The United Kingdom’s debut was Patricia Bredlin singing “All” — a ballad which showcases her soprano talents encased in a nostalgic love song full of yearning gratitude, but it doesn’t really offer much else beyond that. It held the record for being the shortest song entered in the contest until Finland in 2015.


Italy changed direction for 1957, sending in Nunzio Gallo with the strange “Corde della mia chitarra” (Strings of my guitar); the song’s focus for a good while is an acoustic guitar mixed with Gallo’s operatic singing style, describing the impact of seeing a former lover (so nothing new then). At over 5 minutes in length, it remains the longest song in the contest’s history and arguably played a large role in the institution of the three minute rule. The song drags on, seeming to finish a couple of times only to be resurrected, so it’s quite a relief when it finally ends.