Eurovision Song Contest 2015 Grand Final

Host country: Austria (ORF)
Venue: Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna
Hosts: Mirjam Weichselbraun, Alice Tumler and Arabella Kiesbauer
Green Room: Conchita Wurst
Date: Saturday 23 May 2015
Winner: Sweden - Måns Zelmerlöw "Heroes" (365 points)

N.B. Any use of "tonight" or "this evening" throughout this post means Saturday 23 May 2015. Any use of "Tuesday" means Tuesday 19 May 2015, whereas any reference to "Thursday" means Thursday 21 May 2015.

To make this report easier to read, I've split it into sections. Click the applicable link below to jump to the section you want to read:
The Opening
The Songs
Tele-voting and Recap
Interval Act
Voting
Reprise
And Finally

The Opening

After the usual Eurovision ident accompanied by Charpentier's Te Deum prelude "Marche en rondeau", the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performed two tunes outside a palace. This was followed by a series of film clips featuring circles.

Inside the arena the hosts Arabella Kiesbauer, Mirjam Weichselbraun and Alice Tumler sang the song "Building Bridges". Part way through last year's winner Conchita Wurst was lowered into the arena on a harness. Next the Vienna Boys' Choir continued singing Building Bridges on stage. Once the song finished Conchita, Arabella, Mirjam and Alice said "Good evening Europe", and Mirjam said "Welcome to the Grand Final of the 60th Eurovision Song Contest".

Next all 27 finalists walked on stage, one by one, in the order they were to perform. When all the finalists were on stage there was one more unexpected verse to the song "Building Bridges" before the hosts took turns to give a further series of speeches. Finally, to tie in with the "Building Bridges" theme, there was a series of films featuring people in countries around the world interacting with one another, accompanied by the Russian entry of 2013, "What If" - Dina Garipova.

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The Songs

About 20 minutes after the start of the show it was time for the first song. Each song was introduced by a postcard film featuring the artist in its own country receiving a parcel invitation to visit one of the Austrian provinces and taking part in an Austrian themed activity in that province. Furthermore UK BBC One / BBC One HD viewers had Graham Norton's commentary over the postcard films. I've mentioned a few of Graham's comments at various points hereafter; if you saw the Contest outside the UK you won't have heard his comments.

N.B. Looking at the results, there were two tied positions, but the EBU has separated them as follows:
Armenia and Albania 34 points; Armenia 16th place, Albania 17th place
Austria and Germany 0 points; Austria 26th place, Germany 27th place

It seems particularly odd that two countries with nul points can possibly be separated under a tie-break rule when no other countries have awarded them any points (i.e. you cannot take the greater number of countries that voted for country A or B, nor determine which country received the highest individual award of 12 down to 1). I have looked at section 1.4 "Procedure in case of a tie in the Semi-Finals or in the Final" in the document "Public Rules Of The 60th Eurovision Song Contest". From my understanding of this, the "last resort" when two or more tied songs cannot be separated by whichever has obtained points from the highest number of countries, followed by whichever has received the greatest number of 12-point scores, 10-point scores etc. down to 1-point scores, the tie is broken by giving precedence to the country which was earlier in the running order. Consequently, it appears that Austria has been given a higher placing than Germany purely because Austria performed before Germany in the line-up.

Anyway I have quoted the following points and placings from the official Eurovision Song Contest 2015 Grand Final web page, which I believe and trust as the only official source.

Song 1: Slovenia - Maraaya "Here For You" (14th place, 39 points)

The first song in the line-up was from Slovenia, sung by Marjetka Vovk. After a slow start it became, for the most part, an up-beat song with a really catchy chorus, enhanced by someone on the grand piano and some flashing lights during the bridge (the necessity of which I question). I quite liked this whilst watching the preview videos, but I felt Marjetka's voice wasn't so clear during the second semi-final Thursday evening. Nonetheless I didn't mind this qualifying. During the Grand Final I didn't think Marjetka's voice was much clearer than in the semi-final performance. Unsurprisingly this finished 14th with 39 points; which was about as much as this middle-of-the-the road entry deserved.

Song 2: France - Lisa Angell "N'oubliez Pas" (25th place, 4 points)

The first Big Five entry of the night was from France, and it's hardly surprising the whole song was in French. It started out as a beautiful ballad, but it became more powerful from about two thirds of the way through, right up to the very end. Furthermore four side drummers appeared on stage about two thirds of the way through. In addition various scenes appeared on the video wall. Does anyone know the significance of them? Altogether a good song, very well sung, but I think the powerful section was a bit too overpowering. Perhaps it would have been better kept as a gentle ballad throughout. Nonetheless this definitely deserved higher than 25th place and 4 points; something like 11th to 15th would have been more appropriate. Put it this way, this was an order of magnitude better than "Moustache" last year.

