Hmm...remember what I said about France being the Queen of Eurovision? Scratch that. With seven victories, including 4 wins and 2 second places in the 1990s alone, Ireland is truly the one that other nations look up to (or used to, anyway). It's getting late here in Minnesota, so I'll just be quick about this; here are Ireland's most glorious moments:
1970: Dana, "All Kinds of Everything". Sweet and syrupy as treacle, Dana was only about 18 years old and in training to be an English teacher when she took home Ireland's first victory, .
1980: Johnny Logan, "What's Another Year?" and 1987: Johnny Logan, "Hold Me Now". Although many previous winners have come back to the contest (Anne Marie David from France/Luxembourg, Charlotte Perelli from Sweden, Gigliola Cinquetti from Italy, etc...), only Logan was ever able to grab two victories. As wonderful as that performance was, however, I personally prefer this version.
1992: Linda Martin, "Why Me?". This could technically be considered Johnny Logan's third ESC win, as he actually composed this entry, too!
1993: Niamh Kavanagh, "In Your Eyes". Niamh (pronounced Neeve) was a relative unknown in Ireland before her win, but she appeared in the soundtrack for the film adaptation of the Roddy Doyle book "The Committments". Great flick; I recommend it!
1994: Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan, "Rock 'n' Roll Kids". There are rumors that RTE, the Irish broadcaster, picked this song to intentionally lose. It wasn't upbeat or flashy, there was no fancy
instrumentation (just a guitar and piano, nothing else), and no male duo had ever won the contest before. Despite all of this, Paul and Charlie won handily, with a 60-point margin over 2nd-placed Poland. The 1994 Contest is also notable for being the world premiere of Riverdance, performed during the interval when the juries completed their voting.
1996: Eimar Quinn, "The Voice". A former member of the choral group Anúna, "The Voice" was a definite departure from the ballads that had won the contest before for Ireland. This one was much more traditionally Celtic-inspired.
Ok, just to be fair, Ireland's had a few crushing defeats in the past few years, and one in particular was a real turkey. No, seriously. Dustin the Turkey is a well-known figure in the Irish media, and has even run a campaign for President on the platform of promising every young man in Ireland a date with one of the Pussycat Dolls. His (its?) entry, "Irelande Douze Pointe " was a twisted skewering of the contest as a whole, asking "Europe, where oh where did it all go wrong?" Sadly, it didn't make it out of the semifinals. Actually, Ireland hasn't made it out of the semis since 2007, when they eventually came in dead last in the final, a first for the Emerald Isle.
Carrying the Irish torch this year is 1993 ESC winner Niamh Kavanagh.
Her song, "It's For You", won the Irish preselection with the highest possible number of points from both the jury and televoters, and Eurovision almost always loves a returning champion, especially from the nation that's won the ESC more often than any other. She looks and sounds great, even considering that it's been 17 years since her victory. Niamh will be competing in the second semifinal, but she should definitely make it through to the final round.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
ESC 2010 Reviews: Iceland
Let's face it: Iceland's had a rough time the past few years. It's isolated, it's cold, and the United Kingdom keeps trying to steal their cod. Their traditional fare (rotten shark, blood pudding, and something called Súrsaðir Hrútspungar....don't ask...) makes even the hardiest eater long for the relative comfort and safety of haggis. Their economy has tanked in recent years, and now a volcano that most non-Icelandic speakers can't pronounce (Eyjafjallajökull...say it with me now..."ey-ya-fyat-la-yoke-it-til") has been grounding flights all over Europe, covering huge swaths of land with volcanic ash.
That being said, Iceland is supposed to be one of the world's most beautiful places, with glaciers, fjords, geysers, host springs, and a rich history dating back to the Norse. This is the land of the saga, the Blue Lagoon, and Björk. I think the lesson that we must learn from all of this is not to screw with Iceland. They might be far away from everything else on the planet, but they can probably use their volcanic, hakarl-eating Viking powers to mess your life up. Case in point:
(Yeah, I've seen that sketch about a thousand times, and it still never gets old.)
Anyway, Iceland first entered the ESC back in 1986, one of the last of the Western European nations to do so. They occasionally broke into the Top 10, but some of their best entries (in my opinion, anyway) were some of their most underrated.
In 1997, Paul Oscar (full name Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson) presented "Minn Hinsti Dans (My Last Dance)", a surprisingly low-key electronic piece that was pretty ahead of its time, in terms of its presentation. I don't believe that the ESC had fully embraced this genre of music at that point, and voting in 1997 was still jury-based, as opposed to a public televote, so Paul was sadly relegated to a 20th-place finish. (In his defense, though, 1997 was a very competitive year, with amazing entries from the UK, Turkey, Italy, Russia, and Poland, among others.)
