The taste of Knut

I knew it, didn't I? I predicted Silent Storm to win hands down in Norway and I do believe it was the best choice, the one likely to produce the best result in Copenhagen.

Still, I'm a bit disappointed that Norway left Knut Kippersund Nesdal last out of the four super finalists in the end. His song could have been stronger, but the kid is a star. The confidence, the voice and his ability to handle a minimalist but effective choreography all really impressed.

If there is any justice in the world, his new record deal with Universal will allow him to lay his hands on some great material and record a bright and sparkling pop album that would showcase his abilities even further.

Hopefully Knut is a real winner despite his 4th place. I surely want to see and hear much more of him.



Knut Kippersund Nesdal - The Taste Of You (Norway NF 2014)



Knut Kippersund Nesdal - The Taste Of You

Be brave, Danes!

Dear Denmark,

you are just about to select your entry for this year's Eurovision Song Contest. I must say you have done really well for the last few years, being last year's winner and this year's host country and all, so you hardly need any advice from anyone like me.

But still, I'd like to share some thoughts with you before your final starts. You see, you have meant so much for me through the years. Already as a very young fan, I singled out Denmark as one of the countries I liked almost without exception.

This was in the happy 80's where - admittedly - there was a distinct taste of plastic to most of your entries, but in the 80's we loved plastic. I loved you for it. I still do.

Lately, however. Last ten years or so. I don't know how to put this in a kind way, but as I consider us very close friends it is my duty to say it anyway, so here goes. Lately, your songs haven't meant a lot to me. They are nice and polished. Often catchy. Often pretty inoffensive too.

I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more of an edge, Denmark. Some real emotion. I'd like to see you go out on stage, pull a face, do something unexpected and run the risk of not being liked. I know you'd like to, I know you have it in you.

I know you have it in you, because many songs in your national finals through the years tell me that you do. Here are two examples - from the extravagantly fabulous Sanne Gottlieb - to inspire you, to convince you it can be done and show you that I am truly a friend and nothing else.

A friend who takes the liberty of expecting a little bit more from you.



Sanne Gottlieb - Uden dig (Denmark NF 2000)



Sanne Gottlieb - Tog jeg fejl? (Denmark NF 2001)

Good luck Latvia

You know what? I love Latvia. Riga is one of my favourite cities and I never fully came to terms with the fact I missed out the year Eurovision was held there. I'd love for Eurovision to come back there but the Latvians have given me pretty little nourishment for my hopes lately.

This year, I haven't really checked out the Latvian national final at all. I watched the odd clip but have no idea about their line-up or their chances.

I sort of gave up on Latvian finals in 2011, when they had a quirky and catchy little pearl like Daylight but decides to send something as forgettable as Musiqq to Düsseldorf.

So Latvia, you are on your own tonight. Select wisely. I'd love for you to surprise me in a positive direction but I won't believe it until I see it.



D-Family - Daylight (Latvia NF 2011)

Belgium: is it Petra's turn?

Sanna Nielsen has tried and tried and maybe this is her time lucky in Sweden. In Belgium, there is a candidate who has tried fewer times but for a longer period of time.

Petra gave it her all and was often best in show. But did Flanders vote for her? Nope.



Petra - Ga door (Belgium NF 1993)

A nifty choreography and ice-cream hairdos? Nah, Belgium preferred to send off a quiet little ballad that not only ended last in Millstreet but also will remain associated with a dubious sense of fashion forever.



Petra - Diep in mijn huid (Belgium NF 1999)

So Petra went all sophisticated and offered a smooth and catchy little pop song with a tasteful change of language in the end. Belgium turned a blind eye to the whole package and sent off a stylish but unspectacular little lullaby instead.



La Sakhra - Wonderland (Belgium NF 2006)

I'm not even going to pay attention to Petra's attempt to bring some life to an outright hopeless entry in the 2000 Walloon final by choreographing and providing backing vocals to a song that obviously would not make many people happy. Six years later, she reinvented herself as La Sakhra and came really close to winning the whole thing. Unfortunately a certain Kate Ryan would stand in her way and go to Athens to defend the Belgian banner (with moderate success).

I was very happy to see Petra back in business this year. In the audition shows where hopeful singers performed old eurovision entries in order to secure a spot in the final, Petra blew the judges away and won her heat.

We haven't heard her song yet, but wouldn't it be nice to finally see this talented woman in a Eurovision final? Her own version of All Kinds Of Everything - suitably dealing with the ordeal of entering over and over without winning - is certainly worthy of a gold star in the margin.



