 Switzerland is one of the founding members of the Eurovision Song Contest. They hosted the first contest in Lugano in 1956 and even won it with “Refrain” by Lys Assia. Since then the contest has changed a lot. Over the years there have been tried out several voting systems, with or without jury, with or without orchestra and the freedom of using any language or not. After the first victory Switzerland could win the contest for the second time with “Ne partez pas sans moi” by Céline Dion in 1988. She became a world star, which does not happen too often with Eurovision winners. In the recent years Switzerland has always been failing for the final, even if with strong songs and popular singers and bands. Some of the unforgettable pearls of the Swiss Eurovision entries were: “Pas pour moi” by Daniela Simons (#2) in 1986, “Swiss Lady” by Pepe Lienhard Band (#6) in 1977 and “Era stupendo” by Paolo Meneguzzi (#13 in the semi final) in 2008. This year, Switzerland has made a real national final again, since years they made an internal decision. In a pre video contest, the Swiss could choose their favorites. Even if there were bigger names in the contest like Mariella Farré, an almost unknown young lady got the majority of the votes. “In Love for a while” is a discreet and charming song with a lovely chorus. Due to the fact that Switzerland has not been very lucky with the qualifications, even with stronger songs, this entry needs a lot of endeavour to pass the semi final. The first semi final is quite a strong one this year and there are only ten open slots for the first semi finalists. Even though, it would be great to see Switzerland back in the final, as this song is an great enrichment for the final in regards of music variety. |
Participant(s): Anna Rossinelli