In 2006, after only so-so results (with the exception of a 2nd-place finish in 1999), Iceland decided to go the comedy route. The alter ego of actress Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, "Silvia Night" is a mix of Paris Hilton and Ali G. A self-centered, social-ladder-climbing starlet with her own talk show in Iceland, Ágústa really played true to her character while at Eurovision, insulting journalists, bad-mouthing the other contestants, and throwing hissy fits in public. However, many people watching her Eurovision Entry, "Congratulations", had no idea that she was entirely fictional, and not only did she not make it through to the final, but she was actually booed at the start of her performance!
Last year, Iceland sent 18-year-old Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir (Yohanna) with a traditional ballad, "Is It True?" Despite possibly the worst dress in the 2009 competition (I had never seen a blue wedding cake before...), "Is It True?" came in a very respectable 2nd place after the juggernaut that was Norway. Yohanna came across as very sweet and innocently earnest, perfect for a song about a first heartbreak. Her voice was flawless, almost crystalline, and considering how expensive winning the ESC can end up being, a silver medal was a massive victory for Iceland last year.
This year, Iceland has sent a familiar face. Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir (just call her Hera Björk) sang backup for the 2008 and 2009 entries, and has competed various times to be the Icelandic representative. Her entry, "Je Ne Sais Quoi", is an upbeat Europop number, the kind that is made for the ESC.
Not only is Hera's voice something to be reckoned with, and not only is Iceland a part of the powerful Scandinavian voting bloc, but "Je Ne Sais Quoi" is also the last song to be performed during the first semifinal. If this doesn't make it through to the finals (and possibly into the Top 10 at the final, I might just have to sacrifice myself to Eyjafjallajökull. (But don't hold me to that...maybe we should sacrifice Silvia Night, instead!)
That being said, Iceland is supposed to be one of the world's most beautiful places, with glaciers, fjords, geysers, host springs, and a rich history dating back to the Norse. This is the land of the saga, the Blue Lagoon, and Björk. I think the lesson that we must learn from all of this is not to screw with Iceland. They might be far away from everything else on the planet, but they can probably use their volcanic, hakarl-eating Viking powers to mess your life up. Case in point:
(Yeah, I've seen that sketch about a thousand times, and it still never gets old.)
Anyway, Iceland first entered the ESC back in 1986, one of the last of the Western European nations to do so. They occasionally broke into the Top 10, but some of their best entries (in my opinion, anyway) were some of their most underrated.
In 1997, Paul Oscar (full name Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson) presented "Minn Hinsti Dans (My Last Dance)", a surprisingly low-key electronic piece that was pretty ahead of its time, in terms of its presentation. I don't believe that the ESC had fully embraced this genre of music at that point, and voting in 1997 was still jury-based, as opposed to a public televote, so Paul was sadly relegated to a 20th-place finish. (In his defense, though, 1997 was a very competitive year, with amazing entries from the UK, Turkey, Italy, Russia, and Poland, among others.)
In 2006, after only so-so results (with the exception of a 2nd-place finish in 1999), Iceland decided to go the comedy route. The alter ego of actress Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, "Silvia Night" is a mix of Paris Hilton and Ali G. A self-centered, social-ladder-climbing starlet with her own talk show in Iceland, Ágústa really played true to her character while at Eurovision, insulting journalists, bad-mouthing the other contestants, and throwing hissy fits in public. However, many people watching her Eurovision Entry, "Congratulations", had no idea that she was entirely fictional, and not only did she not make it through to the final, but she was actually booed at the start of her performance!
Last year, Iceland sent 18-year-old Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir (Yohanna) with a traditional ballad, "Is It True?" Despite possibly the worst dress in the 2009 competition (I had never seen a blue wedding cake before...), "Is It True?" came in a very respectable 2nd place after the juggernaut that was Norway. Yohanna came across as very sweet and innocently earnest, perfect for a song about a first heartbreak. Her voice was flawless, almost crystalline, and considering how expensive winning the ESC can end up being, a silver medal was a massive victory for Iceland last year.
This year, Iceland has sent a familiar face. Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir (just call her Hera Björk) sang backup for the 2008 and 2009 entries, and has competed various times to be the Icelandic representative. Her entry, "Je Ne Sais Quoi", is an upbeat Europop number, the kind that is made for the ESC.
Not only is Hera's voice something to be reckoned with, and not only is Iceland a part of the powerful Scandinavian voting bloc, but "Je Ne Sais Quoi" is also the last song to be performed during the first semifinal. If this doesn't make it through to the finals (and possibly into the Top 10 at the final, I might just have to sacrifice myself to Eyjafjallajökull. (But don't hold me to that...maybe we should sacrifice Silvia Night, instead!)