Petra - All Kinds Of Everything

Melodifestivalen gem: Idag är det vår

I don't know about you but many of my personal favourites are songs that clearly should not have won. They are not distinct enough or they are simply not the kind of entry that would attract any substantial amount of points from anywhere.

This very entry is the complete definition of what I mean.

Pastellerna were a local dance orchestra that had scored a number of hits on the Svensktoppen chart and who were pretty much in demand in their own genre. Dance orchestras have always been a popular part of Swedish popular culture, but they peaked in the 70's when even pretty mediocre bands could sell quite a lot of records.

Pastellerna were not mediocre, they were talented and likeable and explained in their own sleeve notes that they didn't consider themselves a typical "dansband" at all. Given the reluctance Swedish television had against this kind of music, it was a small miracle they were selected at all to compete at Melodifestivalen 1978.

They bravely entered the stage as the first of ten candidates, dressed in what could kindly be described as a minor styling disaster, and sang their little song with gusto. Perhaps not all harmonies were exactly in their right places, but it was still a good opener.

Had this won, it would surely have bombed in Paris. Who would have understood this kind of entertainment outside of Scandinavia? Most provincial, not at all international. The Swedes would have been ashamed. The final 6th place seems quite generous in retrospect.

But the provincial interpretation of glamour and showmanship is just what appeals to me here. The group comes across as very sincere, the lyrics are sweet and the song is memorable in its own right.

Three of the members - Peter Wanngren, Kerstin Andeby and Bertil Engh - would team up with the outstanding lyricist Monica Forsberg and appear twice in Melodifestivalen using the group name Ritz.

They would also produce two albums with stories and songs about the Monchhichi dolls that I absolutely adored as a child.



Pastellerna - Idag är det vår (Sweden NF 1978)

Liechtenstein and Eurovision

As stated in my last post, the song "Un beau matin" by Vetty was a Eurovision parody and not - as stated on the record sleeve - the 1969 Liechtenstein entry for Eurovision. But what do we know about the tiny state and their relationship to the ESC, then?

Flag from Wikipedia

It is known that Liechtenstein made a brave attempt to participate at the 1976 Eurovision and that a song - "Little Cowboy" performed by Biggi Bachmann - was selected for the purpose. Reliable sources even claim that the song was selected by the national parliament, supposedly on a day without too heavy items on the political agenda.

However, disappointment hit Vaduz as the EBU rejected their entry. The ESC is a competition not between countries but between EBU member broadcasters and as Liechtenstein didn't even have a national radio station at the time they were hopelessly left out in the cold.

The same reliable sources claim that Switzerland - in a grand gesture - offered to compete under the name of "Switzerland & Liechtenstein" in The Hague. Dutch tv rejected the idea as the long name wouldn't fit on the scoreboard.

Biggi Bachmann continued her career, releasing at least two singles, and participated in the 1979 Swiss final where she ended second last singing "Musik Musik". After that traces of her are scarce, leading me to believe neither one of her singles propelled her into any major grade of stardom. As far as I know, "Little Cowboy" was neither recorded nor ever made public in any way.

In 2008, Liechtenstein became the last european country to have their own tv station. 1FLTV is strictly speaking not a state broadcaster but a private channel, however have they voiced an ambition to join the EBU as well as the Eurovision Song Contest. To date, these plans have come to nothing.

Unlike what is stated here and there online, 1FLTV has never been rejected by the EBU. They have simply never applied to be an active member, for reasons best known to themselves. In these grim times of financial crises, it seems likely that the owners would be reluctant to plunge headlong into any costly projects.

Until they have a change of heart, Liechtenstein remains the only independent and internationally recognised state in Europe not to have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest, alongside the Vatican state.

Melodifestivalen gem: Copycat Hadar 1975

Recently, I posted Glenmarks' 1974 melodifestivalen entry, a lovely little song that stood out as very different in their standard repertoire.

One year later, they would be back again, but this time mainly as a backing group for young Hadar Kronberg - a fresh talent recently signed by Bruno Glenmark's record company.

The question here is how obviously you can steal someone else's idea without decomposing with shame.

This song is a catchy little number by singers in extravagant outfits and a pseudo-historical effective title gimmick with a vaguely French connection. I wonder what Abba were thinking when they saw this.

Abba's conductor had the Napoleon outfit, Bruno Glenmark conducts with toy guns in his hands. This links in with the lyrics about two men duelling about this woman they both love. Duel or possibly Russian roulette, the lyrics are a bit vague on which method is chosen in the end.

All in all, a rather dubious package from a copyright perspective. But it is a very jolly and upbeat schlager. Surprisingly much so for a song that deals with imminent death.



