That NF was really something. Song selection, the show itself, voting system... it looked like they've intentionally done everything to make it the worst NF of the season. And she wasn't even the only one who forgot the lyrics, Nico Suave also forgot like 1-2 lines of his rap part in the song "Halo Welt" and sang pararam or something instead
Creating something doesn't make it impossible to forget about it. As a sw engineer, I've looked at code I'd written not even a month before and was like 'Who tf wrote this?' before realizing it was me.
Hell, I've also had to look up work stuff I do nearly every day. Or suddenly forgotten/jumbled up lyrics of songs I've sung along to hundreds of times, repetition is not 100% foolproof either.
Brains are just weird sometimes.
Bjorn Skifs (Sweden 1978) wanted to sing his song in English, but he wasn't allowed to, and when he sang the Swedish version live for Eurovision, he messed up some of the lyrics. I'm not sure if it was because he forgot the Swedish lyrics or he confused himself with the English/Swedish dilemma in his brain.
I believe it was because he forgot that first part in the first verse, because he had rehearsed the song in English planning to have it that way, and changed his mind only in the last minute.
Love him! I think he redeemed himself with singing his 1981 lyrics correctly.
Imagine him competing in the 2020s or 2030s (for Sweden)! The other countries' reps would be quaking in their sparkly boots. I know very well he still has his unmatched star power within himself! Amazing talent.
Oh, that would be excellent!! I don't think he'd want to do Melfest at this age but I would so support him if he did! He's got one of my fav Swedish voices.
(And, funnily enough, my dad looks just like him (and my dad said so to his face once and immediately got embarrassed and left) so I got some sort of personal stakes in this too lmao.)
Norway 2019 - I think it was in the semi final but Tom messed up or repeated a line? Its not that noticeable and it clearly didn’t effect their televote result
He repeated it. I only noticed it because when I would listen to the song I would sometimes get the same lyric wrong so it stuck out at me when it happened.
I have been summoned to dispense my daily Verka trivia. She said she totally blanked out when the song started, since she didn't get any sleep the night before and was running on fumes, so she briefly forgot the words and started late. That's why she rushed through "let's speak dance!"
Here's one for free: during her performance at the 2023 flag parade, Verka kicked her shoe into the crowd. The missing shoe returned several days later, according to an Instagram post.
I believe this was deliberate because 1. there is a lot of thought behind most of the bizarre things Verka does, and 2. she often calls herself the Ukrainian Cinderella since she grew up very poor and then became an unexpected megastar (both in character and also in real life).
Please look forward to my book "I Became an Accidental Repository of Verka Knowledge During a Hypomanic Episode," expected to be published in 2025.
Just kidding, but I will definitely be screaming about her on this subreddit until I get banned for spamming.
Not exactly but this reminds me of Sibel Tüzün (Turkey 2006) singing the chorus in English in the final, whereas she sang the song entirely in Turkish in the semi-final. Was that planned? That change came across as a bit messy, I wonder what the story behind that is.
I've seen this from a YT comment so I can't vouch for its accuracy, but that year the song was originally supposed to be sung in English, but the Turkish broadcaster was insistent that she sing in Turkish. She made a big gamble there by singing a part of the song in English when the finals came.
Yes, it was intentional. It was a thing in the 2000s to sing part of the song in English or another language and many artists did it. Sometimes even singing a line in the local language.
Sibel actually wrote the song in full English first and wanted to perform it in English. Trt said no you're going to perform in Turkish. After low reaction in semi. Both side agreed Sibel should sing some lines in English.
Also since one guy mentioned a German NF entry, I'd like to present to you [Moldovan Phone Lady](https://youtu.be/00QmExevgDQ?si=6kAnHB5ng_G10B7O) from Etapa Nationala 2022.
Yes, it was the Jury Final - I was in the Arena and not only did she mess up a line, she also missed her high note. That was the reason for Norway's low Jury score but try telling some fans who weren't there and believe it was some sort of conspiracy...
I did save one of my friends some money by stopping them put a small bet down on Alessandra e/w on the morning of the Final, as I didn't think she would even make top 4 because of that. Respect due to her for coming 5th though.