Saturday, May 8, 2010
ESC 2010 Reviews: Greece
Ok, dear readers, I need to come clean with you all.
I rarely, if ever, like the Greek entries for Eurovision.
I know, I'm going against the grain here, and I'm probably alienating any Greek readers that I have or will have in the future, but few, if any, have ever made much of an impact on me. It's nothing political, I promise (I tend to like what Cyprus serves up!), but the songs that Athens serves up either slip from my memory completely, or they strike me as derivative. I really want to like these songs; often times, their stage shows are out of this world, and you can't deny how much of a spectacle they can be. But, all too often, Greek entries are built on a simple formula: pretty face + danceable melody + bouzouki/lyra or disco break = 12 points from Cyprus.
Here are a few examples, all of which have scored in the Top 10 in the past few years.
2001: Antique, "Die For You", 3rd place.
2004: Sakis Rouvas, "Shake It", 3rd place.
2005: Helena Paparizou (formerly the lead singer of Antique), "My Number One", winner.
2007: Sarbel, "Yassou Maria", 7th place.
2008: Kalomoira, "Secret Combination", 3rd place.
2009: Sakis Rouvas (again), "This Is Our Night", 7th place.
2010: Giorgos Alkaios and Friends, "OPA"
...I was trying to come up with something witty and biting to say here, but I was distracted by the cute backup dancers. What was I talking about again?
Greece will probably sail through to the final, as they always do (especially because they'll be performing in the less-competitive first semifinal), but this year's effort has been somewhat hampered by the nation's dire economic status. Their sponsoring network will only be paying for a bare-bones music video (the one shown in the above embed was supposedly paid for by Alkaios himself) and a limited promotional tour to neighboring nations, as opposed to a more extensive tour of the continent. I'm not suggesting that they're throwing the contest at all, but considering the fact that Greece is going to be receiving a 110 million Euro bailout from the rest of the EU, it might be best that Eurovision 2011 not be held in Athens. But we'll see what happens!
I rarely, if ever, like the Greek entries for Eurovision.
I know, I'm going against the grain here, and I'm probably alienating any Greek readers that I have or will have in the future, but few, if any, have ever made much of an impact on me. It's nothing political, I promise (I tend to like what Cyprus serves up!), but the songs that Athens serves up either slip from my memory completely, or they strike me as derivative. I really want to like these songs; often times, their stage shows are out of this world, and you can't deny how much of a spectacle they can be. But, all too often, Greek entries are built on a simple formula: pretty face + danceable melody + bouzouki/lyra or disco break = 12 points from Cyprus.
Here are a few examples, all of which have scored in the Top 10 in the past few years.
2001: Antique, "Die For You", 3rd place.
2004: Sakis Rouvas, "Shake It", 3rd place.
2005: Helena Paparizou (formerly the lead singer of Antique), "My Number One", winner.
2007: Sarbel, "Yassou Maria", 7th place.
2008: Kalomoira, "Secret Combination", 3rd place.
2009: Sakis Rouvas (again), "This Is Our Night", 7th place.
2010: Giorgos Alkaios and Friends, "OPA"
...I was trying to come up with something witty and biting to say here, but I was distracted by the cute backup dancers. What was I talking about again?
Greece will probably sail through to the final, as they always do (especially because they'll be performing in the less-competitive first semifinal), but this year's effort has been somewhat hampered by the nation's dire economic status. Their sponsoring network will only be paying for a bare-bones music video (the one shown in the above embed was supposedly paid for by Alkaios himself) and a limited promotional tour to neighboring nations, as opposed to a more extensive tour of the continent. I'm not suggesting that they're throwing the contest at all, but considering the fact that Greece is going to be receiving a 110 million Euro bailout from the rest of the EU, it might be best that Eurovision 2011 not be held in Athens. But we'll see what happens!
Friday, May 7, 2010
ESC 2010 Reviews: Germany
Ok, remember what I said a few entries back about Finland being the country that would try anything once, even if their adventurous song choices didn't normally translate to success on the scoreboard? Well, they might have been taking their lessons from Germany. Despite a total of 53 entries since 1956, they've only chalked up a single victory, in 1982. While many of their entries have tended towards traditional "schlager"-pop (with composer Ralph Siegel behind the helm of 14 entries between 1974 and 2003), Germany has occasionally veered towards the offbeat, unexpected, and even hilarious (even if the hilarity wasn't quite intended).