Song 3: Israel - Nadav Guedj "Golden Boy" (9th place, 97 points)

During the postcard sequence Graham Norton said "this really gets the party started" and "stick with this, it gets great, really fun". I felt borderline about this qualifying from Thursday's second semi-final, but I'm now glad it qualified. Although the first verse was slow, and a bit dull, the rest of the song was up-beat, especially the lively, catchy choruses which were accompanied by a fun-to-copy dance routine. I enjoyed trying to copy some of the dance moves. Very much a party song, or as I prefer to call it, an adult kids' Boogie Beebies big video. This finished 9th with 97 points; I think it ought to have finished 6th or 7th.

Song 4: Estonia - Elina Born & Stig Rästa "Goodbye To Yesterday" (7th place, 106 points)

Now for a beautiful duet ballad, sung by one man and one woman. This was one of the songs I most wanted to qualify from Tuesday's first semi-final, and would have voted for it that evening had I been able to. In my opinion, this was one of the best ballads of the night, very well sung, though perhaps Stig's voice could have been a bit stronger. Furthermore it has a beautiful, soothing melody. This finished 7th with 106 points; I think it deserved a top five placing, but I don't think it was quite good enough to win.

Song 5: United Kingdom - Electro Velvet "Still In Love With You" (24th place, 5 points)

The second Big Five entry of the night was Electro Velvet representing the United Kingdom. As a UK citizen I was somewhat disappointed when I first saw the online preview video for this song early in March. This electro swing song featured numerous dancers accompanying the two singers Alex Larke and Bianca Nicholas in the preview video. At the time I wondered if this 1920s style swing tune accompanied by dancing was inspired by the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. In order to comply with Eurovision rules it was necessary to have just four dancers accompanying Alex and Bianca on stage in Vienna. Nonetheless the four dancers gave an excellent routine, most of which one could join in and copy (flip-over from the steps excepted), making the performance another adult kids' Boogie Beebies big video. The lighting effects were amazing, including patterns on the video wall, and at times the main lights were dimmed to show the light bands on the singers' and dancers' clothing (which to me is a timely reminder of certain members during RCCGB Mega-Glow-Mania[1] the last three years). Altogether this can be summed up as 1920s swing, Strictly Come Dancing, Boogie Beebies and RCCGB Mega-Glow-Mania all rolled into one to represent the UK at Eurovision. Novel and electric as this act may seem, this is a song contest, and I think the two singers' voices could have been stronger. I guessed this was doomed to failure from the moment I first saw the preview video and am not surprised this finished 24th with 5 points. Maybe it could have merited a bit higher, but I don't think it deserved much above 20th.

Song 6: Armenia - Genealogy "Face The Shadow" (16th place, 34 points)

I didn't think much of this ballad from Armenia whilst watching the online preview video, but thought it was considerably better sung live in Tuesday evening's first semi-final. However this ended up on my "wouldn't mind qualifying" list of songs I wasn't overly desperate to see in the final. This was enhanced by light patterns on stage at times; I particularly liked the rotating cogs effect when one lady sang "Time is ticking" early on, and clock hands during another instance of that phrase. Judging solely on the Grand Final performance, not bad but I think 16th place and 34 points was a bit high; 20th to 22nd would have been more appropriate.

Song 7: Lithuania - Monika Linkytė and Vaidas Baumila "This Time" (18th place, 30 points)

This upbeat ballad with a really catchy chorus was one of the songs I most wanted to qualify from Thursday's second semi-final and I'm glad it did. For some reason this reminds me of last year's Dutch entry. Has Lithuania taken a leaf out of their book? The Grand Final performance was just as good as, if not better than, the semi-final performance. Based solely on the Grand Final performance, an excellent song, very well sung, and enhanced by the rotating patterns on the video wall and kiss at the end. In my opinion this was better than Armenia's song and deserved higher than 18th with 30 points. I think 11th to 14th would have been more appropriate for this, but I don't think it was good enough for top ten.

Song 8: Serbia - Bojana Stamenov "Beauty Never Lies" (10th place, 53 points)

During Tuesday's first semi-final this power ballad from Serbia ended up in my "wouldn't mind qualifying" group. The Grand Final performance was as good as the semi-final performance. I quite liked this song, with its beautiful verses and catchy choruses, but was it really necessary for Bojana to go so over the top (almost scream) during the bridge? I think that spoilt what was one of the better finalists. Furthermore were the flashing lights necessary during the bridge? 10th place and 53 points was about right for this.

