#esc1999

What more can you say about Anna Oxa? She's entered the Festival di Sanremo fifteen separate times! Fifteen! The most recent was this year, 2023. She won in 1989 and represented Italy at Eurovision. 1999 was her tenth entry and her second victory with Senza pietà (Without Mercy). Truly a queen.

Senza pietà itself is an interesting song with large serving of gender play at its heart. Anna casts herself as a knight in a fantasy realm, massacring enemies with her sword all in the name of finding love and conquering it without mercy. Oh my! Anna herself is aquiline, honed like her sword in the song, hair slicked back, leather clad, she means business.

Her voice is the star, low and purposeful throughout the verses, soaring to huge heights when the chorus hits. If Italy were in Eurovision this year, this would have been their entry and I'm confident it would have been contention for the win. Anna, RAI should have been there with you so all of Europe could enjoy this.

Of course, this was a big hit in Italy, and her career continued well into the new millennium. She also did some TV presenting work and was poised to conquer the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars until a leg injury forced her out.

Here she is at the beginning of her Sanremo journey with her second placed song Un'emozione da poco from 1979.

While it's not a huge deal for me, I have made it to a point in my adventure where I have ranked every edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in the 21st century, which means I'm inching closer and closer to 1956. But today, I present to you 1999.

The last Eurovision event of the 20th century would end up being a foreshadowing of what would come in the first 24 years of the next century. Sweden won (their 4th total and 2nd in the 1990s) with Charlotte Nillson (now Perrelli) singing "Take Me To Your Heaven," which became another staple that you might remember from the sing-along segment in the 2nd Semi-Final's interval act alongside the winning entries from 2005 and 2003. Petra Mede also wore the outfit during an interval act in 2016. When ranking the entries, I also put this song on the top.

Eurovision Nines (1999)

Belgium - Vanessa Chinitor - Like The Wind

The mountains full of serenity uncaring 'bout the wind, never giving in never But waves that roll on the stormy sea turn mountains into dust the wind it wins at last always

36 Days Eurovision Challenge-Day 6: A song you like from the year you were born.