#lindsay dracass

[ladiesofeurovision]

[lock-my-feelings-in-a-jar]

Written by Russ Ballard and Chris Winter

[mirai-desu]

Eurovision and Eurodance

There's been a lot questions lately about the Eurovision Song Contest thanks to a certain popular Eurodance meme (which btw, the chorus to that song is very similar to a Eurovision song:

"Flying the Flag" by Scooch (United Kingdom 2007 - 22nd Place)

Also simply know as Eurovison or ESC, it's a televised music competition held by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) members that began in 1956 to bring Europe together after WWII.

I want to stress that any genre of music can be a Eurovision song. As long has it has some lyrics. Not every entry is trying to be a meme and there's several songs you might know that you didn't know were Eurovision songs, ranging from "Volare" to Duncan Laurence's "Arcade' (which you might know as "loving you is a losing game" from TikTok). And also "Waterloo" by ABBA!

Eurodance at Eurovision

Up until 1999, Eurovision had a live orchestra, and most of the music was performed live. Arguably the first Eurodance song at ESC, "Ooo Aah… Just a Little Bit" had to a have computers on stage to have the "instruments" present:

"Ooh Aah… Just A Little Bit" by Gina G (United Kingdom 1996 - 8th place)

Thus, ESC was still mostly focused on pop that translated well with live instruments in the late '90s. And into the 2000s when backing tracks were required, the upbeat genre that ESC was more into was what I'd classify as "ethno bangers." Not that there isn't some crossover into what's traditionally referred to as "Eurodance" and many dance subgenres, but it was not quite the same thing, at least in my opinion. Your personal criteria may vary - I want to stress I'm not the authority on the minutiae of musical genres (and here's a post on Eurobeat vs. Eurodance btw).

Today, ESC still requires live lead vocals (and backing vocals had to live up until 2021), and being that the songs are performed live on TV, you'll hear some shakier vocals on my following examples… (although for anything from 2016 onward I didn't use the ESC performances due to geoblocking). Not to say that dance breaks haven't been popular in the last few years, and that choreography hasn't been heavy, especially with ethno bangers, but just that Eurodance hasn't always lended itself to having polished and flawless executions.

And of course, there are plenty of songs that I feel do fit the Eurodance category, including some performed by big names, such as:

"Follow My Heart" by Ich Troje feat. Real McCoy (Poland 2006 - Did not qualify for the final)

"Look Away" by Darude feat. Sebastian Rejman (Finland 2019 - DNQ)

"Vampires Are Alive" by DJ Bobo (Switzerland 2007 - DNQ)

"Glorious" by Cascada (Germany 2013 - 21st)

"Ne Ver Ne Boysia Ne Prosi" by t.A.T.u. (Russia 2003 - 3rd)

"Don't Play That Song Again" by Nicki French (United Kingdom 2000 - 16th)

A lot of ESC songs fall under the genre of schlager, as well as songs I'd classify as just EDM, and some with dubstep, especially as time has gone on. Many of the following songs to me are more a mix of genres than purely "Eurodance", but I think people seeking out similar songs will enjoy these:

"No Goodbyes" by Linda Wagenmakers (Netherlands 2000 - 13th)

"Sameyach" by PingPong (Israel 2000 - 22nd)

"No Dream Impossible" by Lindsay Dracass (United Kingdom 2001 - 15th)

"1 Life" by Xandee (Belgium 2004 - 22nd)

"Let Me Try" by Luminita Anghel & Sistem (Romania 2005 - 3rd)

"Tornerò" by Mihai Traistariu (Romania 2006 - 4th)

"This Is My Life" by Euroband (Iceland 2008 - 14th)

"Wolves of the Sea" by Pirates of the Sea (Latvia 2008 - 11th)

"DJ, Take Me Away" by Deep Zone & Balthazar (Bulgaria 2008 - DNQ)

"Lose Control" by Waldo's People (Finland 2009 - 25th)

"Run Away" by Sunstroke Project & Olia Tira (Moldova 2010 - 22nd; "Epic Sax Guy")

"Je Ne Sais Quoi" by Hera Björk (Iceland 2010 - 19th)

"Love Unlimited" by Sofi Marinova (Bulgaria 2012 - DNQ)

"It's My Life" by Cezar (Romania 2013 - 13th)

"Miracle" by Paula Seling & Ovi (Romania 2014 - 12th)

"Spirit in the Sky" by KEiiNO (Norway 2019 - 6th; Televote Winner; here's most of their performance in the grand final here if you are geoblocked)

"Halo" by LUM!X feat. Pia Maria (Austria 2022 - DNQ; co-written Gabry Ponte of Eiffel 65)

And two bonus videos:

Aqua's interval at Eurovision 2001

"I Love You" by Teflon Brothers x Pandora (Finnish Selection UMK - 2021)

And you might know two time champion Loreen, whose song this year is more pop to me than EDM or Eurodance, but it feels weird not to mention "Euphoria" (although I feel it's more straight up EDM, but again, mileage may vary):

"Euphoria" by Loreen (Sweden 2012 - Winner)

"Tattoo" by Loreen (Sweden 2023 - Winner)

While Eurovision does not equal Eurodance, there's still some fun jams, and again, many songs I included here that I feel straddle genres.

