Two of the three most successful countries to compete in the competition are the United Kingdom and Ireland, both English-speaking countries. As of 2010, Ireland has the most Eurovision wins, followed by France, then the United Kingdom. Not only is Eurovision dominated by English-speaking countries, but countries where English isn't the first language regularly enter songs in English. The most successful song entered into the competition to date is "Waterloo" by Swedish band ABBA, which not only has English lyrics but English subject matter.
According to the Eurovision statistics site Eurovisionhistory.eu, certain titular themes make a song more likely to win. To date, songs with "Love" in the title have won the contest most frequently, with 33 winners. Songs with "Your" in the title have won 16 times, and songs with "Heart" have won eight times.
A memorable hook is essential for Eurovision success. While political and cultural factors influence judging, without a hook, it is unlikely a song will be entered into the competition at all. Since the competition is televised throughout Europe, the producers place a strong emphasis on the quality of songs that are entered. Each competing nation runs its own domestic competition to pick its entry.
The range of genres appearing in Eurovision over the years includes rap, pop, heavy metal, folk, gypsy, flamenco and electro. Finnish heavy metal band Lordi won the contest in 2006. "Sunday Times" writer Peter Paphides claims in the article "What Makes a Eurovision Hit?" that Lordi received such high votes because it appealed to traditional heavy metal fans as well as non-metal fans who enjoyed its performance on a "post-modern" level. Niche genres such as flamenco may appeal to voters from the arist's own country, but are unlikely to be popular enough to secure a win.
Factors external to the competition frequently influence the success of a Eurovision entry. Neighboring countries such as Sweden and Norway regularly give each other high scores. Martin Isherwood, head of Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, insisted that competition is "extremely political." The United Kingdom's 2003 entry "Jemini" scored zero points, and many commentators cited the war in Iraq as a possible reason for anti-U.K. sentiment.