#Melfest 2000

[alwayssoundprecocious]

Norway’s MGP was hosted by Marion Ravn from M2M. Sweden’s Melfest featured an A-Teens reunion. Today was a win for millennials with nostalgia. 🥹

[eurovision-revisited]

The Best National Final of 2000

Something happened across Europe in 2000. The organisers and songwriters tried. They tried really hard to produce, write and stage fantastic songs with a collective effort that I think exceeds any year prior to this. Other years may be good, but the overall quality of the songs and productions this year is a sudden sign of desire to take Eurovision seriously and actually put some thought and as much art as they can into these songs.

The best of these attempts was in Finland at Euroviisut which, for want of a better word, was stacked. They had Nightwish in their early years, and the only reason that they're not in my top 26 is that I'm not fond of the song. They had Ultra Bra and Nylon Beat. They went far into left-field and tried out The Reseptors. There was Anna Eriksson with something that was better than nearly everything at Melfest. Any of these bands and song would have graced almost any Eurovision, I do not envy the Finnish public having to just choose one. How Finland en masse managed to miss every single one of these opportunities is one of the biggest mysteries in Eurovision - but it's probably something I'm going to get into in the televoting blog.

Alongside Finland, Melodifestivalen is also very strong, unsurprisingly given Sweden are hosting. The Countdown Grand Prix in Germany is wild, interesting and highly varied. Germany at this stage truly gets it and is throwing everything in from Knorkator to Corinna May professing Ralph Siegel's faith to see what works. The first ever Eirodziesma in Latvia is off to a great start and just about everywhere, from Estonia to Cyprus to France there is quality and variety.

The other thing that should be mentioned is that 2000 is just about the high point for national selections. There are only three internally selected songs while there are 21 national finals with no song or artist selection finals.

2000 is truly a vintage year for national finals - so what happened..?

[theflyingfeeling]

I know you didn't ask but you said you don't have enough knowledge about Swedish entries in Swedish so I couldn't hold back I'm so sorry

These are some of my faves, please give a listen if you have time, I'd live to hear your opinions 🥰

1985: Kikki Danielsson - Bra vibrationer (80's was so fun can we go back pls) 1992: Carola - Fångad av en stormvind (currently my favourite Swedish winner) 1993: Arvingarna - Eloise (one of those songs I heard a lot in my childhood and only later learned it was an Esc entry) 1996: One More Time - Den Vilda (huge favourite among Esc fans and for a good reason) plus this Swedish version which they then translated to English for Eurovision (cowards), possibly my favourite Swedish entry of all time: 2000: Roger Pontare - När Vindarna viskar mitt namn

and for bonus round my favourite Melfest entry that didn't win: 2015: Jon Henrik Fjällgren - Jag Är Fri

Ooooooh nice nice nice let's see 👀

Bra vibrationer - Love the vibes of this one! This put me on a much better mood after the busy/tiring day I've had; good vibrations indeed 😍 In love with her pink blazer as well 💖

Fångad av en stormvind - Cute as heck!! Also, Carola is an incredible singer 💗_💗

Eloise - Fucking hell, this slaps so hard?!?! Why have y'all been hiding this from me 😭 The singer is so charismatic although all he did was stand still?! He sings so effortlessly and the song is SUPER catchy, it's giving me The Beatles vibes. I wish we had more genuinely great songs like this in the ESC these days (there's so much focus on the show nowadays that you sort of forget it's...a song contest, after all)

Den Vilda - This was so...pleasant? 🥺 Like, everything was perfectly in place and there wasn't too much of anything, yet it was incerdibly captivating (i.e. not boring in the slightest). Gives me Disney song vibes in a way (possibly because of the orchestral elements in the performance)

När Vindarna Viskar Mitt Namn - Okay this is just so cool and I decided I don't even need the English version in my life. Love the surprise modulation in the end

Jag Är Fri - This is so beautiful 😭 I actually have the world's vaguest memory of watching Melodifestivalen that year and being mad that *entry This And This* didn't win instead of Måns 💀 It might have been this particular entry even, the name rings a bell at least 🤔

Thank you so much for this!! I saw this ask in the morning and waited the whole day to be back at home so I could listen to these songs and it was just the perfect way to wind up a little after the day I've had. These were all such great songs and I'm not just saying that, I genuinely loved these 🥺🫶

[residentraccoon]

We making MGP Top 18 today y'all 😤

1 and 2 I love, 3 to 6 are great, added to my playlist, 7 to 11 good, 12 to 15 neutral, 16 to 18 are dissapointing

1. Ulveham - I love this fr and how dramatic it sounds, the vocals are top notch, this must win idc

2. Damdiggida - Idk man I really enjoyed this, Keiino always puts a smile on my face

3. Oblivion - It's a bit dark pop like exactly what I'd expect from Margaret and yeah I really like this!

4. My AI - I?? Guilty pleasure tbh. I can't stop laughing because the chorus sounds so violently INNA circa 2012 like it just sounds exactly as what she would release

5. Save me - It has that Mariette from Melfest sound, something I'd hear in mid late 2010s? Like it's such a familiar sound to me. Anyway I liked this more than I thought I would

6. Green lights - Love how tender it sounds, such a sweet song

7. Eya - Didn't expect to hear such a Balkanic song in Norway's selection tbf a strange yet cool combination

8. Take me to heaven - Guilty pleasure 2.0, the lyrics are ehh but man I'm bopping so hard with that rythm idk..

9. Woman Show - I love the campiness lmfao I'd hear this in the 2000s on the radio ngl

10. Judge tenderly of me - The lyrics are SO cute holy

11. You're mine - Nice, it's a pretty competent bop

12. Heartache - Liked the beginning and I was hoping for something theatrical and fun, then boom just a regular pop song

13. We come alive - I got hyped from the snippets but I feel like it's so linear that I forgot about it midway

14. MER - It's a cute song ig

15. Stranded - He has a nice voice but that's it, no strong feelings

16. Heart on fire - I feel like I've heard this kind of song a billion times by now, sorry

17. Touch of Venus - Didn't make me feel anything, she has a cool attitude but that's about it

18. Waltz of death - Look I- expected something so cool from the title only to be struck with someone reciting a poem or something than actually singing. This could have been SO great ffs

[eurofan78]

The man from the great expanses, Roger Pontare, has been inducted into the Melodifestivalen Hall of Fame for his poignant artistic expressions, not least in winning the competition in 2000 with his entry "När vindarna viskar mitt namn"

"När vindarna viskar mitt namn" (When the Winds Whisper My Name) extols the traditions of indigenous peoples and their efforts to protect their territories and cultures. For his solo appearance in Melodifestivalen 2000, Pontare wore a Sami costume associated with the indigenous population of Lapland in northern Sweden (and also the northern regions of Norway, Finland, and Russia)

Roger Pontare has represented Sweden twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, in 1994 (duet with Marie Bergman) with "Stjärnorna" and in 2000 with "When Spirits Are Calling My Name", placing 13th and 7th, respectively

During his performance at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000, Pontare sang his song was in English as "When Spirits Are Calling My Name" and was was accompanied by a Cree Indian dancer, a Thule Eskimo and a Norwegian Sami

[pojkflata]

leaked photo of the guy at svt who put hanna ferm last in the running order

[demonoflight]

I posted 1,953 times in 2021

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My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Drawing turians is REALLY hard but I felt like giving my handsome space boyfriend a go.

570 notes • Posted 2021-06-04 22:45:03 GMT

#4

I CAN'T BELIEVE NINTENDO GOT DISNEY TO UNCLENCH THEIR GRUBBY FIST AND LET SORA COME TO SMASH

WHAT IS THIS TIMELINE

637 notes • Posted 2021-10-05 14:15:53 GMT

#3

See the full post

1057 notes • Posted 2021-09-08 00:16:55 GMT

#2

Proud little frogs!

1678 notes • Posted 2021-06-23 18:41:17 GMT

#1

I just watched the teaser trailer for Turning Red and wow, I don’t remember being this on board for a film in a while.

The protagonist is a Toronto-based Chinese-Canadian middle schooler in the early 2000s AND a giant fluffy red panda and this is immediately flipping on all the positivity and excitement switches on my end. The depiction of Toronto looks fantastic, and the execution of the scene in the teaser was hilarious and so well-directed.

