ESC Wish List: Şebnem Ferah
From Greenland, we take a trip to the other distant edge of the Eurovision sphere: Turkey. As I mentioned in my full piece on Turkey in the ESC, I absolutely love it when they turn to rock for their entries. Between maNga, Mor ve Ötesi, and Athena, these songs have not only proven to be major hits in their homeland, but they’ve had pretty strong impact on the Eurovision scoreboard. However, most of these songs have been male-fronted (which, I suppose, is somewhat indicative of the rock scene as a whole…but that’s another issue…), while women in these Turkish songs have been relegated to belly-dancing eye candy or disco-pop divas (not that I’m knocking Sertab Erener, who has had an extensive and highly successful pop career, and gave the Turks their first ESC victory).
And so, I humbly introduce to you, my readers, the incomparable Şebnem Ferah. She released her first solo album, “Kadın (Woman)” in 1996, and has been cranking out stellar rock songs since then. Her style has ranged from soft, traditionally-Turkish-inspired pop to acoustic-guitar-driven alternative to searingly dark hard rock, and she has drawn comparisons to Amy Lee, among others. While it’s tough to wrap one’s arms around such a varied and deep catalog, I’ll hook you all up with a few of my favorite Şebo tunes.
ESC Wish List: Nanook
Going from Thomas Holm, my next suggestion for Eurovision, while technically still citizens of Denmark, couldn’t be much further from Holm’s synth-pop sensibilities. Quite literally, in fact: there’s a distance of over 2,200 miles between Copenhagen and Nuuk, the capital city of Greenland. That’s about the distance between Los Angeles and Orlando, or Lisbon to St. Petersburg! Greenland is an autonomous nation that is still partially governed under the Danish crown. They have their own Parliament, but spend the Danish Krone and are protected by the Danish military. It is the world’s largest island, and as a standalone nation, Greenland is the 13th-largest country (by area) on the planet, larger than Saudi Arabia, Mexico, or Indonesia. Despite their massive size, only about 56,000 people call Greenland home, making it by far the least densely populated country.
So, why am I telling you all of this information on Greenland? Well, that’s because it’s where today’s ESC Wish List artist hails from. I don’t quite remember how I came across Nanook, but I’m incredibly glad I did. They sing exclusively in Greenlandic (Kalaallisut), which is related to other Inuit languages like Inuktitut, Aleut, or Yup’ik. Being generally interested by foreign language, the moment I heard brothers Frederik and Christian Elsner singing in a tongue that I had never heard before, I was fascinated. Nanook (Greenlandic for “polar bear”) released their first album, “Seqinitta Qinngorpaatit (Our Sun is Shining on You)” last year, and I’ve been pretty much hooked ever since. Luckily, it’s available on iTunes here in the US. Here’s the title track from their first album, with a translation available here:
The intimate, garage-band quality of the video, coupled with the rolling gait of the music…to me, this is absolutely beautiful. Sadly, it doesn’t look like they have many other videos out (it’s hard enough being an independent artist out here in the Twin Cities area, with a population of 3 million in the metro. Can you imagine being a musician in a market of only a little over 50,000?), but if you appreciate beautifully-written alt-rock, with echoes of Britpop, you might want to give these guys a listen. I was able to find a brief sampler of some of their other songs, including “Kisimiinneq”, “Timmissat Taartut”, and “Seqinitta Qinngorpaatit”, among others.
Their chances of getting to the Danish Melodi Grand Prix are slim, sadly, even if they did decide to take the long trip to Copenhagen. But these guys are working their butts off, making beautiful music in one of the most starkly beautiful and desolate places on the planet. I feel like more people should hear Nanook, and have their sun shine on us, even if it’s completely dark there from November through February.
ESC Wish List: Thomas Holm
As I’m basically killing time between now and when further Eurovision News pops up (which might start rolling as soon as next month, when we might have an official confirmation on next year’s location), I figured I’d play a bit of “Fantasy ESC”. As I’ve been learning more about pop and rock music from abroad, I’ve encountered quite a few great artists who I’d love to see on the Eurovision stage one day.
(Disclaimer: I’m NOT trying to start any rumors here…I’m just sharing a few great singers with you, my readers! Let me know what you think, or if you have any suggestions that you’d like to send my way; I’m always on the prowl for great new music to add to my collection.)
We start our tour in Denmark, home of Thomas Holm. This 31-year-old singer-songwriter recently released his first full-length album, “Middelklassehelt (Middle Class Hero)”, and has been performing actively throughout his native country. His album is a mix of self-deprecating wit, soul-searching introspection, and head-bopping electronic pop, and I’ve been enjoying it thoroughly!
Here’s his first single, “Nitten” (while it literally means “Nineteen”, it basically translates to “The Short Straw”), which has become my go-to “bad-day-song”, despite the fact that I don’t speak any Danish. (Don’t worry, English captions are available!)
Now, don’t you just feel better about your crappy day after watching Thomas getting pummeled? I know I do…
His next single, “Selvmord på Dansegulvet (Suicide on the Dancefloor)” is another immensely catchy pop song, and while I can’t find a video with the English lyrics embedded like I could with the video for “Nitten”, I can say that this song speaks to the awkward partygoer in all of us…the clip is pretty self-explanatory (and a lot of fun!)