[unibrowzz]

Okay but “How to Win Eurovision” or whatever that horrible British documentary was  called had no right to rag on Lindsay Dracass for wearing a tracksuit in 2001 when EVERYONE that year was in their own contest to dress in the most shabby outfit possible

[mexicaneurolover]

Eurovision 2001 my top 23

Hello, and welcome to another episode of this ESC top series, and I go back until May 12, 2001 when the 46th edition of this contest was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, after The Olsen Brothers victory in Stockholm last year. 23 countries took part, while Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, FYR Macedonia, Romania and Switzerland were relegated, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia returned to the contest. The contest was won by Estonia, with Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL and the song Everybody, making this their first and to date last victory for them. And now, let’s review the songs. 

1st Place: FRANCE/Natasha St-Pier-Je n’ai que mon âme (Real Placing: 4th-142 points) 

This... is... a... masterpiece... in this weak field of songs,her voice is superb, the music is so charming and the key change here works so well to give this song the punch that it needs. This is a French ballad made well and I’m so in LOVE with this song and my love for this one goes beyond this world, Natasha is such a good singer and I’m in love with her, and I don’t have more words to say than I LOVE THIS SONG SO FREAKIN’ MUCH. 

2nd Place: SPAIN/David Civera-Dile que la quiero (Real Placing: 6th-76 points)

I like this song so much, this has a lot of style and rhythm, the Latin vibe here is way better than in the Maltese song, his voice is very charming and his performance is so perfect and effective. I hope that Spain will send again amazing entries like this one in the future. 

3rd Place: GREECE/Antique-Die for you (Real Placing: 3rd-147 points)

Oh yeah Helena!! This song is so good, the music has the ethnic touch I needed that night and the performance was good, maybe her voice here wasn’t very good but overall this is one of the best Greek songs ever to grace the contest. 

4th Place: GERMANY/Michelle-Wer Liebe lebt (Real Placing: 8th-66 points)

This song is one of my favorites of that year, her voice might have been a bit screamish but the music saves this one for me, I fell in love with this song when I heard it for the first time and I keep listening to it. 

5th Place: DENMARK/Rollo & King-Never ever let you go (Real Placing: 2nd-177 points)

Aww this makes me smile so much, I love the music and the voices are perfect, this is so catchy, lovely and I remember it all. If this had won that night, I would’ve been so happy because I think this deserved it. 

6th Place: SWEDEN/Friends-Listen to your heartbeat (Real Placing: 5th-100 points)

LIEFDE IS EEN KAARTSPEL MED JOKERS... oh, wrong song. This one is one of the best songs of that night, it’s catchy and the music is very ABBA-ish which makes it lovely for me. Also they sing well and it’s catchy. Plagiarism aside, this one is better than the Belgian entry in 1996. 

7th Place: SLOVENIA/Nuša Derenda-Energy (Real Placing: 7th-70 points)

Wow what a powerful song, this really gives me a lot of energy, her voice is so good and the music is perfect, and the bridge is wonderful. The performance is so memorable because of the outfit and the chorus. This song is very nice to hear. 

8th Place: MALTA/Fabrizio Faniello-Another summer night (Real Placing: 9th-48 points)

Wow what a lively song, this has a Latin vibe that is so enjoyable and his voice here is good and I like it, the music is so current for the time and overall this entry is nice, and it’s one of the first songs that comes to my mind when I think of ESC 2001. 

9th Place: TURKEY/Sedat Yüce-Sevgiliye Son (Real Placing: 11th-41 points)

Another lovely ballad, his voice is so awesome and the music is so calm but powerful and effective on the chorus, and I love it so much, the chorus also is very good and the verses are sweet. This is like a Disney song and I like it. 

10th Place: ESTONIA/Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL-Everybody (Real Placing: 1st-198 points) 

The winning song... and I don’t think this one deserved to win, but beside this, this song is very catchy and this makes me feel happy every time I listen to this song, they are amazing singers and the music is so good, but not my winner that night. 

11th Place: NORWAY/Haldor Lægreid-On my own (Real Placing: =22nd-3 points/last)

Another song that isn’t that bad to finish last, his voice is so powerful and the ballad is lovely, but maybe the performance was a bit forgettable and boring to that big stage. 

12th Place: CROATIA/Vanna-Strings of my heart (Real Placing: 10th-42 points)

Another lovely song with nice retro vibes to it. The violin here is so good and her voice is so nice, I can’t stand still while listening to this one. What a nice little entry, I enjoy it so much. 