Hadar & Glenmarks -Lady Antoinette (Sweden 1975 national final)

ESC rejects: Israel 1989

At the time, being 13, the Israeli entry for Lausanne hit me like a brick on the head.

The sweet tune and the appealing set-up made it my firm favourite for many years to come and I identified very strongly with little Gili, facing the huge responsibility of representing his country.

(To be honest, he could very well be my first eurovision crush ever. But I wouldn't have understood to phrase it like that back then. Enough about me.)



Gili & Galit - Derech ha'melech (Israel 1989)

Nowadays, I find it a tad too sugary for my liking, even if I still recognise good handicraft when I see it.

I would have preferred to look into that wonderful magical parallel universe to find out what perky girl trio Mango could have done to the scoreboard. The song is catchy and the sound far too modern to sound good with the Swiss orchestra.

But could the girls have bettered the very disappointing 12th place of the boy soprano?



Mango - Yedidai (Israel 1989 national final)

ESC reject: Norway 2010

We hear so many of these stories at Eurovision; a relationship on the rocks but I promise to change so give me another chance and please stop looking like you're actually leaving. This is yet another one, but with a few more twists in the tale than most.

This girl really has a problem, doesn't she? She's not just a tad jealous, this one. She goes berserk as soon as something slightly female approaches and it is a mystery she can go through three minutes on stage without attacking her attractive backing singers.

Venke Knutse's sweet baby voice delivery goes very nicely together with the Mad Glenn Close-attitude (neat reference to "Fatal Attraction" in the lyrics), even if I might have wanted a little more of Lena's "maybe I'm cute but I'm also lethal so beware"-approch, used in Germany's 2011 entry.

You sort of understand the bloke and can't really blame him for leaving. Until the bridge, that is, when the lyrics suddenly reveal that this jealousy is rather well founded and triggered by the man himself.

What is left is the feeling that this couple probably deserves each other. That, and a miraculously sweet, fluffy and appealing little pop creation.

How Norway could select that pompous and sopophoric mega ballad instead is beyond me.



Venke Knutson - Jealous 'Cause I Love You (Norway 2010 national final)

ESC reject: Norway 1984

In 1983, pop/rock/ska duo Monroes hit the Norweigan pop scene in a big way and sold more than 130,000 copies of their debut album before grabbing a Spellemann Award as best act. It was a real scoop for NRK to announce that this successful act would enter the 1984 Norweigan final for Eurovision.

Maybe it spoiled the fun a bit that they only agreed to write a song, not to perform it themselves, but several hopeful young talents auditioned to sing it. As a media stunt, it was a very successful one.

As young Beate Jacobsen entered the stage her inexperience shone through, but at least she nailed the cameras and her voice grew stronger throughout the song.

Unfortunately, "Strand Hotel" didn't sound like an immortal masterpiece on night. It is a somewhat shaky construction that sounds more diffuse than it would need to, given the orchestral arrangement.



Beate Jacobsen - Strand Hotel (Norway 1984 national final)

It is much easier to get a hang of the song in its recorded version. A snappier production and clearer arrangement clarifies the chorus that suddenly gets a lot easier to grasp.

It would have needed only three points to win - chances are that it would, had it sounded like this.



Beate Jacobsen - Strand Hotel (English studio version)

Monroes continued their career successfully for many years to come, while Beate recorded one album before slipping back into anonymity again.

Melodifestivalen gem: Glenmarks 1974

Ann-Louise Hanson has the record number of songs performed at Swedish national final Melodifestivalen - nobody sang as many times as she did.

After being a tremendously successful solo singer throughout the 60's, she joined the vocal ensemble Glenmarks in the early 70's. The group was assembled by her husband Bruno Glenmark and, apart from them, included his nephews Anders and Karin.

Most of their material was pretty middle-of-the-road, clean-cut schlager for the masses, with the odd piece of fine singing in between.

Therefore, their 1974 MF entry is a bit of a shocker.

It is an experiemental piece, a slow verse that turns headlong into a soulful outburst of a chorus in a surprisingly heavy arrangement, with matching, rather abstract, lyrics. Far too demanding for the juries, who were about to select a Very Commercial Winner for the first time ever, and who could not be bothered with ambitious pieces like this one.

Of course it wouldn't have stood a chance in Brighton, but it is a very good song once you get into it.

It also shows a glimpse from a parallel universe that could have been, if Ann-Louise Hanson had decided to drift from schlager into more progressive material. Judging from this, she might have pulled it off really well.




Glenmarks - I annorlunda land (Sweden 1974 national final)

Melodifestivalen gem: Lena Ericsson 1982

Today, the whole list of songs for Melodifestivalen was published. Thirty-two songs that will be wildly discussed throughout spring and who are already focus for an awful lot of speculation.

