About Switzerland...

2006 Result
History (1956 to 2005)
This year's entry
What I predicted...
What you thought...
What actually happened...
What the bookies thought...

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2006 Result

Points in Semi Final: N/A
Position in Semi Final: N/A

Points in Final: 30
Position in Final: 17th
More about the 2006 result for Switzerland

2007 Contest: Must compete in Semi Final

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History (1956 to 2005)

Switzerland's previous appearances: 46 year(s) out of 50 [note]
Years participated: 1956-1994; 1996-1998; 2000; 2002; 2004- [note]
Best result: 1st (1956, 1988)

Ah, Switzerland! The Swiss got off to a good start by winning the first ever contest in 1956, though with only 7 countries taking part it was a bit easier in those days. They then had to wait another 32 years, before the French Canadian Celine Dion, inexplicably singing for Switzerland, won it again in 1988 with 'Ne partez pas sans moi'. Celine's Eurovision performance, wearing a startlingly frilly white dress, is one of those moments that gets repeated on the various 'look at those ridiculous Eurovision outfits' programmes, though I doubt Celine minds too much - after all, she is probably the biggest international star to emerge from Eurovision since ABBA. Unhappily for Switzerland, subsequent efforts were less successful, Annie Cotton's 3rd place in 1993 representing the highlight in a string of dismal results. During the 90s and early 00s, Switzerland's record was nearly as bad as Finland's, participating in 94, 96, 97, 98 (nul points), 00 and 02, but missing 95, 99, 01 and 03 through relegation. As if this record of despair was inadequate humiliation, the Swiss plumbed new depths in 2004 by managing to score 'nul points' in the inagural Eurovision Semi Final, thus finishing 36th out of 36 entries. With so many countries taking part and voting in the Contest (including 33 voting in the 2004 Semi Final), finding a song that is so bad it gets no votes from any country is quite an impressive feat. However, that doesn't take into account the Swiss managing to find a singer as cheesy as Piero, or a song as horrific as 'Celebrate'.

Looking on the bright side, at least the Swiss could only improve in 2005, and improve they certainly did. Enlisting the talents of Estonian band Vanilla Ninja to perform the song 'Cool vibes', Switzerland gained 114 points and 8th place in the Semi Final, going on to secure 128 points and another 8th place in the Final; needless to say, Switzerland was the beneficiary of Estonia's 'douze points' on both occasions. Thanks to its first top 10 placing in over a decade, Switzerland now finds itself directly qualified for the Final in 2006.
Get 'The Eurovision Song Contest: The Offical History' at Amazon.co.uk

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This year's entry

Position in Semi Final draw: N/A
Position in Final draw: 1

What I said prior to the Semi Final:
"After enjoying their best result for years in 2005, the Swiss are going for broke in 2006, with an entry carefully conceived to secure votes from as many countries as possible. With 'If we all give a little', a song composed by Eurovision veterans Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR Idée Suisse has enlisted a supergroup of six singers from different nations to represent the country in the 2006 Eurovision Final. Performing as the group 'Six4one', the group includes a number of internationally renowned artists and former participants from Eurovision national finals across Europe - 16-year-old Israeli star Liel; Alcazar member Andreas Lundstedt, from Sweden; Tinka Milinovic, runner-up to Feminnem in the 2005 Bosnian Eurovision heats; Keith Camilleri, performer of 'Tango 4 Two' at Maltasong 2004; Portuguese-born Marco Matias, runner-up (with Nicole Süßmilch) to Gracia in 2005's 'Germany 12 Points!' contest; and Claudia D'Addio, from the Swiss 'MusicStar' show.

Understandably, the Swiss must think that they're on to a good thing. For a start, votes are likely to be forthcoming from Israel, Sweden, Bosnia, Malta, Portugal and Germany, many of those being countries that traditionally like to support their own - just in 2005, for example, witness Portugal awarding its 12 points to Portuguese-born Nuno Resende, singing for Belgium; or Israel giving 5 points to Israeli-born Ortal, performing for France, one of only three countries to give the French any points at all. A further factor is that Siegel and Meinunger are undoubtedly a formidable songwriting team. Though recent efforts, such as Lou's 'Let's get happy' and Corinna May's 'I can't live without music' have disappointed, the duo are responsible for some classic Eurovision hits, including 'Ein bisschen Frieden', 'Dschinghis Khan' and 'Reise nach Jerusalem', while Meinunger has also had success under his pen name of John O'Flynn, co-writing Vanilla Ninja's Swiss entry from 2005, as well as Gracia's 'Run and hide' from the same year (but the least said about that the better). On the other hand, Switzerland will be hoping that their 2006 entry doesn't go the same way as Siegel's last attempt at an international, made for Eurovision supergroup, 1985's 'Children, kinder, enfants', which could only manage a disappointing 13th place for Luxembourg. If nothing else, 'Six4one' is at least a catchier name for the group than 1985's solution, 'Margo, Franck Olivier, Chris Roberts, Ireen Sheer, Diane Solomon and Malcolm Roberts', probably going down as the longest artist credit in Eurovision history.