Even if he’s not depending on electronic beats or high production values, Holm’s voice is undeniably beautiful, and it pairs wonderfully with a single guitar, as in the case of this acoustic version of “Byens Bitreste Mand (The City’s Bitterest Man)“. It’s in a performance like this that shows his versatility, that he’s not just a comedian with musical ability, but a well-rounded singer-songwriter who’s able to capture heartbreak just as effectively as exasperation or well-intended awkwardness. I have no idea if he’s even considering entering Denmark’s preselection, the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, next year. If he is, however, and he enters an upbeat number like “Selvmord På Dansegulvet”, he very well might be able to take it all the way to Germany in 2011. However, Thomas tends to sing exclusively in Danish, and no entry has been sung in that language since 1997, so the odds might be slightly stacked against him.
But a girl can dream, right?
The Rumor Mill…
Hey, everyone! Pardon my lapse in posting over the past month or so…what can I say? I was a bit burnt out after this year’s Eurovision Final. It’s sort of like having a massive holiday dinner, full of all of your favorite foods, surrounded by friends and family…after it’s all done, all you want to do is curl up and take a nap. But I’m back on my feet, and looking forward to dishing up more ESC-tastic goodness for all of you!
(Oh, and by the way…650 readers? Thank you all so much for stopping by! Feel free to leave me a note in the Comments section, and let me know what you think of my little piece of the Internet.)
Anyway, even though it’s only July, and the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest is barely cold, we’re already hearing news of the 2011 edition! Here are two confirmed bits of news (and one juicy rumor that I can only hope is true):
1) OFFICIAL: Lena Meyer-Landrut will be defending her title for Germany in 2011. This has been confirmed by broadcaster NDR, but no other details have been provided yet. This will be only the third time that a winning performer returns the very next year to defend their title; the other two singers were Lys Assia coming back in 1957 and Corry Brokken in 1958. Sadly, Lys came in 8th place out of 10 that year, and Corry came in last place…will Lena fare much better? We have nearly a year to see…but while we wait to hear what Deutchland’s plan is, Lena’s been keeping very busy. She just released her fourth single, “Touch a New Day” (written by Stefan Raab), and her album “My Cassette Player” has already been certified Double Platinum in Germany.
In the meantime, Germany has yet to decide where the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest will take place. The official announcement will likely happen in December, but there are about eight cities vying for the honor, including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Lena’s hometown of Hanover.
2) OFFICIAL: The Netherlands, after their disappointing performance in Oslo, have finally washed their hands of Pierre Kartner and have decided to send the Volendam-based band 3Js to Germany next year. They’ve had quite a few Top-10 Hits in their homeland, and sing almost exclusively in Dutch. Here’s their most recent single, “Geloven in het Leven (Believe in Life)”:
Not bad at all! And, at the very least, a lot better than the most recent Dutch entry. Even better, 3Js will have their entry selected in a much more open and fair system than last year, when the song had been written beforehand, and only a small jury and in-house audience could vote, with songwriter Kartner eventually deciding the outcome. The band will submit a number of new songs, and the best will be selected by a jury and an open televote.
3) RUMOR: According to credible sources, the BBC is in talks with pop singer/songwriter Mika to have him compose the UK’s 2011 Eurovision entry. After the debacle of this year’s “That Sounds Good To Me”, bringing in a fresh, current, and globally-appealing figure like Mika would be an absolute masterstroke. He was born Michael Penniman to an American father and Lebanese mother in Beirut, but moved to Paris and then London at a young age. He has had his name batted around before in ESC circles; there were rumors a few years ago that when Lebanon was considering a return/debut into Eurovision (they were due to enter in 2005, and even had their song selected, but a refusal to show the Israeli entry not only forced their withdrawal from the show, but also had the broadcaster slapped with a three-year ban), Mika would carry their banner. As this has not happened, we’re left hanging!
Despite his young age (only 26), Mika is a prolific and highly talented artist. His breakthrough hit, “Grace Kelly”, was a global smash, reaching the Top Ten in the UK, Turkey, Spain, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and many other charts. It made it to #12 in Canada, and #13 on the US Pop 100.
If these rumors actually pan out to contain an iota of truth, this could be absolutely huge for British Eurovision hopes. While “It’s My Time” was a beautiful song, and performed very capably by Jade Ewen back in 2009, the UK really hasn’t sent a successful up-tempo number since 1998’s “Where Are You“. Mika could help bring back some measure of credibility to Eurovision in the United Kingdom. Now we’ll just have to see if this is actually true…
Post-Mortem: 2010’s ESC
So, after two Semifinals and a Grand Final (in both senses of the word), we have a winner!
Huge congratulations to Lena, who brought the Eurovision gold back to Germany for the first time since 1982 (nine years before Lena was even born). Not only that, but this will be the first time that they will host the competition as a unified nation, as their previous hosting gigs took place in West Germany alone. “Satellite” won a resounding victory over second-placed Turkey, with 76 points separating the two. Romania’s “Playing with Fire” took a surprise bronze, and there was a complete logjam for 4th through 9th, with only thirteen points separating Denmark, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Armenia, Greece, and Georgia (basically, if a juror had gone to the bathroom at the wrong time, it could have made a difference in the scoring). And, rounding out the Final, the United Kingdom took last place (their second in three years) after Georgia gave a shocking maximum score to Belarus.
