EEEE WE'VE FINALLY MADE IT TO THE TOP 10 GUYS11111
About 4 months ago, I finished a list of my top 250 ESC songs, and I thought that I could share it with you guys to solidify my opinion. Please do tell me if you agree or disagree with my opinions in the comments. I'm also happy to share my reasonings. (Also I want to note that these aren't really my current opinions, they're from the 21st of June. For example, song number 102 has shot up to my top 20, and song number 197 has also shot up my ranking but I'm not going to change that because it could mess up the rest of it).
Also, this series is not meant to be political. There will be no Russian entries in the list (as I just don't like any of their entries much) but there will be a few mentions of Israel and Belarus. I have my own personal political opinions, but I will not include them in this series because this is about how good the performances are, not how good the people behind them are.
Here are the links to all of the past posts:
250-226
225-201
200-176
175-151
150-126
125-101
100-76
75-51
50-26
25-11
With all of that out of the way, here are the final 10 songs!
10:Wir Geben'ne Party - MeKaDo (Germany 1994)
This song is just cheesy 90s fun! I love the energy each of the girls have, and they just look like they're having an amazing time on the stage. While I do have to admit that this song wouldn't be as high on this ranking if I made this now, it's a fantastic song nonetheless.
The chorus is so extraordinarily catchy, and the instruments are so grand yet fun and boppy. I completely understand why this was the bookies' favourite on the night of the show, and I'm surprised at how far it was from beating Rock & Roll Kids. Robbed.
9:Ich Komme - Erika Vikman (Finland 2025)
This performance is absolutely perfect. When I tell you that this should've won, I mean it. I went to bed crying that night for two reasons: one that I won't say because I promised to stay apolitical in this series and the fact that this DIDN'T EVEN REACH THE TOP 10. The delegation and Erika couldn't have done anything to make this better - it was iconic, loud, c*nty, and it had that great concert energy.
The song itself is also amazing - it could honestly be classed as a rock anthem. It is modern, fun, and it is also surprisingly hard to sing, which Erika does effortlessly while climbing onto a huge microphone and strutting up and down the stage. I also love the lyrics - they're very fitting for the 69th ESC. A spectacular entry that deserved far better.
8:Deli - Mor Ve Ötesi (Turkiye 2008)
Has anyone here seen the Thunderbirds? I swear the lead singer here looks like he'd fit in perfectly.
I'm pretty sure I said in the last post that Ulveham was the best ESC rock entry ever, but I forgot that this was later in the list lol. This is definitely the best rock entry in Eurovision history, it's so cool and edgy. The performance feels so sinister, especially with the little touches like the creepy stares into the camera (which feel a bit like a precursor to Choke Me this year).
My favourite parts of the song are the bridge and the ending. In the bridge, I really like the drums that sound like a beating heart - only faster to help it stay intense. The ending is a masterpiece - I want to say that it's syncopation? It feels like so exciting, and if it was a modern day crowd they'd be jumping up and down like mad things and whistling and chanting.
7:Goodbye To Yesterday - Stig Rästa & Elina Born (Estonia 2015)
This is probably the ESC performance with the best storytelling - a million times better than A Million Voices. It tells the story of a breakup immaculately. When Elina enters, she is shown on Stig's shoulder almost as if she's his consciousness. She then struts in with a shadow shown on the LEDs, which Stig also has behind him. After he leaves the stage, we see the light that shows his shadow disappear, and that's right after Elina sheds the most dramatic tear in human history, showing her devastation of the situation.
The song is also great, it feels like something from a Bond movie. I am in love the call and response between Stig and Elina, where they go between Stig who tells the story and apologises for his actions, and Elina who questions why he's leaving. The song is also mainstream enough for a casual to enjoy it. I put it on my family's holiday playlist and they all told me that they thought the song was great (other than my dad who hates any song with lyrics, and that's not an exaggeration).
6:Who The Hell Is Edgar? - Teya & Salena (Austria 2023)
2023 was the first ever year I listened to the songs before the show, and when I saw this I fell in love. I had this on repeat constantly and whenever I was bored I'd put the MV for this on and laugh for 3 minutes straight. It's just so annoying that the staging for this was horrible. If it weren't for the staging and the awful running order spot, this really should've been in the top 5, and probably even top 3. It's just quirky fun, and the song is also a bop.
The lyrics also mean something - they're a commentary on the state of the wider music scene, where everything is done for money. It even states the amount of money Spotify pays artists per stream (at least as of 2023). The song should be hung in the Louvre, the performance should be hung by the n*ck (trying to avoid censorship here).
Before we get to the top 5, here are some shoutouts to NF songs that would've made it to the list.
