Here comes the summer sun: Eurovision hits that put us in the mood

21 June 2017 at 19:30 CEST

IMRI qualified for the final with his song 'I Feel Alive' in 2017 EBU / Andres Putting

It's summer in Europe and across the continent people are planning their summer holidays. An integral part of any party or holiday is of course that all-important playlist and today we take a look at just some of the Eurovision songs that put us in the mood for the hottest time of the year.

Over the years there have been literally thousands of songs performed on the Eurovision stage. We've picked out some of our top summer tunes for your enjoyment during the coming months. Don't forget to leave your suggestions of other songs in the comments section!

Greece is the word

Greece is a popular holiday destination for many and when it comes to the Eurovision Song Contest the country has provided many feel-good songs capturing the summer atmosphere. Sakis Rouvas took the contest by storm in 2004 with Shake It, finishing third in Istanbul. Helena Papariouz went one better the following year and won the contest in 2005 with the song My Number One. The song became a hit in both Greece as well as Sweden and charted around Europe in the weeks following the contest.

Viva España

Spain provided one of Eurovision's first summer hits back in 1968 when the country won the contest with the song La, La, La. More recently the country bought a fiesta anthem to the Eurovision stage in 2011 when Lucía Pérez represented Spain with the song Que me quiten lo bailao. Last year Barei continued the party atmosphere with her song Say Yay! which went on to be a big hit in Spain despite being largely overlooked at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Loreen's Swedish sizzler

Summer is a feel-good time of year for many, euphoric even. That was certainly true in 2012 when Loreen stormed to victory in Baku. Her winning song for Sweden, Euphoria, hit number one in 17 countries that summer and is one of the most successful winners of the Eurovision Song Contest in recent years.

In that same year, Romania's group Mandinga brought the summer sunshine to the Eurovision stage with their song Zaleilah. The video for the song was filmed in Dubai, check it out below:

With 45 million views on the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel, one of the most popular songs of all times is Allez Ola Olé from France. Despite only coming 12th in the Grand Final in 2010, Jessy Matador’s song remains popular to this day, no less than during spring and summer!