It would be nice if Sweden kept its positive trend after Eric Saade's third place. Sweden needed a couple of slaps across the face, but I believe the message - you can't keep sending in the some old thing over and over again - has sunken in.

Of course it will be interesting to see who wins and all, but I am more looking forward to finding a new set of personal favourites, those tiny little pearls that the masses may forget about but that will stay with you forever.

Like the runner-up in the 1982 Melodifestival from Gothenburg. A complete commercial failure, totally forgotten outside the eurovision circuit. But to me, it is a precious little gem that lives very close to my heart.

Lena Ericsson sings it very well and the adorable lyrics, carefully crafted by Britt Lindeborg, makes me go all bubbly and happy inside.



Lena Ericsson - Någonting har hänt (Sweden 1982 national final)

ESC reject: Gina de Wit

Gina de Wit had her first real break when she won the 1986 Soundmixshow - the Dutch tv format where people try to sing like famous performers. Gina sang like Linda Ronstadt and convinced the juries she was the best in the running.

She then had a stab at establishing herself in her own right, she took part in several Dutch national finals for Eurovision and also wrote one of the songs for Ruth Jacott's private national final in 1993.

In 1996, she was one of five acts in the (not too star-packed) Dutch final and this time she managed to get really close to victory. In the end Maxine & Franklin Brown were stronger, but I have a tingling little feeling that Gina's song could have been quite a good choice as well.



Gina de Wit - De wereld is van jou (Netherlands 1996 national final)

She tried again four years later and would, for certain, have made a lousier choice for Stockholm. That year turned out to be a very strong, contemporary and dynamic line-up where this kind of old-fashioned ballad had been bound for the bottom placings.

But at least she was the first person to ever sing a song in Frisian language in a Dutch final and that must be worth something as well.



Gina de Wit - Hjir is it begin (Netherlands 2000 national final)

ESC reject: Yugoslavia 1987

Josipa Lisac was still in her teens when she first entered a Yugoslav national final for Eurovision. She never won, but manage to turn into a megastar - a monument of pop art with a very special place in domestic showbiz.

She is not only a singer, but also an actress and a style icon with her very own sense of fashion.

When she returned to the Yugoslav final in 1987, Josipa was the sensation of the evening with her modern sound, great presence and a most flamboyant hairdo (that would be outright dangerous if worn in public during rush hour).

This didn't matter much as the juries remained unmoved and left her in ninth place, sending super bouncy Novi Fosili off to Brussels instead, where they equalled the best Yugoslav placing until then.

Since then, Josipa the Great has not bothered to enter any national selections again, but her 1987 selection entry has turned into an evergreen, also covered by Slovenian singer Nuša Derenda.



Josipa Lisac - Gdje Dunav ljubi nebo (Yugoslavia 1987 national final)

Germany 1980: Beware of apples!

If I keep on like this, I'm afraid the German embassy will soon call me in for a serious discussion on the picture I paint of German music, but I can't resist sharing this masterpiece.

A good friend reminded me about this via Twitter , so here you all get to enjoy Adam & Eve from the 1980 German final. You'll never forget them.



Adam & Eve - Hallo Adam! Hallo Eva! (Germany 1980 national final)

Of course, one's mind fills up with questions after seeing this. How would this song have fared in The Hague? Is that giant apple a real apple? Who decided that the fabric of her dress would pass as skin-coloured? And who are these people?

Adam & Eve were actually a successful schlager act for many years, created by Eva "Eve" Bartova who came to Germany from her native Czechoslovakia in the early 60's. She formed her own band, then set up the duo Adam & Eve.

After a few years, she had the original Adam replaced with Harry Schairer and then the duo really took off. The couple got married and had a number of hit singles, most notably perhaps "Ungarische Nächte" which made it to the no 1 spot of the ZDF-hitparade.

When success ebbed away, the couple split up and Eve again emigrated, this time to the US, where she died of cancer in 1989.



Adam & Eve - Ungarische Nächte

Germany 1996: Surfen surfen, Tag und Nacht!

I gave you "Can Can", so there is no reason why I should not share "Surfen Multimedia" from the 1996 German final.

Germans always had a strong fascination for new technology and more than once stated this fascination in song. So, when the internet came into our lives, why not make a Beach Boys-esque song to celebrate it?

The link is obvious, right? Beach Boys - surfing! Internet - surfing! You're with me, right?

These girls are impossibly happy and cheerful, while something tells me they were yet to see a single webpage.

What the EU-flag tops and the flag skirts has to do with anything is a subject far too deep for my shallow analysis, but click the link. I know you want to. And the EuroCats know it too!



