Eurovision Song Contest 1999
Date(s)	29 May 1999
Presenter(s)	Yigal Ravid, Dafna Dekel, Sigal Shahamon
Host broadcaster	IBA
Venue	International Convention Center (Usshishkin Hall), Jerusalem, Israel
Winning song	Sweden "Take Me to Your Heaven"
Voting system	Each country awarded 12, 10, 8-1 points to their 10 favourite songs
Number of entries	23
Debuting countries	None
Returning countries	Lithuania
Withdrawing countries	Hungary  FYR Macedonia  Slovakia
Null points	None
Interval act	Dana International

The Eurovision Song Contest 1999 was the 44th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on May 29, 1999 in the Usshishkin Hall at the International Convention Centre in Jerusalem, Israel. The presenters were Yigal Ravid, Daphna Dekel and Sigal Shahamon. This was the second time that the contest was held outside of Europe. The contest was won by Charlotte Nilsson who represented Sweden with the song Take Me To Your Heaven (Swedish version: Tusen och en natt). Charlotte brought Sweden its fourth victory overall, and its second win in the 90s after Carola in 1991. Image File history File links ESC1999. ... is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... Dafna Dekel is an Israeli singer born in 1966 in the city of Ashdod, in the south of Israel. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Israel. ... Israel Broadcasting Authority (often referred to as the IBA) (Hebrew: רשות השידור, Reshut haShidur) is Israels state broadcasting network. ... Glass face of the International Convention Center. ... For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sweden. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Lithuania. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hungary. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Macedonia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Slovakia. ... Dana International (Hebrew: דנה אינטרנשיונל; stage name of Sharon Cohen, born Yaron Cohen in Tel Aviv, Israel on February 2, 1969) is an Israeli transsexual pop singer of Yemenite origin, who won the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest for her song Diva. Next to original songs, Dana International is known for her cover... The modern logo was introduced for the 2004 Contest (in Istanbul) to create a consistent visual identity. ... is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ... Charlotte Perrelli (maiden name Charlotte Nilsson, born October 7, 1974 in Hovmantorp, Sweden) is a Swedish singer. ... Take Me to Your Heaven was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 performed in English (taking advantage of the relaxation of the requirement to perform in a national language) by Charlotte Nilsson representing Sweden. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Carola Maria Häggkvist (born in Stockholm, Sweden on September 8, 1966), better known as simply Carola, is a Swedish singer and entertainer. ... The Eurovision Song Contest 1991 was the 36th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on May 4, 1991 in Rome. ...

This year the long-standing rule that each country had to sing in one of its own national languages was dropped, and it was decided that France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, as the highest-paying European Broadcasting Union subscribers, would automatically be allowed to participate every year, irrespective of their five-year point average. Also, the requirement of an orchestra was made optional. The Israeli broadcaster chose not to use an orchestra, which meant that for the first time in the history of the contest, all entries would perform using a backing track. This change was criticized by two-time Eurovision winner Johnny Logan, who commented that the contest had turned into karaoke. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; French: , and unrelated to the European Union) was formed on 12 February 1950 by 23 broadcasting organisations from Europe and the Mediterranean at a conference in the coastal resort of Torquay in Devon, England. ... Johnny Logan can refer to a number of different people. ... A karaoke machine Karaoke 空 kara, empty or void, and オーケストラ ōkesutora, orchestra) pronounced ;   is a form of entertainment in which an amateur singer or singers sing along with recorded music on microphone. ...

The favourite to win the contest this year was Iceland's Selma, who performed All Out of Luck, a bouncy, upbeat song with a prophetic title, and the 13th song to be performed. Cyprus was also considered a challenger for Iceland, but ended up getting only 2 points (from the United Kingdom). When the voting began, it was a race between Iceland, Croatia, Germany and Sweden, with Iceland holding the lead throughout most of the voting. The votes from Bosnia and Herzegovina ended the suspense, giving Sweden 12 points and nothing to Iceland. Selma Björnsdóttir (born 13 June 1974), also known as just Selma, is an Icelandic singer born in Reykjavík, best known internationally for representing her country in the Eurovision Song Contest. ... All Out Of Luck was the Icelandic entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, performed in English by Selma. ...

Because Croatia's song used synthesized male backing voices, the country's score was reduced by a third to 79 for the purpose of calculating its five-year average to determine participation in future contests, though it was decided to leave its placement in the 1999 result unaffected.

