Runner-up: Spain 1979

There will always be rumours going around. Rumours of all sorts. Some with a grain of truth in them, some plain ridiculous, some obviously fabricated by people with too much time on their hands.

My favourite brand has always been rumours that are a little bit outrageous, yet potentially true.

One of these rumours is the doubt whether there was ever a jury on duty in Italy in 1990 or if the confused spokesperson just made the numbers up by himself.

Another one is whether the Maltese jury in 1993 deliberately stayed offline in order to get to vote last and - in case of a tight finish - possibly alter their points to change the outcome.

Then there is always the claim that Spain lost the 1979 contest on purpose.

As Spain was to vote - as the 19th and last country - they were also in the lead one point ahead of host country Israel. Many people have suggested that TVE officials panicked at the thought of having to organise next year's contest and therefore tampered with the points given by the jury, making sure their own entry would lose.

I wouldn't be surprised if TVE didn't want to host under their current circumstance, as the country was going through enormous change on its transition to democracy, but the idea of a television executive physically running into the room to alter the points... Doesn't that strike you as a bit melodramatic?

And if you'd go out of your way in order to sabotage your own chances of winning, why not enter a weaker entry in the first place? This rumour is intriguing but hardly more than just a rumour.

A deserved 2nd place?
Yes. Catchy and cleverly staged with a backing group consisting of children that actually come across as genuinely charming. Perhaps the song in itself didn't age all that gracefully, but that is another story.



Betty Missiego - Su canción (Spain 1979)