15 Famous Artists You Didn't Know Competed In Eurovision

What is He Know For? Björn Skifs may not be an entirely familiar name at first glance, but he is the main vocalist being the 1974 number hit song Hooked on a Feeling, which was recorded when he was part of a short-lived band called Blue Swede (he left it for a solo career).

At Eurovision (Fourteenth and Tenth Place): In his first Eurovision appearance in the 1978 contest in Paris, France, Björn Skifs performed last out of twenty countries with the song Det blir alltid värre framåt natten (It Always Gets Worse When the Night Comes). Skifs had actually rehearsed the song in both Swedish and English and he originally planned to sing it in English, but decided at the last minute to sing in Swedish to prevent disqualification. During his performance, Skifs had a shaky moment where he forgot the lyrics and sang in improvised gibberish to cover up his error. Despite a decent recovery, Skifs only received twenty-six points in total, and landed into fourteenth place.

Skifs returned to Eurovision for the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland. He once again performed last out of twenty countries with the song Fångad i en dröm (Captured In a Dream), a song composed in a similar vein of Hooked on a Feeling, only in Swedish. It was a vast improvement from his 1978 performance--Skifs looked more in his element and rocked it out nicely with confidence. He was awarded with a better score and placing, fifty points in total (including one twelve-point score) and landed in tenth place.

After Eurovision: Björn Skifs' career is pretty much contained in Sweden, and Hooked on a Feeling remains his most famous song for English audiences, which came back to attention when it was featured on the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack.