Best Last Place – 90 songs have come last or shared last at the Eurovision Song Contest. Over the last weeks hundreds of our readers have voted for their favorites. Each voter submitted his personal Top 5. In the next days we will reveal your Top 15. We continue with a last placefor Eurovision power house Sweden in 1963. Monica Zetterlund, representing Sweden, was known to audiences not only in Sweden but also in the United Kingdom where she appeared on television and radio shows multiple times. Zetterlund was a singer particularly noted for her jazz work. She began by learning the classic jazz songs from radio and records, initially not knowing the language and what they sang about in English. She went for the melody, rhythm and feeling. She did not have to worry about that on the Eurovision stage. Her entry “En gång i Stockholm” (“Once Upon a Time in Stockholm”) was completely performed in Swedish. Zetterlund had won Melodifestivalen together with Carli Tornehave, but Swedish television decided to send Zetterlund alone. In the end that may not have been a wise decision, while the duo from Denmark won the competition, Sweden came last without a single point.
Related articles
Another huge surprise, and another great one! 1963 is an immense year and Sweden fails to be part of the biggest entries (Denmark, Switzerland, Monaco…) but it’s very different from your usual Swedish cheeky entries we had in 1961 or 1962 for instance. Moody, jazzy, well crafted, imo it fails to really be sensual or uplifting, but it does get creativity and technique points. All in all, a song that should have easily been in the top 10 instead of that spooky Austrian sing along… last? No way! Top 15 last place? Way!
This is a big surpise indeed, Morgan! I’ve always loved this song. The melody, the orchestration and the vocals are unusual in ESC and I also happen to fall for this type of music. It’s good to know that Sweden was able to send great stuff in the past. A song from the 60s in the top 15? I am very pleasantly surprised.
Should’ve done better both in best last place and ESC 1963.
When my Eurovision interest started in my early teens, I found this song incredibly boring. But it has grown very much and I do think today that it is one of our finest songs, way better than these over-the-top merry and jolly songs we participated with the earlier years. A cool and elegant jazz ballad with this exceptional, melancholic mood that every Swede feels when winter is approaching.
And Monica Z is just magnificent.
My favourite 0-pointer ever, and by far the best song of 1963 (closely followed by France and Denmark)! A perfect song to just close your eyes and imagine a silent winter somewhere in the north, with daylight that is not quite daylight…
Indeed a very nice song!So classy.I’m reading that for others it’s a winter song.For me,on the contrary, the relaxed jazz feeling in it makes it more a summer song.
Each to his own.
Of course, as a Swede, I can’t imagine something else than a winter landscape because of the lyrics. And since Sweden had sent songs about spring in 1961 and 1962, it was about time to change season.
Yay, at least one song from the 60s has made it into the top 15.
In 1963, Sweden sent a fantastic song to a fantastic contest. In fact, with an average of 8.19 the 1963 contest is still in 1st place on my list of all contests 1956-2012.
9/12 and 6th place on my 1963 list.
Composer Bobbie Ericson did not only write popular music, but did also some art music, with the dreamy piece “Utskärgård” being his most well-known.
A lovely live interpretation and a much preferable song to the Danish entry for me in 1963.
Probably one of the least deserved nul points in ESC. I’m glad it made it to this list. I love when someone dare take some musical chances and enter with a song that’s more than just pop.
Norway 1980 is another great example of that, but unfortunately it ended near the bottom
I love great pop music, I must say, but if you are able to combine pop appeal with artistic qualities, it’s really great. I guess the Swedish entry of 1963 had more of the latter but only little pop appeal.
Hey everyone! Come and check out my online contest! Would be great to get a few more participants!
http://eurosongmusiccontest.blogspot.co.uk/
Yay! I voted for this as my favourtie top last place so I’m of course delighted to see it made the top 15. It’s just such an unusual song for Eurovision and I’m a big jazz fan and Zetterlund is just great. I wouldn’t rate it higher in 1963 than Denmark though, “Dansevise” is epic. Monaco’s also nice. I get the same feeling for Sweden ’63 that I got for Bosnia ’12; both are bold choices for Eurovision that won’t be appreciated by everyone, but I love that they’re there so I get to listen to them.