#countries like Israel Georgia Armenia Greece Cyprus Switzerland Netherlands France Czechia Austria are still real wildcards imo

[because-its-eurovision]

remember in 2021 when everybody thought that france would win? and then italy absolutely demolished the televote? well, i'm pretty sure that käärijä will do the same thing as måneskin and absolutely win the televote 😝😝😝

The odds predicted Italy as the winner, although it was very close between the top-3 which isn't the case this year (so far). Juries tend to hate everything fun and wacky, so I wouldn't compare Käärijä to Måneskin, but not to be a complete downer, there is a slight possibility they will give Cha Cha Cha credit for being modern, creative and unique like they did with Shum and Toy. Thank you for having faith in Käärijä ❤

[eurosong]

2016 vs 2017

Another year has come, and a new set of songs is complete to evaluate and compare with the class before it! I didn’t see one of these Eurovision 2016 vs 2017 templates yet, so I made one. Feel free to use the one I include in the comments to make your own comparisons! I also made a chart where the further to the left a song appears, the more I preferred the 2016 version, and to the right, the more I preferred the 2017 version. The songs up the top are ones I rank highly, the ones down the bottom not so much -- so Estonia appears in the top left hand corner for being one of my favourites in 2016 and one of my least favourite this year; Belarus is in the top-right corner because I love their entry this year but was left cold by Ivan’s. The closer to the centre, the more I like both entries.

Albania: Fairytale vs World Ah, Albania - the country where you can almost always be certain that a “revamp” means that anything special about the winning song of the national final will be removed. Luckily, this year’s World is slightly less catastrophic than the revamp of Përallë, which in its original version, I found stronger than Botë. I still find the revamp removed most of its mystery though... Armenia: LoveWave vs Fly with Me Both strong, experimental songs, but Fly with me’s masterful use of traditional Armenian instrumentation blended with influences from Japan is more impressive to me. Australia: Sound of Silence vs Don't Come Easy I was not fully on board the Sound of Silence hype train, and found her live rendition quite shouty, but it’s better than this year’s entry. I’m so distracted by the way he tries to look so sad. Austria: Loin d’ici vs Running on Air I applauded Austria for striking a blow for linguistic diversity, even if I found the song annoyingly repetitive. Better for me than this year’s unconsequential effort, though. Azerbaijan: Miracle vs Skeletons Miracle should have stayed in the semis - a dull song poorly sung. Skeletons, on the other hand, is one of the most contemporary things ever sent by Azerbaijan. Belarus: Help you fly vs Historyja majgo zyccia As much as I found IVAN’s lupine fetish and attempts to “rock out with his cock out” amusing, this lovely, carefree song and début of the Belarusian language at Eurovision is leagues ahead. Belgium: What’s the pressure vs City Lights Last year, we got a song that was 2010s trying to do 1990s trying to do 1970s. This year, we get something so fresh that it sounds almost futuristic. Bulgaria: If love were a crime (as much as I like the song, I refuse to not use the subjunctive correctly) vs Beautiful Mess When Beautiful Mess comes on, I can enjoy the song, but often I don’t notice. When Poli’s barnstormer comes on, I find myself dropping everything and singing along. No contest. Continue below:

Croatia: Lighthouse vs My Friend Two songs with weird vocals - the “two men inside one” act by Jacques and the unbearably twee vox from Nina. When I first heard My Friend, I considered it a boiling hot mess, but I’ve since warmed to the crazy idea behind it. That being said, whilst it’s not my cup of tea, Lighthouse is the better song. Cyprus: Alter Ego vs Gravity Both of a similar pop-dressed-as-rock ilk. I prefer the former. Czechia: I Stand vs My Turn I Stand felt like a pæon to co-dependent relationships. I like My Turn, sincere and low-key. Denmark: Soldiers of Love vs Where I Am Not a fan of either, but at least Where I am doesn’t give me hives. Estonia: Play vs Verona My #1 track of 2016 versus one of my most hated and so repetitive tracks of 2017. No contest for me. Finland: Sing it away vs Blackbird Blackbird is quite gorgeous. Sing it away was like What’s the pressure, but less good. France: J’ai cherché vs Requiem Alma is no Amir. Georgia: Midnight Gold vs Keep the Faith Midnight Gold was original - Keep the faith must be one of the most generic tracks this year. I find the pseudo-political message and the shouty vocals obnoxious too. Germany: Ghost vs Perfect Life Neither one great in my book. Greece: Utopian Land vs This is Love Utopian Land was, at least, something daring and different. This is love is so generic that it makes me bleed tears of blood. Hungary: Pioneer vs Origo I love Hungary at the ESC and find both songs great, but Origo impacts me more. I love the traditional instrumentation and the hugely heartfelt performance. And the fact it’s in Hungarian! Iceland: Hear them calling vs Paper Liked Hear them calling a lot and still can’t understand how it failed to qualify. Paper manages to edge it though as I really find myself connecting with the subtly clever lyrics. Ireland: Sunlight vs Dying to Try I love Dying to try’s subdued melancholic vibes - until all of a sudden when it turns into an X Factor winners’ singer with that drop and cringeworthy key change. Better than the forgettable Sunlight, though. Israel: Made of Stars vs I Feel Alive I feel alive has grown on me, but I prefer the more soulful effort from last year. Italy: No degree of separation vs Occidentali's Karma No contest, even despite having excised the best verse of the song. Latvia: Heartbeat vs Line I like Line, but you cannot compete with Aminata. Lithuania: I’ve been waiting for this night vs Rain of Revolution One of the glorious trio of Baltic boys against an unholy squawkfest. Macedonia: Dona vs Dance Alone I dig Dance alone, even though it reminds me of several songs I already heard in the 1980s. Dona, on the other hand, brought tears to my eyes. Queen Kaliopi deserved so much more. Malta: Walk on water vs Breathlessly Don’t like either, but at least 2016 didn’t put me to sleep. Moldova: Falling Stars vs Hey, Mamma! Find both subpar to be honest. Montenegro: The Real Thing vs Space A rapey rhyme (INSIDE YOUUU) vs something even more cringeworthy. The fact that Space keeps getting described as “art” further convinces me into preferring the former. Netherlands: Slow down vs Lights and Shadows I’ve started to enjoy this year’s Dutch entry, which isn’t my typical style but whose lyrics began to speak to me. Still no match for Douwe Bob’s instant classic. Norway: Icebreaker vs Grab the Moment Both are a disappointment compared to Silent storm and A monster like me, but at least Grab the moment is one song instead of a cacophonous blend of 2-3.

