The Eurovision Song Contest 1989 was the 34th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 6 May 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Switzerland gained the hosting rights after Celine Dion's victory in Dublin the previous year. The presenters were Lolita Morena and Jacques Deschenaux. Riva was the winner of this Eurovision with the song, Rock Me, representing Yugoslavia. This was the only victory for Yugoslavia as a unified state.
United Kingdom's Ray Caruana, lead singer with Live Report was outspoken about coming second to what he considered a much less worthy song. They had been beaten by 7 points.
Two of the performers, Nathalie Pâque and Gili Natanael were respectively 11 and 12 years old at their time of competing. Due to bad publicity surrounding their participation, the European Broadcasting Union introduced the rule stating no performer is allowed to take part before the year of their 16th birthday.
The previous year's winner, Celine Dion, opened the show with a live performance of her winning song and a mimed performance of her first English-language single, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now". The song went on to become a top ten hit in the US a year later - effectively launching her into international success.
This was the first year since 1970 in which no returning artist were present at the contest. Although Justine Pelmelay was the year before backgroundsinger for Gerard Joling. As backgroundsinger was Søren Bundgaard (member of the group Hot Eyes) for Birthe Kjær and as a kind of dancer was Henrik Krogsgaard, who conducted several times before for Denmark but was the first time on stage with a singer.
Read more about Eurovision Song Contest 1989: Individual Entries, Results, Voting Structure, Score Sheet, Spokespersons, National Jury Members
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“Christianity only hopes. It has hung its harp on the willows, and cannot sing a song in a strange land. It has dreamed a sad dream, and does not yet welcome the morning with joy. The mother tells her falsehoods to her child, but, thank heaven, the child does not grow up in its parent’s shadow. Our mother’s faith has not grown with her experience. Her experience has been too much for her. The lesson of life was too hard for her to learn.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The contest ends at midnight tonight
But you can submit again, and again.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)