Possibly the most famous of these ESC-based German Freak-Outs was "Dschingis Khan", served up back in 1979. Believe it or not, this actually made it to 4th place in Jerusalem, and the band (conveniently also named "Dschingis Khan") lives on in internet-based infamy. Check out their song "Moskau", especially with misheard lyrics (not quite safe for work or children, depending on how sensitive they are...). The weirdness continued the next year with Katja Ebstein's "Theater", with its heavy use of singing mimes (although, isn't that a bit of a contradiction?). Odder still, ESC voters lapped it up, and "Theater" came in second place that year.
After putting the offbeat on hiatus for a few years, Germany sent Guildo Horn and the Orthopedic Stockings to the 1998 Contest with "Guildo Hat Euch Lieb (Guildo Loves You All)". The performance somehow incorporated cowbells, turquoise velvet clothing, and vague molestation of the viewers sitting in the first two rows...and it placed a more than respectable 7th place! Two years later, German television personality Stefan Raab, who had written "Guildo Hat Euch Lieb", decided to strike out on his own with "Wadde Hadde Dudde Da?", which is sort of a nonsensical, baby-talk way to say "Whaddaya Got There?". Raab, like Guildo before him, embraced the lunacy of the situation with both arms (and a pair of badass platform boots), and ended up with a 5th place finish, their most recent top-5 placing, in fact.
After Guildo and Stefan, Germany decided to cool it with the outright comedy for a while, but they still experimented with unexpected genres. In 2006, they selected Australian-born singer Jane Comerford and her band Texas Lightning to bring country music to the Eurovision stage for the first time with their song "No No Never", coming in 14th place. They tried Rat-Pack-inspired big band the next year with Roger Cicero's "Frauen Regier'n Die Welt (Women Rule The World)", but their scores dipped even lower, coming in 19th. Last year, Germany decided to blend swing with burlesque and came up with "Miss Kiss Kiss Bang", a song that was only redeemed by the sporadic appearance of Dita von Teese and her impossibly tiny waist. Not even a semi-celebrity in a corset could save "Miss Kiss", and they stayed in 20th place.
So, what do you do when you find yourself languishing in the bottom half of the scoreboard for longer than is comfortable? Well, Germany called Stefan Raab again, of course! He helped set up a national preselection process and sat as head of the jury. After weeks of competition, who got the golden ticket to Oslo?
At first, I wondered what was up with Lena Meyer-Landrut's accent while she was singing "Satellite". After years of listening to German singers in the ESC singing in English, nobody has had an affectation quite like Lena's. Then, after hearing the song through, I realized that she was mimicking the sort of British accent you hear from singers like Kate Nash or Lily Allen. It's a bit odd to hear Mockney coming out of a girl from Hanover, but Lena pulls it off with such an endearingly adorable awkwardness that it's hard not to fall for her. Unlike other recent ESC submissions from Germany, "Satellite" has actually made it to the pop charts in her native country, smashing records for digital downloads. Within a week of the song's release, it was certified gold, and made platinum only three weeks later. She's also hit #2 in Switzerland and Austria (which is even more impressive considering that Austria isn't even competing in this year's Eurovision), and has even cracked the Top 10 on the European Hot 100 Singles charts, which covers 15 nations all over the continent. On the official Eurovision page on Youtube, Lena leads all of the other ESC preview videos in terms of view count, with over 3.4 million views as of last count. (In contrast, Serbia's video, which is in 2nd place, only has about 600,000.)
Keep in mind that before February 2, nobody knew this girl's name.
As a writer, even as a complete amateur who's only really writing this blog for her own enjoyment, I feel it's my duty to stay impartial and unbiased. That being said, "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.
I don't know about you all, but I'm probably going to have this stuck in my head for a while.
Possibly the most famous of these ESC-based German Freak-Outs was "Dschingis Khan", served up back in 1979. Believe it or not, this actually made it to 4th place in Jerusalem, and the band (conveniently also named "Dschingis Khan") lives on in internet-based infamy. Check out their song "Moskau", especially with misheard lyrics (not quite safe for work or children, depending on how sensitive they are...). The weirdness continued the next year with Katja Ebstein's "Theater", with its heavy use of singing mimes (although, isn't that a bit of a contradiction?). Odder still, ESC voters lapped it up, and "Theater" came in second place that year.
After putting the offbeat on hiatus for a few years, Germany sent Guildo Horn and the Orthopedic Stockings to the 1998 Contest with "Guildo Hat Euch Lieb (Guildo Loves You All)". The performance somehow incorporated cowbells, turquoise velvet clothing, and vague molestation of the viewers sitting in the first two rows...and it placed a more than respectable 7th place! Two years later, German television personality Stefan Raab, who had written "Guildo Hat Euch Lieb", decided to strike out on his own with "Wadde Hadde Dudde Da?", which is sort of a nonsensical, baby-talk way to say "Whaddaya Got There?". Raab, like Guildo before him, embraced the lunacy of the situation with both arms (and a pair of badass platform boots), and ended up with a 5th place finish, their most recent top-5 placing, in fact.
After Guildo and Stefan, Germany decided to cool it with the outright comedy for a while, but they still experimented with unexpected genres. In 2006, they selected Australian-born singer Jane Comerford and her band Texas Lightning to bring country music to the Eurovision stage for the first time with their song "No No Never", coming in 14th place. They tried Rat-Pack-inspired big band the next year with Roger Cicero's "Frauen Regier'n Die Welt (Women Rule The World)", but their scores dipped even lower, coming in 19th. Last year, Germany decided to blend swing with burlesque and came up with "Miss Kiss Kiss Bang", a song that was only redeemed by the sporadic appearance of Dita von Teese and her impossibly tiny waist. Not even a semi-celebrity in a corset could save "Miss Kiss", and they stayed in 20th place.
So, what do you do when you find yourself languishing in the bottom half of the scoreboard for longer than is comfortable? Well, Germany called Stefan Raab again, of course! He helped set up a national preselection process and sat as head of the jury. After weeks of competition, who got the golden ticket to Oslo?
At first, I wondered what was up with Lena Meyer-Landrut's accent while she was singing "Satellite". After years of listening to German singers in the ESC singing in English, nobody has had an affectation quite like Lena's. Then, after hearing the song through, I realized that she was mimicking the sort of British accent you hear from singers like Kate Nash or Lily Allen. It's a bit odd to hear Mockney coming out of a girl from Hanover, but Lena pulls it off with such an endearingly adorable awkwardness that it's hard not to fall for her. Unlike other recent ESC submissions from Germany, "Satellite" has actually made it to the pop charts in her native country, smashing records for digital downloads. Within a week of the song's release, it was certified gold, and made platinum only three weeks later. She's also hit #2 in Switzerland and Austria (which is even more impressive considering that Austria isn't even competing in this year's Eurovision), and has even cracked the Top 10 on the European Hot 100 Singles charts, which covers 15 nations all over the continent. On the official Eurovision page on Youtube, Lena leads all of the other ESC preview videos in terms of view count, with over 3.4 million views as of last count. (In contrast, Serbia's video, which is in 2nd place, only has about 600,000.)
Keep in mind that before February 2, nobody knew this girl's name.
As a writer, even as a complete amateur who's only really writing this blog for her own enjoyment, I feel it's my duty to stay impartial and unbiased. That being said, "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.
I don't know about you all, but I'm probably going to have this stuck in my head for a while.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
ESC 2010 Reviews: Georgia
Georgia's another recent addition to Eurovision, only having joined in 2007. Despite this relatively short tenure in the ESC so far, they've definitely made their mark, even beyond the scoreboard.
Their first entry, "Visionary Dream (My Story)" by Sopho Khalvashi, was an almost-hypnotic mix of traditional Georgian folk, pop and electronica. Highly underrated, it only came in 12th place (although it did make it through a difficult semifinal round in Helsinki, beating favorites from Cyprus, Switzerland, Andorra, and the Netherlands). Not only that, but its official video could have easily doubled as an advertisement for the Georgian Tourism Board! After watching it a few times, I was ready to book my ticket to Tblisi, find a supra somewhere, and gorge myself on wine, hospitality, and Khatchapuri (mmm...cheese bread...).
The next year, Georgia enlisted blind singer Diana Gurtskaya to sing "Peace Will Come". As a native of Abkhazia, an autonomous republic in Northern Georgia, Gurtskaya was a witness during her childhood to rioting and war in her region. She fled her hometown of Sukhumi for Tblisi, where she honed her musical ability. Because of her personal experiences of growing up in the midst of conflict, "Peace Will Come" struck a bit of an emotional chord with viewers, and placed 11th in the 2008 ESC. (And, on a different note, her mid-song costume change is even more impressive once you remember that Gurtskaya is completely blind!)
After sending a song with a universally acceptable political message in 2008, Georgia decided to play their cards more aggressively for the 2009 Contest, held in Moscow. In 2008, Russian troops invaded South Ossetia, which, while autonomous, is generally considered Georgian territory. Needless to say, this didn't make Tblisi very happy. They had originally planned on withdrawing from the competition altogether, but after Georgia won the 2008 Junior Eurovision Song Contest (basically, just like the ESC only even more hyperactive...can you imagine?), they decided to give it a go anyway. However, as a sort of innocuous flipping of the proverbial bird to Russia, they sent a "Disco Inferno"-inspired ditty called "We Don't Wanna Put In". (Evidently, "We Don't Wanna Med Vedev" or "We Don't Wanna Rush Ya" didn't roll off the tongue as easily...) Although the Georgian broadcaster denied any rule-breaking (as overtly political songs are banned from the ESC), outcry from the Russian hosts prompted the EBU to issue an ultimatum to Georgia: either change the lyrics or bow out. They took the second option, and withdrew from the 2009 ESC, making headlines all through Europe and beyond.
So what's Georgia bringing to the table for their triumphant return to Eurovision?
Sopho Nizharadze's representing Tblisi with "Shine", one of many big, female-driven ballads that 2010 is offering up. Almost half of the songs in the second semifinal are ballads (or similar), so this might be a tough sell for Sopho. However, she's in the lucky situation that she's singing second-to-last, so she'll be fresh in voters' minds when they pick up their phones. Out of the traditional ballads this year, this is probably one of my favorites, but it's not quite as high up there on my personal list as Croatia or Israel. This one could go either way, depending on how Sopho does on the night of performance.
I first heard this song at the end of February, right as the Winter Olympics were coming to a close. As I was listening to "Shine" for the first time, NBC was showing one of its usual compilations of the events of the games, with the glowing scenes of victory mixed in with the heartbreaking moments that came along with this year's Games. While listening to this song, a clip of the Georgian team walking into the stadium during the Opening Ceremonies played, their members all in black armbands in honor of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the luger who had died the day before in a tragic accident. There was something about listening to Sopho's song, all about moving forward through pain towards a hopeful future, while looking at the faces of Nodar's compatriots while the rest of the athletes and spectators stood and cheered in solidarity...I hate to admit this, but it brought me to tears.
Needless to say, it's good to have Georgia back in the competition.
Now, if I were a terrible person, I'd put a link here to Georgia's winning song for the 2008 Junior ESC, "Bzz" by Bzkebi (The Wasps). But I really don't want to feel responsible for all of the pain and anguish that would cause you all, dear readers. So, why don't you all just watch the video for "Visionary Dream" again, and leave it at that?
Their first entry, "Visionary Dream (My Story)" by Sopho Khalvashi, was an almost-hypnotic mix of traditional Georgian folk, pop and electronica. Highly underrated, it only came in 12th place (although it did make it through a difficult semifinal round in Helsinki, beating favorites from Cyprus, Switzerland, Andorra, and the Netherlands). Not only that, but its official video could have easily doubled as an advertisement for the Georgian Tourism Board! After watching it a few times, I was ready to book my ticket to Tblisi, find a supra somewhere, and gorge myself on wine, hospitality, and Khatchapuri (mmm...cheese bread...).
The next year, Georgia enlisted blind singer Diana Gurtskaya to sing "Peace Will Come". As a native of Abkhazia, an autonomous republic in Northern Georgia, Gurtskaya was a witness during her childhood to rioting and war in her region. She fled her hometown of Sukhumi for Tblisi, where she honed her musical ability. Because of her personal experiences of growing up in the midst of conflict, "Peace Will Come" struck a bit of an emotional chord with viewers, and placed 11th in the 2008 ESC. (And, on a different note, her mid-song costume change is even more impressive once you remember that Gurtskaya is completely blind!)
After sending a song with a universally acceptable political message in 2008, Georgia decided to play their cards more aggressively for the 2009 Contest, held in Moscow. In 2008, Russian troops invaded South Ossetia, which, while autonomous, is generally considered Georgian territory. Needless to say, this didn't make Tblisi very happy. They had originally planned on withdrawing from the competition altogether, but after Georgia won the 2008 Junior Eurovision Song Contest (basically, just like the ESC only even more hyperactive...can you imagine?), they decided to give it a go anyway. However, as a sort of innocuous flipping of the proverbial bird to Russia, they sent a "Disco Inferno"-inspired ditty called "We Don't Wanna Put In". (Evidently, "We Don't Wanna Med Vedev" or "We Don't Wanna Rush Ya" didn't roll off the tongue as easily...) Although the Georgian broadcaster denied any rule-breaking (as overtly political songs are banned from the ESC), outcry from the Russian hosts prompted the EBU to issue an ultimatum to Georgia: either change the lyrics or bow out. They took the second option, and withdrew from the 2009 ESC, making headlines all through Europe and beyond.
So what's Georgia bringing to the table for their triumphant return to Eurovision?
