Comparing results over the half-century of Eurovision is no exact science as scoring systems in the first two decades differed  from today's. This table shows the songs that got the most maximum points out of the number available in that contest, expressed as a percentage. Where there is a tie the song that competed in the widest field is placed higher, then if two or more still tied songs were in the same contest then the better scorer takes precedence. If songs from different contests with the same number of entrants are still tied then (provided the same scoring system was used) the absolute scores are used to split them. NB only two songs since 2004 have made the list due to the large numbers of countries voting and the fact that in recent years many "douzes" are pre-ordained, going to neighbours or the country with most immigrants. 

The songs that didn't actually win the contest are highlighted. Note that some non winning songs do better than the winners of their year because they were the absolute favourite song of more countries whilst perhaps not having the same across the board appeal.  As mentioned previously, with the sea change in scoring systems over half a century no comparison system is perfect.

ALL TIME TOP TEN :

1 Non Ho L'Eta	Many of the earliest Italian Eurovision songs fell flat at the contest but went on to be worldwide hits (none more so than "Volare" of course) but it was not until the ninth contest that Italy could claim both a huge pop hit AND victory. Gigliola's song, translated as "I'm Not Old Enough To Love You" gained the top mark of no less than eight of the other fifteen nations. Unfortunately there is no footage of the event as Danish TV mislaid the only videotape!. Ms Cinquetti went on to finish a close second behind Abba ten years later in Brighton and then co-compered the chaotic 1991 contest in Rome where she reprised this song at the start of the event.
Gigliola Cinquetti
Italy 1964
53.3% top marks

2 Ein Bisschen Frieden				3 Tom Pillibi				4 La Det Swinge
Nicole				Jacqueline Boyer				Bobbysocks
Germany 1982				France 1960				Norway 1985
52.9% top marks				45.8% top marks				44.4% top marks
Nicole's song was composed by longtime German composing team Siegel and Mienunger and her song was perfectly pitched for the cold war paranoia of the early 80s. After her victory Nicole's reprise was a very calculated mix of German, French, English and Dutch.				Jacqueline's parents were both in the French music business and she swept to victory in the first contest held in Britain, also achieving the first UK chart position by a Eurovision winner. She went on enjoy a long music career in both her native France and Germany.				Norway's infamous run of failures came to an end in 1985. Both girls had sung at ESC before (Hanne for Norway and Bettan for Sweden) and their kitsch anthem scored a popular win. Composer Rolf Lovland wrote Norway's second winner a decade later.
5 Net Als Toen				6 Love Shine A Light				7 Save Your Kisses For Me
Corry Brokken				Katrina & The Waves				Brotherhood Of Man
Netherlands 1957				UK 1997				UK 1976
44.4% top marks				41.7% top marks				41.2% top marks
Corry gave Netherlands its first of four wins with a song over four minutes long (well beyond the current three minute limit) in the first contest to be televised. She returned a year later to finish equal last, but went on to host the contest in The Hague in 1976.				Katrina and her Waves of course had a massive 80s hit with "Walking On Sunshine" and after their hits dried up they submitted this song (written by original Waver Kimberley Rew) to the Samaritans, and then of course to the BBC, it went on to sweep ESC glory for the UK.				1976 saw the first time in thirteen years that the BBC didn't invite one artist to sing all the potential Eurosongs, so we had a final at the Albert Hall. BOM won only narrowly but swept Eurovision and are still together in the same line up over thirty years later.
8 Everybody				9 Een Beetje				10 Fairytale
Tanel Padar & Dave Benton				Teddy Scholten				Alexander Rybak
Estonia 2001				Netherlands 1959				Norway 2009
40.9% top marks				40.0% top marks				39.0%  top marks
The old Eastern countries were first admitted into the contest in 1993 and Estonia quickly acquired decent results, though they were rank outsiders in 2001, yet swept to victory with this feel good number. Dave from Aruba is the only black singer so far to win.				A Dutch light entertainment star of the fifties and sixties, Teddy provided Eurovision with its first bouncy winner, so she may have a lot to answer for. The sentiment of the song is that Teddy loves you "a little". She went on to host a Dutch version of Candid Camera.				The 2009 winner sneaks into the top ten after a runaway victory in Moscow. Many may find it strange to find this so low, but the strict criteria are number of maximum votes and Rybak got 16 of 41. Quite exceptional though with the current system of 40+ countries voting.

11-53: (non-winning songs shaded yellow, all of the top ten above won the contest).

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