A Swede who lives in Finland and who is lost in Euroland - the wonderful world of Eurovision
There is always some matter to discuss or just a song I want to share
Very welcome - I hope you'll like it here!
Sometimes this big guessing game also known as the Eurovision Song Contest can really become too much for you to take. When you are so sure about how things will end that you can't really register what is happening. When it will take days for the truth to sink in.
2008 was a fine example of just that.
I didn't care much for "Shady Lady" in the previews, to tell the truth. I thought it was slick and catchy but also a bit bland and predictable. Then I saw footage from the rehearsals and was totally blown away.
The stage show that Ani Lorak put on was so perfect, like a human firework. After seeing the live performance in the semi final I was 100 per cent convinced that this must be the winner. Possibly with the largest margin in Eurovision history.
For some reason, the Ukrainian disco stomper missed its target and the televoting public failed to see the obvious. Out of 42 countries that could vote for it, seven awarded nul points to "Shady Lady" and only one country - Portugal - gave it 12 points.
The obvious candidate found itself flatly beaten by one of the weakest winners ever. Writing this, I still have to rub my eyes to realise it wasn't just a bad dream and this actually happened.
A deserved 2nd place?
Let me spell it out for you: It. Should. Have. Won. End of.
It has only been twenty years since they made their debut as an independent country, but yet Bosnia-Herzegovina feels like an old friend indeed. Possibly because of the incredible transformation they went through in front of our very eyes.
They started out as a war-torn country - a small miracle in itself that they managed to take part during the civil war - that impressed people by their sheer presence and perhaps gained the occasional sympathy vote.
Fazla - Sva bol svijeta (Bosnia-Herzegovina 1993)
Then peace came. The country had a change of flag and constitution and set out to re-invent themselves. After a few confused years where ambitious national finals ended in tactical (political) voting and not particularly user-friendly winners, Bosnian television started selecting most of their entries internally. A very good move, indeed.
Deen - In The Disco (Bosnia-Herzegovina 2004)
Suddenly, Bosnia-Herzegovina turned into one of the bravest pupils of the entire class. A chrysalis-to-butterfly that set new artistic standards and often challenged the idea of what the perfect eurovision entry should look and sound like.
Many of their entries were more like short pieces of conceptual art rather than typical pop songs, often conveying some sort of message at some level. The often quite reserved grand public let themselves be amused and Bosnia never missed a final since the implementation of the semi finals.
Laka - Pokušaj (Bosnia-Herzegovina 2008)
Then suddenly, like a flash of lightning out of a clear blue sky, there were news from Sarajevo that Bosnia would not take part in Malmö. So, what are the reasons for this?
Lack of money was the official reason. The Bosnian delegations have been travelling light lately with very few people apart from the participants, but curiously enough the local broadcaster declined several offers from various parties willing to sponsor the participation.
Lack of enthusiasm could be another factor. Rumours have it that Bosnian tv had to struggle finding acts that were willing to do the ESC and that would at the same time match the high artistic standards they had set for themselves. The withdrawal could be a warning shot for the local artists - unless they contribute there will be no participation.
Then again, I can't shake the political suspicion I've felt at the back of my head. The Bosnian withdraval was announced at the same time as Turkish one and explained with equally vague reasons. Is Bosnia absent to back up the Turkish absence? And will the Bosnians be back even if Turkey stays out?
This is just a thought. I have no evidence in this case. I'm just thinking out loud. If anyone knows better, please enlighten me. Feel free to discuss this matter in a comment.
Regardless, I hope there will be a change of tune in Sarajevo soon. I think Bosnia-Herzegovina should be winning and hosting instead of withdrawing. And that's my final word.
Very much the same case as Finland 2011 - a ballad that stood out as very attractive in its semi-final and counted as one of the pre-contest favourites. A classy little bilingual Italian-style song, where pseudo-classical singing meets up with a pop voice in close harmony.
This is the kind of song that is designed to come as a healthy break after loads of dancing and singing and uptempo and Finnish bare-chested rock groups. Performing first on the night can never do it any favours, regardless of how well you sing.
Nicola & Vlad - Pe-o margine di lume (Romania 2008)
Last night, the BBC revealed who they will have representing them at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest and I must admit that the perfomer in question had my jaw drop.