Sopho Nizharadze's representing Tblisi with "Shine", one of many big, female-driven ballads that 2010 is offering up. Almost half of the songs in the second semifinal are ballads (or similar), so this might be a tough sell for Sopho. However, she's in the lucky situation that she's singing second-to-last, so she'll be fresh in voters' minds when they pick up their phones. Out of the traditional ballads this year, this is probably one of my favorites, but it's not quite as high up there on my personal list as Croatia or Israel. This one could go either way, depending on how Sopho does on the night of performance.
I first heard this song at the end of February, right as the Winter Olympics were coming to a close. As I was listening to "Shine" for the first time, NBC was showing one of its usual compilations of the events of the games, with the glowing scenes of victory mixed in with the heartbreaking moments that came along with this year's Games. While listening to this song, a clip of the Georgian team walking into the stadium during the Opening Ceremonies played, their members all in black armbands in honor of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the luger who had died the day before in a tragic accident. There was something about listening to Sopho's song, all about moving forward through pain towards a hopeful future, while looking at the faces of Nodar's compatriots while the rest of the athletes and spectators stood and cheered in solidarity...I hate to admit this, but it brought me to tears.
Needless to say, it's good to have Georgia back in the competition.
Now, if I were a terrible person, I'd put a link here to Georgia's winning song for the 2008 Junior ESC, "Bzz" by Bzkebi (The Wasps). But I really don't want to feel responsible for all of the pain and anguish that would cause you all, dear readers. So, why don't you all just watch the video for "Visionary Dream" again, and leave it at that?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
ESC 2010 Reviews: France
Ah, France. One of Eurovision's Grande Dames, she truly has the reputation of one of the competition's greatest Divas. Her highest heights were reached in the faded glory days of the earliest years of the contest, and almost entirely by big-voiced and powerful chansons and ballads. She also takes a diva-ish attitude towards the ESC, alternating between adoration and disdain. And, oui, France might not have raised the trophy high since the 1970s (although they lost the 1991 Contest on a technicality), but merde, they're still here! Their regional and linguistic allies Luxembourg and Monaco have both dropped out (since 1993 and 2006, respectively), but France's love-hate relationship continues. Back in the 1980s, a network head described Eurovision as a "monument to drivel", but instead of withdrawing from the ESC, the nation simply switched networks, and after a 1-year absence, they resumed participation.
Another interesting point about France's relationship with Eurovision is that of linguistics. Traditionally, the ESC uses both English and French as its official languages (as in, the hosts will present the contest bilingually, and points are announced in both languages), and nations are allowed to pick whichever language they'd like to sing in. As time has progressed, more countries have sent songs in English, and hosts only seem to use French nowadays as a ceremonial tool. France has held incredibly steadfast to their focus on their language's representation in Eurovision. Back in 2008, when offbeat singer Sebastien Tellier was the nation's choice, there were shocks felt all over France when it was realized that his song "Divine" was almost entirely in English. One member of Parliament made such a fuss that Tellier eventually changed a few lines of his song into French, just to appease his compatriots. (And, to tell you the truth, Tellier's lyrics were basically unintelligible anyway. He could have been singing in Malagasy, and I wouldn't have been able to tell much of a difference. But he put fake beards on his backing singers, drove on stage in a golf cart, and sucked in helium onstage. That automatically makes him awesome.) France has dabbled in other languages, however, besides just traditional French. In 1992, "Monté la riviè (Go Up the River)" was sung partially in Hatian Creole. 1993 brought Corsican to the ESC stage for the first time ("Mama Corsica"), and 1996's entry, "Diwanit Bugale (May You Blossom, Children)", was sung entirely in Breton.
Anyway, back to what France does best: big songs with bigger voices. One of France's five victories was the disputed contest of 1969, when four countries actually tied for the victory (it hadn't occurred to anyone to come up with a tie-breaking method!). France shared their victory with the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands that year, but Frida Boccara's "Un Jour, Un Enfant (A Day, A Child) was my favorite of the four. Interestingly, if today's tiebreaking rules had been in effect back in 1969, France would have won anyway! In 1977, France won its most recent title, sending Portuguese-born Marie Myriam with "L'oiseau et L'enfant (The Bird and the Child)". Another big, beautiful performance, and another victory.
Last year's entry tried to follow this beautiful old paradigm. France picked the renowned jazz-pop singer Patricia Kaas to represent them with "Et s'il fallait le faire (And If it Had to Be Done)", a lush chanson that might have been lovingly lifted from a film noir's soundtrack. However, despite the beautiful song and emotional performance from Kaas, the song only placed in 8th position.
If Patricia Kaas, a well-known and respected singer who has sold an estimated 16 million records worldwide, couldn't bring the competition back to Paris, maybe it was time for a change from France's old wheelhouse. And that's where 2010's French representative, Jessy Matador, comes in.