The interval act was the previous year’s winner Dana International, who performed her new song "Free", which caused some controversy in Israel because of the lyrics. Dana International also provided one of Eurovision's most memorable, if embarrassing, moments when she slipped backwards and took a spectacular fall while helping in presenting the winning trophy. The contest ended with all of the participants singing Hallelujah, Israel’s winning song in 1979. Dana International (Hebrew: דנה אינטרנשיונל; stage name of Sharon Cohen, born Yaron Cohen in Tel Aviv, Israel on February 2, 1969) is an Israeli transsexual pop singer of Yemenite origin, who won the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest for her song Diva. Next to original songs, Dana International is known for her cover... Hallelujah (Hebrew script: הללויה) was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed in Hebrew by Gali Atari and Milk & Honey for Israel. ... The Eurovision Song Contest 1979 was the 24th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on March 31, 1979 in Jerusalem. ...

As the Russian broadcaster ORT had failed to send a participant to the 1998 Contest, they decided not to broadcast 1998's Contest in order to make strong comeback the next year. However, the rules of the Contest stated that only broadcasters that broadcast the 1998 Contest would be allowed to participate in the 1999 Contest, leaving Russia out for another year.

Latvia initially wished to take part, but withdrew at a late stage due to financial problems. Hungary was offered the free spot but they declined to take it, so Portugal eventually got the opportunity to go to Jerusalem.

Contents 1 Results 2 Voting structure 3 Score sheet 4 Map 5 External links

The presenters, Daphna Dekel, Yigal Ravid & Sigal Shahamon.

Charlotte performing Take Me To Your Heaven for Sweden at Eurovision 1999.

Image File history File links Eurovision99-presenters01. ... Image File history File links Eurovision99-presenters01. ... Image File history File links Winner-Sweden-1999. ... Image File history File links Winner-Sweden-1999. ...

Results

Draw	Country	Language	Artist	Song	Translation	Place	Points
1	Lithuania	Samogitian - Lithuanian dialect	Aistė Smilgevičiūtė	Strazdas	The Song Thrush	20	13
2	Belgium	English	Vanessa Chinitor	Like The Wind	-	12	38
3	Spain	Spanish	Lydia	No quiero escuchar	I Don't Want to Listen	23	1
4	Croatia	Croatian	Doris Dragović	Marija Magdalena	Mary Magdalene	4	118
5	United Kingdom	English	Precious	Say It Again	-	12	38
6	Slovenia	English	Darja Švajger	For a Thousand Years	-	11	50
7	Turkey	Turkish	Tugba Önal & Grup Etnik	Dön artik	Come Back	16	21
8	Norway	English	Stig Van Eijk	Living My Life Without You	-	14	35
9	Denmark	English	Trine Jepsen & Michael Teschl	This Time I Mean It	-	8	71
10	France	French	Nayah	Je veux donner ma voix	I Want To Give My Voice	19	14
11	Netherlands	English	Marlayne	One Good Reason	-	8	71
12	Poland	Polish	Mietek Szczesniak	Przytul mnie mocno	Hold Me Tight	18	17
13	Iceland	English	Selma	All Out of Luck	-	2	146
14	Cyprus	Greek	Marlain	Tha'ne erotas	It Will Be Love	22	2
15	Sweden	English	Charlotte Nilsson	Take Me to Your Heaven	-	1	163
16	Portugal	Portuguese	Rui Bandeira	Como tudo começou	How Everything Began	21	12
17	Ireland	English	The Mullans	When You Need Me	-	17	18
18	Austria	English	Bobbie Singer	Reflection	-	10	65
19	Israel	English, Hebrew	Eden	Yom huledet (Happy Birthday)	Birthday	5	93
20	Malta	English	Times Three	Believe 'n Peace	-	15	32
21	Germany	English, German, Hebrew, Turkish	Sürpriz	Reise nach Jerusalem - Kudüs'e seyahat	Journey to Jerusalem	3	140
22	Bosnia-Herzegovina	Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, French	Dino & Béatrice	Putnici	Travellers	7	86
23	Estonia	English	Evelin Samuel & Camille	Diamond of Night	-	6	90