EuroCats - Surfen Multimedia (Germany 1996 national final)

ESC reject: Finland 1991

The first Finnish final I ever saw was Euroviisut 1991 - a relative in Stockholm recieved Finnish television on cable, so she recorded it on a VHS videotape and sent it to me in an large envelope. (Oh gosh, this really was back in the day, wasn't it?)

Out of the ten finalists, my instant favourite was Arja Koriseva's "Enkelin silmin". Very direct, very catchy, maybe a tiny bit old-fashioned, delivered in a very cheerful manner by a likeable singer, written by the same successful team that wrote "La dolce vita" in 1989.

The expert jury left "Enkelin silmin" only in fifth place, and opted for Kaija Kärkinen's "Hullu yö" instead.



Kaija Kärkinen - Hullu yö (Finland 1991)

These days, Kaija is a personal favourite of mine as well as another of the songs I can't believe the juries didn't vote for. In Rome, it recieved a grand total of six points and a 20th place.

"Enkelin silmin" became a big hit in Finland and is still seen as an evergreen and is one of Arja's most well-known and loved songs.

I can't help wondering how it would have scored in Rome, also given it would have granted some bouncy sing-along clap-along qualities in a line-up full of ballads.



Arja Koriseva - Enkelin silmin (Finland 1991 national final)

Israel 1979: Shake it like Sherry

In 1978, the Israeli Song Festival was also used to select the national entry for Eurovision, resulting in instant victory and Jerusalem welcoming all Europe to friendly competition.

No wonder that a great deal of zeal and enthusiasm went into organising the 1979 Israeli Song Festival. The enthusiasm would only be topped a couple of weeks later, when it turned out that also this year's winner would go on to win Eurovision.

The Israeli Song Festival has an incredible track record in other words: twice it was used to select the Israeli entry, twice it produced a Eurovision winner. In 1981, the special Kdam Erovizion contest was created to act as national final, and it is yet to produce a single ESC winner.

The festival did more than finding a future world smash winner, it also produced a real sleeper hit. More than fifteen years later, the entry of Sherry hit the domestic charts and became a real evergreen.

I'm more surprised to find it wasn't a real hit back then. This is a fine track with a very convincing chorus as well as a very lively performance. What wouldn't I do to be able to shake it like Sherry's backing group? Those clever moves and those wonderful outfits leave me with a slight sense of regret that we never got to see Sherry on the Eurovision stage.

Could this song have done the same thing that Hallelujah did? Could it have been a second consecutive victory for Israel?



Sherry - Leolam be'ikvot hashemesh (Israel 1979 national final)

Belgium 1979: what if Micha Marah had it her way?

A number of countries have a tendency of getting it wrong at their national finals and end up sending weaker acts off to Eurovision, leaving stronger songs behind. Finland, Slovenia, Latvia and many others do this on a regular basis.

However, few national heats create the kind of chaos that has ensured after a number of Flemish finals.

Like in 1979, when Micha Marah sang all the songs in competition and was sent to Jerusalem with a song she truly hated (ending in shared last place with Austria once all points were cast).



Micha Marah - Hey Nanah! (Belgium 1979)

The song Micha had been backing all the way was a not too different number called "Comment ça va", and I can't help wondering how this song would have fared in the voting.

It is a bit of a loud monster of a song, maybe not quite as catchy and easily accessible as Micha herself seems to think. But just look at the conviction she puts into the performance. She transforms from a somewhat coldish chanteuse into a wild-eyed powerhouse.

Look at those eyes! Look at those hand movements! Look at her complete attack and dedication! And this is just the national final. Imagine how much energy she could have worked up on stage in Jerusalem.

All you people out there who have seen film noir classic "Sunset Boulevard" - don't you also almost expect Micha Marah to end this performance by saying "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up"?



Micha Marah - Comment ça va (Belgium 1979 national final)

Song Of The Day: FYR Macedonia 1996

During all the years Former Yugoslavia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest, TV Skopje did not manage to run off with victory even once. In 1996, they wanted to enter under their own flag for the first time, but it wasn't to be.

Kalopi Grill impress the jurors of the Skopje festival with her self-penned number "Samo ti", but in the odd, non-public, pre-selection for Oslo - where 29 candidates were cut down to 22 - the juries made thumbs down.

It's not that I don't see why. I can sort of understand why this passes over the heads of the masses.

But Kaliopi sings wonderfully and this song is an unusual, demanding and intriguing little soul number that could have made more than a tiny difference in Oslo.



Kaliopi Grill - Samo ti (FYR Macedonia 1996 - rejected in the pre-selection)