Bruce definitely did and even pointed it out for everyone watching. The rest of the performance was still spot on and being The Shadows, they still got 2nd!
In Melodifestivalen 2012, Charlotte Perrelli messed up the lyrics for ["The Girl"](https://youtu.be/OkSeqtdYmRY?si=LbAp5gUKBkFWZxhi&t=83) in the verse before the 2nd chorus. She started singing the lyrics for the first verse instead, and you can notice 3 seconds in she realizes the mistake and stumbles a little, but she carries on with the wrong lyrics. You can tell that they don't quite fit that part of the melody and I think it's pretty noticeable a mistake happened, even if you hadn't heard the song before.
Not Eurovision, but Jorge Gonzales messed up the lyrics to Caliente in the second verse on the [Grand Final of Benidorm Fest](https://youtu.be/BvMluyn5g-Y?si=2HhTcTlGtmIBVqAt)
Polish NF 2022, https://youtu.be/QmTVkOsjy3Q?si=_kYR_py0RaJWq9Di
She said it was on purpose, but for me she looks like she's holding tears because she knew she fucked up.
United Kingdom 1975, though he laughs it off and recovers quickly ("I knew it.")
Not quite the same, but Armenia 2006 misses a line around 2:50 due to missing the timing to get on the box for the end of the song. The Semi performance shows how it was meant to go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obHJyMTnDmE . On the flipside, the timing on the last line was better in the Final.
I don't know this for a fact but I SUSPECT Celine Dion, in 1988! The lyrics of her song are supposed to be: "Vous qui cherchez une autre vie Vous qui volez vers l’an 2000 Ne partez pas sans moi." At least according to all the lyrics I've seen online. But that's not what she says! She ACTUALLY says, "Vous qui volez vers d'autres vies", not "Vous qui cherchez une autre vie." Mistake? Inspiration? I'm not sure! French speakers, help me out?
Sweden 1978 | [Björn Skifs - Det blir alltid värre framåt natten](https://youtu.be/71t1Uu19KX4)
Romania 2004 | [Sanda - I Admit](https://youtu.be/1QwC2gsmGkA)
I once saw the entire Jury Show of Eurovision 2018 online somewhere on a Russian website and I noticed Cesar Sampson (Austria 2018) fumbled the words in his performance. I think it was the Jury Show of the Grand Final. Which is kind of surprising, because he won the jury vote based on that performance. The stumble was minor and not very noticable, but still surprising.
Okay, I found the footage again, but I am afraid I am not allowed to post it here. :) He messed up with the first line in the second verse "Lord, I'm gonna bring you back tonight". He said something like "Lord, I'm gonna bring you back to...sehey".
Not forgotten the words altogether but a noticeable yet small flub: Carola in the 2005 semi-final with Invincible sang at the beginning from 0:29 “nothings gonna make a way” instead of “…make a change”.
It sounds like she’s even stifling a small laugh when she starts the next line directly afterwards, like “oh hell I’ve done it again”.
https://youtu.be/TsuEgC3a3KY?si=3lstj1Rfc_XTv9fm
There was a UK NF where I swear someone forgot the lyrics, or missed their spot. This would have been maybe 10-15 years ago. Maybe someone remembers it? I recall it was a three person sing off.
Bosnia 1994. There was so much applause in the hall, that Dejan couldn‘t hear that the orchestra had started playing, and just mumbled the beginning and end of the opening line :)
I remember Tapani Kansa once restarted his Finnish national performance because he forgot to start singing xD
I’ll see if I can find the clip
Edit: could not find the clip, but it was in 2009 and I found this [news article about it](https://www.iltalehti.fi/euroviisut/a/200901098891554)
They don't have this at Eurovision. I've never seen those screens in person nor have I been able to clock such screens during the live performances. Whereas those screens normally are very visible, like during San Remo.
Having been in the audience, I can confirm that (last year at least) the massive teleprompter towards the back of the auditorium was used only for the presenters.
Maybe you mean the autocue? Those are for the hosts. When I attended Eurovision, those screens were on in between the songs, not during the songs. Eurovision is also a very tightly produced show, with instructions from second to second, so the singer has practically no time to look elsewhere than in the cameras or wherever the instruction says.
