The contest in Istanbul was the beginning of a new era for Eurovision.

Inspired by the music of the Ukrainian Carpathians and her own Hutsul* heritage, Ruslana’s “Wild Dances” was always a hot favorite to win.

Oh Sakis. With a flashy dance routine, a clothing removal shtick and a classic pop of ethnic flare during the middle eight, “Shake It” had everything you expect from Eurovision!

This is still one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen from Eurovision.

To be honest, I debated if this should be the hilarious entry for 2004.

This might have been the first song to make me laugh that year.

Oh Switzerland. It’s hard when something like this comes along.

Using haunting Balkan instruments, sung in Serbian with a native folk melody, "My Sweetheart" won the semi-final.