So, what about the song? There has certainly been a high degree of expectation around the Swiss entry, with the song finally being unveiled on 19 February, some three months after the initial announcement of Six4one's participation. Of course, Ralph Siegel is a character who seems to inspire admiration and vitriol in equal measure among Eurovision fans, with some - me included - hailing his contribution as one of the Contest's most prolific and enduring figures, while others cringe at what they perceive as his formulaic musical style and cynical attempts to muster votes from as many corners of Europe as possible. To gauge early reaction among the fans, Soult.com Eurovision organised a poll asking visitors to articulate their feelings about Six4one and the 2006 Swiss selection. While some people had inevitably made up their mind about 'If we all give a little' even before hearing it (with 23% "hating the idea"), I find it quite heartening that 45% of those who voted were at least prepared to reserve judgement until hearing the song, with another 19% expressing initial enthusiam for the "great idea".

I was one of those saving my comments until I'd heard the song, but now that I have heard it I'm really rather impressed. In fact, I think it's very good indeed. Sure, it's schmaltzy and saccharine and goes on about how we can make the world a home for everyone - this is Ralph Siegel, after all - but it is also a rousing and memorable song, brilliantly performed by six excellent singers whose voices work unexpectedly well together. Where Brian Kennedy's song for Ireland, while very appealing, chugs along gently without ever going anywhere, Ralph Siegel has shown no such restraint with the Swiss entry, kicking off slowly before erupting into a giddy brew of key changes, singalong harmonies, high notes and hand clapping opportunities - a proper, full-on Eurovision anthem! Though I hate to say it, Mr Siegel has certainly won me over with this latest effort."

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What I predicted...

My prediction for Semi Final: N/A
My prediction for Final: 16th to 18th
See all my predictions for the 2006 Semi Final
See all my predictions for the 2006 Final

What I predicted prior to the Semi Final:
"Of all the 2006 entries, the Swiss song is perhaps the hardest to call. It has consistently underperformed in the fan polls, with the Soult.com Eurovision Jury Vote 2006 suggesting that 'If we all give a little' will end up among the bottom few entries in the Final. However, the bookies' odds have been consistently optimistic, kicking off at 14-1 and only now starting to slump. In almost all other cases the polls and bookmakers have shown broad agreement, so just who's right about the Swiss entry? I suspect that performing first in the Final may help the Swiss position, as at least then the televoters will have nothing else to compare it against. However, much will depend on the quality of the live vocal and stage performance - still a bit of an unknown quantity prior to the rehearsals - and on whether people judge that the song is simply ten (or twenty) years too late. Much as I have a sneaking regard for it, my prediction is that the Swiss song may struggle to pick up the Europe-wide support that it needs, ending up somewhere mid table. "
Want an alternative prediction? See Simon Hylands' 'Je t'adore, Eurovision!' site

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What you thought...

View the final leader board

In the run up to the Contest, 1,721 visitors to this site awarded points to their favourite songs in the Soult.com Eurovision Jury Vote 2006, voting as a representative of their own country's 'jury'. The votes awarded by representatives of each country were totalled, with each of the 38 participating countries (plus the 'Rest of the World') then awarding points - 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - based on the overall voting preference of its representatives. The points awarded to the entry from Switzerland are shown in the tables below:

Points awarded to Switzerland overall:
AL	0	HR	0	GR	0	MK	0	PL	0	ES	0
AD	0	CY	0	IS	0	MT	5	PT	0	SE	0
AM	0	DK	0	IE	0	MD	0	RO	0	CH	X
BY	10	EE	0	IL	0	MC	6	RU	1	TR	0
BE	0	FI	0	LV	0	NL	0	CS	0	UA	0
BA	0	FR	0	LT	0	NO	0	SI	0	UK	0
BG	0	DE	0	WO	0	Last updated: 18 May 2006 Next scheduled update: None
Total points: 22, from 4/39 juries
Position: 25 out of 37

Points awarded to Switzerland in the Semi Final:
AL	0	HR	0	GR	0	MK	0	PL	0	ES	0
AD	0	CY	0	IS	0	MT	0	PT	0	SE	0
AM	0	DK	0	IE	0	MD	0	RO	0	CH	X
BY	0	EE	0	IL	0	MC	0	RU	0	TR	0
BE	0	FI	0	LV	0	NL	0	CS	0	UA	0
BA	0	FR	0	LT	0	NO	0	SI	0	UK	0
BG	0	DE	0	WO	0	Last updated: 18 May 2006 Next scheduled update: None
Total points: N/A, from N/A/39 juries
Position: N/A out of 23

Points awarded to Switzerland in the Final:
AL	0	HR	0	GR	0	MK	0	PL	0	ES	0
AD	0	CY	0	IS	0	MT	5	PT	2	SE	0
AM	0	DK	0	IE	0	MD	0	RO	0	CH	X
BY	10	EE	0	IL	0	MC	6	RU	4	TR	0
BE	0	FI	0	LV	0	NL	0	CS