At number 22 on the Eurovision Top 100 countdown, it’s the United Kingdom’s most recent winner of the contest, “Love Shine a Light” from 1997.
This song capped a stunning comeback for what was at one point a popular band with a hit song. When one thinks of Katrina and the Waves, their mind will go to “Walking on Sunshine” 99 times out of 100. Only a true Eurovision fan would say, “Oh, they won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1997 with ‘Love Shine a Light.’” If that’s you, The Euro Yard salutes you.
Sometimes, singers get their big break at Eurovision, like Celine Dion, Lara Fabian, Julio Iglesias, and others. However, as we noted in our “Celebrities at Eurovision” piece, when Katrina and the Waves made their way to the contest in Ireland, they were on a down-swing in terms of popularity. Thankfully, their victory cemented them in contest lore forever.
Vital Information: “Love Shine a Light”
| Song | Love Shine a Light |
| Performed By | Katrina & The Waves |
| Written By | Kimberley Rew |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1997 |
| Language(s) Performed In | English |
| How It Fared | Won (227 Points) |
| Was It Fair? | Yes |
What I Liked
This is considered a rock song I suppose, but it also had elements of being a ballad. This was no banger, but it was quite well done either way. On our scoresheet for 1997, this song blew every other song out of the water in terms of the impression it left, as well as in the combined vocals categories. It was also near the top of the list in terms of composition. To put this in basketball terms, this song was a slam dunk, and the only truly worthy winner that year.
It had energy, strong vocals, and without being too specific, it was just damn good. This had a polish and professional feeling that left it standing head and shoulders above the field.
Other Facts
- Britain has not won Eurovision and has finished in second place exactly twice since this contest. In total, they have finished in the top five four times from 1998 on, while coming in last place five times. Ironically, Ireland, who dominated the contest for a long while in fierce competition with the UK, and the hosts in 1997, won the year before “Love Shine a Light” and also have not won since.
- This song beat second-place Ireland by 70 points, the biggest margin of victory at the Eurovision Song Contest to that point.
- The United Kingdom went second-to-last in the running order in 1997: 24th position.
Let “Love Shine a Light” When You Watch The Video
We’re all going to shine that light together when you pull this up on YouTube.
