Samples in Eurovision songs...

[Terence]

...aren't songs allowed to be 100% original or something?

Geraldine's 1975 entry 'Toi' for Luxembourg has a blatant sample/sounds very similar to 'Ave Maria' and yet it went on without any problems.

I seem to recall Spain playing 'Old McDonald' too in 2008.

Aren't those breaking the rules or something?

 

[Fluke]

Belarus 2007 had a loop from an "orchestral sample pack" meant for movie composers.... it's the very first thing you hear in the song.

Quote from Wikipedia:

It was noted on various Eurovision fan forums that the main string loop of the song was available commercially as "cinematic 11 orchestra 2" in the Cinematic volume of the Orchestral Series of Sony Sound Series libraries,[1] although this apparently did not constitute a breach of Eurovision rules.

 

[Terence]

How were these even allowed? The Luxembourgois one is blatantly obvious!