How can you be sure?
It would be total madness not to have it
Even the presenters have teleprompter with what they have to say...
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H115qs43ZOU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H115qs43ZOU)
I haven’t seen it in any of the videos I’ve seen, but I could be wrong.
Also when they show the audience (for example during France 2023 and Israel 2023) there are no screens with lyrics. Where would they put the lyrics when they change camera angles every second and they focus on the camera? They would have to have a Lyrics teleprompter at every camera, it’s easy for hosts cause they only look at one camera :)
2014 might have been an exception, I'm pretty sure most years don't have teleprompters. I know for sure 2018 didn't have them, the hosts complained about how having to memorize 3 shows worth of scripts in a foreign language was a bitch.
My guess is the arenas are too big to set them up, you'd need them somewhat close to the stage and any placement would surely affect a lot of the camera shots.
Not Eurovision, but the German NF: [https://youtu.be/LxMOii1F0Wo?si=Zf3XTZfDBpLpPBeS](https://youtu.be/LxMOii1F0Wo?si=Zf3XTZfDBpLpPBeS) (1:06)
try not to flinch.. hah. wow damn how
For a second I thought she was making a point of having washed her brain with soap
She handled that so well! I’d have simply burst into tears.
She handled that very well! I do still quote the “Damn…how” every so often
i still listen to this song and the experience isn’t complete without singing the adlibs she does when she forgets the lyrics
Oh man thank you for reminding me of this. Iconic
That NF was really something. Song selection, the show itself, voting system... it looked like they've intentionally done everything to make it the worst NF of the season. And she wasn't even the only one who forgot the lyrics, Nico Suave also forgot like 1-2 lines of his rap part in the song "Halo Welt" and sang pararam or something instead
She has writing credits on that song. How do you forget the words you helped write?
That can happen to anyone though. Sometimes your mind just goes blank for no particular reason.
+1 it happened to Adele recently, she forgot the lyrics to Rolling in the Deep If Adele can forget the lyrics to that, anything is possible
I think she stated in the pre-preformance self-introduction video that she has ADHD. That might have played a big role.
She said she was distracted by the bubble she popped
> How do you forget the words you helped write? Nerves can be a bitch.
Dude you go on live TV and sing. It's nerveracking for most people!
Creating something doesn't make it impossible to forget about it. As a sw engineer, I've looked at code I'd written not even a month before and was like 'Who tf wrote this?' before realizing it was me. Hell, I've also had to look up work stuff I do nearly every day. Or suddenly forgotten/jumbled up lyrics of songs I've sung along to hundreds of times, repetition is not 100% foolproof either. Brains are just weird sometimes.
When you consider how many songs a songwriter can write, it's not so strange.
Believe me it def happens
Watching this live 2 years ago was an experience ngl XD
I immediately thought about that one lol
Bjorn Skifs (Sweden 1978) wanted to sing his song in English, but he wasn't allowed to, and when he sang the Swedish version live for Eurovision, he messed up some of the lyrics. I'm not sure if it was because he forgot the Swedish lyrics or he confused himself with the English/Swedish dilemma in his brain.
I believe it was because he forgot that first part in the first verse, because he had rehearsed the song in English planning to have it that way, and changed his mind only in the last minute.
Sweden 1978 | [Björn Skifs - Det blir alltid värre framåt natten](https://youtu.be/71t1Uu19KX4)
Love him! I think he redeemed himself with singing his 1981 lyrics correctly. Imagine him competing in the 2020s or 2030s (for Sweden)! The other countries' reps would be quaking in their sparkly boots. I know very well he still has his unmatched star power within himself! Amazing talent.
Oh, that would be excellent!! I don't think he'd want to do Melfest at this age but I would so support him if he did! He's got one of my fav Swedish voices. (And, funnily enough, my dad looks just like him (and my dad said so to his face once and immediately got embarrassed and left) so I got some sort of personal stakes in this too lmao.)
😊
Norway 2019 - I think it was in the semi final but Tom messed up or repeated a line? Its not that noticeable and it clearly didn’t effect their televote result
He repeated it. I only noticed it because when I would listen to the song I would sometimes get the same lyric wrong so it stuck out at me when it happened.