Plus, the song choice for the teaser? Utter perfection. I literally felt my inner 7th grader rising from her long slumber the second the first notes of Larger Than Life hit.

Whatever Domee Shi and the Pixar crew are up to, I hope they keep it up.

1801 notes • Posted 2021-07-13 13:59:10 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[borisbubbles]

12. DENMARK

Rasmussen - “Higher ground” 9th place

Ok, so somehow, in a contest with a nautical theme, the one song which *literally* started with the line “Ships in the making, bound for a distant shore” never got to open any of the live shows??? ¿¿Que??

So, Denmark. Quite possible the opposite of my previous entry, yet its greatness is just as challenging to put into words? As much as “Taboo” was a inaccessible conglomeration of every possible fucking staging trick, so simple was “Higher Ground” It is a great song, but I find it hard to explain why. It is just so much fun? 

It’s like a chapter of the Edda Saga come to life, with its Old Norse chanting, banner-swaying and feigned-drunken slrrrrring uv wrrrrds creating a truly immersive atmosphere. (I love all things Norse, so I was never NOT going to stan this) I love how one of the backings looks like precisely like Conchita Wurst’s long-lost sister. I dunno, Higher Ground just shines on its own, without the need of convoluted gimmicks (tho still bless Malta’s souls for burying “Taboo” under them for no other reason than it (barely) fitting within their ad-funded budget <3). 

So it’s of no surprise that this ended up the Michał of the year, yes?

As you are well aware of, Eurovision is in a continuous process of ‘reinventing itself’, which is code for ‘rejecting its Euroschlager roots in favour of increasedly pallid Ultratop50 knock-offs’, like guuuuurls you can do better than that. Think of an entry in this year that was actually *original*. I come up with... “O Jardim”, “Mercy” and maybe “Hvala, ne!”? Congratz 3/43.  This shocking display of self-loathing creates a power vacuum for the few -for some godforsaken reason- critically panned Euroschlager anthems which *do* make it into Eurovision proper. As the only entry in this year (out of 43) which can be described as “classic eurovision schlager”, “Higher Ground was always going to attract a lot of attention. Add in a few clear-as-crystal references to Game of Thrones (Rasmussen is literally Tormund + guyliner and a weave), a ubiquitous Viking tone and just general dramatic badassery, you’ve found yourself an audience’s fave and the bane for any jury chairperson’s existence. 

This is the long explanation why “Higher ground” is actually a great entry. It is the only entrant, in a year so widely praised as the “first serious contest in years”, that actually feels traditionally Eurovision.  For a brief moment, we are hooked up on pure Classic Eurovision, the term often used to describe the time when “Eurovision Songs Were Still Good”. 

And yes, it is highly ironic (and tragic) that the one entry that reminds many of that very murkily defined time period venerated by the critics, is also one that was critically panned by crappy self-important jurors. Would it that jurors had any self-awareness (I’m pretty shocked the EBU were able to find 43 rooms big enough to house the jurors and their egos), but oh well.

I suppose this is where I address the Melofestivalen shit, yes?

So, the jist of it is this: Two Swedes write “Higher Ground” for Melodifestivalen and get brutally rejected by Christer for reasons I can only guess, as HG was far better than anything in Melfest this year.. (Christer = Melfest’s Jeff Probst). 

Considering that Denmark has a herstory of recycling past Swedish trends- omg reminder that the 1986 Danish entry was a frame-by-frame carbon copy of the 1985 Swedish entry 😂,  please enjoy the pictorial evidence I have provided in support of this statement

 ps: I love that the Danish entry was called “You are full of lies” so unselfaware, so meta, so Denmark <3 

but I digress. Anyway,

Considering that Denmark has a herstory of recycling past Swedish trends, they of course picked up the "Higher ground”, put it in DMGP, substituted the Swedish singer with a Danish one and voila! The melfest reject wins DMGP with his fingers up the nose, cementing his place amongst the canon as an audience darling, and YES scoring significantly better than Ingrosso in the televote 😍The discrepancy shown by televote wasn’t as hilar as “Colour of your life” rising from last to sixth with one sudden stroke (given that Sweden had a higher combined score than Denmark somehow 🙄) but whatever, the ending was perfect because much like the Edda, this Viking Saga also ended with the evil trickster getting swallowed by the World’s Serpent. Sorry, Christer, should’ve taken the LEEP LAKYU WERBWND; FRR HIYRRRR GRWWWWWWND!!!!!

RANKING SO FAR:

12. Denmark (Rasmussen - “Higher ground”)

13. Malta (Christabelle - “Taboo”)

14. Cyprus (Eleni Foureira - “Fuego”)

15. United Kingdom (SuRie - “Storm”)

16. Serbia (Balkanika - “Nova Deca”)

17. Portugal (Cláudia Pascoal - “O jardim”)

18. The Netherlands (Waylon - “Outlaw in ‘em”)

19. Ukraine (MÉLOVIN - “Under the ladder”)

20. Macedonia (Eye Cue - “Lost and Found”)

21. San Marino (Jessika ft. Jenifer Brening - “Who We Are”)

22. Sweden (Benjamin Ingrosso - “Dance You Off”)

23. Austria (Cesár Sampson - “Nobody but you”)

24. Latvia (Laura Rizzotto - “Funny girl”)

25. Azerbaijan (AISEL - “X my heart”)

26. Israel (Netta - “Toy”)

27. Norway (Alexander Rybak  - “That’s how you write a song”)

28. Montenegro (Vanja Radovanovic - “Inje”)

29. Armenia (Sevak Khanagyan - “Qami”)

30. Poland (Gromee ft. Lukas Meijer - “Light me up”)

31. Greece (Yianna Terzi - “Oniro mou”)

32. Georgia (Iriao - “For you”)

33. Belgium (Sennek - “A matter of time”)

34. Italy (Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro - “Non mi avete fatto niente)

35. Romania (The Humans - “Goodbye”)

36. Ireland (Ryan O'Shaughnessy - “Together”)

37. Croatia (Franka - “Crazy”)

38. Belarus (ALEKSEEV - “Forever”)

39. Russia (Julia Samoylova - “I Won’t Break”)

40. Spain (Amaia & Alfred - “Tu canción”)

41. Iceland (Ari Ólafsson - “Our choice”)

42. Australia (Jessica Mauboy - “We Got Love”)

43. Czech Republic (Mikolas Josef - “Lie to me”)

FOOTNOTES

1. I couldn’t really fit it into the narrative, but the actual reason why Rasmussen is only 12th and not higher is because I found the act kind of visually underwhelming. (the snow at the end is particularly sad) Like I said, the song is great and I often have it on loop, but the act is a bit too small for a stage that big.

2. That said, “Higher Ground” is by far the song I’ve listened to the most often this season, which bodes well for any future positive morphs when I rewatch this year in the distant future.

3. Rasmussen bombing with the jury probably has more to do with the lack of gimmicks than the genre of the song. Like I said, the song pretty much carries itself, so if you stop to ponder and list all the things great about it, it all boils down to “the song is catchy and fun”, which is not what juries look at (juries love intricate acts, layered complexity and technical finesse, none of which are particular strengths of this entry)

4. Yes, I think it’s MASSIVELY hypocritical to glom onto songs such as “A Matter of time” under the pretence of “It’s a good song” when yeah it was, but everything else was shit and then subsequently ignore “Higher Ground” for being “only a good song”. wtf.  

5. While I do enjoy trashing the juries on a regular basis, be aware that during the actual Jury Era of this show, none of the juries were professional. In fact, when I rewatched 1978 and 1985, both times the hosts were ADAMANT to remind the audience that the juries were in fact NOT professionals, but 10 randomly selected civilians (Celeb and non-Celeb) with no direct ties to the music industry whatsoever. This is precisely why entries such as Riva, Bucks Fizz and Toto Cotugno managed to win a ’jury vote’ with a comfortable lead lmfao imagine that happening now. Anyway, the bottom line is that today’s “five professionals” jury system fucking sucks and has to be swallowed by Jörmundgandr also. 

6. ’Eurovision used to be good before’ is such a weird statement, yet I hear it all the time in relation to the contest (by people of my age group????) Like... what exact years are you refering to, cuz like... the 2000s were trash and I can’t honestly think of a decade as consistently good as the 2010s lol? We haven’t had a weak year since 2012!! (but of course, most of the people I’ve talked about this in person have, by their own admission, not seen a year since 2010 so how would they know lol)

7. If we assume that 'Eurovision used to be good before’ refers to the time when Eurovision was song-centric, that doesn’t make a lick of sense either? If you’re old enough to remember the late 1960s your taste is probably irreconcilable with mine anyway. And yes, while it took until #London1977 before we finally got a ‘gimmicky’ year, this also made for one of the most watchable, consistently fun contests ever, -even to this day- while “song-centric” years like 74; 75 and 78 are grueling to sit through nowadays unless you have the taste of the average Söngvakeppnin voter. Gimmicks were a part of ESC even during the Chanson Era, as the language barrier was a massive hurdle for any song not sung in French. And true, the “gimmicks” then weren’t more than “performing barefoot” or “having a key change”, but good lord it’s the sixties, flat, boring French Chansons dominated and only because everyone fucking understood French, SO GRASPING AT STRAWS HERE.

 8. The funny thing is that Denmark didn’t copy Kikki Danielsson’s evergreen once, but twice. 😂 “Hallo Hallo” (DK1990) was just a repackaged “Du er fuld af løgn“ (DK1986), which as I said, was itself just a slightly different “Bra Vibrationer” (SW1985). It’s seriously some Bra Vibraception shit.

9. I will never stop shitting on Melfest 2018. It was pure Tropical House Torture and yes, Rasmussen > literally everything in that, including the entries I actually like (which were... Jessica Anderson, Ida Redig and... um... Edvard Blom? Rolandz? Margaret? Samir and Viktor???? *gunshot*) 😂/🙄@ rescinding their roots for 2014′s musical fade. Pray that Christer never discovers reggaeton - though who am I kidding, it will dominate ESC selections in 2020, bank on it.

10. Now that I’ve mentioned them, one of “Higher Grounds” songwriters (Niklas Arn) actually was the bass player for Rolandz (who were my second faves in the finale by fucking default). Robbed twice, both in Melfest and outside of it, smfh.

11. Oh and I think “Higher Ground” in the hands of Sweden, absolutely would’ve been guaranteed top five (watch how most of these “professional” jurors suddenly would *like* it because, you know, Melfest Winner) and that’s all the humiliation I need. That said, I doubt “Higher Ground” ever would have actually won Melfest (it has the Heartbreak Hotel “dominates televote, gets screwed over by juries” label stamped all over it) but oh well, that’s just because Melfest SUCKS and the “International Juries” are a fucking farce. So it worked out for the better that “Higher Ground” was in fact not in Melfest, I think. 

12. Rasmussen is actually the first Danish ESC contestant since Emmelie de Forest that I’ve liked. Gratz? 

[mexicaneurolover]

Eurovision 1977 my top 18

Hello and welcome to another episode of my ESC tops where I look back at all the previous contests and I comment every song. We go back to May 7, 1977 when the 22nd edition took place at London, United Kingdom after the victory of Brotherhood of Men in The Hague. 18 countries took part, Sweden returned to the contest while Yugoslavia withdrew and they would be back until 1981. The contest was won by France and Marie Myriam with the song L’oiseau et l’enfant, making this their 5th win overall and their last win to date (why?). And now, let’s review the songs. Also the language rule was brought back, with some exceptions, like Germany and Belgium. 

1st Place: FRANCE/Marie Myriam-L’oiseau et l’enfant (Real Placing: 1st-136 points)

And this one, hands down, is my favorite French winner ever, she’s such a charismatic and wonderful singer and the lyrics are beautiful, the music is superb as well and wow, WHAT A WORTHY WINNER. Marie will always be a timeless winner and this song is such a masterpiece. 

2nd Place: FINLAND/Monica Aspelund-Lapponia (Real Placing: 10th-50 points) 

This is such a charming entry, catchy and makes me clap along to it, her voice and that high note are impressive and the music is cute and lovely, maybe I can’t understand what is she singing but anyway, this song makes me want to visit Lapland someday. 

3rd Place: BELGIUM/Dream Express-A million in one, two, three (Real Placing: 7th-69 points) 

Oh this one is ultra catchy and happy, one of my favorite Belgian entries ever, so good, they have amazing voices and this always put a smile on my face. I don’t know why this didn’t finished higher on the night. 

4th Place: ISRAEL/Ilainit-Ahava Hi Shir Lishnayim (Real Placing: 11th-49 points) 

Or should I say AAHAAVAH HEE SHEER LISHNAAYIM as it was credited in London, this should’ve finished higher, Ilanit’s voice is stunning and this song is wonderful, such a great entry, but the backing singers are the problem here. OH I LOVE THIS ONE. 

5th Place: GREECE/Paschalis, Marianna, Robert & Bessy-Mathima solfege (Real Placing: 5th-92 points)

Wow, I’m amazed by this particular one, at first I thought it was mediocre at best but now I love it, maybe in other year it would’ve been a contender for victory, also this one gave Greece their joint best placing for a loong time until something happened in the 2000′s. 

6th Place: SWITZERLAND/Pepe Lienhard Band-Swiss Lady (Real Placing: 6th-71 points) 

Another wonderful Swiss song, the alphorn is amazing here and the music overall is perfect, and it’s one of the catchiest songs ever, Pepe’s voice is very good, I love this entry. 

7th Place: UNITED KINGDOM/Lynsey de Paul & Mike Moran-Rock Bottom (Real Placing: 2nd-121 points)

This song is my mood when I’m at school, the lyrics are amazing and i like her voice more than his’, the music is very... umm... British? but I love it, a deserved runner up and a very catchy song. 

8th Place: MONACO/Michèle Torr-Une petite française (Real Placing: 4th-96 points) 

OH SHE’S BACK!!! I’m in love with her voice and the song is pretty good, but not as good as her 1966 entry, the music is very good and oh she’s such an amazing singer and the performance is perfect. 

9th Place: SPAIN/Micky-Enséñame a cantar (Real Placing: 9th-52 points)

This is a funny song and the banjo is a nice detail to this one, he may not have the best voice but this song makes me feel so happy and with no worries, nice entry overall. 

10th Place: GERMANY/Silver Convention-Telegram (Real Placing: 8th-55 points)

Again another great entry, this is catchy, and so disco that it hurts, not as good as Fly Robin Fly but it’s charming, also this is one of the exceptions of the language rule so I don’t imagine this being sung in German. 

11th Place: THE NETHERLANDS/Heddy Lester-De mallemolen (Real Placing: 12th-35 points) 

This is such a great song, she sings so well but maybe the worst thing here is the awful pink dress, I can’t see the performance without feeling bad because of that dress, anyway the song is very cute and the music is very good. 

12th Place: NORWAY/Anita Skorgan-Casanova (Real Placing: =14th-18 points) 

I absolutely like this one, Anita’s voice is very good and this song is catchy, the chorus is very memorable and I start singing it out of nowhere sometimes, one of my favorite Norwegian songs from the 70′s. 

13th Place: IRELAND/The Swarbriggs Plus Two-It’s nice to be in love again (Real Placing: 3rd-119 points) 

This is better than their 1975 entry and I like it, but I don’t think it deserved the top 3, the music is good but i don’t know why I can’t connect with this song. 

14th Place: LUXEMBOURG/Anne-Marie B-Frère Jacques (Real Placing: 16th-17 points) 

This is interesting, i love the disco vibe to it and her voice is quite good, but fails to impress me somehow, also the spoken part is annoying. An average song for me. 

15th Place: ITALY/Mia Martini-Libera (Real Placing: 13th-33 points) 

This has a lovely disco influence but that might be the best part from this, also Mia’s voice is stunning, sorry but this is not one of Italy’s best entries ever. Mia would return many years later with a song that it’s miles better than this. 

16th Place: SWEDEN/Forbes-Beatles (Real Placing: 18th-2 points/last)

This is not the worst song of the night but is far from the best ones, I don’t think this deserved last place but it’s one of Sweden’s worst entries ever and there were not other decent options to pick from that year’s Melfest. 

17th Place: PORTUGAL/Os Amigos-Portugal no coração (Real Placing: =14th-18 points) 

Oh this one sounded promising, but then it turned to be a flat entry from Portugal, the music is okay but this overall is mediocre. Anyway, they have nice voices. 

18th Place: AUSTRIA/Schmetterlinge-Boom boom boomerang (Real Placing: 17th-11 points) 

What a weird entry this one, this is a little bit annoying but the music here is quite good, but the performance and the song itself is not my taste and I kinda hate it. 

[whenitsdarkweilluminate]

Belgrade 2008 – Semi-Final 2

Host: Serbia Slogan: “Confluence of Sound” Participants: 43 Voting method: 12-point system (42 televotes / 1 jury) Format: 2 Semi-Finals / Grand Final = the top 10 of semi 1 & 2 + the Big 4 + host General Overview: This one is actually on YouTube in full! Although several performances are muted (they're uploaded individually on other channels anyway). SF1 contained the more obvious qualifiers, but SF2 includes plenty of quality entries too. The opening and interval acts again focus on Serbian cultural entertainment. The former is similar to the opening in SF1. It's theatre-esque, with a centaur shouting commands, and a collection of persons painted in the flag colours. The interval involves a quirky rubber band plucking beat and animated dance moves in raggedy clothes. It's charming. Lys Assia, the eternal special guest of Eurovision, kicks off the voting in this semi-final. She seems to be on a different wavelength from the presenters, though. There's a montage of the 5 auto-qualifiers before the results are revealed (boy the “big 4” hits a nadir this year). And the envelopes are transported to the main stage in a peculiar way, as was the custom around this time. Oh, and the green room hosts are AWFUL.

✓ Iceland: Euroband - This Is My Life If Steps or A*Teens were releasing new material in 2008, it'd probably sound something like this. But I mean that as a compliment! “This Is My Life” is sophisticated cheesiness, featuring a raging storm of synths, a passionate vocal delivery, and a message of self-acceptance. The narrator adopts a positive outlook on life despite their misfortunes and mistakes. The brisk trance production (which is on trend for the 2008 mainstream), and the radiant smiles on stage enhances that message. The song gets swept away in the euphoria. The duo also sings with determination, and the melody is catchy enough. ✓ Sweden: Charlotte Perrelli - Hero Sweden delivers another dosage of Schlager-pop, this time performed by the winning artist of ESC 1999. Notably, “Take Me To Your Heaven” was the song that kick-started this trend. “Hero” is certainly derivative of Sweden's previous 2000s entries – ie. the instrumentation, the enveloping chorus, the key change. Carola did it better in 2006. That said, that chorus does pack a punch. It's a victory lap, thanks to the backing vocalists and the jogging production. Charlotte conveys resilience while out on the edge. And the “out of the light, like a star, like a hero” bit (plus the accompanying piano notes) is bouncy. Elsewhere, the key change is handled well. And I like the series of percussion kicks at the end of each verse. The staging is noticeably bare, aside from the first verse, where the lighting paints a black-and-white illusion of Charlotte. Not sure why. Ultimately though, “Hero” only qualified because of the jury wildcard rule. It subsequently placed 18th, equaling Sweden's performance in 2007. Fun fact: “Hero” was bolstered by juries at Melfest 2008 as well. Sanna Nielsen's “Empty Room” won the televote.  ✓ Turkey: Mor ve Ötesi - Deli Turkey continues to qualify with ease. In fact, this landed in 7th place! “Deli” is a sincere offering of alternative rock, that sounds contemporary for 2008. While the band seem like experienced musicians. The song is frantic and distraught, and even menacing during the bridge. Lyrically, the narrator appears to be a victim of a abuse, but the context is ambiguous. “Deli” conveys a rebellious response though. While the situation culminates in a loss of sanity in the bridge. Elsewhere, the guitar rhythm is tenacious. The lead-in to the chorus is effective (“resisting, resisting, resisting”). The elongation of syllables in the chorus is catchy. And the vocals are smooth. ✓ Ukraine: Ani Lorak - Shady Lady Ukraine are the runners-up two years in a row! The country's track record is impressive – their qualification rate still stands at 100% as of 2020. Additionally, “Shady Lady” won SF2. The bursting chorus is instantly infectious, thanks to the well-timed pauses and the spurts of disco strings – ie. “SHADY... LADY” (plus “are you... ready” and “rollin'... steady”). Ani delivers these lines with fierceness. The song is a declaration – she is done with being quiet and complacent in her broken relationship. Therefore it's time to unveil a sinister side that no one expects. Elsewhere, the verses are well-produced, with the fluttering synths and double beeps. There's a strutting rhythm. The bridge sets up the final chorus well. The choreography is slick, especially those head nods. And the light-up compartments on stage are a neat visual. Ani even climbs ontop at one point. “Shady Lady” is a masterfully constructed bop. Fun fact: “Shady Lady” was co-written by Philipp Kirkorov, who represented Russia in 1995.  × Lithuania: Jeronimas Milius - Nomads in the Night Yeah, no. Jeronimas's over-singing completely spoils whatever sentiment this aims for. It's too over-the-top to take seriously, and the intensity is borderline creepy. Furthermore, “Nomads” is the type of ballad arrangement that just drags on. The song describes how the loneliness and coldness of the nighttime makes Jeronimas numb to his immense heartache. The guitars before the final chorus are alright. But this entry is unbearable to listen to. ✓ Albania: Olta Boka - Zemrën e lamë peng I'd say this is an underrated entry. Olta's vocals are shaky, but they express vulnerability so fittingly. Her voice contains a beautiful texture too. The song, meanwhile, portrays her emotional journey. The verses are gentle – they feature a glimmering acoustic guitar and heavy footsteps/heartbeats. The chorus, conversely, is an outpouring of angst, where the rock instrumentation intensifies. The lyrics employ a clock metaphor to explain how her relationship fell apart. And the camera work involves multiple fades to black (like time stopping?) Albania are 4/5 for me so far! × Switzerland: Paolo Meneguzzi - Era stupendo Switzerland substitutes for the departed Italy. “Era stupendo” begins as an old-fashioned Italian ballad, but the pacing increases once the drums enter after the first chorus. It becomes a little frantic. The transition isn't jarring, however. The song is bittersweet, where Paolo puts his relationship on hold so that he can fight for an important cause. But he promises to resume the romance in the future. The arrangement captures the contrasting sentiments of (celebratory) finality and reassurance. While Paolo's performance is genuine, heartfelt and passionate. And the melody powerfully soars when the chorus hits. But his vocals are rough at times. × Czech Republic: Tereza Kerndlová - Have Some Fun So “Secret Combination” isn't the only Timbaland-inspired track in the 2008 contest, as Czechia opted to emulate Nelly Furtado's “Say It Right”. The clacking percussion beat on “Have Some Fun” is essentially the same. The production is the best aspect of the song, though. There's enough deviations and it's a bop. The chorus also emits a carefree pop melody. On the flip side, the vocals are weak. The lyrics are clumsily written (the chorus has one too many “have some fun”'s). And the shouting deejay on stage is an unnecessary distraction. Ultimately, “Have Some Fun” falls too flat to be fun.  × Belarus: Ruslan Alekhno - Hasta la Vista It's another “hasta la vista (baby)” entry in Eurovision! Well, this is a retread of “Work Your Magic” (the Belarusian entry from 2007). Namely in the immense, encompassing, dramatic guitars that drive the song. They project an ominous sense of urgency. But the chorus is a mess, both vocally and lyrically. The “..baby”/“..maybe” pauses are catchy, but the phrasing is cheesy and lacking. The star balls on stage don't add much either. The pre-chorus is decent though, thanks to the echoes. ✓ Latvia: Pirates of the Sea - Wolves of the Sea The 2008 joke entries are so extra. In the wake of Switzerland's campy musical number about vampires in 2007, Latvia does the same with pirates a year later. Near the peak popularity of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, I might add. The Latvian group goes all-in with the concept. There's a sea shanty melody, obvious lyrical references, pirate costumes, a telescope, and a ship's steering wheel on stage. There's a whimsical, comedic tone to this entry. The hyper, pounding dance beat maintains jaunty energy. And the band takes pride in being pirates, while acknowledging they are violent thieves. However, that singalong “HI HI HO / HI HI HEY” hook is so irritating, even if it is catchy. A team of Swedish composers were responsible for that. And overall, “Wolves of the Sea” is too kitsch for my taste. ✓ Croatia: Kraljevi ulice and 75 Cents - Romanca This one is just an absurd joke entry. “Romanca” involves a grumpy curmudgeon named 75 Cents (presumably a pun on “50 Cent”) intermittently ranting and raving at the audience. It's a total “WTF” moment. He explains how he connected people via music before the Internet. The song explores themes of nostalgia, cynicism, fading memories and society's perception of the elderly. Musically, “Romanca” is in the style of early 20th century Mediterranean crooning, where the band reminisces over love songs from a bygone era. The accordion rhythm establishes a romantic mood. Meanwhile, the “Zasvirajte noćas tu romancu” hook is a strong lead-off, thanks to the emphases. And the song becomes crazy at the end, with the tempo changes, the clinking of glass bottles, and 75 Cents scratching records on a gramophone.  × Bulgaria: Deep Zone and Balthazar - DJ, Take Me Away Bulgaria partakes in an experimental direction again, following the success of “Water”. “DJ, Take Me Away” is the most instrumental-focused Eurovision entry since “Nocturne”. There are no vocals until the 1:00 mark. The production is a mix of drum 'n' bass with hip-hop record scratches, featuring a sprinkle of other sound effects. It's a boisterous production that's unlike anything heard before in this contest. So the DNQ result isn't surprising, although it did come close. The instrumental is also a multi-faceted. There's a euphoric siren (emulating a drug trip), a cool down when the vocalist enters, a “drop” after the first vocal segment, and another switch-up during the bridge. I love the intricacies. There's also turntables on fire! As for the vocalist, she just repeats the same phrase (about escapism through dance music). Her contribution seems faceless. ✓ Denmark: Simon Mathew - All Night Long Denmark supplies a breezy, feelgood slice of retro 1970s soft rock, sung by a charismatic performer. Which is similar description to their 2005 entry. On the surface, “All Night Long” is plain and ordinary, but it's salvaged by infectious hooks and buoyant stage energy. The warm, singalong chants of “all night long” (+whistle responses) and the exclamations of “CEL.UH.BRATE. GOOD. TIMES. C'MON” are easily lodged in my head. While the stammering rhythm reinforces those hooks. The song's message is simple: be happy in the moment. And the arrangement conveys that purely positive happy-go-lucky spirit. Simon is also animated in his body movements. That said, 3rd place in the semi-final is excessive. ✓ Georgia: Diana Gurtskaya - Peace Will Come Georgia's second ESC appearance performs similarly to their first (11th vs 12th). The main draw of “Peace Will Come” is the haunting group chorus, where Diana and the backing choir repeat the titular mantra several times... almost willing it into existence. She is determinedly clinging onto the belief that “peace will come”, because she has to. She then cries in despair during the “something's gotta change” hook. The verses, meanwhile, mention the needlessness of war, the absurdity of child soldiers, and having to living in fear and division. Towards the end of the performance, a giant bed sheet initiates an aesthetic change from black to white – presumably symbolizing a rise from darkness to peace. The pop/rock instrumentation isn't the most original, but Diana's emotional endurance is the primary focus of the song. × Hungary: Csézy - Candlelight Zzzz. The last place slot belongs to Hungary. Understandable, as “Candlelight” is one dull piano ballad. The structure is formulaic. The chorus is sluggish. And the mood is dreary instead of inviting or intimate. In the song, Csézy patiently waits for her love interest to pursue her. But that approach seems clingy and overly passive – she could just make a move herself. Also, the candelabras on stage are on-the-nose. This entry leaves me feeling empty. × Malta: Morena - Vodka “Vodka” is one of the numerous silly entries from the 2008 contest. The song's premise is ridiculous – the narrator is a spy in Moscow, who is on the run because she possesses the secret code word, which is “vodka”. Yeah, this leans heavily into Russian stereotypes. The instrumental breaks, which are an addicting dominant hook, sound vaguely Russian too. The overall production is a chaotic sprint, like an adrenaline rush... or a nauseating drunken blur. It's overbearing and the breakneck pace is difficult to keep up with. This song does get annoying at times. But Morena has fun with it and she performs with enthusiasm. She plays the character well. Meanwhile, the chorus is a release of distress. And the instrumental breaks later double down with snaps. If only Malta submitted this next year instead, when Russia was hosting lol. × Cyprus: Evdokia Kadi - Femme Fatale The Cypriot entry involves a variety of sudden tempo and genre changes. It transitions from a laidback Greek boat ride to a brassy cinematic showstopper to 1950s romantic crooning to... burlesque? It's essentially four songs in one. There's many unexpected twists and turns, but it's a busy and messy song, and Evdokia whips through the syllables so quickly. “Femme Fatale” is packed with attitude, though. In the song, Evdokia responds to misogynistic remarks by using her seduction techniques to seize control of the power dynamics. She accordingly embodies “femme fatale” energy on stage via her interactions with the male backing dancers, where she's depicted as the center of attention. For example: the men kneel before her and physically lift her up.  × F.Y.R. Macedonia: Tamara, Vrčak & Adrian - Let Me Love You (North) Macedonia gets bumped from the Grand Final because of the jury wildcard rule, despite placing 10th in the televote. Ironically, Tamara's 2019 entry “Proud” would go on to win the jury vote. Incidentally, the country has placed 9th or 10th in every semi-final so far. So “Let Me Love You” is an upbeat pop song featuring prominent strings and an engulfing, booming beat. The production powers the song and fills the arena, similar to their 2006 entry “Ninanajna”. Indeed, both songs were written by Vrčak. It's a slick composition regardless, even if it is somewhat copying that previous entry. Tamara's vocal gymnastics, meanwhile, project a sense of yearning. The chorus effectively switches gears to a continuous rhythm (compared to the verses). And the rap interjections, while unnecessary, are not bothersome.  ✓ Portugal: Vânia Fernandes - Senhora do mar (Negras águas) Portugal are the runner-up of SF2, but they only reached 13th at the Grand Final. Regardless, it was the country's best result in 10 years (and a placing they won't surpass until Salvador in 2017). Also of note, “Senhora do mar” was co-written by Andrej Babić, the name behind Croatia 2003, Bosnia 2005 and Slovenia 2007. So the song executes a striking progression and a powerful vocal performance. It begins with Vânia wistfully pondering by the seaside. The accompanying instrumentation portrays a daydreaming Mediterranean scene. Following this, the harmonies intensify and the marching drums enter, as the unstoppable waves crash against the shore. Next, the waters briefly calm during the second chorus (which is an unexpected diversion). And finally, the song concludes in a bone-chilling finale. The backing vocalists enhance the atmosphere with their echoes. And the posture on stage is intimating. The lyrics, meanwhile, are poetic and describes a devastating loss. This entry is simply gorgeous! My Ranking: 01. Portugal: Vânia Fernandes - Senhora do mar (Negras águas) ✓ 02. Ukraine: Ani Lorak - Shady Lady ✓ 03. Turkey: Mor ve Ötesi - Deli ✓ 04. Iceland: Euroband - This Is My Life ✓ 05. Albania: Olta Boka - Zemrën e lamë peng ✓ 06. Sweden: Charlotte Perrelli - Hero ✓ 07. F.Y.R. Macedonia: Tamara, Vrčak & Adrian - Let Me Love You 08. Bulgaria: Deep Zone and Balthazar - DJ, Take Me Away 09. Georgia: Diana Gurtskaya - Peace Will Come ✓ 10. Denmark: Simon Mathew - All Night Long ✓ 11. Croatia: Kraljevi ulice and 75 Cents - Romanca ✓ 12. Malta: Morena - Vodka 13. Switzerland: Paolo Meneguzzi - Era stupendo 14. Czech Republic: Tereza Kerndlová - Have Some Fun 15. Cyprus: Evdokia Kadi - Femme Fatale 16. Latvia: Pirates of the Sea - Wolves of the Sea ✓ 17. Belarus: Ruslan Alekhno - Hasta la Vista 18. Hungary: Csézy - Candlelight 19. Lithuania: Jeronimas Milius - Nomads in the Night

[eurosong]

Eurosong's ESC '17 ranking and commentary

Good afternoon, folks! The clock is ticking down to the final and it's now about that time of the year where I unleash my commentary on all the songs. I tried to limit myself to a few sentences per song, but since there´s 42, this will doubtless be considered by some as a big read. Tongue in cheek in part but very candid about my views on some of the songs - don't proceed if you don't want to see a few songs savaged. As the ancient Romans said, de gustibus non est disputandum, and these are just my views and tastes.

1 Portugal From which planet did this extraterrestrial talent come and why do his people want to break our hearts so exquisitely? I cannot speak highly enough of these three perfect minutes of melancholy, longing, and yet, at the same time, love and hope. This performance speaks to the soul so intimately. It is a pure and timeless composition that I feel like I've known all my life, but have been waiting all this time to hear. Extraördinary and twelve cuts above everything else in the contest in my eyes. 2. Hungary How I love the fearless Magyars and their tendency to dance to the beat of their own drums, sending things that sound like nothing else in the contest. This is one of the most emotional performances in the contest and certainly one of the most meaningful lyrics - talking about the prejudice he faced as a Romani and the salvation he found in songwriting. The music is a sui generis blend of rap, traditional folk and other elements - and the pure passion invested into the lyrics and their delivery gives me goosebumps. 3 Belarus This is what three minutes of unshackled, care-free joy sounds like. Naviband are adorable, their chemistry pure, and their song is so full of joie de vivre. I feel like I’m out in the primordial forests of Belarus hearing the call of the ancients. 4 Armenia Another nation keen to exhibit its traditional music in curious new blends is Armenia, who this year bring us something that sounds at once distinctly Caucasian and East Asian. A curious mélange of genres and influences make this almost as far as you can get from the tired "Melfest reject" mould. I love the non-linearity of this song, and the æthereal feel that makes the song feel like a forgotten psalm to the gods. Great effort. 5 Iceland If you combine dark but infectious electro beats with some of the most subtly meaningful lyrics of the contest, you get this, in my book, one of Iceland's best contributions to the contest in some time. Svala's song is very personal to her and, through an extended metaphor, talks about struggling with accepting yourself for who you are. A very underrated track in my eyes.

6 Czechia Speaking of underrated, we have the perennially undervalued Czechs sending us one of the most understated and sincere offerings this ESC. Czechia's is a very subtle song about strength in adversity and human connection. The music is very pleasant, and the lyrics are sung with heart. 7 Belgium No matter the disastrous reaction to the rehearsals, City Lights remains for me one of the most unique and meaningful pieces in the contest this year. Whilst last year they sounded like a 90s girl group trying to emulate the 70s, this is year 3000, futuristic cool. There is a powerful minimalism in the lyrics that lets their many nuances sink in. "Are we going to lose it all?" 8 Romania You get instant ESC-snob credit by disavowing this Romanian effort, which on paper - a yodel-rap about breaking away from the 9 to 5 - sounds like it should be a ludicrous mess. But you won't see me doing anything but praising it as it is an instant ray of sunshine in a song. I love how much Alex and Ilinca, an incredibly cute pair, love their song and how they put their heart into each performance. I feel lifted up to the Alpine heights by each listen. 9 Azerbaijan For the first time ever, Azerbaijan stand to get into my top 10. They’re still raising my hackles by importing music from Sweden, but this time they’ve picked a credible and glacially cool artist with a mystifying and dark composition about obsessive love. A step in the right direction. 10 Italy The bookies’ favourite by far, and I can understand why - Francesco exudes cheeky chappie charisma and his song is one that can appeal across generations. Why only 10th then from this bonafide Italophile? I always found the chorus of the song to be very dated, sounding like the theme tune of an early 90s quiz show, whilst the verse and bridge has a much more monumental, anthemic air. I was more able to overlook the repeats of the chorus before they made disastrous cuts and excised most of the first verse and all of the second verse, leaving a song that is still fun, but a lot more repetitive. 11 Netherlands I’m honestly amazed that O’G3ne, a band with such a ridiculous name and a dubious pedigree, are on the cusp of my top 10 this year. They sing songs that are so dated that they wouldn’t have counted as fresh even in the early 90s. And yet, their song has a certain child-like naïveté in its lyrics about their ailing mother that it makes it unbelievably moving. 12 France A nice enough song from France this year, but nowhere near as good as Amir last year in my eyes. What really took the song down a notch was the clunky addition of unneeded, comparatively cacophonous English lyrics, which replaced the existentialist French chorus of the original with some throwaway clichés. 13 Macedonia Some fans consider the Macedonian entry fresh despite its reminding me of 3-4 different 80s’ songs blended together. What it is though is catchy and kitschy in a fun way. I have doubts about the live performance given her scandalous playback in London, though. 14 Finland As Holly Brewer  sang, “I wish I loved you more.” I should love a song like this, but instead I don’t enjoy it as much as I might because I feel they put a distance between themselves and the audience not fitting for such an emotional song. 15 Ukraine It’s no secret that I’m a rocker, but unfortunately, a lot of the rock at the contest has been sub-par in recent years - or has been “rock” in inverted commas. This is not a bad effort from Ukraine, but nowhere near the britrock-inspired heights of Georgia last year. It’s a bit too repetitive for my likes. 16 Latvia Something less to my typical tastes is this unexpected piece of 90s rave revival, a step away from the cool Aminata-penned electronica Latvia has sent in the past two years. It’s a welcome stylistical oasis in a desert of identikit pop ballads, but qualitatively isn’t great, and her nasal, oddly pronounced vocals are an acquired taste which I am yet to acquire. 17 Bulgaria Very nice, relaxing background music but I don’t think of it as much more than that. 18 Ireland This starts out so promisingly with a gloomy and mysterious beginning, but soon degenerates into an early 2000s B-side that was not only rejected by Westlife but also by an assortment of C-list bands imitating Westlife. It’s even complete with the obligatory key change that launches young Brendan into a register so high that it could shatter contact lenses while they're still on your eyes. Yet, I do find some charm in it, and this would be a contender for places 11-15 for me were it not for the god awful last minute. 19 Albania For once, Albania don’t completely destroy a song in its revamp - they maintain most of the rock-ish edges of the original, instead of neutering them like they did with Përallë. As is typical, though, they lumbered Lindita with a bewildering and clunky English translation that takes a lot of my enjoyment away from the song. 20 Germany This couldn’t be more middle of the road if it tried - so it’s apt, I guess, that it has a position almost precisely in the middle of my ranking. Levina was the best of a bad lot in Germany’s insane format of a national final and she soldiers through a song even she seemed like she preferred not to sing. The riff ripped from Titanium is so blatant - and the song is brought down too by some ridiculous lyrics. “Almost a sinner, nearly a saint.” So you’re almost exceptionally holy and almost someone who frequently sins at the same time? *Head explodes* 21 Switzerland An innocuously bland mid-tempo pop ballad. Not much to say about this one.   22 Croatia A man singing a duët with himself, giving a motivational message - to himself. One half in the quivery, syrupy upper ranges of an R&B tenor, the other half in a booming operatic baritone. It’s as ridic as it sounds and yet this Jeckyll and Hyde act is saved from the very bottom by its endearing barminess. 23 Denmark Disposable pop with a shout-sung chorus, albeit by a performer with some charm and connection to the audience. 24 Australia Musically, not so bad at all, but there’s something offputting about a chap young enough to almost be fœtal putting on a drippy voice and ridiculous puppy dog eyes, singing a song of a life of broken hearts and lost love more befitting of an old man. 25 Serbia Serbia used to be one of my favourite countries in the contest. They stuck to their own language and sang songs imbued with Balkan rhythm and tradition... now they send someone sending a poor rip-off of Katy Perry’s Firework. Каква срамота. 26 Moldova Evidently, meme status can open doors and can gift you a return ticket to the ESC. It’s a shame, as even in Moldova, there were better options than this rather misogynistic effort that seems to have been Bing translated, not even Google translated, and which sounds like it was based off a MIDI ringtone. Apparently bound for the final just because it’s upbeat. 27 Austria This exudes that relentless forced cheeriness that makes my blood run cold. It’s such a plim-plom song that bounces along whilst saying nothing. Most songs aim for the top and I can admire that, even if they have no chance - this aims for mid-table mediocrity in the final. 28 Israel Generic dance track with words plucked at random and thrown onto the paper. 29 Norway Robotically cold. Most songs make me feel something, even if it’s annoyance. This just leaves me numb. 30 Poland An oppressive dirge with lyrics that rely on a rhyming dictionary a little too much (rhyming fire, desire, wire and higher in the space of ten words!) and a bizarre song structure with an anti-chorus and no real progression, which make these 3 minutes feel very long indeed. 31 Sweden Predictable, repetitive pop with one of the most laughable performance routines (blokes trying to act “smooth” by doing very silly gestures) and lyrics that read as though written by Jay in the Inbetweeners. Let’s not romanticise uncontrollable lust. 32 Cyprus A rip-off of Rag and Bone Man’s “Human”, but without a message. Instead, some incredibly daft lyrics written by someone who failed physics even in primary school. Hovig likens himself to gravity because he will catch his paramour when she falls - when it is in fact gravity that pulls her down to her grizzly death. 33 United Kingdom Turgid rent-a-ballad delivered in a hammy style with not a whisker of sincerity - compare that with the virtuoso performance of her rival in the final, Holly, who sang like she felt the pain. I’ve been saying since the contest that it will do well, though, but I’m not sold one bit. 34 Spain Many of us Eurovision fans in Spain wasted money voting for other songs in the national final, only to find that the jury - 2/3 comprised of people with vested interest in one of the candidates - was able to override thousands of televoters when it came to a draw. They put the televote’s 3rd place, Manel, first, leaving a considerable bad taste behind. And what for? One of the most inane songs the contest has ever seen, in which either “do it for your lover” (do what?) or “just do it” are repeated on average less than every 4 seconds. It sounds like a homebrand Lazy Song and the songwriters sure were lazy. Playing this on a loop for just 15 minutes could make even the toughest commandos cry for their mammies. 35 Estonia Part of me wants to put this at the very bottom of the pile, but sadly, there are worse horrors yet to come. It’s really disappointing when your favourite ESC country in recent years throws aside a bunch of daring possibilities to represent them in 2017, in favour of something so aggressively bland, a cynical Eurosong by numbers with hackneyed, ultra-repetitive lyrics that mostly consist of entoning “á-a-a-a-à-a-a-a-á-a”, performed by a duo who have as much chemistry as two inert gases and spent most of the time hammishly gurning. 36 Montenegro How does one interpret it when one of the European countries with the biggest problems of homophobia - with 71% of the populace thinking homosexuality is a sickness and where a number of hate crimes have been registered just against people who support LGBT rights - sends such an OTT act with lyrics that are packed to the brim with single entendres? For me, it seems a cynical move. Slavko himself seems a cool guy but the song itself is a hot mess. 37 Lithuania And this is a hot mess, frozen then microwaved, then frozen then set on fire with a flamethrower. Be careful of watching this with pets or small children or they may well end up traumatised for life. Whilst unbelievably sweet in interviews, the lead singer of this act seems like a banshee possessed by demons whilst singing. Her bandmate seems like her creepy “keeper.” They sing a song with about 180 instances of the words “yeah, yeah” and some trumpets that sound like they were taken from Windows 95 sound effects. 38 Slovenia This has to be one of the most overblown and pompous entries in many a year. Omar claims he was waiting to unleash this on the unsuspecting public for over a decade - even back then, this grandiose attempt at a Broadway-style number would have sounded dated. 39 Greece I will never forgive the genius lyrics “rain falls from abooove!” Neither can I forgive the fact that such a completely generic track with lyrics written on the back of a Cornflakes box is probably destined for the final with the help of some gimmicky staging. 40 Malta This song fills me with all the energy of someone who’s been in a coma for 15 years. 41 San Marino Some folk are happy to see Valentina Monetta back for the fourth year. I’m sad to see a talented performer come back for scraps of infamy no matter how bad the song she’s offered. And my god, is this disco rehash fever dream bad. 42 Georgia Georgia is typically one of my favourite nations in the contest, because of their willingness to break away from the mould, to enter things that are very atypical of the contest and often do well with them - like the exhilerating psychadelic-Britrock of last year or the trippy folk of a few years before that. This year, they couldn’t have gone more off into the other direction, into the methane-scented hinterlands of mediocrity.  I find this song disasteful in so many ways. The overt and ham-fisted political nature of it. The creepy music, like the soundtrack to a cheap straight-to-VCR horror movie, which creates an oppressive atmosphere that makes me feel like the music is holding my head down under the ghoul-infested waters of a frigid lake in a winter forest. The ghastly, cliché-ridden lyrics, where “keep the faith” is repeated so many times that by one minute, my faith that the song will ever end is already shaken. Ugly composition.

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2003 - Number 5 - Nanne Grönvall - "Evig kärlek"

It's been five years, but Nanne is back and oh my, is she hamming it up again. With the brief dalliance with the UK national final in 2000, she's had a long break from Melfest, but she couldn't let it go. She had to come back. And with a song about ghost sex. Totally Nanne.

Fresh from singing Vi är dom tuffaste, dom starkaste, dom grymmaste, dom vackraste (We are the toughest, strongest, cruelest and most beautiful) the theme song for the Swedish ice hockey team at the 2002 World Cup, she's back and so over the top absolutely nothing can compare. Going right back to the Great Northern War and the decadence before the decline of the Swedish empire, she's dressed to the nines and lusting after hot young men in her self-haunted former residence.

Evig kärlek (Everlasting/Eternal Love) sees ghost-Nanne having a bad case of the hots in quite the most visceral fashion. She's quite literally being brought back to life by spying on the sleeping form of the target of her desires. It's all so much that she faints (or possibly dies again) from the power of her own lust at the end. It's filled with operatic touches despite being at its core, a pure pop song. The song is more than just a vehicle for another Nanne performance, it's a driving, urgent pulse of track, garnished with choral backing and flourished with vocal stunts. This is a full-on Eurovision classic that never made it to the main competition.

It finished 7th in the heat she was in and got eliminated at the first stage.

Sweden - I know you were all into Alcazar and other more conventional attractions this year, but oh my. You've got thirsty Nanne acting and singing her heart out for you, and you can't bring yourselves to vote for her? And she's one of the artists at Melodifestivalen who's dedicated to singing in Swedish! Is she just too much for you all?

Never mind, she's still got another three Melfest appearances to go as well as a couple as a composer - she and her husband Peter Grönvall (son of Benny Andersson) wrote this. They must have had fun writing it...

[eurotastic]

Eurovision reviews: Semi 2

When the obvious winner is in the big 5, the semis just feel a little weird. With semi 1, we have Portugal, who could win if the juries decide to wreck Italy’s score, but in semi 2 there is not a single winning candidate, which just makes it...I don’t want to call it pointless, but I’d definitely call it a weak semi. 

But you know that I’ll review every single song anyway, because I love every single second of this bullshit competition.

1: Serbia: Tijana Bogićević-In Too Deep

What a weird way to start off the night. This is pretty modern and cool, but it just can’t stand out whatsoever. Everyone will have forgotten about it by the fifth song or so. 

4/10

2: Austria: Nathan Trent-Running On Air

I hate Ed Sheeran. A lot. I’m not saying this song sounds exactly like him, but it’s the same genre, and I hate this genre more than anything. With that said, I can’t believe how much I actually like this. It might be the staging, which is fantastic, and really takes this basic, natural-sounding song to the next level.

6/10

3: Formeryugoslavianrepublicofmacedonia: Jana Burčeska-Dance Alone

The difference between a non-qualifier and a song that finishes last is the performance. In fact, many songs that have finished last through the years have been good songs, destroyed completely by a bad performance (I’m willing to bet that Iceland came last in semi 1, there were lots of worse songs but the performance is what sunk it). 

The formeryugoslavianrepublicofmacedonian song is actually one of the better pop songs this year, but as soon as i saw previews of the performance I knew it would have a really hard time qualifying. I hope I’m wrong, because the song is fire. 

7/10

4: Malta: Claudia Faniello-Breathlessly

Thank fucking god there are so few ballads tonight, after semi 1 I never wanna hear another ballad in my entire life. 

3/10

5: Romania: Ilinca ft. Alex Florea-Yodel It!

How does a human being come up with this concept? Did they write down random music genres on a dartboard to come up with this unholy genre combination? Why is it so catchy? Why do I like this? Who cares?

10/10

6: The Netherlands: OG3NE Lights and Shadows

This song basically exists under the assumption that these girls can make anything sounds amazing. Their vocal harmonies are fantastic, but the song is just a tired cliché, and that’s not enough. I’m sure their voices will sound great though.

4/10

7: Hungary: Joci Pápai-Origo

Not that the bar is raised very high to begin with, but this is definitely the best attempt at fusing rap and traditional music I’ve ever heard. It’s monotonous and somber, but it definitely works. Also, if you squint and turn your TV upside down, the singer kinda resembles Oscar Isaac. That’s a nice bonus.

