Eurovision 2015 may have ended two months ago, but that doesn’t mean that it’s far from our hearts. While reliving our favorite entries from recent years, we realized how many third-place entries we loved (after all, the best things come in threes). Who were your favorites? Read the profiles below and vote in our poll!
2008 – Kalomira “Secret Combination”
Kalomira’s catchy song and elaborate staging were a deadly “secret combination”. Her crazed dancing during the bridge remains one of our all-time fave dance sequences. Do you think she deserved her 208 points in Belgrade?
2009 – AySel and Arash “Always”
Azerbaijan’s second entry in the Eurovision Song Contest earned an impressive 207 points in Moscow with AySel and Azerbaijani-Iranian singer Arash. The way she worked her hair and shook those hips was amaze. Is their entry “always on your mind”?
2010 – Paula Seling and Ovi “Playing with Fire”
When Eurovision returned to Scandinavia for the first time since 2007, Romania earned 162 points and got fiery. Did it burn you up or leave you feeling ashey?
2011 – Eric Saade “Popular”
After a rare non-qualification in 2010, Sweden came back with a bang in the form of Eric Saade and his second entry to Melodifestivalen, “Popular”. He rocked a Michael Jackson look and even broke out of a glass closet. He earned 185 points, but did he stay popular in your eyes?
2012 – Željko Joksimovic “Nije Ljubav Stvar”
Serbia’s first top-ten placement since 2008, “Nije Ljubav Stvar” was the quintessential Joksimovic ballad. 214 points later, it still burns in our hearts. But is it passion or hate?
2013 – Zlata Ognevich “Gravity”
Our favorite Ukrainian singer-turned-politician, Zlata actually elevated us all with “Gravity”. And she even flew in the world’s tallest living man to carry her onto the stage. She earned 214 points in 2013’s grand final.
2014 – Sanna Nielssen “Undo”
Sandra Nielssen, Melodifestivalen extraordinaire, undid a lot of our sad in her riveting performance in 2014 that earned her 218 points. Does it still hurt bad for you that she didn’t place higher?
2015 – Il Volo “Grande Amore”
Perhaps the most successful third-place result in Eurovision history, Il Volo earned a whopping 292 points with “Grande Amore”. They clearly won over the televote, but did they win your hearts?
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We Are Your Friends did make a top ten box office list, but for all the wrong reasons. Superhero actor and director to team up for drama about a man raising his intelligent niece.
definitely Zlata! she was amazing, I think she or Margaret Berger should have won in 2013 instead of Emmelie…
I’d say Sweden should have won the 2011. In my top it’s been Slovenia, France and Sweden fighting for the first place. Undo was quite good and could’ve easily one last year. I think Always and Nije Ljubav Stvar were quite strong and good third places (to me France and Italy won those contests).
All of these are quite good except Secret Combination. I hated that song. ESC 2008 itself didn’t have so many good songs, except Serbia, Portugal, Iceland and Sweden I’d say…
MY TOP (THIRD) THREE
GREECE -SECRET COMBINATION
ITALY -GRANDE AMORE
SWEDEN -POPULAR
Undo is my go to track when I’m feeling blue, Popular is my sister’s favorite song since she was 4 (also I’m big Saade fan), Playing with fire is my high note song, Secret Combination is my dance to song, Gravity is my enchantment song, my uncle’s favorite is Grande Amore all in all these six I like the most,
Oh, come on! Sanna has the best ESC song in a long time! Sincerely, prefer her even over Conchita… Sorry, Conchy…
@ESCCroatia “Hi” wasn’t 3rd in 1983. It finished 2nd. “Främling” was 3rd. Then again, either song was better than the winner that year.
Azerbaijan 2009 would’ve deserved a victory, so I voted for it.
I voted Gravity but my real 3rd place favorite is Ofra Haza- Hi from 1983 😀
1)Grande Amore (2015)
2)Popular (2011)
3)Undo (2014)
“Playing With Fire” and “Grande Amore” were my winners for their respective years XD So was “Gravity” until “Waterfall” grew on me ’til it reached my #1 spot 😛
Zeljko’s was the only one that deserved to win so I choose it as my favourite. I like Paula and Ovi, too. The others all finished higher than they deserved.
Sanna, definitely.
Il Volo definitely. Even I love Romania and Ukraine too, still Il Volo is the best imo
I love every 3rd entries but Secret Combination is a NO.
“Gravity” is definitely the worst of this bunch, pointless Disney ballad.
So many great songs. My fav comes from Paula & Ovi.
1) Paula Selling & Ovi- Playing With Fire (2010)
2) Zlata- Gravity (2013)
3) Il volo- Grande Amore (2015)
4) Zeljiko- Nije Ljubav Stvar (2012)
5) Sanna Nielsen- Undo (2014)
6) Eric Saade- Popular (2011)
7) Kalomira- My Secret Combination (2008)
8) Arash & Asyel- Always (2009)
I liked all of them and Undo the least. And just because of that, it is on top.
