On June 12, one month after the grand final of Eurovision 2017, we asked our readers to consult their iPhones and music systems and to let us know which Eurovision 2017 tracks they were still playing.
After counting 35,773 votes, we can now reveal that Blanche’s “City Lights” is the song our readers are listening to the most.
The atmospheric slice of electro balladry came out on top with 2,526 votes — or around 7% of all those cast. The song’s enduring popularity should come as no surprise.
Following a very respectable fourth-place finish at Eurovision, Blanche watched the song climb the Spotify Viral Charts globally. The song also went platinum in Belgium following her ZDF-Fernsehgarten performance in Germany.
Ahead of Eurovision 2017 it was a favourite with our in-house panel of music unprofessionals. As I wrote in the Wiwi Jury back in April:
A purveyor of dark pop, Blanche puts her rich and melodic vocals to stellar use on “City Lights”, which is easily the best studio cut of the year. Deliberately ignoring massive peaks and valleys, the song progresses in a linear fashion, adding dynamism through highly contemporary production that includes digital beats, electro-drumming and evolving rhythms. Such polished tracks can come off cold and sterile. But Blanche adds warmth through her vulnerability and overt longing. Regardless of the outcome at Eurovision, this deserves to be a radio hit.
Pre-contest favourite Francesco Gabbani from Italy came second with his song “Occidentali’s Karma”. The Sanremo winner earned 2,232 votes — just over 6% — with his thoughtful pop piece exploring Western takes on Eastern spirituality.
Bulgaria’s Kristian Kostov (“Beautiful Mess”), France’s Alma (“Requiem”) and Azerbaijan’s DiHaj (“Skeletons”) round out the Top 5.
Eurovision 2017 winner Salvador Sobral came seventh in our poll with “Amar pelos dois”, which his sister crafted from the heart (rather than a pop music factory). No matter. Salvador is still the most-streamed Portuguese artist of all-time in Portugal thanks to the gorgeous track.
FYR Macedonia’s Jana Burceska — who generated a lot of buzz with her studio cut of “Dance Alone” — is the highest-rated of all non-qualifiers. She finished 11th with our readers. Other non-qualifiers making an impact here are Estonia’s Koit Toome & Laura with “Verona” (14th place), Switzerland’s Timebelle with “Apollo” (15th) and Latvia’s Triana Park with “Line” (19th place).
As you’d expect, non-qualifiers dominate the bottom of this list — aka, the songs that our readers are listening to the least.
The bottom five consist of Lithuania’s Fusedmarc (“Rain of Revolution”), Malta’s Claudia Faniello (“Breathlessly”), Spain’s Manel Navarro (“Do It For Your Lover”), San Marino’s Valentina Monetta & Jimmie Wilson (“Spirit of the Night”) and, in last place, Slovenia’s Omar Naber (“On My Way”). Manel, an automatic qualifier, finished last in the grand final.
Interestingly, Russia’s Julia Samoylova (“Flame Is Burning”)— who was banned from entering the contest in March — still managed to reach 38th in our poll, putting her just ahead of Lithuania.
Blanche joins a storied list of past winners in our poll. Poland’s Michal Szpak won with “Color of Your Life” last year, while Sweden’s Måns Zelmerlöw won with “Heroes” in 2015, Israel’s Mei Finegold won with “Same Heart” in 2014, Romania’s Cezar won with “It’s My Life” in 2013, Ireland’s Jedward won with “Waterline” in 2012, Sweden’s Eric Saade won with “Popular” in 2011, and Turkey’s maNga won with “We Could Be the Same” in 2010.
Which Eurovision 2017 songs are our readers still listening to? Poll results
Total votes: 35,773
OFF TOPIC: Is Fusedmarc still planning to do a new music video for “Rain of Revolution”? I hope so! Every hit single needs to have a music video. 🙂
So true. I still bop to it all the time. Blanche needs to release more music!
why do you like Azerbaijan and Belgium, when you seemed to be such fun person.??????
Also: Triana Park: Bottom of their semi final yet 19th here. Curiouser and curioser!
I never got City Lights. I struggled to get past Blanche’s incredibly annoying voice, and the whole style was far too much an ‘Everything But the Girl’ 90s snoozefest.
Then you might need an ENT consultation
Azerbaijan at 5 has to be the most interesting result here. Surprising no comment on this in the article. Certainly was a memorable song: not sure I actually like it that much, although, I must say, I often hear it in my head!
Is Luis Fonsi singing Despacito? I don’t dislike the song, I really think a song like that can be good for Spain, but now I hate Luis Fonsi when I’ve read he left his wife while she was fighting with cancer.
At least Salvador Sobral did not ask a pop spoil brat kid to be featured in his song as a “remix” just to give his “too mature for pop music fans” entry with English lyrics .. cause nobody wants to hear a song in a language they don’t understand a damn word. Oh hold on … everybody is still hooked on that despacito spanish rubbish … oh right … it’s an uptempo summer latin song … right …
I disliked Despacito too
Undoubtedly, “City of lights” is the most radio friendly, modern, quality song of the year! I still listen to it and I enjoy!