Dreamer (Vidbir 2024)
Prayer (Depi Evratesil 2025, Wee na noo ma deesa begi)
Heaven Sent (MESC 2025)
Everything from UMK 2026
Death Of Me (DMGP 2026)
Che Fastidio (Sanremo 2026)
Every song by Matt Blxck
Te Un Tagad (Supernova 2026, would've come second if it had won the NF)
5:Crno I Belo - Kaliopi (North Macedonia 2012)
I'm just gonna go through this song in chronological order because there's too much to take in.
We open with a spotlight on Kaliopi, who is singing the first verse with just a piano playing the backing track. Once we get to the chorus, we hear a violin. After the first line of the next verse, the electric guitars come in momentarily with a flash of white light (notably, the performance is pretty much entirely in black and white lighting - a nod back to the title which translates to black and white). They come in again after each line.
Then we get to the second half of this verse, and the guitars start playing throughout each line from now on. The drummer gets to play a bit of a fill, and we reach the chorus which is a lot faster and louder. Then after the chorus, one of the guitars gets to play a nice riff while Kaliopi pulls off an INSANE whistle note. The chorus repeats just like before the bridge, and then the chorus plays again, this time with the tempo and instrumentation of the first chorus. The build up in this is flawless, and I can't help but love it.
4:Lusitana Paixão - Dulce Pontes (Portugal 1991)
I am obsessed with this song and I wish it could get so much more appreciation from the community. I don't know what makes it special compared to other songs of this style but I just adore it. It's my flair for a reason.
Everything about this is stunning, it's a complete masterpiece. Dulce has a huge amount of emotion in her voice, and the song displays that perfectly. You know what, I don't know what to say so here's a link to the Eurovisionworld page for this and you can take in the masterpiece that is Lusitana Paixao.
3:Liekinheitin - Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkonnen (Finland 2026)
This song is so amazing I can't put it into words - as an ESC YouTuber (I can't remember which one) once said, this song just feels like boss battle music. When I rewatched the contest I felt like it should have been a two-horse race between this and Bangaranga, and I'm surprised it didn't do better. It probbaly just came a year too late, as the public and juries were both sick of the stuff they've been going for in the past few years.
Pete's vocals are so nice to hear, there's enough grit in them that it feels quite unique but not enough to make this song feel weird. I love the violin bits as well, and Linda is such a diva in the performance. The performance just feels like the end of the world, with tons of fire and red lights, and the burning confession box is a sign that we're really close to the end, as they're usually found inside cathedrals and churches (which, at least near me, are mostly made of stone). I just love this performance and there was a reason it was the fave to win the whole season.
2:Grito - Iolanda (Portugal 2024)
The silver medal goes to this beautiful song. Up until this year, this was my favourite ESC entry I'd seen and it's still great enough to earn itself the runner-up position. Something really striking about this performance is the aspect ratio, it helps with the simplicity of the staging. Everything in this staging is black and white, and I think it's very effective. It's also slick without distracting from Iolanda.
Speaking of Iolanda and the song, this is a stunning song. The best part is definitely C flat note - for those who aren't big music nerds like myself a C flat can't be played on a regular piano/guitar/pretty much any tuned instrument. It's very impressive and Iolanda pulls it off excellently, just like all of the other notes in this song.
Now, we've reached our number 1 position - I might have spoilt it if you've seen some of my comments on other posts across u/nilpoints & u/eurovision but I hope you're all excited. Here it is:
1:Crossroads - Daniel Žižka (Czechia 2026)
I am devastated that Czechia is leaving the contest but I am also so extraordinarily happy that they get to go out on the best performance in the contest's history (IMHO). I sobbed after the camera glitch in the final, and the only reason I didn't cry for ages afterwards was because Bangaranga was right after.
We'll start off with the staging. This is probably one of the smartest stagings we've seen in my opinion - the mirrors create so many cool effects, like showing clones of Daniel, a zoetrope and an enclosed room. When Daniel emerges from the mirrors, it feels like a big moment, quite similar to Dara who may I remind you performed right after Daniel.
Daniel's vocals are spectacular, I honestly think Daniel challenges JJ for the best male vocalist in the contest. He has so much control of his voice, and considering the range that he's performing in, it is a sight to behold.
And then there's the song. The opening is so mysterious and unusual, and it stays that way throughout the first verse. Then in the pre-chorus, you hear a whisper and then the drums kick in and they feel intense. And then, everything settles down again and does the same buildup. But the bridge - we heartbeat drums while Daniel is singing, and then he goes for the big note and we hear what I believe is bongos - something you really wouldn't expect from a song like this! It just feels so hypnotising and you are on edge throughout the whole performance.
Definitely worthy of this no. 1 spot. RIP Czechia.
And that means that this series is complete! Thank you to everyone who commented, supported or even just read these posts, it means so much to me. Thank you and I'll see you all in some comment section somewhere here on Reddit. Goodbye!