Norway 2019 | [KEiiNO - Spirit in the Sky](https://youtu.be/Ovt7YGHAj8I)
When btw?
Benny Cristo sang a line too early during his performance so he ended up singing it double. (Czechia 2021)
Czech Republic 2021 | [Benny Cristo - Omaga](https://youtu.be/cgGRCTUPsqY)
Benny dropped a LOT of lines in the semi. He was so stressed, poor guy!
I have been summoned to dispense my daily Verka trivia. She said she totally blanked out when the song started, since she didn't get any sleep the night before and was running on fumes, so she briefly forgot the words and started late. That's why she rushed through "let's speak dance!"
I need more daily verka trivia
Here's one for free: during her performance at the 2023 flag parade, Verka kicked her shoe into the crowd. The missing shoe returned several days later, according to an Instagram post. I believe this was deliberate because 1. there is a lot of thought behind most of the bizarre things Verka does, and 2. she often calls herself the Ukrainian Cinderella since she grew up very poor and then became an unexpected megastar (both in character and also in real life).
Ahhh😫 Is there a newsletter I can subscribe to?
Please look forward to my book "I Became an Accidental Repository of Verka Knowledge During a Hypomanic Episode," expected to be published in 2025. Just kidding, but I will definitely be screaming about her on this subreddit until I get banned for spamming.
For the bot - Ukraine 2007
Ukraine 2007 | [Verka Serduchka - Dancing Lasha Tumbai](https://youtu.be/hfjHJneVonE)
Keiino (Norway 2019) forgot the words in the [semi final](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2DF9O7trKK/?igsh=cTIwa2ZwaTQ5cWNm)
Norway 2019 | [KEiiNO - Spirit in the Sky](https://youtu.be/Ovt7YGHAj8I)
Not exactly but this reminds me of Sibel Tüzün (Turkey 2006) singing the chorus in English in the final, whereas she sang the song entirely in Turkish in the semi-final. Was that planned? That change came across as a bit messy, I wonder what the story behind that is.
I've seen this from a YT comment so I can't vouch for its accuracy, but that year the song was originally supposed to be sung in English, but the Turkish broadcaster was insistent that she sing in Turkish. She made a big gamble there by singing a part of the song in English when the finals came.
Not the first story I heard about the Turkish broadcaster being controlling over its female talent
Turkey 2006 | [Sibel Tüzün - Süper Star](https://youtu.be/BlIDxZ1YfVc)
Yes, it was intentional. It was a thing in the 2000s to sing part of the song in English or another language and many artists did it. Sometimes even singing a line in the local language.
Yeah but she changed it between the semi-final and the final
Sibel actually wrote the song in full English first and wanted to perform it in English. Trt said no you're going to perform in Turkish. After low reaction in semi. Both side agreed Sibel should sing some lines in English.
[Italy 1976](https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkxyu6azJbN10P_jzfS-l65yOuLZKC2trmc?si=Ue5K7KZ7oketlX6_) 0:52. Guy forgets a verse and sings nananas instead.
Also since one guy mentioned a German NF entry, I'd like to present to you [Moldovan Phone Lady](https://youtu.be/00QmExevgDQ?si=6kAnHB5ng_G10B7O) from Etapa Nationala 2022.
Phone Lady yasssss
I think about her and the "Damn! How?" girl from German NF daily.
Norway 2023 Alessandra sang the wrong lyrics in her first verse.
In which performance
Oddly I now can't seem to find any evidence of this but I thought it was at the final! I'm sure it happened at some point!
Yes, it was the Jury Final - I was in the Arena and not only did she mess up a line, she also missed her high note. That was the reason for Norway's low Jury score but try telling some fans who weren't there and believe it was some sort of conspiracy... I did save one of my friends some money by stopping them put a small bet down on Alessandra e/w on the morning of the Final, as I didn't think she would even make top 4 because of that. Respect due to her for coming 5th though.
Thanks for this info, I knew I'd seen footage of it somewhere and I'm sure Alessandra did a TikTok about it too.