13th Place: ICELAND/Two Tricky-Angel (Real Placing: =22nd-3 points/last)

Awww this is a lovely pop song of the early 00′s, and I like it, they sing so well and the music is great. Overall I like this entry so much and I don’t know how this finished equal last. 

14th Place: IRELAND/Ryan Gary O’Shaugnessy-Without your love (Real Placing: 21st-6 points)

Another nice Irish ballad, but maybe it got lost in this field of songs. His voice is very strong and I like it, the music is lovely and I enjoy this song. I think this song would’ve finished better in the 90′s than in 2001. 

15th Place: UNITED KINGDOM/Lindsay Dracass-No dream impossible (Real Placing: 15th-28 points)

This song had a promising start with the music, I has hooked up with it. But then her voice ruined this a bit for me, I’m such a fan with the music throughout the song but the chorus was a bit off key. A nice song ruined by the singer and the staging. 

16th Place: THE NETHERLANDS/Michelle-Out on my own (Real Placing: =18th-16 points)

This is a nice ballad, but maybe this opening the show wasn’t the best idea because I forgot about it when it finished, she sings nice and the music is cute, but maybe a bit flat and boring at some point. 

17th Place: PORTUGAL/MTM-Só sei ser feliz assim (Real Placing: 17th-18 points)

Okay this song has a nice and happy vibe to it, but it fails to impress me so much, and their voices are good but they aren’t so good together. An average song overall. 

18th Place: POLAND/Piasek-2 long (Real Placing: 20th-11 points)

Well I like this song more than the others but this isn’t anything special, his voice is okay but the pants and the outfit in general is horrible. The music is catchy but nothing more. 

19th Place: LITHUANIA/Skamp-You got style (Real Placing: 13th-35 points)

Again another song I don’t like so much, she sings so well and it’s what makes this song nice, but maybe the music was so mediocre at best. Why this year is kinda lame?

20th Place: BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA/Nino Pršeš-Hano (Real Placing: 14th-29 points)

Okay I’m worried, I don’t like this as well and it’s the 4th song I don’t like, the music has an ethnic vibe but turns a bit annoying after a while, also his voice isn’t pleasant for me. 

21st Place: ISRAEL/Tal Sondak-En davar (Real Placing: 16th-25 points)

Another song that is kinda annoying, the music is catchy but I HATE the backing singers, maybe there was a problem with the sound but that ruined the song. Not one of Israel’s best songs. 

22nd Place: RUSSIA/Mumiy Troll-Lady Alpine Blue (Real Placing: 12th-37 points)

Another song that is so annoying for me, I can’t stand his voice but the music is kinda good and reminds me of Carlos Santana’s songs. Not a nice song though. 

23rd Place: LATVIA/Arnis Mednis-Too much (Real Placing: =18th-16 points)

AAAAA THIS SONG IS SO ANNOYING, his voice isn’t good, the music is hateful and I don’t like this song, I almost hate it. The chorus is the worst part of the song. 

[juliesimsuk-blog]

Eurovision 2001 United Kingdom – Lindsay Dracass – No dream impossible Placing: 15th, 28 points ---

[escinsight]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxrp0XzzpzY?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

via EveryEurovisionSong.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

United Kingdom 2001

‘No Dream Impossible’, performed by Lindsay Dracass. Composition and Lyrics: Russ Ballard, Chris Winter.

It does look a bit of a mess on stage, with three cellos, a double stack of synth, and the ‘look at me miming my DJ set’. The song does a bit of a genre clash as well, there are hints of you classic Euro-ballad and a few jury notes, there’s a bit of schlager stomp, club beats, and a touch of middle England rap.

It should’t work at all, but it just about holds itself together to deliver something thats more memorable than meh. Eurovision is still three minutes of live vocals and the seventeen year old Dracass wobbled just enough on the night to put a solid result out of reach.

Fifteenth on the night would be fair given the live performance, but the song itself is worth more than that.

Points: 28: Placing: 15th.

[everyeurovisionsong]

United Kingdom 2001

'No Dream Impossible', performed by Lindsay Dracass. Composition and Lyrics: Russ Ballard, Chris Winter.

It does look a bit of a mess on stage, with three cellos, a double stack of synth, and the 'look at me miming my DJ set'. The song does a bit of a genre clash as well, there are hints of you classic Euro-ballad and a few jury notes, there's a bit of schlager stomp, club beats, and a touch of middle England rap.

It should't work at all, but it just about holds itself together to deliver something thats more memorable than meh. Eurovision is still three minutes of live vocals and the seventeen year old Dracass wobbled just enough on the night to put a solid result out of reach.

Fifteenth on the night would be fair given the live performance, but the song itself is worth more than that.

Points: 28: Placing: 15th.

[eurovisionsongaday]

As much as this song sounds very much of its era, I think I still like it a lot?