Tobson's Big ESC 2017 Review, part 5

For the second year running we had a very late change in the lineup of the second semi. Last year Romania was kicked out due to a smaller mountain of unpaid bills. This year the EBU basically folded themselves double in order to keep Russia in the running, despite all sensible indications pointing towards them never fully intending to take part in Kyiv. For my review, I kept Russia in its place, just for comparison and to ponder what could have been.

01. SERBIA
Tijana Bogićević / In Too Deep

The second semi starts pretty much like the first semi ended: with a perfectly fine and perfectly contemporary pop number. It is slick, it sounds good, it is well sung - by one of Nina's crazy background singers from Düsseldorf 2011. It has pretty much everything anyone could ask for, except for any kind of profile or anything that would set it apart from anything else. Good and credible but too generic. Will need some really extraordinary and explosive staging in order to stand out.

Qualifier:

Borderline. There are so many of these radio-friendly, tailor-made for the commercial airwaves-type of songs in the lineup. Why would anyone remember this one in particular?

My grade: 3/5

Tijana Bogićević / In Too Deep (Serbia 2017 preview)

02. AUSTRIA

Nathan Trent / Running On Air

Ever since their last comeback in 2011 - and especially since Conchita's impressive victory - it seems like Austria would actually have a pop scene where quality stuff is being made. Quality stuff that could compete on an international level. Nathan Trent is surely the most charming male performer in the running but while his song sounds bang-up-to-date, it takes a disappointing turn in the chorus which is far from as strong as it should be.

Qualifier:

Borderline. Nathan will really need to knock Europe over in order to make up for the slightly weaker chorus. Far from impossible.

My grade: 3/5

Nathan Trent / Running On Air (Austria 2017 preview)

RUSSIA - not participating
Yulia Samoylova / Flame Is Burning

After many weeks of plot twists, Russian tv decided not to broadcast the 2017 ESC, rendering themselves ineligible for participation. This entry has been most revealing in many ways. It has showcased how naïve the EBU as well as many fans are in these times of information wars and propaganda machinery. It has also shown an alarming degree of ableism among ESC fans, quickly concluding how anyone confined to the use of a wheel chair could not possibly knowingly be part of a political scheme. Like Yulia was some poor vegetable, unable to understand the world around her. Instead of performing in Kyiv, she will headline a concert in Crimea on the day of the final. Oh well.

Would this have qualified?
Borderline. The song is really weak - as is the performance - and it's highly debatable whether it would have been enough. But that's also a highly hypothetical question. Russian tv never intended to compete with this entry. It was designed to be shark feed and nothing else.

My grade: 1/5



Yulia Samoylova / Flame Is Burning (Russia 2017 preview)

03. FYR MACEDONIA
Jana Burčeska / Dance Alone

After four consecutive semi final failures, FYR Macedonia has internally selected one of their best entries ever. Swedish Joacim Persson has co-written no fewer than three entries in this semi, which must be a record. What really set me on fire here was the fantastic video clip, which is captivating and heartbreakingly sad. If the same amount of emotion can be communicated in the live version, then this could be the republic's best showing to date. But on the other hand - no other country has been so consistently effective in ruining their songs on stage.

Qualifier:

Borderline. It all comes down to Jana's vocal performance and the staging of this number. Also, the single edit lacks some of the emotional depth of the version used in the video clip. But it is my own personal second favourite of the lot this year.

My grade: 4/5

Jana Burčeska / Dance Alone (FYR Macedonia 2017 preview)

04. MALTA

Claudia Faniello / Breathlessly

The Maltese clearly have determination. This is the kind of ballad they have failed with multiple times in the last ten years or so and yet they plunge headlong into competition with yet another version. Claudia tends to over perform more than a bit but is otherwise a good singer and through no fault of my own, this entry has grown on me. Just like Poland it has some really clunky and unfortunate lyrics here and there but the chorus is lush and luxurious. I fear it won't help much in the end.

Qualifier:

No. A better starting position could have helped but this one is very unlikely to pass. It's pleasant for as long as it goes on but will be forgotten as soon as it is over.

My grade: 2/5

Claudia Faniello / Breathlessly (Malta 2017 preview)

Sweden: Melodifestivalen, semi 1

A few years ago, I stopped listening to the (almost) full-length clips of the Melodifestivalen entries that appear on the SVT website and content myself with the 30-second snippets presented each Thursday.

It does make it harder to predict, but who said things should be easy in the first place?

Most of the songs this week are about to get eclipsed anyway as one of the entires got disqualified two days prior to the semi. Anna Book's "Himmel för två" had already been published online when entered for the 2014 Moldovan final and was found ineligible to compete now.

All songwriters entering Melodifestivalen must sign a contract where they guarantee that their songs comply with the rules. This team claim they had no idea the song was made official back then and maybe that is true. However, a new rule paragraph stating that no song can be entered into Melodifestivalen if it has been entered to (and rejected from) another country's final could possibly come in handy.

It was in no way a major favourite that was pulled out of the running, but its absence could very well upset the balance between the other songs. Not least since it will be performed on the show and get compared to the others, only having the audience sympathy on its side.