Other highlights from this year’s show? Well, Spain, who was performing second with “Algo Pequeñito”, was given a rare opportunity to perform their song for a second time (after the 25th song had been sung) due to a stage invasion by Jimmy Jump. Known previously for running onto the field during European soccer and rugby matches, Jimmy (real name: Jaume Marquet Cot) once tried invade the court during last year’s French Open final and put a traditional Catalan hat on Roger Federer’s head. He was arrested (Jimmy Jump, not Roger Federer), and faces possible jail time.
The results of the Semifinals were also shocking. Despite strong performances, highly favored entries from Slovakia, Sweden, and Croatia didn’t even make it into the Final, while unexpected songs from Russia and Belarus sailed through. Because of this, a total of seven former Soviet-bloc nations made it to the Finals, possibly dissipating votes enough amongst themselves to such an extent that former front-runner Azerbaijan had to settle for 5th place. Considering that Azerbaijan is rumored to have spent over a million Euros in publicity for the song (including advertising on some other Eurovision blogs, which I just find distasteful), I don’t think their result has made Baku very happy.
I had a few friends over yesterday to watch the show (it’s not shown here in the U.S., sadly, but I was able to hook up my computer to the TV and watch the international feed from eurovision.tv…big “thank you” to the EBU for providing it!), and here were our favorites:
1) Georgia (Sofia Nizharadze, “Shine”), 30 points
2) Israel (Harel Ska’at, “Milim”), 25 points
3) Spain (Daniel Diges, “Algo Pequeñito”), 24 points
4) Turkey (maNga, “We Could Be the Same”), 22 points
5) France (Jessy Matador, “Allez! Ola! Olé!”), 18 points
So, while we had fun keeping our own score, the American Televoters (or at least the ones in my living room) weren’t really in line with the European audience. (Maybe an unbiased non-EBU-member jury should be added to next year’s scoring system? That would mix things up a bit!)
So, how were my predictions, in terms of the eventual results? Let me go back into my archive and see what I’ve said…
1) Germany: “Satellite” is a fun, catchy, upbeat, simply adorable number that has obviously made a massive impact on the European market already. Considering that Germany (like France, the UK, Spain, and Norway) already has a pass to the Finals, and that Lena will be performing close to the end of the roster, this might be the one to beat in Oslo.” – Sounds about right!
2) Turkey: “Because of this [international] support, and the high quality of “We Could Be The Same”, I’m almost positive that they’ll sail through to the finals, and will possibly make it to the Top 5″
3) Romania: “Although “Playing with Fire” is in the tough second semifinal, I’d be surprised if they didn’t make it through, assuming that Paula’s high note doesn’t cause her throat to explode or the jury’s ears to bleed.” -Paula hit her notes, and they came in 4th in their semifinal after an explosive performance. I don’t think anyone believed that they would do as well as they did, but I think it was well-deserved.
4) Denmark: “It’s not my personal favorite this year (although I’d definitely put it in my top dozen or so, and it’s growing on me quickly), but the bookies seem to favor it, and ESC fan clubs all over the continent are definitely supporting it, with or without the Scandinavian Voting Bloc advantage. I’d be surprised if it didn’t hit the Top 5 in this year’s Finals!“
5) Azerbaijan (keep in mind that I wrote this entry a while ago, before their official preview video came out…): “Don’t get me wrong, though; Safura looks beautiful, and Azerbaijan’s currently riding a wave of popularity in Eurovision, so she will likely pass through to the finals. Furthermore, Azerbaijan’s sharing their semifinal with ally Turkey, so votes from one will likely go to the other, and vice versa. However, I don’t see this gaining the universal appeal of “Always”, so I think that Baku 2011 might be out of the question.” – “Drip Drop” fell just short of the third-place finish that AySel and Arash held last year.
6) Belgium: “Tom’s voice isn’t perfect, and he isn’t as drop-dead gorgeous as some of the other participants in this year’s competition, but Tom has the sort of sweet, earnest, and genuine “everyman” quality that appeals to me. We’ve all known a Tom Dice or two. He’s the acquaintance you sat next to in High School Trigonometry, or the dude you sometimes see at the coffee shop you always go to, or the quiet guy four cubicles down from your desk at work. You might not know much about him, and you might have walked by him a thousand times without even realizing it, but you still want him to succeed at whatever he’s going for. That’s why I’m pulling for Tom to at least break into the finals.” – I loved this song, and didn’t want to get my hopes up that it would do as well as it did. But it thankfully exceeded my expectations, and not only won the First Semifinal handily, but it ended up as the highest-placed Flemish song since 1959, when there were only eleven nations competing, not 39.
Not all of my predictions came out well, though:
1) Croatia: “My prediction for the ladies from Feminnem? Well, they’ll be performing in the difficult Second Semifinal, but if they pass, then they’ll have the benefit of a beautiful song, performers who are no strangers to the Eurovision Stage, and the fact that they’re a member of the often-advantageous Balkan voting bloc. If they make the finals, and they put together a good staged performance, you can expect a Top Ten, if not a Top Five position.” – The lovely ladies from Feminnem came in 13th place in their semifinal, and didn’t qualify.