Poland: Color of your life vs Flashlight Not a huge fan of either song, but Szpak’s was very heartfelt - and didn’t sound like it was written with a beginners’ rhyming dictionary, unlike Flashlight (fire/desire/higher!) Portugal: Há um mar que nos separa vs Amar pelos dois I have so much love and respect for Portugal. I like their 2015 effort, but the stunningly timeless entry this year is my #1 so far and moves me every time I hear it. Romania: Moment of Silence vs Yodel It! I came to enjoy the Meatloaf-style broadside against corruption that was Moment of Silence before its sad DQ. Yodel it! has the edge though, as it makes me quite happy whenever I listen to it. Russia: You are the only one vs Flame Is Burning Absolutely no contest.  San Marino: I didn’t know vs Spirit of the Night I didn’t know was entertainingly creepy. I cannot listen to Spirit of the night all the way through. Serbia: Shelter vs In Too Deep I much prefer Shelter, which sounded contemporary and influenced by local musical tradition at the same time, to this Katy Perry clone. Slovenia: Blue and red vs On My Way Better faux Taylor Swift than the somnifacient schlocky attempt at Broadway. Spain: Say yay! vs Do It for Your Lover The people’s choice over the jury’s choice. Sweden: If I were sorry vs I Can't Go On If I were sorry was very clever, lyrically speaking. I can’t go on is just scumbag pop writ large. Switzerland: Last of our kind vs Apollo I much prefered Timebelle’s earlier attempt at the big stage, Singing about love, but even Apollo is better than the bizarre pee-pee dance from last year. Ukraine: 1944 vs Time Time won’t do nearly as well, but I prefer it as a composition. United Kingdom: You’re not alone vs Never Give Up on You Upbeat britpop beats this insincere ballad.

For those who want to play along, here are the songs: Albania: Fairytale vs World Armenia: LoveWave vs Fly with Me Australia: Sound of Silence vs Don't Come Easy Austria: Loin d’ici vs Running on Air Azerbaijan: Miracle vs Skeletons Belarus: Help you fly vs Historyja majgo zyccia Belgium: What’s the pressure vs City Lights Bulgaria: If love were a crime (I refuse to not use the subjunctive correctly) vs Beautiful Mess Croatia: Lighthouse vs My Friend Cyprus: Alter Ego vs Gravity Czechia: I Stand vs My Turn Denmark: Soldiers of Love vs Where I Am Estonia: Play vs Verona Finland: Sing it away vs Blackbird France: J’ai cherché vs Requiem Georgia: Midnight Gold vs Keep the Faith Germany: Ghost vs Perfect Life Greece: Utopian Land vs This is Love Hungary: Pioneer vs Origo Iceland: Here them calling vs Paper Ireland: Sunlight vs Dying to Try Israel: Made of Stars vs I Feel Alive Italy: No degree of separation vs Occidentali's Karma Latvia: Heartbeat vs Line Lithuania: I’ve been waiting for this night vs Rain of Revolution Macedonia: Dona vs Dance Alone Malta: Walk on water vs Breathlessly Moldova: Falling Stars vs Hey, Mamma! Montenegro: The Real Thing vs Space Netherlands: Slow down vs Lights and Shadows Norway: Icebreaker vs Grab the Moment Poland: Color of your life vs Flashlight Portugal: Há um mar que nos separa vs Amar pelos dois Romania: Moment of Silence vs Yodel It! Russia: You are the only one vs Flame Is Burning San Marino: I didn’t know vs Spirit of the Night Serbia: Shelter vs In Too Deep Slovenia: Blue and red vs On My Way Spain: Say yay! vs Do It for Your Lover Sweden: If I were sorry vs I Can't Go On Switzerland: Last of our kind vs Apollo Ukraine: 1944 vs Time United Kingdom: You’re not alone vs Never Give Up on You