I did not see Engelbert Humperdinck coming, so to speak.
But he has all the advantages the BBC were looking for: a long career, a well established name, an element of surprise and a large following. The list of people lined up to make his song brilliant is also long and impressive.
With a bit of luck, this could be an entry that will truly stand out in Baku, hopefully in a most positive light. It will also bear the added feature of Engelbert being the oldest performer ever on the eurovision stage.
Engelbert Humperdinck - Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
The age issue is, however, always a sensitive one and there has been a real outburst of negativity on the net since the announcement was made.
I think most people reason it would have been more appropriate to offer somebody in the beginning of their careers the chance of exposing themselves europe-wide instead. But let me remind you how un-willing most British acts have been to go to Eurovision. Why would they, all of a sudden, have lined up to do it this time around?
Then again, many just carry a phobia against older people. When you pass a certain age, you expire. You have nothing more to contribute. You should just sit somewhere and gracefully wait for the end.
That brings the 2008 Croatian entry to mind, featuring the oldest ever main performer pre-Engelbert - 75 year-old rapper 75 Cents, and a set of lyrics dealing with this very problem.
"Nowadays I'm told I'm to no use anymore. I'm technological waste, like a monkey on a branch. But I was the first ever Internet, I connected the world with my songs."
Engelbert Humperdinck is perhaps not the first Internet of the world, but he is a legend in music. I'd very much like to hear his song before I declare him chanceless.
Kraljeci ulice & 75 Cents - Romanca (Croatia 2008 preview)
Despite Festivali i Këngës not quite being the right vehicle for finding the right song for Eurovision, the FiK jury got it right more times than they got it wrong.
This is an excellent example of when things go right and the winner both has a distinctly national flavour (or at least I think it is) as well as a really graspable chorus.
Olta Boka was very young when she won the national final, and perhaps her nerves got the better of her in the Belgrade final (this clip is from the semi final), but she compliments her song very well.
Olta Boka - Zemrën e lamë peng (Albania 2008)
Olta's song was also one of the songs that needed the least amount of revamping after the Festivali i Këngës. A slightly more crisp arrangement and the removal of the rather heavy choir parts was all it took.
A very good entry, in my book. Albania usually delivers, you know.
Olta Boka - Zemrën e lamë peng (Albania 2008 national final)
During these five years, further modification was tried out by the EBU. After a nightmare of a semifinal in 2007 (with twenty-eight songs in the running), the qualification system was completely re-vamped in 2008.
Now, only the host country and the big four were guaranteed a place in the final - everyone else had to go through the two semi finals. This has resulted in way stronger final line-ups than before.
Not only stronger line-ups - it is in general much harder to predict the result this way. The final changes everything: the draw, the odds, the chances, the favourites. In short, the two semis contribute to way stronger television than before.
Also, the juries have been forgiven and are back in the game gradually since 2008, where they got to select the tenth finalist in each semi final. In 2009, they did that too but also had a fifty percent say in the final result. And from 2010, they have half the power already in the semi finals.
To tell you the truth, I am not convinced that this was a good move. It could have been, but I still see the same old countries voting extensively for neighbours and friends, the juries obviously joining the game rather than doing anything to prevent it. Also, as from 2011, the juries seem to have favoured strong voices over pop songs. They would need a reminder that this is a song contest - not a singing contest - and that we do not want to return to the old hit-less days of the 90's again.
2006 - Russia
Dima Bilan - Never Let You Go (Russia 2006)
Of course I am deeply happy that Finland won, that's beside the point, but in my book Russia was by far the best. A lavish stage show, slick presentation and one of the best pop compositions to grace a eurovision stage in the last ten years.
The whole production is classical and modern at the same time, and for some reason I find the slow drum loop a tiny bit Beatles-esque.
How sad to see that in only two years, the lovely Dima Bilan would grow into a pompously arrogant nobody. And even sadder to see him win, when he clearly no longer deserved it.
Real winner:
Lordi - Hard Rock Hallelujah (Finland)
2007 - Georgia
Sopho - Visionary Dream (Georgia 2007)
Ever wondered what "Ray Of Light" would have sounded like had Madonna been born in Tbilisi? Wonder no more.