Song 9: Norway - Mørland & Debrah Scarlett "A Monster Like Me" (8th place, 102 points)

The first of two Nordic countries which made it to the final was Norway, which this year entered a ballad. It began with the man singing alone, followed by the lady singing alone and then both singing together. Towards the end they changed to a more powerful key. Although I was unimpressed by this whilst watching the preview videos, I thought Thursday evening's live semi-final performance was considerably better, thereby putting it on my "Wouldn't mind qualifying" list. I'm now glad it qualified; I liked it better still in the Grand Final. It's an excellent ballad, very well sung, and it definitely deserved 8th place and 102 points.

Song 10: Sweden - Måns Zelmerlöw "Heroes" (Winner, 365 points)

Now for the only other Nordic country which secured a Grand Final place, Sweden. This ended up being the favourite among British bookies. This was one of my most strongly favoured songs among the preview videos, and as expected, Thursday evening's live performance was much better than the preview video. Therefore this became one of the songs I most wanted to qualify Thursday evening, and I'm overjoyed it did. I liked the Grand Final performance even more. It's an upbeat song with a wild west beat and a really catchy chorus, accompanied by animated line drawings. For completeness Måns included plenty of arm movements which one could easily copy. Just one complaint, were the flashing lights really necessary during the chorus? An outstanding and memorable performance, it's hardly surprising this won with 365 points. Come finish with I didn't mind this winning, though personally I'd rather Italy or Montenegro (or failing that Russia) had won for various reasons.

Song 11: Cyprus - John Karayiannis "One Thing I Should Have Done" (22nd place, 11 points)

This year Cyprus went for a simple ballad with a catchy chorus. This was one of my most liked preview videos and one of the songs I most wanted to qualify from Thursday evening's second semi-final. An excellent song, very well sung and staged, though I'm still mystified as to why John appeared in monochrome during the first verse and first chorus. Judging the live Grand Final performance alone, this was grossly underrated 22nd with 11 points. This deserved a much higher placing, possibly even top ten.

Song 12: Australia - Guy Sebastian "Tonight Again" (5th place, 196 points)

The third direct qualifier of the night, special guests Australia. Their debut entry was an up-beat pop song sung by Guy Sebastian and four backing singers. It was a lively song, with a really catchy chorus enhanced by arm and leg movements from the backing group (I enjoyed trying to copy those movements). What was the significance of the lamp posts on stage though? This song finished a well-deserved 5th place with 196 points, which was good for a first attempt at Eurovision. Maybe it could have finished 3rd or 4th but at the time of writing this I'm not convinced this was good enough to win.

Song 13: Belgium - Loïc Nottet "Rhythm Inside" (4th place, 217 points)

An unusual style of singing to say the least! I didn't think much of this whilst watching the online preview video or Tuesday evening's live semi-final performance, hence this ended up being one of the songs I least wanted to qualify from the first semi-final. Against my wishes it reached the final, and I disliked the Grand Final performance just as much. Did this really need strobe lighting during the choruses? I've noticed the chorus line "On a coaster track, love attack"; as a RCCGB member I'm pleased to see the song mention a coaster track but that in itself is not enough to make me suddenly like this song. This was grossly over-rated 4th place with 217 points; having reached the final I think it should have finished in the bottom five. Better still it shouldn't have qualified; The Netherlands or Denmark deserved the Grand Final place this took.

Song 14: Austria - The Makemakes "I Am Yours" (26th place, 0 points)

The fourth direct qualifier of the night was the home team Austria. This time Austria went for a ballad, with lead singer playing the grand piano, accompanied by someone on the guitar and someone on the drum kit. Compared to Conchita Wurst's "Rise Like A Phoenix" last year this was, in my opinion, somewhat dull to say the least! At the start of the second chorus a fire started inside the piano. Was the piano fire an enhancement to liven up what I think was a rather dull song, or an unnecessary gimmick? Either way it's amazing it was still safe, let alone possible, to play the piano once the fire started; I'd have thought the fire would have burned the string hammers. Towards the end the lead singer stood up to sing the last verse away from the piano. All in all this was, in my opinion, a rather disappointing entry from the reigning champion and host country, and it's hardly surprising it finished 26th with the famous nul points.

A short break followed at this point.

Song 15: Greece - Maria Elena Kyriakou "One Last Breath" (19th place, 23 points)

This was one of my most liked songs, and therefore among those I most wanted to qualify in Tuesday evening's first semi-final. An excellent power ballad, very well sung, and an order of magnitude better than atrocious Greek entries "Alcohol Is Free" and "Rise Up" of the last two years. Going by the Grand Final performance alone, this was under-rated at 19th place and 23 points; it deserved a top 15 placing, but I don't think it was good enough for top ten.

