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. Today, we continue with a flamenco singer from Spain.
Spain sent a representative of a new music genre to the Eurovision Song Contest 1983: flamenco-rock. The song “¿Quién maneja mi barca?” („Who Sails My Boat“) fuses traditional Spanish flamenco with synthie pop elements prominent in America and the UK at the time. These synthie elements had to be traded in for real instruments for the live Eurovision performance. The lyrics match the powerful and passionate nature of the song. Remedios Amaya, who performed barefoot, asks a series of metaphorical questions: “Who sails my boat? It’s drifting away from me. Tell me, who sails my boat?” is the main theme of the song.British commentator Terry Wogan called the entry “very ethnic”. The song did not fare well at all with European jurors. 0 points and last place was the result.
Okay…. she has been in the worst songs of eurovision BUUUT in the best last place….. Personally, I think this is a totally deserved last place…. o gosh, it’s just… so… yuk!! Yes, it’s said by a Spanish!! It’s one of the worst spanish song in ESC…. joined with chiki chiki, Bloody Mary and Brujería….
Only one word: Respect. For me Spain 83 is so so so ahead of its’ time. My #2 on this list and my shared #1 (in a tie with Luxembourg) in my 1983 list.
And, btw, “¿Quién maneja mi barca?” at the same level with: chiki chiki and Bloody Mary?!!! No way.
I have my opinion, you have yours!!
And maybe I expressed myself wrong!! They four are a few of the orst spanish entries… but Quien Maneja Mi Barca is REEALLY MUCH BETTER than Chiki Chiki or Bloody Mary… sorry!
“I have my opinion, you have yours!!”
Agreed
Well……that was awkward…
What in hell is doing this song here ?? It´s one of the worst spanish songs, worst than Chiki Chiki (No ofend, I´m spanish)
I’m glad it’s on the list, but I also expected it to be.
It’s definitely not a mainstream pop singalong, but not therefore a bad tune. It was very different from most Eurovision songs at that time, and it may have had more votes 10-15 years later. I find the music interesting; especially the drum beat is fascinating.
How can you compare it to “Chiki Chiki”? That was a joke entry whereas “Quien Maneja Mi Barca” is a serious song…
Speaking of songs that differ from the usual Eurovision style, I wonder if “Nuku Pommiin” (Finland 1982) wil appear on the list as well. That was also underrated I think.
Is there a recording with more traditional instruments? Somehow I don’t find the orchestration used in the Marlene Charell Contest of 1983 not very suitable for this song.
Spain 1983 is a very special song within the context of ESC history, namely one of the first purely ethnic songs that were ever performed on an ESC stage. Unfortunately, those silly juries we had in the 70s, 80s and 90s did not see (or hear) its quality and sent it back home without a single point.
I am very glad that ¿Quién maneja mi barca? made it onto this list but at the same time I am a tad disappointed because I had hoped to see it in a higher position.
Now I brace myself for the top 6 songs …
I love this. Fiery and full of passion. Very spanish. Should at least have finished fourth – both in ESC 1983 and in this poll.
Love it!
I wish it were a bit higher as it was in my top 5 votes (behind Turkey 75, Finland 96 and Finland 95, along with Germany 64 as my last top 5): one of the best spanish esc songs ever (with Raphael’s amazing entries), incredibly fun and great to listen to, the live a tad underwhelming (but such a song does not need a traditional orchestra and the many esc rules that try to make all songs sound the same) and as said before me, the juries just had no ears for that (it’s the same thing than Turkey 75, it didnt do well because the juries had no musical ear for anything not pop nor mainstream, nothing political there). Deserved to be in this list, maybe a bit higher but glad to see it. And lol for it being in the worst of all time list as well! Revenge!
Loved it then and still love it!
1983 was a very good year.
Spain sent in a good song that the rest of the Eurovision juries seemed to miss.Had there been televoting at the finals of ESC 1983 I don’t think Spain would have finished last and would have easily scored. They sent something different and not like the awful pretty pop of the UK.
My no 1 for that category
One of a gazillion crucial reasons why those creepy EBU ‘juries’ should be never never ever given a say on the outcome again.
REMEDIOS IS IN THIS INTERPRETATION IS A CLASS PAT FROM THE REST OF THE EUROTRASHY ENTRIES CORINNE HERMES COMES THE BEST ALONG WITH THIS LEADING SPANISH FLAMENCO SINGER! ENTIRELY AVANT GARDE FROM THE REST OF THE RUBBISH TUNES. .OLE REMEDIOS!!!!!!1111
best song ever in the eurovision festival , never a sooooo beatiful song was deserving to win , the most injustice in the history from eurovision
i love her face. this sounds so spanish-arabic, i love it!