2) Sweden: “Anna Bergendahl is only eighteen years old and will be performing “This Is My Life” in her trademark red Chuck Taylors on the Eurovision Stage. It’s the first ballad to represent Sweden in over a decade, and it’s favored to reach the Top 10, if not the Top 5. Anna’s voice is very unique, almost reminiscent of a Shakira-type throatiness at points. As Sweden can truly do no wrong in Eurovision’s eyes (and it’s in the heart of the Scandinavian voting bloc), the song is a lock to sail through to the final.”- Anna’s song came in a heartbreaking 11th place in her semi, only five points behind Ireland and Cyprus. This was the first time since 1976 that we didn’t hear a Swede in the finals.
3) Slovakia: “It’s being performed in the first semifinal, and I would be shocked to not see this qualify. I predict that Slovakia will not only beat its own personal best placement of 18th, but it might crack the Top 5 or 10, if she performs as well on the ESC stage as she did in her National Final a few months ago.” -Kristina came in second-to-last in the First semi after a performance fraught with nerves.
4) Israel: “I can almost guarantee that this will not only qualify for the final, but it may be in the running for the win.” It qualified for the Finals, but “Milim” only made it to 14th place in the end.
5) Russia: “This song’s awkwardness is all intentional. Be that as it may, many ESC viewers are hearing these songs for the first time when they vote…will the joke go over their heads, or will bloc voting carry them through to the Final?” It looks like votes for Mother Russia saved this one, which came in 11th place in the end.
6) Belarus: “I make no guarantees, but I don’t see Belarus breaking back into the Finals with this one. It doesn’t matter much to me if Belarus submits pop, a ballad, rock, or folk…I think I’m most upset by the absence of mullets.” They might not have had mullets, but they made it through to the finals by the skin of their teeth, and came in an eventual second-to-last place. So maybe I got this one half-right?
Anyway, just because the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest is over doesn’t mean that I’m calling it quits. There’s still a lot of ground to cover! To keep me busy until the first announcements are made starting in December, I’ll be writing little essays here and there about the ESC’s history, politics, language…whatever strikes my fancy! I may also mention other great songs that I think deserve our attention, even if they never made it to Eurovision. If you have any suggestions, feel free to send them my way in a comment!
I just took a look at my hit counter, and I see that I’m over 300 readers. I just wanted to thank you all for taking the time to read what I have to say. I only set this blog up as a way to get my geek out on Eurovision, and to know that we’ve got a little community growing…it really warms my heart. I know that some of you know me personally, and others live halfway around the world from my little flat in Minnesota, but I truly appreciate you all. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Cheers until the next time,
Samantha
ESC 2010 Reviews: United Kingdom
::Phew!::
After 38 other countries, we’re finally up to #39, the final entry (alphabetically, anyway) from this year’s Eurovision. The United Kingdom has been participating since 1957, and they hold the half-impressive, half-dubious record of having the most second-place finishes. In fact, in their first 20 years of competition, they came up just short ten times! Some of those runners-up ended up becoming just as famous as the songs that defeated them; I’ve mentioned Cliff Richard’s “Congratulations” (1968) in earlier entries, for example. But nine years earlier, the UK overdosed on saccharine for their entry “Sing Little Birdie” by Teddy Johnson and Pearl Carr. The song’s got a bit of personal history for me: the first time I ever heard the words “Eurovision Song Contest” was while listening to the audio recording of this Monty Python sketch:
Now, despite the US’s close cultural relationship with the UK, the vast majority of the songs and singers that represent Britain in Eurovison don’t really encounter any measure of success across the pond. Of course, there are a few exceptions to the rule, however. In 1974, the year that ABBA trounced the competition and took the crown for Sweden, Olivia Newton-John carried the Union Jack with “Long Live Love“, an incredibly cheesy ballad that Olivia now admits she couldn’t stand. The UK’s first winning song, 1967’s “Puppet on a String“, was sung by Sandie Shaw, better known in the US for her cover of “(There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me“. In 1969, Lulu tied for the victory with “Boom-Bang-A-Bang“, but she’s better known here for “To Sir, With Love“. Skipping a few decades, 1996’s representative Gina G did actually score a bona-fide hit here in the US with “Ooh, Aah…Just a Little Bit“, a fun and frothy pop number that made it to #12 on the Billboard Top 100. Finally, the UK’s most recent win was 1997’s “Love Shine a Light“, sung by Katrina and the Waves, best known here for “Walking on Sunshine“.
Sadly, over the past few years, the UK’s reputation in Eurovision has fallen into a steep decline. It might be due to the change in language rules, where a country can now sing in any language they choose (when the song from Turkey can now be sung in English, it’s more easily understood and acceptable to a wider voting audience). It might be the influx of more Eastern European nations to the contest, so their odds are naturally longer. Or it might just be that the UK isn’t taking the thing as seriously as they used to, and are more likely to laugh at the ESC than to send their biggest stars (check out the 2007 example, Scooch’s “Flying the Flag For You“). Last year, though, the BBC decided that enough was enough. They drafted Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Diane Warren to pen “It’s My Time“, and held a reality show to find the perfect singer for the song. Twenty-one year old Jade Ewen stepped up to the challenge and delivered a beautiful performance that brought the UK a 5th place finish, including a full 12 points from Greece. It was their highest placement since 2002, and it received the highest number of points since Katrina and the Waves’ victory twelve years earlier.