Song 16: Montenegro - Knez "Adio" (13th place, 44 points)

This was one of my most-liked songs in the second semi-final Thursday evening; therefore I voted for it that evening and was overjoyed when it qualified for the final. This reminds me of short-lived Serbia & Montenegro's debut entry "Lane Moje", by Željko Joksimović in 2004, which is hardly surprising because the tune is by Željko Joksimović. After a longish introduction, Knez began singing a beautiful ballad. The song was enhanced by the water rippling effect on stage. On the whole, a first class Grand Final performance and, in my opinion, one of the best songs of the night. Although 13th place and 44 points was Montenegro's best placing and score to-date, this masterpiece deserved much higher. This definitely deserved a top five place; I think this was good enough to win,

Song 17: Germany - Ann Sophie "Black Smoke" (27th place, 0 points)

The third Big Five entry and fifth direct qualifier of the night was Germany. This ballad wasn't bad; in fact I think it was better than Lena's "Taken By A Stranger" in 2011. Although one of the weaker ballads of the night I think it deserved better than 27th place and nul points, but no higher than 20th.

Song 18: Poland - Monika Kuszyńska "In The Name Of Love" (23rd place, 10 points)

A beautiful ballad, which I felt borderline about in the second semi-final Thursday evening, however this ended up on my "Wouldn't mind qualifying" list that night. Based solely on the Grand Final performance, I think this deserved higher than 23rd place with 10 points. 14th to 18th would have been more appropriate for this ballad which, in my opinion, was an order of magnitude better than last year's Polish entry "My Słowianie - We Are Slavic".

Song 19: Latvia - Aminata "Love Injected" (6th place, 186 points)

This was the song I disliked the most in Thursday evening's second semi-final, and therefore the song I least wanted to qualify. Against my wishes it went through, and I disliked it just as much in the Grand Final. Were the flashing lights really necessary? How on Earth, in the world, did this manage to finish 6th with 186 points? As far as I'm concerned, this was grossly over-rated, and should have finished in the bottom four. Better still it shouldn't have even qualified; I think Ireland, San Marino or Switzerland deserved the Grand Final place this took.

Song 20: Romania - Voltaj "De La Capat/ All Over Again" (15th place, 35 points)

A ballad I felt borderline about whilst watching the preview videos, and quite liked during Tuesday evening's first semi-final. This ended up being one of my "Wouldn't mind qualifying" songs that night, but I'm now glad it reached the final. This was an excellent ballad, very well performed in a mixture of Romanian and English in both the semi-final and Grand Final. I liked the way the lead singer said "Don't leave the children behind" at the end. Based on the Grand Final performance alone, this was definitely one of the better ballads in the second half. 15th place and 35 points was about right, maybe this could have gone a place or two higher but it wasn't good enough for top ten.

Song 21: Spain - Edurne "Amanecer" (21st place, 15 points)

The fourth Big Five entry, and sixth direct qualifier of the night was Spain. This time Spain went for a power ballad sung by a lady who initially wore a red cloak with a long tail. The cloak was removed at the start of the second chorus. During the instrumental break this featured a dance routine. On the whole this was a good ballad with a powerful chorus enhanced by arm movements. Was this an attempt to mimic "Euphoria" from three years ago? This deserved better than 21st with 15 points; I think it was good enough for at top 15 place but not top ten.

Song 22: Hungary - Boggie "Wars For Nothing" (20th place, 19 points)

Although I didn't think much of this whilst watching the preview videos, I quite liked it sung live in the first semi-final Tuesday evening. This ended up being one of the songs I didn't mind qualifying that night, though I wasn't overly keen to see it go through. Although a slow song, it was a beautiful song, very well sung simultaneously by five singers. No dancing either, which is good really because at the end of the day it is a song contest, not a dance contest. I particularly liked the images on the stage and video wall, ranging from star clusters to our solar system, followed by Planet Earth and finally a tree in a field; however what did that have in connection with the theme of the song? Going solely by the Grand Final performance, it deserved slightly higher than 20th place and 19 points, but I don't think it was good enough for top 15.

Song 23: Georgia - Nina Sublatti "Warrior" (11th place, 51 points)

One of my least liked songs whilst watching the first semi-final preview videos, and the live performance in Tuesday evening's first semi-final; hence this was one of the songs I least wanted to qualify Tuesday evening. Against my wishes it qualified. Although a powerful song, 11th place and 51 points was way too high. I think this should have been in the bottom four. Better still, The Netherlands or Denmark deserved the Grand Final place this took.

