Reviewing every Eurovision Song Contest Winner (1965, 1966)

1965.  France Gall, "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" (Luxembourg).

In which Serge Gainsbourg fulfilled one of his career goals by bringing his music to the masses, winning Eurovision, and giving the contest the kick in the teeth it sorely needed.  "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" can be credited as the first non-ballad to win Eurovision, but as we've seen, some uptempo, pop-lite songs had won in previous years, so that designation depends on your exact definition of ballad. More importantly, it was the first truly contemporary winner, the moment where the modern pop charts crash landed centre stage in Eurovision, the first song that exuded effortless cool and street cred.  The moment when the drums kick in is like a bolt of lightning that shocks the system after years of sleepy ballads.  The overall arrangement is so breathtaking that you can easily forgive France Gall's somewhat nondescript delivery, she's almost a sideshow within her own performance.  But Gainsbourg would make a career out of being the real star behind the scenes while interchanging his singing dolls as he wished.  One could go on for days about how he schooled all the winning composers from previous years and their "I'm too young to be in love" numbers with his continuous roll of puns, innuendos, and double entendres.  10/10.   

1966.  Udo Jürgens, "Merci, Chérie" (Austria).

And now it's a trip back to the dark ages of sentimental ballads about leaving one's lover, thanks for the memories, bittersweet love oh how it stings, and so on.  This song suffers a lot when you have to listen to it immediately following "Poupée de cire, poupée de son".  It's a safe entry, but it's immediate and relatable, something that could be counted on to score votes in the then contemporary climate.  6/10.