Image File history File links Flag_of_Lithuania. ... Samogitian (Samogitian: Žemaitiu ruoda, Lithuanian: , or Lithuanian: ) is a dialect (or independent Baltic language) of the Lithuanian language spoken mostly in Samogitia (in the west part of Lithuania). ... AistÄ— SmilgevičiÅ«tÄ— (October 29, 1977 in PlungÄ—) is a Lithuanian singer. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belgium_(civil). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... Lydia Rodríguez Fernández (Madrid, 1980) better know as Lydia, is a spanish pop singer. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Croatia. ... Doris Dragović (born April 16, 1961) is a Croatian singer. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Precious were a British female band, made up of members, Louise Rose, Anya Lahiri, Sophie McDonnell, Kalli Clark-Sternberg and Jenny Frost. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Slovenia. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Turkey. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Norway. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Denmark. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Nayah, whose real name is Sylvie Mestre, is a French singer. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Netherlands. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Poland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Iceland. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Selma Björnsdóttir (born 13 June 1974), also known as just Selma, is an Icelandic singer born in Reykjavík, best known internationally for representing her country in the Eurovision Song Contest. ... All Out Of Luck was the Icelandic entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, performed in English by Selma. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cyprus. ... Marlen Angelidou Marlen Angelidou (Μαρλέν Αγγελίδου in Greek characters; born September 6, 1978 Maria Eleni Madalena (Μαρία Ελένη Μανταλένα in Greek characters) in Cyprus) is a singer, Thespian, and former member of girl band Hi-5. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sweden. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Charlotte Perrelli (maiden name Charlotte Nilsson, born October 7, 1974 in Hovmantorp, Sweden) is a Swedish singer. ... Take Me to Your Heaven was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 performed in English (taking advantage of the relaxation of the requirement to perform in a national language) by Charlotte Nilsson representing Sweden. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Portugal. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Austria. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Israel. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Malta. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina. ... Motto None Anthem Intermeco Bosnia and Herzegovina() on the European continent()  —  [] Capital (and largest city) Sarajevo Official languages Bosnian Croatian Serbian Government Parliamentary democracy  -  Presidency members Željko KomÅ¡ić1 NebojÅ¡a Radmanović2 Haris Silajdžić3  -  Chairman of the Council of Ministers Nikola Å pirić  -  High Representative 4 Independence... Serbian (; ) is one of the standard versions of the Shtokavian dialect, used primarily in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and by Serbs in the Serbian diaspora. ... Edin DerviÅ¡halidović (born 12 September 1962 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFRY), stage name Dino Merlin, is a Bosnian singer-songwriter and musician. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Estonia. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Evelin Samuel is an Estonian singer and actress. ... Camille is a Latin name that means an attendant at a religious ceremony. ...

Voting structure

Each country had a televote, where the top ten most voted-for songs were awarded the 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points, with the exceptions of Turkey and Bosnia & Herzegovina who used juries.

After some thoroughly confusing thrills and spills in the early voting, with Lithuania awarding maximum points to the — for once — rank outsiders Ireland, the contest soon settled into a nip-and-tuck duel between Sweden and Iceland, but with Iceland more often than not holding a slight lead. The fortunes of Germany were more erratic - on a few occasions, their challenge seemed to be failing, only for a couple of high scores to haul them back to within striking distance of the leading pair. That appeared to be the case once again when the penultimate voting country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, handed ten points to the Germans. This momentarily distracted attention from the fact that the Balkan nation had not yet awarded any points to Sweden or Iceland, meaning that one of the two was bound to receive nothing. With Charlotte Nilsson of Sweden already having crept into a three-point lead at a crucial moment, the realisation quickly dawned that, while twelve points for Iceland would put them back into a commanding position, twelve points for Sweden would settle the contest in abrupt fashion. In the end it was Selma of Iceland who was 'all out of luck', while Sweden were taken to their heaven of being able to host the millennium edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. Charlotte Perrelli (maiden name Charlotte Nilsson, born October 7, 1974 in Hovmantorp, Sweden) is a Swedish singer. ... Selma, full name Selma Björnsdóttir, born 1974, is an Icelandic singer, best known for representing her country in the Eurovision Song Contest. ...

Score sheet

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (856x574, 48 KB) Summary Eurovision 1999 Scoreboard Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...

Map

Image File history File links ESC1999. ...

• Green = Participating countries
• Yellow = Countries who have participated in the past but don't this year

External links

• Score Sheets