Song 24: Azerbaijan - Elnur Huseynov "Hour Of The Wolf" (12th place, 49 points)

A ballad sung by a male soloist, accompanied by two dancers. I felt borderline about this song whilst watching the second semi-final Thursday evening, and put this on my "Wouldn't mind qualifying" list, but I'm now glad it qualified. The song had a mixed key, the first verse was low key but this was followed by a powerful chorus. I particularly liked the two dancers, and enjoyed trying to copy their moves. I'm still mystified as to the significance of the totally eclipsed sun on the background screen. Going solely by the Grand Final performance, 12th place with 49 points was about right for this song.

Song 25: Russia - Polina Gagarina "A Million Voices" (2nd place, 303 points)

This was one of my most liked songs in the first semi-final Tuesday evening, and one of the songs I most wanted to qualify that evening; I was overjoyed when it qualified. It's a beautiful ballad with a really powerful, catchy chorus "A million voices". The Grand Final performance was excellent; one of the best songs in the final. This deserved second place with 303 points. In my opinion, this was better than Sweden's song but I still think Italy or Montenegro should have been the outright winner.

Song 26: Albania - Elhaida Dani "I'm Alive" (17th place, 34 points)

The penultimate song of the night was an upbeat ballad from Albania. This was one of my least liked first semi-final preview videos. Although I thought it sounded better sung live Tuesday evening, it was still one of my least liked songs and hence on my "Prefer not to qualify" list that night. Against my wishes this qualified and to me it was no better during the Grand Final. 17th place and 34 points was way too high; this should have finished in the bottom four. Better still this shouldn't have qualified; The Netherlands or Denmark deserved the Grand Final place this took.

Song 27: Italy - Il Volo "Grande Amore" (3rd place, 292 points)

The fifth and final Big Five entry, and final direct qualifier of the night, Italy, was the final song of the night. Italy's offering this year was an operatic ballad performed by three tenors; sometimes solo, sometimes in harmony. Altogether this was a first class performance of an excellent song; grazie Il Volo, grazie Italia. This time the EBU saved the best for last, in my opinion. Well done to Italy for finishing third with 292 points. However I think this masterpiece should have won because I think it's better than Sweden's song.

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Tele-voting and Recap

As soon as Italy finished singing, Conchita Wurst appeared in the Green Room briefly. Shortly afterwards, Mirjam, Alice and Arabella reappeared to announce the start of the voting. The voting lines opened and a recap of the songs followed. Viewers had 25 minutes in which to cast their votes. When the UK's song extract appeared, a caption at the bottom of the screen stated "UK VIEWERS CANNOT VOTE FOR THE UK ENTRY" and "Your vote won't count and you may still be charged." Were any UK viewers foolish enough to try dialling the voting stem with 05 at the end?

After the first recap of the songs it was time for the interval. The first part of the interval featured Martin Grubinger and the Percussive Planet Ensemble performing "Speeding Up the Images – All is in a State of Flux". This band featuring drums and brass instruments played a composition based on themes from famous Austrian composers. Their performance was interspersed with songs from the Arnold Schoenberg Choir. During this time I tried voting; after finding the lines engaged a few times I eventually managed to vote for four countries: Estonia, Australia, Montenegro and Italy.

Once the band had finished there was still time for one more recap of the songs. Shortly after this recap ended, there was a 60 second countdown on the video wall to the moment the lines closed. Everyone in the arena shouted out the last ten seconds. As soon as the lines closed, Graham Norton said "So that's it, fates are sealed, good luck Electro Velvet."

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Interval Act

Once the voting lines closed, Conchita Wurst performed two of her new songs "You Are Unstoppable" followed by "Firestorm". During "Firestorm" Conchita was accompanied by a backing group who performed a well-choreographed routine of arm movements. Afterwards Conchita explained why she chose those two songs for the interval.

Next one of the hosts spoke to Vincenzo Cantiello, who won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014 for Italy with the song "Tu primo grande amore". Finally there was a series of clips showing winners from past Eurovision Song Contests.

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Voting

Once the series of clips had finished, Jon Ola Sand, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest gave a short speech. He announced that the Eurovision Song Contest has been added to the Guinness Book of Records for the longest running music competition on TV in the world. Next he said they have a result and hence they were ready to begin voting. Alice and Mirjam introduced the links to each country.

