Looking back at Lausanne: When Switzerland hosted in 1989

Not just the name of your favourite Taylor Swift album, 1989 is also known as the 34th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on Saturday 6 May at the Palais de Beaulieu in Lausanne, Switzerland.

This was the second time that Switzerland had hosted the Contest, after the very first edition took place in 1956, coming to us from Lugano.

Back then, the Contest was a one-night affair. At Lausanne 1989, the Saturday evening Grand Final was presented by sports host Jacques Deschenaux and Lolita Morena, a former Miss Switzerland, no less!

22 countries participated in Lausanne 1989. This was made up of the 21 countries who had taken part in 1988, along with Cyprus, returning after a one-year absence.

Among the artists performing on the night were the two youngest singers to have ever competed at Eurovision; 12-year-old Gili Netanel from Israel and 11-year-old Nathalie Pâque representing France. 

Controversy surrounding their ages led to the introduction of an age restriction the following year, for Zagreb 1990. This restriction has remained in place ever since. 

The winner of Lausanne 1989 was Yugoslavia with the song Rock Me, performed by the band Riva. It was Yugoslavia's first Eurovision victory since its debut in 1961.

For the first time in Eurovision history, Switzerland sent an entry in Romansh, the last of Switzerland's four national languages (after German, French and Italian) to make an appearance at the Contest. 

Furbaz finished in 13th place for the host nation with Viver Senza Tei.

Switzerland used their hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest as an opportunity to promote their beautiful country. 

As well as each of the 22 postcards showcasing Swiss landscapes and sights, the intro video to the Contest that year was a 7-minute film platforming Switzerland's nature and culture. 

The intro film ended with the arrival of a very special guest - Switzerland’s second Eurovision winner Céline Dion.

Appreciation for Our Céline was such that she was afforded the opportunity to perform two songs - Eurovision winner Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi and the world premiere of her first English-language single Where Does My Heart Beat Now. 

After the film and the mini Céline concert, we eventually got our first competing entry at the 20-minute mark. Italy opened the show with Avrei Voluto, a duet between Anna Oxa and Fausto Leali. 

We very nearly got to see Anna Oxa again in Liverpool - her most recent participation in Italy's Sanremo contest was in 2023. 

The stage was a neon-lit wonder of the late '80s, which seemed to get brighter as the tempo got higher - perhaps best showcased by Denmark's Day-Glo schlager Vi Maler Byen Rød by Birthe Kjær, which finished in third place.

It didn't take long before Switzerland put its international pride and joy in focus - Swiss watchmaking precision. We got to see how it's done in the postcard for song 4, the Netherlands.

As well as in the style, hair and makeup stakes, it was also a great night for Austria results-wise, too. Thomas Forstner gave his country its first Top 5 finish since 1976 with Nur Ein Lied.

Iceland fared less better in Switzerland, earning their first ever last-place finish and to date their only 'nul points', courtesy of Það Sem Enginn Sér by Daníel. 

The young singer ended up doing alright for himself, however; he went on to become the lead singer of one of Iceland's biggest music exports of all time, GusGus.

The interval act for Lausanne 1989 was the stunt artist Guy Tell; who performed an act in tribute to the Swiss cultural icon William Tell. 

After an exciting series of challenges involving crossbows and targets, Guy Tell set up the final showstopper - 16 crossbows positioned to go off in sequence, with each one setting off the next and with the final shot supposed to pierce an apple positioned above Guy's head.

But what's an inch or so between friends, eh?

Once all 22 songs had been performed, it was time for the big reveal - the Lausanne 1989 scoreboard! En français, bien sûr.

And here's how it all looked at the end of the night, with Yugoslavia earning its first Eurovision victory in 24 participations. 

Yugoslavia's first Eurovision win came just three years before the country's final Eurovision participation. 

As Riva were Croatian, the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest got to be hosted in the Croatian part of Yugoslavia, with Zagreb ending up as the Host City.

And just like that... The torch was passed on for another year of the Eurovision Song Contest, from Lausanne to Zagreb. 

35 years later and we came as close as we've gotten to having another Eurovision hosted in Zagreb, when Baby Lasagna gave Croatia a 2nd-place finish in Malmö, with Rim Tig Tagi Dim. But of course, we're actually headed back to Switzerland - after Nemo earned that Eurovision win with a points-magnet performance of The Code. 

We'll see you in Basel for another year of Swiss bliss in 2025! 

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