7/10

8: Denmark: Anja-Where I Am

Denmark, which is my favorite third world country, hasn’t been to the grand final since 2014, and I find that way funnier than I should. It would be fun if they missed another final, but at the same time I almost think this singer deserves a little better. 

This song is just so fucking boring, but the juries might put it through based on a strong vocal performance. 

3/10

9: Ireland: Brendan Murray-Dying to Try

If this song was called Trying to Die i would probably enjoy it a lot more. It would make the staging fit the song even better, it could end with the hot air balloon exploding and killing little Brendan! I’d vote for that.

(EDIT: When I say “killing little Brendan”, I mean fake dying like Lady Gaga at the 2009 VMAs, you know, just for drama. I’m really sorry if it sounded like some kind of death threat!)

3/10

10: San Marino: Valentina Monetta and Jimmie Wilson-Spirit of the Night

Who is this random american dude and who tricked him into singing with Valentina? Did Uncle Siegel lure him into a white van?

[Edit: I just found out that the “random american dude” has played the lead in a german musical about President Obama, and that’s the weirdest fucking thing I’ve heard all week. Now I just hear Obama’s voice whenever Jimmy sings.]

Most countries don’t let artists who fail in ESC represent them again, but San Marino isn’t most countries. Is it possible that Valentina is the only singer in the country, and they don’t have a choice but to send her? She’s actually a pretty fun performer, but i wish they’d finally give her a decent song, this is a dated mess (but a fun dated mess).

3/10

11: Croatia: Jacques Houdek-My Friend

I know schizofrenic isn’t the right word to describe this, but it’s the first thing that comes to mind. The way he switches between his Big Important Opera voice and his Boyband Voice is a trainwreck, his stupid fucking outfit is a trainwreck, the italian lyrics are stupid, and the fact that Croatia’s “Homophobe of the year” is singing this disaster in front of a goddamn double rainbow takes it to a new level of awful.

With that said, the grand final wouldn’t be complete without this catastrophe.

?/10 (can not be rated in any human number system)

12: Norway: JOWST-Grab The Moment

I can’t decide if I like this or not...It’s decent for radio but I’m not sure if it’s interesting enough for Eurovision. Probably not qualifying.

4/10

13: Switzerland: Timebelle-Apollo

This song is about as interesting as watching yellow paint dry, but at least the singer has the best eyebrows I’ve seen in a long time.

4/10

14: Belarus: Naviband-Story of My Life

Goddamn hippies. 

6/10 

15: Bulgaria: Kristian Kostov-Beautiful Mess

The only song from this semi that could end up in the top 3. Super modern. but I still feel like it’s more of a slow radio hit. 

7/10

16: Lithuania: Fusedmarc-Rain Of Revolution

I’m willing to say that this is the worst song of the year. It can’t even be compared to any human music genre on earth, it’s just aimless screaming over a bland instrumental that tries to be dramatic. It’s not even funny, I just hate it. 

0/10

17: Estonia: Koit Toome & Laura-Verona

When I first heard this song, I thought it was a mistake. A dated, boring mistake. However, after hearing it in rehearsals over and over it has definitely become a favorite of mine. 

I hear people are calling it an 80′s throwback, but I’d say it sounds more like swedish schlager from the early 2000s, production-wise. In fact, I think if this song had competed in Melfest in ~2003, it would have won, it’s schlager perfection. No matter how good I think it is though, the fact that it sounds dated will bring it down, but I hope it qualifies. Estonia deserves it after last year’s disaster.

9/10 

18: Israel: IMRI-I Feel Alive

I just really miss Golden Boy when I hear this song. Couldn’t they at least recycle some of the choreography? 

5/10

[serg55773]

ESC 2018 | My Top 10 of Supernova 2018

New Post has been published on https://www.music-chat.ru/esc-2018-my-top-10-of-supernova-2018/

ESC 2018 | My Top 10 of Supernova 2018

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[thesinglesjukebox]

DARIN - TVILLINGEN [6.67] In which your astrology-ignorant editor wonders if naming a song after one's sign is a total Gemini move or not (also, thanks to Andreas for this one!)...

Andreas Stahl: Judging by the length of the track, this was meant to be a Melodifestivalen entry for next year. I can see why that didn't work out here despite the fact that Darin has sustained a bit of a career high after his appearance on Så Mycket Bättre and subsequent album: the producers of the Eurovision selection in Sweden like to showcase as a big a variety of songs with a clearly recognizable sound or genre as possible (this year they are allegedly hunting for a Melfest-"Despacito"). This has somewhat somber Swedish lyrics, and it's musically a blend of Ed Sheeran and Darin's previous acoustic album: a bit more built for sustained and repeated airplay than an impactful three minute stage performance. Consequently, I have played this a lot, and I'm not yet tired of it (though the same can not be said of any of the tunes of the ginger menace.) [9]

Will Adams: Middle of the road Eurovision-ready pop for two minutes and forty seconds, intriguing bridge made up of hiccuping vocals for the remaining twenty. [5]

Alfred Soto: Its smooth anonymity a plus, "Tvillingen" puts several regnant pop styles in its mission to recall 2002.  [6]

Edward Okulicz: I'm somewhat amused that Darin's own fansite says this is one of his most personal songs to date, because the idea of someone having another side ("the Gemini in me," or perhaps "the twin in me," the word could mean either) seems pretty banal, and the wild personality he sings about in the verses seems pretty average too. It's a minor bop though; if Enrique Iglesias had been Swedish, this might have been what he'd have been doing in the early 2000s. [6]

Katie Gill: This is a bop! It's bright pop perfection, a beautiful mix of deliciously earnest and deliberately crafted. It somehow sounds like a nostalgic 2000s boyband throwback (the vocal layering, the bombastic chorus) despite the obvious modern touches (those first ten seconds, that Auto-tuned break). Add in the fact that I'm a sucker for any song with a good "HEY!" and this has definitely shot to the top of my listen-to list. [8]

Ryo Miyauchi: Darin gets more mileage than expected from his astrology joke written to show off his actually-multi-faceted character. Where his proofs go too corny in service of his argument, the secondhand import of a tropic dance beat picks up the slack. And fortunately, the punchline is more of a pretty little bow tying the package. [6]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[demonoflight]

I missed last week’s installment of Melfest because I was very much too asleep to do anything about it. I’m mostly disappointed about missing out on probably killer interval acts.

Here are my opinions about the fourth semi songs that no one cares about:

1. En värld full av strider - This is freaking incredible. Jon Henrik Fjällgren is freaking incredible. I love joik. Sweden please send him to Eurovision now thank you. I actually like it more than his previous Mello entry oops

2. Running With Lions - Christ, that sounds like every other song on the radio these days. Also the singer looks like she’s wearing a hand-me-down dress from a high school theater production. It just doesn’t stand out at all.

3. Bound To Fall - Ah yes, 2000-era whiny Britrock, just what we needed in Melfest! The vocalist even has the dumb modern faux-Beatles haircut down. All those obnoxious Britrock-style bands had them back then. It’s like they’re cut from the same bloody cookiecutter. How was this style even so popular? Ew.

4. As I Lay Me Down - I liked Wiktoria’s entry from last year more, but she improved her pronunciation and it’s not a bad song at all so more power to her. She’s a good kid, she’s doing good.

5. När ingen ser - Song has a really good beat to it but goddamn, this Axel dude is ugly. No, I’m definitely not bothered by the obvious scarring on his face (from his electrocution incident, I gather?), that is a total non-issue. Maybe it’s his nose. I think it’s the nose. It’s an unpleasant nose. But he’s a good singer. Is he also a good dude? I hope he’s a good dude.

6. Du får inte ändra på mig - There are songs that have all the potential to be really good but they do one thing wrong and the song ends up crashing and burning. With this song, it’s the vocals. This song sounds so good to me but the vocalists are trash. No wonder it got 7th, they fucked up a perfectly good song with shit vocals.

7. Statements - Holy WOW, Loreen! Holy goddamn WOW. I mean, shit, I do not understand like 85% of the choreography at all, but this was impressive as all hell and the song is KICKASS. I think I like it more than Euphoria even, there’s this underlying darkness in this song that I find so exciting. Just WOW.