All 40 countries, including the 13 which failed to qualify, voted in the final. The voting order was:
Montenegro, Malta, Finland, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Belarus, Albania, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Serbia, Estonia, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Armenia, Ireland, Sweden, Germany, Australia, Czech Republic, Spain, Austria, F.Y.R. Macedonia, Slovenia, Hungary, United Kingdom, Georgia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Israel, Russia, San Marino, Italy, Iceland, Cyprus, Norway, Portugal, Estonia, Georgia.

N.B. Portugal was originally going to vote between Greece and Romania, Estonia was originally going to vote between Serbia and Denmark, and Georgia was originally going to vote between United Kingdom and Lithuania. Unfortunately technical problems occurred when trying to contact Portugal, Estonia and Georgia in their original billed slots; therefore each time it was necessary to move on to the next country in the list and return to Portugal, Estonia and Georgia after Norway (originally last on the list) had announced its votes. For this reason Portugal, Estonia and Georgia have been shown in their original positions like this and where they successfully voted at the end.

After the first country Montenegro finished voting, the top six countries were 1st Serbia, 2nd Albania, 3rd Azerbaijan, 4th Russia, 5th Italy, 6th Sweden. This was Serbia's only moment at the top of the scoreboard. Malta's votes changed the top six to 1st Italy, 2nd Azerbaijan, 3rd Sweden, 4th Russia, 5th Serbia, 6th Albania. Finland's votes changed the top six to 1st Sweden, 2nd Russia, 3rd Italy, 4th Azerbaijan, 5th Estonia, 6th Serbia. Thus Sweden, Russia and Italy were already all in the top three. These three countries remained in the top three until the end of the voting, albeit with changes of order. After Greece had voted, Italy was in the lead again, with Sweden second and Russia third. Romania's votes kept Italy at the top, with Russia second and Sweden third. However that was Italy's last time at the top, because once Belarus had cast its votes the top three was 1st Russia, 2nd Sweden, 3rd Italy. Thereafter Russia maintained its lead until after Hungary had cast its votes, giving the impression Russia would eventually win. Meanwhile Sweden and Italy played cat and mouse for second and third for a bit; Italy was second and Sweden third after Albania's votes had been cast, and stayed that way after Moldova and Azerbaijan had voted. Once Latvia had cast its votes, the top three was 1st Russia, 2nd Sweden, 3rd Italy, and stayed that way until after Hungary had voted. When the United Kingdom finished voting, Sweden was one point ahead of Russia, changing the top three to 1st Sweden, 2nd Russia, 3rd Italy. The top three remained in this order for the rest of the voting.

12 of the 27 finalists received at least one 12 point vote. The number of 12 point votes received by each of those 12 countries is shown in the table below.

12 points to	No of 12s Received
Sweden	12
Italy	9
Russia	5
Belgium	3
Latvia	3
Australia	2
Albania	1
Armenia	1
Azerbaijan	1
Montenegro	1
Romania	1
Serbia	1

Notice that the highest number of 12-point scores (12 altogether) was received by the eventual winners Sweden. Italy, who finished third overall, received the second highest number of 12-point scores (9 altogether). The third highest number of 12-point scores (5 altogether) was received by Russia, who finished second overall. Belgium, Australia, and Latvia, which finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, received more than one 12-point score each. Thus the six countries which received more than one 12-point score all finished in the top six. Out of the six countries which received just one 12-point score each, the highest placed was Serbia (10th) and the lowest was Albania, finishing 17th place. Clearly one 12-point score wasn't enough to guarantee a top 10 or top 12 place.

The 12 countries which awarded 12 points to Sweden were: Finland, Latvia, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia, Slovenia, United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, Iceland, Norway. Every other country (apart from Sweden itself) gave between 4 and 10 points to Sweden. Thus Sweden received a mark from every other country, the lowest of which was 4 points. Interestingly Sweden received at least one of each points level from 4 to 12 points inclusive (4-5-6-7-8-10-12). The number of times Sweden received each particular points level is summarised in the following table:

Points level	To Sweden
0	0
1	0
2	0
3	0
4	1
5	2
6	1
7	5
8	7
10	11
12	12

The complete list of 12-point scores and points awarded to Sweden is shown below:

