1995 was the first time ever that the Eurovision Song Contest took place in the same city for two years in a row. In 1994, the European Broadcasting Union decreased the number of participants to 23 to make sure that the song contest would not last longer than three hours. All of the five relegated countries from the preceding year - Turkey, Slovenia, Israel, Denmark and Belgium - returned to the contest. In contrast, the bottom seven countries of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest were relegated: Lithuania, Estonia, the Netherlands, Finland, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland.
Norway scored its second victory with Nocturne performed by the group Secret Garden. The winning song only consisted of 24 words and was inspired by Celtic music. In fact the group's violinist was in fact Irish meaning that it could be considered to be a victory for Ireland as well.
Three of the top five countries in 1995 were Scandinavian; Norway won, Sweden came third and Denmark fifth. Germany had its worst placing ever, only the Maltese jury awarded one single point to Stone & Stone's Verliebt In Dich. Since it was the 40th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, the programme started with a three-minute compilation of previous contests. The United Kingdom sent a rap song in 1995, a rapid departure from previous musical styles seen in the Eurovision Song Contest.
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