This year, the UK decided to continue the nearly-winning selection formula from 2009. They picked pop songwriters Pete Waterman and Mike Stock (best known for their work with Kylie Minogue, among others) to write “That Sounds Good To Me”, and held yet another reality show to find the perfect voice for the tune. That voice belonged to teenager Josh Dubovie, and here’s the result:
http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/xcq74g
Sad to say, it doesn’t quite look like lightning has struck twice in a row for the UK. It might have worked fifteen years ago, but the entry sounds dated and out-of-touch with what ESC voters go for today. It’s sort of like my feelings on the Dutch entry this year: the singer’s not bad, but if you take a young performer and put them in a song that feels dated, it will just feel even more awkward. But, what do you expect from a pair of songwriters whose biggest worldwide hit was this?
ESC 2010 Reviews: Spain
From Norway we move on to Spain, another one of the countries pre-qualified to the Finals at Eurovision (along with the UK, Germany, and France), due to their network’s large contribution to the EBU. Like France and Germany, it’s been a surprisingly long time since Spain’s last major hit on the ESC scoreboard, despite the nation’s rich musical heritage. They’ve been competing in Eurovision since 1961, but the most recent of their two victories was in 1969. They haven’t made the Top Ten since 2004, and they haven’t cracked the Top Five since 1995. But over the past half-century, Spain has given us some of the most memorable singers and songs that Eurovision has seen.
The year 1968 was pretty momentous in the ESC archives. The competition was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and it was the first competition broadcast in color. By the end of the evening’s presentation, it came down to two fiercely competitive songs: Cliff Richard’s “Congratulations” and Massiel’s “La La La”. Cliff was the hometown hero with an Austin-Powers-esque blue suit and charming smile, and was highly favored to win. “La La La” was presented to Massiel (full name: María de los Ángeles Felisa Santamaría Espinosa) after the original singer, Joan Manuel Serrat, insisted on singing the song in his native Catalan, as opposed to the Casillian Spanish mandated by the Franco regime, which had a notorious intolerance for Spain’s other native languages. When Serrat refused to budge on the issue, he was replaced with Massiel about a week before the ESC. When the votes were tallied, “La La La” ended up beating “Congratulations” by a single point. Even now, allegations of vote-rigging float around 1968’s edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, and even as recently as 2008 the old wounds were re-opened as a result of a documentary featuring the account of a network employee alleging that Franco had dispatched his colleagues to other parts of Europe to buy votes from members of neighboring countries’ juries. No retroactive measures have been taken, however, and there’s not enough proof still standing to do much about the issue, so Massiel’s victory stands (although “Congratulations” became a bigger hit throughout the continent).
Spain’s next (and most recent) win was the very next year, when Salomé took home the crown with “Vivo Cantando (I Live Singing)” while wearing one of the most outrageous outfits that the ESC has ever seen. Looking like a cross between a bluebird and a Koosh Ball, Salomé’s outfit kept on dancing even while she was standing still. Awkwardly, this was the year that Eurovision learned that it had no rules in effect for tiebreakers, so “Vivo Cantando” shared the title with three other nations (France, the UK, and The Netherlands).
The next year, 1970, Spain brought an almost completely unknown young singer to Eurovision, a man who had only learned to play guitar a few years earlier while recovering from a car accident that had cut short his soccer career. His song “Gwendolyne“, made it to 4th place, a strong start for a man who would eventually sell over 300 million albums worldwide in fourteen different languages. Sadly, Julio Iglesias rarely speaks about the participation in Eurovision that kicked off his career, but I think he should just embrace it.
Spain has had a few major successes in the ESC since then, but they haven’t been able to break back into the victor’s spot. Their silver medal finish in 1973, however, was epic enough that it might as well have won. “Eres Tú (You Are)” by the Basque act Mocedades has been covered into at least sixteen different languages, including Vietnamese, Korean, and Afrikaans. It’s one of the few Eurovision songs to crack into the US Billboard Top Ten (peaking at #9), and (according to Wikipedia, anyway, so take this for what you will), they are the only act from Spain to chart in the US with a song sung with no English lyrics whatsoever (the others, Los Bravos, Julio Iglesias, Enrique Iglesias, and Los Del Río, either sung in English or bilingually). And, just as importantly, it was included in a classic scene in the movie “Tommy Boy“.
Spain might not have won over the past few decades, but that doesn’t mean that they haven’t been sending some fantastic (or, at least, memorable) entries. In 1982, during the height of the Falkland Islands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom, Spain ended up sending a tango to the UK-hosted event, raising eyebrows with Lucia’s “Él (He)“. Their song in 1990, Azúcar Moreno’s “Bandido (Bandit)” was nearly derailed by a rebellious backing track in Zagreb, but they ended up battling back to claim 5th place with their Flamenco-inspired sister act. Five years later, Anabel Conde made it all the way to the silver-medal spot with “Vuelve Conmigo (Come Back to Me)“, her sweet and innocent look hiding one helluva voice…her glory-note at the climax of the song still impresses me, especially when I remember that she was only nineteen when she sang in Ireland.