#	Country	12 points to	Points to Sweden
1	Montenegro	Serbia	5
2	Malta	Italy	10
3	Finland	Sweden	12
4	Greece	Italy	4
5	Romania	Italy	8
6	Belarus	Russia	10
7	Albania	Italy	7
8	Moldova	Romania	8
9	Azerbaijan	Russia	6
10	Latvia	Sweden	12
11	Serbia	Montenegro	8
12	Denmark	Sweden	12
13	Switzerland	Sweden	12
14	Belgium	Sweden	12
15	France	Belgium	8
16	Armenia	Russia	7
17	Ireland	Latvia	10
18	Sweden	Australia	n/a
19	Germany	Russia	10
20	Australia	Sweden	12
21	Czech Republic	Azerbaijan	10
22	Spain	Italy	8
23	Austria	Australia	7
24	F.Y.R. Macedonia	Albania	5
25	Slovenia	Sweden	12
26	Hungary	Belgium	10
27	United Kingdom	Sweden	12
28	Lithuania	Latvia	10
29	The Netherlands	Belgium	10
30	Poland	Sweden	12
31	Israel	Italy	10
32	Russia	Italy	8
33	San Marino	Latvia	7
34	Italy	Sweden	12
35	Iceland	Sweden	12
36	Cyprus	Italy	10
37	Norway	Sweden	12
38	Portugal	Italy	8
39	Estonia	Russia	10
40	Georgia	Armenia	7

Only two of the five Nordic countries (Norway and Sweden) reached the final this year, but all five voted in the final as follows:

Calling country	Norway	Sweden
Denmark	3	12
Finland	4	12
Iceland	10	12
Norway	n/a	12
Sweden	7	n/a

Notice that Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway all gave 12 points to Sweden, but the points Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden gave to Norway varied considerably. Of course, Denmark, Finland and Iceland which were eliminated in the semi-finals could only give, and not receive points this time.

All three Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were in this year's Grand Final, and they exchanged points with each other as follows. As you can see the points each one awarded to the other two in the group varied considerably. Clearly these three countries don't necessarily give top two marks to the others in this group.

Calling country	Estonia	Latvia	Lithuania
Estonia	n/a	6	2
Latvia	6	n/a	7
Lithuania	8	12	n/a

The ex-Yugoslav countries voted in an interesting manner, as shown in the following table:

Calling country	Montenegro	Serbia	Slovenia
F.Y.R. Macedonia	4	10	8
Montenegro	n/a	12	4
Serbia	12	n/a	5
Slovenia	10	6	n/a

Evidently F.Y.R. Macedonia and Montenegro favoured Serbia, whereas Serbia and Slovenia favoured Montenegro. Unsurprisingly Montenegro and Serbia gave each other 12 points. Of course F.Y.R. Macedonia, which failed to qualify for the final, could only give and not receive points.

Only three countries gave points to the UK, as follows:

Calling country	Points to UK
Malta	1
Ireland	1
San Marino	3

There were some surprises in the voting. Perhaps the biggest shock of the night was when Greece gave just 10 points to Cyprus, and Cyprus gave just 8 points to Greece. This breaks their tradition of automatically giving each other 12 points. Interestingly Greece and Cyprus both gave 12 points to Italy.

San Marino gave 10 points to Italy followed by 12 points to Latvia. Clearly San Marino doesn't necessarily give 12 points to its only neighbour Italy.

Portugal gave just 3 points to Spain, and 12 points to Italy. Evidently Portugal doesn't always favour Spain. Of course Portugal, which was eliminated in Thursday evening's second semi-final, could only give and not receive points in this year's Grand Final.

After Poland had cast its votes, the top five was: 1st Sweden 269, 2nd Russia 248, 3rd Italy 212, 4th Belgium 155, 5th Australia 144. With ten countries still to vote (including Russia and Italy), a maximum of 108 points were still available to Russia or Italy, and up to 120 points were still available to Belgium or Australia. The only countries which could now beat Sweden were Russia (maximum final score 356), Italy (maximum final score 320) or Belgium (maximum final score 275). Australia could no longer win as the most it could now reach was 264 points. It was now a four horse race to win.

After Israel had cast its votes, the top four was: 1st Sweden 279, 2nd Russia 256, 3rd Italy 224, 4th Belgium 159. There were nine countries still to vote (including Russia and Italy), so up to 96 points were still available to Russia or Italy, and up to 108 points were still available to Belgium. Only Russia (maximum final score 352) or Italy (maximum final score 320) could now overtake Sweden and win. Belgium could no longer win, as its maximum possible final score was now 267 points. There was now a three horse race to win. It remained possible for either Russia or Italy to beat Sweden and win after Russia, San Marino and Italy had each cast their votes.

Once Iceland had announced its votes the top three was 1st Sweden 318, 2nd Russia 269, 3rd Italy 252. Five countries still to vote meant a maximum of 60 points were still available to Russia or Italy. The only country other than Sweden which could now win was Russia with a maximum final score of 329 points. The most Italy could now reach was just 312 points, and hence not win. It was now a two horse race to win.