01. Samir & Viktor / Bada nakna
Their entry last year was no big favourite of mine and I don't think this one will be either. Of course it is instant, catchy, easy to grab on to and a hit in the making. To me it just sounds like Basshunter kept evolving in the shadows, waiting for a chance to destroy us all.

02. Pernilla Andersson / Mitt guld
Proper and clean-cut singer/songwriter-material in Swedish. Very pleasant but hardly the song that will have the audience reach for the voting app.

03. Mimi Werner / Ain't No Good
A brave attempt to bring in some country music that wouldn't sound as polished and polite as the genre usually does in MF. The intention is good but this sounded very messy in the short clip.

04. Albin & Mattias / Rik
Sounds like a song that would be a hit on Swedish radio. Unfortunately that is probably its biggest problem: it sounds more like a radio song than something that would grab the viewers during a Saturday night tv show.

05. Anna Book / Himmel för två - Disqualified
A pretty average and very old-fashioned schlager that went from underdog to many people's favourite. Will be performed during the show but not until all other songs were heard.

06. Robin Bengtsson / Constellation Prize
Another stylish, likeable and radio friendly song with a not too distant kinship with Måns Zelmerlöw's recent output. Could suffer badly from coming directly after song 04 with no bouncy schlager in between them.

07. Ace Wilder / Don't Worry
Ace is going for gold with a spectacular stage show and a song that is likely to open up more when you hear it in full. Most likely the hit of the week but it is impossible to tell from this short snippet.

I decided to believe everyone who says Ace Wilder is in a league of her own this week, not least because I adored her entry two years ago. Apart from that - and the sad fact Pernilla is likely to grab that last place - I have no idea how to guess. Nothing really punched me in the face so far, so to speak.

My guess is that the charm of Samir & Viktor will work again and that the unfortunate new running order will make it a whole lot harder for the two radio songs to make an impression.

Tobson predicts:
Final: Ace Wilder and Samir & Viktor
Andra chansen: Mimi Werner and Albin & Mattias
5th: Robin Bengtsson
Out: Pernilla Andersson

During Saturday afternoon, the longer clips will be available at the official SVT website.

San Marino 2012: the EBU says no

The EBU has issued a statement in which they come to the conclusion they had to come to: the 2012 Sammarinese entry is a clear violation of the rules and will not be eligible for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Of course.

If the EBU would ever want the rulebook to be considered a remotely relevant document, this was what had to be done. Satire or not, a registered trademark can not be the focal point of an entry like this.

In order to show its goodwill, San Marino now has until Friday to come up with a new entry if they wish to remain in the competition. Will they be able to find a new song in this short time? Will they use Ralph Siegel again? Who will pay for the production of the song and the new clip needed?

The mess is complete, but the television of San Marino can blame nobody but themselves. How could they think it was a good idea employing this shadow of a songwriter that Siegel has turned into? How could they not see the alarm lights flashing when he presented his ideas?



Valentina Monetta - Facebook Uh Oh Oh (San Marino 2012 rejected entry)

Song Of The Day: Switzerland 1992

Switzerland decided to disqualify the winner of its 1992 national final and sent the runner-up to Malmö instead. Daisy Auvray did her best to convince Europe that a little bit of blues would do us all good on a Saturday night.

In the preview, host Lydia Capolicchio called it "a pleasant number for all of you who enjoy taking your clothes off in a rhytmical manner" while Swedish commentator Björn Kjellman declared it by far the worst song in the running.

A Swedish tabloid wondered why the originally chosen song had been disqualified, "hopefully not because it was inferior to this one".

It can be questioned how much a song like this added to a pop contest in 1992, but it did sound better with the orchestra than most of the others.



Daisy Auvray - Mister Music Man (Switzerland 1992)

The song that won the national final was disqualified because it had already been rejected by the French languaged selection jury before being translated into German and accepted by the German branch of the broadcaster.

Apparently, this was against the Swiss rule book and Géraldine Olivier had to stay home.

If it is inferior or not, I leave for you to decide. (But my money is actually on Daisy.)



Géraldine Olivier - Soleil Soleil (Switzerland 1992 disqualified)

Songs we never got to hear: Cyprus 1988

My last post was about Afroditi Fryda who only scored ten points in Dublin 1988 - the lowest score for any Greek entry ever (discounting the 1974 entry, when another points system was used).

Had Cyprus taken part, I am sure they would have awarded some points for her. But the Cypriot Broadcasting Corporation felt obliged to withdraw from the 1988 ESC with rather a short notice since their selected entry broke the rules.

It broke their own domestic rules, that is. The song in question had been entered in the mainly internal Cypriot selection of 1984 where it had reached the third place. It had never been performed in public, but was indeed heard by rather a large jury at the time.

RIK found that more than enough and disqualified it even though it didn't seem to break any piece of EBU regulation. Possibly it was also encumbered by the fact that the composer John Vickers was not a citizen of Cyprus, but that is mere speculation.



Yannis Demetiou - Thimame (Cyprus 1988)

Cyprus had been drawn at the dreaded second slot in the running order, but would that have mattered? What kind of result do you think they would have had with this song had it stayed in the competition?