We turn to a recent fan favorite for number 67 on the Eurovision Top 100 list: Finland’s “Cha Cha Cha” by Käärijä.
Yes, even The Euro Yard was swept up in the Käärijä-mania that overcame the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. Before the show, I thought “this is fun” but it was not until I watched back the national final performance and saw this performance at the semifinal that I knew Käärijä had found a winner.
Some might say this song was the people’s champion. After all, Finland won the televote in a rout over Sweden and Loreen’s winning song, “Tattoo.” For what it’s worth, that song is on this list as well. However, Loreen crushed the jury segment and won the day. That did not stop an outpouring of support for the Finnish singer, who offered a very, very memorable performance in May 2023.
This was my douze points song for 2023, obviously, but it lost to another deserving performance. That one also happens to be on this list.
Vital Information: “Cha Cha Cha”
| Song | Cha Cha Cha |
| Performed By | Käärijä |
| Written By | Johannes Naukkarinen, Aleksi Nurmi, & Jere Pöyhönen (Käärijä) |
| Country | Finland |
| Year | 2023 |
| Language(s) Performed In | Finnish |
| How It Fared | 2nd Place (526 Points) |
| Was It Fair? | Though many might disagree, it wasn’t unfair |
What I Liked
This was one of the most fun performances I have seen at the Eurovision Song Contest, and I have seen over 1,700 of them. Käärijä’s vocals were hurting a little, but he made up for in in a lot of other areas. For starters, this song wrecked the staging category and got one of the highest scores we have ever given in that area. Some of the handful of songs we rated the same or higher include “Heroes” (Sweden 2015), “Wild Dances” (Ukraine 2004), and “Euphoria” (Sweden 2012). All those songs have something in common, and if you need a minute, we’ll wait.
I was interested, I was very engaged, and Käärijä did something unique with his Eurovision opportunity. For good reason, it was one of the most clear fan-favorite songs in recent memory because it took Europe by storm and people fell in love with the whole package on stage.
With all due respect to “Hard Rock Hallelujah,” this song, not Finland’s 2006 winner, was the country’s best entry to date. You may use the word “iconic.”
Other Facts
- 526 points is the most a Finnish entry has ever received.
- This was Finland’s first top-five finish since they won the contest in 2006. 2023 and 2006 were the only times the Finnish entry won their semifinal.
- Käärijä rose to international fame after his Eurovision appearance, and collaborated with the Netherlands’ Joost Klein on a new single in 2024.
- Finland went 13th in the grand final in 2023.
“Cha Cha Cha” Is on YouTube, Or Is It?
Okay, well, we can’t link you to the 2023 Eurovision performance for quite some time, but we can show you the national final entry from UMK.