After Cyprus voted, Mirjam said "Well I've just heard, actually we've done the maths, however we have other countries coming up, but it's no longer possible for any other country to catch up, we already have a winner, the winner is Sweden". Sweden was officially announced as the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 winner at this point.
With four countries still to vote, and hence up to 48 points still available to Russia, the worst case scenario that could now have occurred was 1st Sweden 328, 2nd Russia 322.

Afterwards Norway (originally planned to be last to vote) announced its points. Finally second attempts were made at contacting Portugal, Estonia, Georgia, all of which were successful this time. When Portugal had cast its votes, Italy was just five points behind Russia, and thus still able to overtake Russia and finish second. Estonia's 3 points to Italy and 12 points to Russia put Russia 14 points ahead of Italy, thereby guaranteeing Russia second place and Italy third place regardless of Georgia's scores.

Sweden won with a final score of 365 points. With a possible maximum of 12 points from each of the other 39 countries (including the 13 semi-finalists which failed to qualify), i.e. 468, Sweden won with 77.99% of the maximum possible score. That's higher than last year when Austria won with 67.1% of the maximum possible score for 2014, i.e. 432. The record for the winner with the highest percentage of the maximum possible score since 1975 still rests with United Kingdom - Brotherhood of Man "Save Your Kisses For Me"; 80.4% in 1976.

Commiserations to Germany and Austria, which both finished with nul points. This is the first time a country has finished on nul points in a Saturday evening Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final since 2003, and the first time two countries have finished with nul points since 1997. Furthermore this is the worst nul points ever! When the UK finished on nul points in 2003, 25 other countries could have voted for the UK. This time 39 countries could have voted for Germany, and 39 countries could have voted for Austria, thereby making their nul points results this year far worse than that of the UK in 2003. This is the first time the reigning champion or host country has finished with nul points in the history of the Contest.

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Reprise

Once the voting had finished, Sweden was once again announced as the Eurovision Song Contest Winner 2015, accompanied by fanfare. Måns Zelmerlöw proceeded from the Green Room to the stage to receive the winner's trophy, which was presented by last year's winner Conchita Wurst. Conchita asked Måns if he had anything to say, so Måns gave a short speech. Next Alice, Mirjam, Arabella and Conchita appeared on stage to give a series of closing speeches before Måns performed the winning song "Heroes" again. As he performed the song, complete with the animated drawings, the closing credits appeared in a panel at the bottom of the screen. Finally the Eurovision ident accompanied by Charpentier's Te Deum prelude "Marche en rondeau", marking the end of the show.

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And Finally

Altogether another great Contest. Many thanks to ORF for producing such a spectacular Grand Final, which marked the Eurovision Song Contest's 60th year. As always it was good to have a mixture of song styles in the final. Most of the songs were OK or very good; there were just a few that I'd rather not have qualified to the final (Belgium, Latvia, Georgia, Albania). I still think The Netherlands and Denmark deserved the places taken by Belgium and Georgia Tuesday evening, and that Ireland, San Marino or Switzerland deserved the place Latvia took Thursday evening.

Congratulations to Sweden for winning just three years after their previous win. This is Sweden's shortest gap between wins to-date: 3 years (2012 - 2015), and one of the shortest gaps between wins overall to-date. It does mean that the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 will be expected to come from Sweden again, just three years after the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö. Two important questions arise from this; will SVT want and/or be able to afford to host it again just three years after 2013, and if so where in Sweden will it be this time?

Well done to Russia too in coming second and Italy for finishing third. Interestingly the last time Sweden won in 2012, Russia also happened to finish second. This time the difference in the number of points between first and second was much smaller; 62 points this time compared to 113 points in 2012.

Commiserations to the UK's Electro Velvet, whose "Still In Love With You" finished a disappointing 24th place with 5 points. Still I was unimpressed with its preview video the moment I first saw it early March, and immediately guessed the song would fare badly at Eurovision. Looking positively though, 24th out of 27 finalists still nothing to be ashamed of; 3 finalists finished below the UK, and a further 13 countries failed to reach the final. The UK and other countries which didn't win should take note of what Arabella said in the closing speech "The most important thing is that, 40 countries have come together to entertain the whole world with their great songs and build bridges". At the end of the day, the important thing is not to win, but to participate.

Roll on the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest from Sweden. Can SVT do as well or better? Time will tell. Mark my words, next year's Contest will tell another story as far as the results are concerned. Who knows, the UK might win next year!

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[1] Each August the RCCGB (Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain) hosts an event called Mega-Glow-Mania at Oakwood Theme Park, Pembrokeshire, Wales.  The name Mega-Glow-Mania relates to the Club's practice of having exclusive ride time on the wooden coaster Megafobia in the dark after closing time, during which some members wear clothes with lights on