Given how much Sweden has become entwined with the contest over recent years, it’s somewhat jarring to think that there was a long period of time in which they weren’t the powerhouse of the modern era, but here we are at their debut, three years in. Alice Babs performed “Lilla stjärna” (Little Star), spending most of the first minute singing “la la la” for some incomprehensible reason. When the lyrics kick in, they tell the tale of a a teenage girl asking the night sky (specifically, a star), if the boy she loves will come to her. The song has a certain charm to it — can’t quite put my finger on the exact reason for this, though.

Denmark returns with just the one singer this time, as Raquel Rastenni sings “Jeg rev et blad ud af min dagbog” (I Tore a Leaf Out of My Diary), a ballad depicting attempts to reconcile after a lovers’ quarrel. It follows the pattern of most songs of this era: music serves as an backdrop to create mood for the singer. The backing beat implies a more upbeat song than this is, so that’s a bit jarring.