fans but it went down as the live shows came on May.. UK with *Children of The Universe* that was another big favorite really did badly having the black curse of being UK’s entry in Vision unfortunately.. These 4… Read more »
I like this song, but it was like 2011. So many good songs and a weaker song won.
Conchita made Eurovision better. It’s obvious this year with all the high standard songs. She is the most beautiful and intriguing drag artist ever, no cheap clown with 80’s makeup and a tacky song. She has soooo much class and the beard is the perfect accessoire (without it, Conchita would never be taken for a man in a drag, but for an actual lady). And the song would have deserved many more points, alone for the perfect female vocal illusion. The lyrics are powerful and sophisticated and staging was fantastic. Yet this song works much better live than on radio,… Read more »
How come Eurovision fans complain about “old fashioned” songs, but love bond-esq music?
This is definitely not a “pedestrian” song. This is a mistake everybody made when they underrated it before the competition. It is arguably much better than the most recent Bond song (“Skyfall” by Adele) which really is boring and non-sensical. The lyrics alone about being down-trodden but managing to overcome adversity are incredibly powerful and the composition brings out all the drama and the elation you feel when you’re finally free to be yourself again. But I agree it was a song that need the voice and personality of someone like Conchita to shine through. It was the right song… Read more »
Funny how wiwibloggs suddenly loves it now it won.
lol @ “When I listen to “Rise Like A Phoenix”, Conchita takes me to another world – full of glitter, sunshine and of course open-mindness.”
RLAP is none of these, yet it’s an amazing song and an amazing winner. But it has nothing to do with glitter and sunshine. It’s about being opressed, harassed, dusting yourself off and being stronger than before.