Georgia's debut entry in Helsinki is a real knockout of an entry, it doesn't sound like anything that was ever heard at the ESC before. A wild mix between etno, ballad, aggressive beats, sword dancing and, in the middle of the storm, the wonderful Sopho Khalvashi, queen-like and supreme, keeping the whole thing together.
Too demanding for the average voter, perhaps, but it gives me serious goose bumps.
Real winner:
Marija Šerifović - Molitva (Serbia)
2008 - Bosnia-Herzegovina
Laka - Pokušaj (Bosnia-Herzegovina 2008)
As eurovision has filled up with more and more quality pop songs, modern and chart-friendly, it just gets harder to decide which one is my favourite each year. Often something quirky makes the top of my bill, I've noticed.
Calling this entry quirky would be something of an understatement, though.
It is artistic, experimental, edgy, boundbreaking, melodic, fun and Wogan hated it. Laka is a real artist (and his sister too) who uses his three minutes in full to present himself to a potential audience, not caring the slightest for the people who won't understand. When eurovision allows something as demanding as this to make top ten, that's when I really love my old contest.
Real winner:
Dima Bilan - Belive (Russia)
2009 - Bosnia-Herzegovina
Regina - Bistra voda (Bosnia-Herzegovina 2009)
If there is one national that truly emerged like a real quality engine since the semi finals were introduced, then it is Bosnia-Herzegovina. Once they got their machinery running, after the civial war and some hopeless attempts at staging fair national finals, few others can match the Bosnians when it comes to personable performers, strong melodies and memorable performances.
Rock band Regina, who possibly heard a track or two by Coldplay through the years, deliver a tender, delicate melody line, demanding and inviting and the same time, and how this song didn't reach higher than ninth place remains a real mystery for me.
Real winner:
Alexander Rybak - Fairytale (Norway)
2010 - Germany
Lena - Satellite (Germany 2010)
When there are forty-something entries in the line-up, the chance that your personal favourite will be the winner in the end diminishes quite clearly. My joy was immense as my big pre-contest favourite made it all the way in 2010.
Even more so since I had been hoping for Germany for a few years already. They had been trying to deliver quality entries for quite some time without really getting it right, ending in failure year after year in spite of creating quite a few domestic hit singles.
Lena was a bull's eye in many aspects: young, appealing, hit friendly, equipped with a bubbly personality. A dream winner for Eurovision in many ways. And the importance of one of the Big Four countries winning can hardly be over-estimated.
Most of the Nordic countries have successfully re-invented their national finals during the last years, and Norway has been working very hard on finding ESC success.
They have been successful as well. Wig Wam in 2005, Maria Haukaas Storeng in 2008 and, of course, Alexander Rybak in 2009 all left lasting impressions on the international audience. Not bad for the country that used to end in bottom five every year for such a long period of time.
But who is perfect? Also Norway has rejected a few personal favourites of mine during the last ten years. It would have been most interesting to find out how these ones would have fared had they reached the ESC.
Venke Knutsen - Jealous Cause I Love You (2010)
I was never a fan of Didrik Solli-Tangen's pompous old ballad and can't help thinking that Venke would have spiced up the Oslo happening quite a bit with her output, presence and wacky lyrics.
Velvet Inc - Tricky (2009)
Of course Rybak was the right choice. Nobody else could have crushed all resistance in Moscow like he did. But had Norway opted for this slick pop praline instead, nobody would ever have known that.
Veronica Akselsen - Am I Supposed To Love Again (2008)
Mellow and melancholic. Very sensitive performance, also. Again, not strong enough to better Maria's fifth place in Belgrade, but a very proud entry for any country.
Ann-Mari Andersen - Ándagassii (2008)
Ethnic, haunting, suggestive piece of modern pop. Slick production and soft, appealing lyrics in Sami. One of the best and most progressive entries that Norway ever left behind.
Mocci - Tonight (2006)
And then there is always Mocci, who has the distinction of missing out twice with modern, urban sounding entries. Her 2006 Sophie Ellis-Bextor sound would probably have been too laid-back in Athens (and had she hit the notes as poorly as she does in this clip, she could have had to fight it out with Fabrizio over the last place) but the song is good. And her 2001 effort would have rocked Copenhagen and filled a real void in the extremely weak line-up of that year.