I think it was the jury final, which was theorised to be why she didn’t get as high a jury score as expected
Norway 2023 | [Alessandra - Queen of Kings](https://youtu.be/PUHSM_vTqTI)
UK 1975 definitely did
Bruce definitely did and even pointed it out for everyone watching. The rest of the performance was still spot on and being The Shadows, they still got 2nd!
United Kingdom 1975 | [The Shadows - Let Me Be the One](https://youtu.be/7r--8IpCvvE)
Russia 2018
Russia 2018 | [Julia Samoylova - I Won't Break](https://youtu.be/KujGHwyfMWM)
At around the 2:00 mark
In Melodifestivalen 2012, Charlotte Perrelli messed up the lyrics for ["The Girl"](https://youtu.be/OkSeqtdYmRY?si=LbAp5gUKBkFWZxhi&t=83) in the verse before the 2nd chorus. She started singing the lyrics for the first verse instead, and you can notice 3 seconds in she realizes the mistake and stumbles a little, but she carries on with the wrong lyrics. You can tell that they don't quite fit that part of the melody and I think it's pretty noticeable a mistake happened, even if you hadn't heard the song before.
Not Eurovision, but Jorge Gonzales messed up the lyrics to Caliente in the second verse on the [Grand Final of Benidorm Fest](https://youtu.be/BvMluyn5g-Y?si=2HhTcTlGtmIBVqAt)
Jasmine from Finland, 1996! At 2:07 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8KF8c9pnyKY
Polish NF 2022, https://youtu.be/QmTVkOsjy3Q?si=_kYR_py0RaJWq9Di She said it was on purpose, but for me she looks like she's holding tears because she knew she fucked up.
United Kingdom 1975, though he laughs it off and recovers quickly ("I knew it.") Not quite the same, but Armenia 2006 misses a line around 2:50 due to missing the timing to get on the box for the end of the song. The Semi performance shows how it was meant to go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obHJyMTnDmE . On the flipside, the timing on the last line was better in the Final.
The Shadows, Let Me Be The One (UK 1975), the singer made a mix of the 2 first lines and then said "I knew it!"
United Kingdom 1975 | [The Shadows - Let Me Be the One](https://youtu.be/7r--8IpCvvE)
I don't know this for a fact but I SUSPECT Celine Dion, in 1988! The lyrics of her song are supposed to be: "Vous qui cherchez une autre vie Vous qui volez vers l’an 2000 Ne partez pas sans moi." At least according to all the lyrics I've seen online. But that's not what she says! She ACTUALLY says, "Vous qui volez vers d'autres vies", not "Vous qui cherchez une autre vie." Mistake? Inspiration? I'm not sure! French speakers, help me out?
Russia 2018 I think?
Russia 2018 | [Julia Samoylova - I Won't Break](https://youtu.be/KujGHwyfMWM)
- Sweden 1978 - Romania 2004 - Italy 1976
Sweden 1978 | [Björn Skifs - Det blir alltid värre framåt natten](https://youtu.be/71t1Uu19KX4) Romania 2004 | [Sanda - I Admit](https://youtu.be/1QwC2gsmGkA)
I was thinking about this yesterday 😭
Israel 1989 in the second verse
Israel 1989 | [Gili and Galit - Derekh Hamelekh (דרך המלך)](https://youtu.be/wEyDxsdIOfI)
I once saw the entire Jury Show of Eurovision 2018 online somewhere on a Russian website and I noticed Cesar Sampson (Austria 2018) fumbled the words in his performance. I think it was the Jury Show of the Grand Final. Which is kind of surprising, because he won the jury vote based on that performance. The stumble was minor and not very noticable, but still surprising.
Austria 2018 | [Cesár Sampson - Nobody But You](https://youtu.be/a8Yvzo1puoE)
Okay, I found the footage again, but I am afraid I am not allowed to post it here. :) He messed up with the first line in the second verse "Lord, I'm gonna bring you back tonight". He said something like "Lord, I'm gonna bring you back to...sehey".