I also listen to Italy, France and Bulgaria, so the top 4 here is also my top 4.
Apart from these, I listen to Moldova when I want to cheer up, Israel when I’m in a dance mood and of course my favourite non qualifier Estonia. I still love this song!!
I LET IT GO AH AH I LET IT GO AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Yup. That music video is hard to forget, because it told a story as well (a sad one in the end); one that I imagine Jana will never repeat in real life, as she is about to have a family. 🙂
That was my tied-for-first favorite video (with the full-length version of Occidentali’s Karma), but such a huge step down from video to live performance.
If they could have somehow captured some of the video’s story in the live act, I would have been in heaven. Instead, it went from near-perfection to merely-servicable, and I wasn’t even upset that it failed to qualify.
“Occidentali´s Karma” reached 5 platinum discs, more than 150 million views on youtube, 19,112 streamings on sptotify
“City lights” reached 1 platinum disc, 11,118 views on youtube, 12, 195 on sptotify streamings
Are you joking here?? The numbers talk by itself…
Wiwibloggs readers preferred Belgium, but the wider public liked Italy better when it came to listening (although the public still put Blanche ahead of Francesco in Kyiv). The poll was only completed by readers of this site.
both are great.
Look at the difference between the no. Of Belgian and italian nationals. Also Occidentali’s karma was huge before ESC not so much after it.
Occidentali’s karma had 3 platinum discs and 50 millions views after ESC. It’s even now huge.
The belgian piece is in English, Gabbani’s in italian…
The most of the 150.000.000 (WOW!) views are from after Eurovision stage.
Nope…..it was 127 million before Eurovision and has added upto 150 million now
Yeah the song is huge in Italy…..but it isn’t charting anywhere else after ESC while before ESC it charted in many more countries for weeks.
Exactly……Gabbani’s has lesser competition and a larger audience in his own country
Nope…It was exactly 119 million before ESC.
Now on a more serious note, I am really happy that City Lights is the most listened song. It is very well deserved, because it is fabulous. As much as I love Amarvoelis dois, now after all things considered, I find it quite surprising that it didn’t win, as it seems the most played in radio and charts higher.
* Amar pelos dois
I sing them all quite often, something my neighbours don’t really appreciate XD
Im listening Dont come easy more than all of these.
Portugal more listened to than Sweden or Norway, two of the “real” winners???? How can that be?… I guess because so many people struggle to remember the song, so they have to listen to it more times and then trying to figure out if they vomit or if they forget it again because it is jazzy
Or trying to figure out which countries with huge Portuguese communities offered the victory to Salvador
Yes. Wow. I thought you liked the song initially. Seems your mind has changed. The song is not that bad that it’ll make people vomit.
It looks like many winners in the poll are influenced by Diaspora voting!
Only Sweden Israel and now Belgium have won without diaspora .
Israel without diaspora ? ? ?
Sweden has a lot of neighbours who vote for them.
How big are the French, Italian and Portuguese diasporas?
Francesco my favourite and I continue to follow his delightful music. Blanche second or third for me so congrats to both!
Congratulations?”City light” is one of Salvador and Luisa ‘s favorites song this year ,he also love “Occidentali’s Karma ” and “Black Birds”.
Congratulations! !
Occidentali’s karma has got 5 platinum disco in Italy and the video more than 150 million views. The song deserves one of your article. Thanks.
Italy should have won I listen to this song all the time. Belgium is also great, people were crazy for saying that she shouldn’t have qualified.
Just goes to show that Italy should have won.
How?
Yes and no. YES, because Francesco’s song is an absolutely outstanding song… …Unfortunately, NO, because as Simon Cowell once said, you are only as good as your last performance. What you PUT on stage, what you DO on stage can make or break you. Unfortunately, I have to hold the feet of the song’s editor and stage director to the fire for this. Simply cutting out a big part of the song, and leaving one obvious clue that a cut-and-paste job was done, was not the way to go about editing a 3:35 song down to 3:00. On top of… Read more »
To those saying she’s shouldn’t have qualified…
… Look at her now!!!???
It’s a good song.
Still doesn’t mean it was performed well!
I think it WAS performed well. The fact that she was really nervous during the performance, brought out the emotions of the song.
I think it was performed pretty well in the Grand Final. Especially the way she sang the final chorus gave me goosebumps, it was very effective.
Wow…..yes….. definitely agree. Exactly felt the same.
The semi final was distracting I must say, it didn’t feel strong enough. However, that kind of song can’t be left behind for any reason! This is a masterpiece! And the Grand Final performance was much better!
Great to see the UK in tenth place, amazing year for us and just shows that where not always the joke act when it comes to eurovision, amazing song and voice
Oh, yes, “City Lights” is a very good song and worth listening to again and again. It’s the song I’ve listened to the most after the contest ended, along with “Skeletons” and “In Too Deep”.
I, too, am still enjoying a bit of “In Too Deep”!
Another entry that despite not being performed that well, is still a great, great song!
Yes, and it’s quite radio friendly as well.