I would be amiss if I failed to mention one of Spain’s most epic songs…after so many years of perceived failure on the scoreboard, Spanish fans decided to send something truly spectacular to Belgrade in 2008. Many genres have been represented in Eurovision: rock, pop, ballads, tango, flamenco, folk, new-age…but comedic reggaeton? That’s where Rodolfo Chikilicuatre came in. Like Ukraine’s Verka Serduchka, Chikilicuatre was the alter ego of David Fernández Ortiz. An Argentinean who held the patent for the world’s first dual-action guitar and vibrator, Chikilicuatre swept through the Spanish Preselection with his song “Baila el Chiki-Chiki“. The song was a success on its own; it topped the charts in Spain and Greece, and charted in France and Sweden. Despite a modest 16th place finish, Rodolfo Chikilicuatre’s performance was one of the most offbeat and fun of the evening.
This year, Spain has decided to go theatrical with stage performer Daniel Diges’s “Algo Pequeñito (Something Tiny)”.
http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/xcpa65_daniel-diges-algo-pequenito-spain-y_music
There are a few things about this song that are definitely NOT tiny. Diges’s hair, of course…his talent (he’s played the leads in the Spanish productions of “High School Musical”, “We Will Rock You”, and “Mamma Mia”, a musical based on the songs of ESC veterans ABBA), and the spectacle of the song itself. Waltzes aren’t incredibly common in Eurovision, especially circus-themed ones (it’s probably a good thing that the Netherlands didn’t make it through to the finals, or else we’d have some overlap…). Spain’s not quite considered one of the frontrunners this year, but I don’t think that’s from any lack of talent or effort on Daniel’s part. It’s going to be performed second on the night, which is generally not a prime spot. I can imagine him beating Spain’s recent track record (they haven’t made the Top 15 since 2004), but this one’s really going to be unpredictable, I think. At the very least, it will be immensely entertaining to watch! ¡Saludos, España!
ESC 2010 Reviews: Norway
After all of the entries I’ve written so far, we finally get to the reigning champions and current Host Nation, Norway. They’ve hit the highest of heights, true, but they’ve also bottomed out more than any other nation in Eurovision history. They’ve scored in last place a record ten times, with four “nul points”. Let’s check out some of their greatest hits and most epic face-plants, shall we?
One of their earliest “huh?” moments was their 1968 entry, “Stress” by Odd Børre. Yep, that’s right, the man’s name was Odd Børre. His stuttering delivery and strange lyrics (translated example: Have a nice day, don’t forget to take sleeping pills/Small doses are good, must relax a little/Turn on your radio, you have earplugs…”) have made “Stress” a bit of a legendary performance in the ESC archives.
The first “nul points” recipient since the current scoring system was enacted was another Norwegian entry, 1978’s “Mil Etter Mil (Mile After Mile)” by Jahn Tiegen. This may have been one of those cases when a song was just way ahead of its time. Tiegen’s wailing about a minute and a half into the song may have freaked out a few jurors who were expecting ABBA or Cliff Richard, but I feel that if this song had been performed sometime in the mid-to-late 1980s, it might have had a bit more of a fighting chance. Sad, really…
After twenty-five years, the Norwegians finally won their first ESC in 1985 with Bobbysocks’s 1950’s revival number, “La Det Swinge (Let It Swing)“. Their hair was epic, their outfits were epic, and their victory was epic: the seemingly impossible had been achieved, and Norway had gone from lovable loser to conquering hero.
Ten years later, they won their second gold with a song that was nearly wordless, Secret Garden’s “Nocturne”. Written by Rolf Løvland, who had also composed “La Det Swinge”, “Nocturne” was a new-age folk song with melancholy violins, a single sweet soprano voice, and traditional instruments (such as the Nyckelharpa, or keyed fiddle). Despite the fact that it had the shortest lyrics in the history of the ESC, the song’s mystic nature left an impact, and it won a resounding victory.
However, even more resounding than “Nocturne”‘s win fifteen years ago was the phenomenon that was “Fairytale”, last year’s record-breaking winning song performed by the Belarus-born singer/songwriter/violinist/all-around cutie Alexander Rybak.
Rybak won the Norwegian Preselection with the highest vote-tally ever in that nation’s history (over 715,000, beating the runner-up by over 616,000). Even more impressive, he won Eurovision with the highest score ever (387 points, beating the record held by Lordi, 292). Other records held by “Fairytale”:
– Largest margin between a winner and runner-up: 169 points separated Rybak from Iceland’s Yohanna.
– Most 12-point scores: 16 (Beating Greece’s Elena Paparizou’s 10)
– Points from the most nations: 41 (all nations competing that year, with the exception of Norway itself).
– Also, it is the first winner ever to have been in first place all the way through the scorekeeping (as the first nation to reveal their points gave Rybak the coveted Twelve, and no other song ever caught up to him).