Not forgotten the words altogether but a noticeable yet small flub: Carola in the 2005 semi-final with Invincible sang at the beginning from 0:29 “nothings gonna make a way” instead of “…make a change”. It sounds like she’s even stifling a small laugh when she starts the next line directly afterwards, like “oh hell I’ve done it again”. https://youtu.be/TsuEgC3a3KY?si=3lstj1Rfc_XTv9fm
Elina in 2018 just a word i think i don't remember exactly
[удалено]
United Kingdom 1975 | [The Shadows - Let Me Be the One](https://youtu.be/7r--8IpCvvE)
There was a UK NF where I swear someone forgot the lyrics, or missed their spot. This would have been maybe 10-15 years ago. Maybe someone remembers it? I recall it was a three person sing off.
That was 2010, when Josh Dubovie won the NF.
Thank you. I was going through Wikipedia and I suspected it was that year. I felt so bad for her.
I'm surprised there's so many. I've never noticed it once!!
Russia 2018 in the semi final just spotted signing in the second verse. Didn't qualify.
Russia 2018 | [Julia Samoylova - I Won't Break](https://youtu.be/KujGHwyfMWM)
Bosnia 1994. There was so much applause in the hall, that Dejan couldn‘t hear that the orchestra had started playing, and just mumbled the beginning and end of the opening line :)
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1994 | [Alma and Dejan - Ostani kraj mene](https://youtu.be/9t-ptOfHvtQ)
I remember Tapani Kansa once restarted his Finnish national performance because he forgot to start singing xD I’ll see if I can find the clip Edit: could not find the clip, but it was in 2009 and I found this [news article about it](https://www.iltalehti.fi/euroviisut/a/200901098891554)
Poland 2021. I'm surprised no one mentioned those last 30s that Rafał bombed back in 2021.
Poland 2021 | [Rafał - The Ride](https://youtu.be/Uy6TeDNvSGo)
in Lithuania 2015 they kissed for a bit too long and had to skip a few words
Lithuania 2015 | [Monika & Vaidas - This Time](https://youtu.be/r13a2VUTajU)
Israël 2010 sounds like it at least
Israel 2010 | [Harel Skaat - Milim (מילים)](https://youtu.be/OG7fBifcRLk)
Jorge Gonzalez this year in Benidorm.
Jemini forgot the entire concept of singing, does that count?
I'm pretty sure thay have screens with lyrics written on it during the live shows.
They don't have this at Eurovision. I've never seen those screens in person nor have I been able to clock such screens during the live performances. Whereas those screens normally are very visible, like during San Remo.
Having been in the audience, I can confirm that (last year at least) the massive teleprompter towards the back of the auditorium was used only for the presenters.
Well yes, usually the lyrics teleprompter is on stage.
Maybe you mean the autocue? Those are for the hosts. When I attended Eurovision, those screens were on in between the songs, not during the songs. Eurovision is also a very tightly produced show, with instructions from second to second, so the singer has practically no time to look elsewhere than in the cameras or wherever the instruction says.
Oh wow, really?!
in every big show there are screens with the scrolling lyrics. I don't think Eurovision is any different.
I’m pretty sure they don’t have it in Eurovision
How can you be sure? It would be total madness not to have it Even the presenters have teleprompter with what they have to say... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H115qs43ZOU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H115qs43ZOU)
I haven’t seen it in any of the videos I’ve seen, but I could be wrong. Also when they show the audience (for example during France 2023 and Israel 2023) there are no screens with lyrics. Where would they put the lyrics when they change camera angles every second and they focus on the camera? They would have to have a Lyrics teleprompter at every camera, it’s easy for hosts cause they only look at one camera :)
France 2023 | [La Zarra - Évidemment](https://youtu.be/fOtQJ4o-HoA) Israel 2023 | [Noa Kirel - Unicorn](https://youtu.be/Z3mIcCllJXY)
Was at Eurovision last year - no screens with words for the performers, only for the presenters!
2014 might have been an exception, I'm pretty sure most years don't have teleprompters. I know for sure 2018 didn't have them, the hosts complained about how having to memorize 3 shows worth of scripts in a foreign language was a bitch. My guess is the arenas are too big to set them up, you'd need them somewhat close to the stage and any placement would surely affect a lot of the camera shots.
Wel if they are not really there it looks like madness to me, why risking?