All of those are very good songs, except Kalomira’s, who is trashy to the max. My particular faves are Azerbaijan 2009, Serbia 2012 and Italy 2015 (obvs <3). It's interesting how the third placers are often so noteworthy, sometimes even more so than the winners and specially the second placers (like Raffael, Farid, the grandmas, Yohana, etc.)
Everything except for Romania
Also:
2001- Antique/Die for you
2004- Sakis /Shake it
My all time fav 3rd placed song and person is ofc 2011, Eric Saade and “popular”! My reason to like Eurovision!
1. 2014 – undo
2. 2013 – gravity
3. 2012 – nije ljubav stvar
4. 2011 – popular
5. 2015 – grande amore
6. 2009 – always
7. 2008 – secret combination
8. 2010 – playing with fire
Zlata for sure, I still think she deserved to win in 2013.
My rankings would be –
1. 2013
2. 2008
3. 2010
4. 2015
5. 2009
6. 2014
7. 2011
8. 2012
1) Undo
2) Gravity
3) Nije ljubav stvar
4) Secret Combination
5) Playing With Fire
6) Popular
7) Always
8) Grande amore
I really love Undo, Gravity, and Nije ljubav stvar, while Popular, Always, and Grande amore are some of my least favourite Eurovision songs ever. Very overrated in my opinion.
It’s tough because I loved the majority of the 3rd place songs.
1. 2015 (duh!)
2. 2014 (probably my favorite song from 2014)
3. 2011 (the reason why I became a Eurovision fan and was ROBBED!)
4. 2010 (good song overall)
5. 2012 (not bad considering he was surrounded by the ladies in the top 5)
6. 2009 (I’ll like Azerbaijan again when they perform songs like this)
7. 2013 (a little overrated)
7. 2008 (meh)
HM for 3rd place songs prior of 2008: 1983, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006
Playing with fire!
Still hope to see Romania’s victory, someday…
God this was hard
1) Eric Saade- Popular (2011)
2) Zeljiko- Nije Ljubav Stvar (2012)
3) Il volo- Grande Amore (2015)
4) Kalomira- My Secret Combination (2008)
5) Paula Selling & Ovi- Playing With Fire (2010)
6) Arash & Asyel- Always (2009)
7) Zlata- Gravity (2013)
8) Sanna Nielsen- Undo (2014)
Gravity. Awesome beat and Zlata’s vocals are on point!
Ooops, who is Sandra Nielssen? Hahahaha, I think that is the PED 😉 Of course Sanna Nielsen was good for bronze 😀
The question should be: Who turned Gold into Bronze?
Answer: the juries this year
However, the best third placed entries for me are Romania 2010, Ukraine 2013 and Italy 2015.
The other songs are too dull.
Gravity.
2013 has been a good eurovision year.
Gravity for sure
Aysel and Arash of course
Azerbaijan is my favorite one. I hadn’t heard that before today, but wow, that is a very catchy, exciting, and exotic song. Can’t believe Iceland and Norway beat that in 2009.
But, as usual, my pick is near the bottom of the wiwi poll. This is just getting so hilarious.
Grande amore of course
That’s a tough one, but I think “Undo” is the strongest out of the bunch.
I love all of them….
All songs from outside the Balkans were spectacular, but Sanna in particular was easily the best.
Oh I should add that Serebro might come close to rivalling Sanna for my favourite 3rd placer if this poll went back further!
They’re all good apart from Always. My favourite is Gravity.
Sanna Nielsen out of these options, but my favorite 3rd place entries of all time are: Åse Kleveland – “Intet er nytt under solen” (1966 Norway), Katja Ebstein – “Wunder gibt es immer wieder” (1970), and Brainstorm – “My Star” (2000 Latvia).
The thirdplacers and the ones coming in second are often my favorites, I usually never like the winner. I do find the thirdplacers from 2004-2006 better than most of these, but out of this bunch I must say Kalomira and Sanna is the best for me!
Correction: Kalomira collected 218 points instead of 208 🙂
My top 8:
1. Undo
2. Secret Combination
3. Grande Amore
4. Always
5. Gravity
6. Nije Ljubav Stvar
7. Playing With Fire
8. Popular
I really like all the songs except “Popular”. I think it was one of the most undeserving high placings.
Sanna Nielsen was amazing!
“Popular” is the best. And I liked “Undo” very much.
I posted an emoji and turned into question marks so ignore those question marks haha
2008,2009,2010,2011,2014 and 2015 third places were my number 1 of their respective years, odds are my 2016 fav will end up third ????
Playing whit Fire,Grande amore,Undo.
I’m not a big fan of Sandra Nilson but I do like Ashar and Aysel’s song. I also like Paulina and Ovi’s song from 2010.
1) Secret Combination ~ Kalomira 2008
2) Undo ~ Sanna Nielsen 2014
3) Always ~ Arash & Aysel 2009
4) Grande Amore ~ Il Volo 2015
5) Gravity ~ Zlata 2013
6) Playing With Fire ~ Paula & Ovi 2010
7) Popular ~ Eric Saade 2011
8) Nije Ljubav Stvar ~ Zeljiko 2012
2015, 14, 13,12 and 10 :]