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Tonight should have been the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 but, like many other events, it’s had to be cancelled due to COVID-19. I love Eurovision – it’s so bad it’s good, and it’s such camp fun – so I’m going to miss it this year! And if anyone’s wondering, Iceland have my vote:

As there’s no Eurovision this year, and it’s currently Wyrd & Wonder, today I thought I’d do a post that I’ve done before where I pair books with songs – but this time, they’re Eurovision songs!

A couple of these I’ve actually paired together in similar posts before, but I think they fit really well so I don’t care. (I’ve also snuck a couple of sci-fi novels onto the list, but fantasy and sci-fi are basically two sides of the same coin.)

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier & The Voice, Eimear Quinn

Sorcha is guided by the fair folk through her many trials in this gorgeous historical fantasy novel, and I often found myself listening to Celtic Woman’s version of this song while I was reading the book. Eimear Quinn won the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland with this song in 1996!

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer & Children of the Universe, Molly

Look, I’ll be the first to admit that the UK’s entries to Eurovision are usually absolute crap. This, however, was our 2014 entry and I really like it! Is it the best song ever? No, but it’s catchy, and I think it’s demand of ‘power to the people’ fits the rebellion vibes in The Lunar Chronicles.

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal & Waterloo, ABBA

I’m sorry, but I couldn’t resist pairing up ‘Waterloo’ with a Regency era fantasy novel. Considering Jane and Vincent don’t initially see eye to eye, ‘I was defeated, you won ythe war’ seems like a rather apt way to describe their romance. This song, which won the Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden in 1974, shot ABBA to international fame.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young & Outlaw In ‘Em, Waylon

I don’t think this is a song any of my friends or I expected to come out of The Netherlands when we watched Eurovision in 2018, but I really love this song (I grew up listening to Shania Twain, so how could I not?) and a song with country vibes deserves a western alongside it. Blood Red Road is a YA post-apocalyptic western and, even though I read it around seven years ago, it’s still one of my favourite YA novels.

Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven & Fuego, Eleni Foureira

I like this song a lot more than I liked Phoenix Unbound – it’s another song that appeared at Eurovision in 2018, representing Cyprus, and finished second! – but the heroine, Gilene, has power over fire, so this song is perfect for her.

Do you enjoy Eurovision? Which songs do you associate with the books you’ve read?