Special Sub-Topic: Eurovision: 1989 Click Here To Play: Eurovision: 1989

Where was the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest held?

Switzerland. The competition took place in the Palais de Beaulieu in Lausanne, Switzerland. Built in 1920, the Palais is a convention centre with restaurant, theatre and sports complex.

Which country won the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest?

Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia won with their entry "Rock Me", which (despite its title) was sung in Serbo-Croat. Performed by Riva, it was about a classical pianist who is being asked to play some rock music.

The UK's 1989 entry was a song called "Why Do I Always Get it Wrong". Who sang it?

Live Report. "Why Do I Always Get it Wrong" was composed by John Beeby and written by Brian Hodgson. It's a ballad about a man who loves someone who treats him badly, and who wants to find somewhere to go where he won't be found. Despite coming second in the competition, it only placed at number 73 on the UK Singles Chart. The other groups were all 1980s pop groups.

A change in the scoring rules came into effect for the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest. What did this change affect?

tie-breaker for winner. The rules had been somewhat vague on determining the winning entry if two or more countries tied for top honours - at one point, they were permitted to share first place. With an increasing number of participants, this potentially could have become rather messy, so it was decided that should there be a tie for first place, the entry with the largest number of "12-point" scores would win, and that should there still be a tie, it would be determined by the number of "10-point" scores. At this point each country's jury had only twelve points to distribute.

The current rules stated that each country had to sing in their own official language - but there are a number of countries with more than one official language. How many entries in the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest were sung entirely in French?

two. Only two of the entries were sung in French this year. They were France - "J'ai vole la vie" ("I Stole Life") and Luxembourg - "Monsieur" ("Mister")

A new rule was created regarding participation due to something that occurred in the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest. To what did this new rule pertain?

age of participants. France's Nathalie Paque was only eleven years old when she performed at the competition! Israel's Gili Natanael was twelve. This caused some consternation with member countries, so a rule was written that in future, anyone performing an entry must be at least sixteen years old in the year in which the contest was being held.

One country returned to Eurovision after staying out for at least one year. Which country came back?

Cyprus. Cyprus came back after missing the previous year. Their first venture into the Eurovision Song Contest was in 1981, and they wouldn't be absent again until 2001.

There were two presenters at the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest. Jacques Deschenaux was one; who was the other?

Lolita Morena. Lolita Morena is a Swiss model and actress as well as working on television in Switzerland, Italy and Germany. She was an archaeology student when she won the 1982 Miss Switzerland competition, then finished third at the Miss World contest. Sonja Zietlow and Annika Kipp are German television presenters, while Claire Chazal is French.

There's always a halftime - what was the entertainment for the halftime of the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest?

Guy Tell. Guy Tell demonstrated his incredible abilities with a bow and arrow. Amongst other things, he shot the flower head off a carnation whose stem was being held in the teeth of his assistant (it must have been 'helped' a bit as the carnation didn't waver) and shot a piece of paper in half as it was held by his blonde, mullet-haired helper. Georges de Rham was a Swiss mathematician, Jacob is a Swiss jazz pianist and William Tell was a 14th century Swiss hero.

Twenty-two countries vied for the 1989 Eurovision Song crown. That means there should have been a 1st position, 2nd position, 3rd etc, all the way to 22nd, right? Wrong - or is it? How many countries, if any, tied for position?

two. Two countries vied for one position - ninth. They were Italy and Greece, and each received 56 points.