Rybak had everything going for him with “Fairytale”. He wrote an instantly recognizable song with a great hook, a dynamic presentation, and “aw, shucks” good looks. His dancers, from the local troupe “Frikar”, are trained in traditional Norwegian folk dance “halling”, so it included a regional touch. Plus, Rybak was representing both the Scandinavian voting bloc as well as the Former Soviet bloc, as he was born in Belarus and speaks fluent Russian. As the contest last year was held in Moscow, he was able to publicize himself well to the press and public. It was universally adored, and Rybak skyrocketed to fame. The single hit the charts all over Europe (including a rare Top Ten placement in the UK…the first for a non-British winner since Johnny Logan in 1987) and made it to #1 in Flanders, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the Ukraine. Since last year, he’s released his first full-length album, and has had hits in both English and Russian. He even has a great cover of The Proclaimer’s “500 Miles“!
Ok, enough about Alexander. But who’s going to fill his shoes and compete on home soil?
http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/xcpa64
This year, we’ve got Didrik Solli-Tangen singing “My Heart is Yours”. Interestingly, one of the composers of this song, Hanne Sørvaag, is also one of the co-writers of the Georgian entry, “Shine”. Even more interestingly, “My Heart is Yours” sounds oddly familiar…does anyone else hear this when listening to Didrik?
The song’s good, but it doesn’t have the same “oomph” that “Fairytale” had last year. (Then again, few songs do have it…) I can’t imagine this placing in the Top Five, but appreciation for a host nation often boosts a score a bit, and if Didrik’s voice is as strong in the Final (which he’s automatically qualified for) as it was in the Preview video, he might shock us all a bit.
(Oh, and just as a point of fact…the composer of “You Raise Me Up” was Rolf Løvland, who wrote Norway’s previous ESC winners “La Det Swinge” and “Nocturne”. Just sayin’!)
ESC 2010 Reviews: Ukraine
Like many of the newer entrants into Eurovision, Ukraine tends to take the competition very seriously, bringing their biggest stars to the stage year after year. However, more than any other nation, they tend to go for the full-on spectacle, complete with leather bikinis, insane choreography, controversy, shirtless Trojan warriors and the occasional drag queen. They’ve never missed a Final since the system began, and despite the fact that they’ve only performed in seven ESCs before 2010, they’ve come away with a victory and two silvers.
Their debut entry, 2003’s “Hasta La Vista”, was somewhat forgettable, and only made it to 14th place, but it didn’t take Kyiv long to get back on its feet. With only their second entry, Ruslana’s “Wild Dances“, Ukraine stomped and spun its way into Eurovision history, claiming the nation’s first victory. (Sharp-eared readers might recognize the song from the soundtrack to “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City”, from the “Radio Vladivostok” setting!) Since her win, Ruslana’s continued her success, having recorded a total of seven albums in both English and Ukrainian, and has even collaborated with Missy Elliott. In Ukraine, she’s an icon, spokeswoman, and UNICEF Ambassador, campaigning against human trafficking and for the environment. Just as her Eurovision performance shows, Ruslana’s a force of nature.
Kyiv hosted the ESC the next year, 2004, just as the Orange Revolution was in full swing. Despite Eurovision’s general ban on political songs, the home team sent rap artists GreenJolly with “Razom Nas Bahato, Nas Ne Podolaty (Together We Are Many; We Cannot Be Defeated)“. The main theme of the song was a send-off of the old Chilean saying “El Pueblo Unido Jamás Será Vencido”, and the original lyrics name-checked President Viktor Yuschenko. However, not even their favorable position as host nation could keep them exempt from the rules, and despite a passionate performance (and slightly modified lyrics), they scored a disappointing 19th place.
2007 brought on possibly the most insane performance in Eurovision history, blending comedy, dance…and tinfoil. Ladies and Gentlemen…may I present to you the incomparable, the unforgettable, the…inexplicable…Verka Serduchka:
The lovely Verka is a mix of Dame Edna, Mrs. Doubtfire, and that crazy modern dance teacher you had in college. She’s also actually a he. Verka’s the alter ego of Ukrainian comedian Andriy Danilko, and is a celebrity in her own right, having recorded ten hit albums. Her second-place finish was marked by a bit of controversy (but what good ESC is without it?), as the song’s title, “Dancing Lasha Tumbai”, was misheard by some viewers as “Dancing Russia Goodbye” (although Verka insisted that she was singing the Mongolian words for “whipped cream”, in reality they were just nonsensical syllables).
In 2008, Ukraine scored its second consecutive silver medal with Ani Lorak’s “Shady Lady“, which to me is the epitome of Eurovision Pop: take a gorgeous girl with a huge voice, put her in a tiny dress, plop her in front of four strapping backup dancers, and have her belt out a disco number that you can hear echoing all the way to Minneapolis. At the time, my alt-rock sensibilities prevented me from admitting it, but now, two full years after Ani Lorak stormed the stage in Serbia, I can say it: I LOVE this song! I still listen to it pretty often, and it’s my go-to song for dancing around my apartment like a maniac when I’m sure nobody’s watching. If you liked “Shady Lady”, I recommend that you check out her album “Solntse”, especially the tracks “Ptitsa” and “A Dalshe…”
Lucky for me, Ukraine’s 2009 song, Svetlana Loboda’s “Be My Valentine (Anti-Crisis Girl)” was a perfect continuation of the high-energy path that Ani Lorak set upon in 2008. Svetlana’s another well-known entity in her homeland, and after her insane performance on the stage in Moscow, she was the talk of Europe, as well. Eventual winner Alexander Rybak claimed that he only feared losing to Loboda, and with her bevy of Trojan soldiers backing her up while she pole danced and spun on her self-described “Hell Machine” (which she supposedly had to mortgage her home to pay for), I can understand how he could be intimidated. The song was hypersexualized, manic, over-the-top…and a total blast. Sadly, it ended up in 12th place, Ukraine’s lowest score since 2005.
Despite the recent model for slick and spectacular Eurovision songs from Ukraine over the past few years, 2010’s national selection was a complete and utter mess. Back in December, it was announced that Vasyl Lazarovych was the singer chosen by the Ukranian broadcaster, NTU. However, it was soon discovered that Lazarovych and the head of the network were close personal friends, and accusations of back-room deals started flying. Soon after Vasyl’s song, the sleepy “I Love You” had been chosen, a new national government took over, and the head of the network was replaced. It was announced the previous result had been scrapped, and that an entirely new National Preselection would take place (including Vasyl, to be fair). After all of that, 24-year-old Alyosha was selected to represent Ukraine with her rock ballad “To Be Free“.
You’d think it would be over by that point, right? Wrong. It turns out that “To Be Free” had been briefly released to the public over MySpace and Amazon since 2008, rendering the song invalid for Eurovision competition. Sadly, this was figured out after the EBU’s deadline for song submission had passed, so NTU had two choices: cobble together another entry, and be held to a significant fine for each day that passed without a song, or withdraw from the competition. Lucky for us, Alyosha had another song stuck in her back pocket, so this year we’ll hear “Sweet People” in Oslo.
http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/xdcsc9
Alyosha is coming to Eurovision with a message, probably more so than any other song this year. In interviews, she notes how she was born less than two weeks before the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in her home country, and that she has grown up with a keen interest in environmental issues. The promotional video for “Sweet People” was filmed in Prypiat, a ghost town destroyed by the meltdown, and Alyosha has started what she calls the Ecovision 2010 initiative, lobbying world leaders to take stronger stances on environmental topics such as conservation and nuclear safety.
It took me a long time to appreciate “Sweet People”, especially because I’m still coming down from the high of “Shady Lady” and “Be My Valentine”. But Alyosha has a strong voice made for a hard ballad like this, and her heart’s definitely in it to win it. But the Second Semifinal is incredibly challenging, and there are an inordinately high number of ballads. But, as the results from the First Semifinal show, anything can happen. I wish her well in all of her endeavors, and I wish her well in Eurovision.
The ESC Insider 
Post-Script to the Post-Mortem…
May 30
Posted by Samantha Ross
Just when you think the competition’s over and done with…when all of the lights have gone down, the last bit of confetti has been swept off the floor, and the last fan has vacated the Telenor Arena…one of the quiet highlights of the Eurovision Song Contest takes place, unnoticed by many casual fans.
Every year since the 2002 ESC in Tallinn, Estonia, the three Marcel Bezençon Awards are presented to singers or songwriters who have made themselves and their nations proud. Named for the man who originated the Eurovision Song Contest, these awards are often awarded to songs were overlooked by televoters or juries. Although they might not have the flash or publicity that the Grand Prix gets, the fact that these awards come directly from the press, the composers, and past Eurovision royalty means just as much, if not more, to those who are lucky enough to receive them.
As I’ve mentioned, there are three awards given. The first is the Press Award, voted on by all of the accredited members of the media who gather to cover the ESC. In recent years, it’s been given to Serbia and Montenegro for “Lane Moje”, Finland for “Hard Rock Hallelujah”, Portugal for “Senhora do Mar”, and last year’s winner, Norway, for “Fairytale”.
The second award, the Artistic Award, was previously decided by a poll of previous Eurovision Winners. However, as time has passed, many past participants either were unavailable or unwilling to vote. Starting from now on, this prize will be decided by a vote from the individual networks’ commentators, many of whom are rabid fans of the ESC, and have listened to the songs many times. Previous winners have included Ukraine’s “Wild Dances” and “Shady Lady”, Greece’s “My Number One”, Serbia’s “Molitva”, and France’s “Et S’il Fallait Le Faire”.
The final award, the Composer Award, is voted on by the individual composers competing in that year’s competition. It’s gone to Bosnia and Herzegovina for “Lejla” and “Bistra Voda”, and Hungary for “Unsubstantial Blues”, among others.
Until now, no single song has ever won more than one of these prestigious awards. This year, one song has taken all three of the Marcel Bezençon Awards, and it didn’t even place in the Top Ten of this year’s Eurovision Final.
Congratulations are in order for Harel Skaat from Israel and his song “Milim (Words)”, a song that nearly made me cry when I watched it being performed live yesterday. Here’s the live performance from the ESC Stage:
Posted in 2010, Israel, Special Comment
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