Jessy is a multi-talented performer of Congolese descent, and the network who's sponsoring his participation in this year's Eurovision is actually getting a bit of a two-for-one deal: because this song is so upbeat and summery, it's also going to be used to promote this year's World Cup, being held in South Africa. "Allez Ola Olé" is undoubtedly different from almost anything else that France has sent before, and it's also very different from anything else in the 2010 competition. This might work to France's advantage or not; it's difficult to tell. But, fortunately for Jessy, France automatically qualifies to the Final (along with Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and reigning champion Norway), as major donors to the EBU. To tell you all the truth, I personally didn't love this song the first time I heard it. However, in all fairness, the first time I heard it was in the middle of winter in a frigid-cold Minnesota, and the only thing I was really interested in was a cup of hot chocolate and making sure my car was running properly. Now that the weather's more comfortable, I find myself warming up to this fun soccer chant. Bonne chance!
Another interesting point about France's relationship with Eurovision is that of linguistics. Traditionally, the ESC uses both English and French as its official languages (as in, the hosts will present the contest bilingually, and points are announced in both languages), and nations are allowed to pick whichever language they'd like to sing in. As time has progressed, more countries have sent songs in English, and hosts only seem to use French nowadays as a ceremonial tool. France has held incredibly steadfast to their focus on their language's representation in Eurovision. Back in 2008, when offbeat singer Sebastien Tellier was the nation's choice, there were shocks felt all over France when it was realized that his song "Divine" was almost entirely in English. One member of Parliament made such a fuss that Tellier eventually changed a few lines of his song into French, just to appease his compatriots. (And, to tell you the truth, Tellier's lyrics were basically unintelligible anyway. He could have been singing in Malagasy, and I wouldn't have been able to tell much of a difference. But he put fake beards on his backing singers, drove on stage in a golf cart, and sucked in helium onstage. That automatically makes him awesome.) France has dabbled in other languages, however, besides just traditional French. In 1992, "Monté la riviè (Go Up the River)" was sung partially in Hatian Creole. 1993 brought Corsican to the ESC stage for the first time ("Mama Corsica"), and 1996's entry, "Diwanit Bugale (May You Blossom, Children)", was sung entirely in Breton.
Anyway, back to what France does best: big songs with bigger voices. One of France's five victories was the disputed contest of 1969, when four countries actually tied for the victory (it hadn't occurred to anyone to come up with a tie-breaking method!). France shared their victory with the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands that year, but Frida Boccara's "Un Jour, Un Enfant (A Day, A Child) was my favorite of the four. Interestingly, if today's tiebreaking rules had been in effect back in 1969, France would have won anyway! In 1977, France won its most recent title, sending Portuguese-born Marie Myriam with "L'oiseau et L'enfant (The Bird and the Child)". Another big, beautiful performance, and another victory.
Last year's entry tried to follow this beautiful old paradigm. France picked the renowned jazz-pop singer Patricia Kaas to represent them with "Et s'il fallait le faire (And If it Had to Be Done)", a lush chanson that might have been lovingly lifted from a film noir's soundtrack. However, despite the beautiful song and emotional performance from Kaas, the song only placed in 8th position.
If Patricia Kaas, a well-known and respected singer who has sold an estimated 16 million records worldwide, couldn't bring the competition back to Paris, maybe it was time for a change from France's old wheelhouse. And that's where 2010's French representative, Jessy Matador, comes in.
Jessy is a multi-talented performer of Congolese descent, and the network who's sponsoring his participation in this year's Eurovision is actually getting a bit of a two-for-one deal: because this song is so upbeat and summery, it's also going to be used to promote this year's World Cup, being held in South Africa. "Allez Ola Olé" is undoubtedly different from almost anything else that France has sent before, and it's also very different from anything else in the 2010 competition. This might work to France's advantage or not; it's difficult to tell. But, fortunately for Jessy, France automatically qualifies to the Final (along with Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and reigning champion Norway), as major donors to the EBU. To tell you all the truth, I personally didn't love this song the first time I heard it. However, in all fairness, the first time I heard it was in the middle of winter in a frigid-cold Minnesota, and the only thing I was really interested in was a cup of hot chocolate and making sure my car was running properly. Now that the weather's more comfortable, I find myself warming up to this fun soccer chant. Bonne chance!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
ESC 2010 Reviews: Finland
To tell you all the truth, I'm having a tough time coming up with what exactly to write for my article on Finland. However, it's not the same kind of writer's block that came to me when I was typing up my piece on Bulgaria, where there was no real meat to work with (or tofu, to my vegetarian readers...seitan? Mock duck? What vegan-friendly metaphor works here?) With Finland, however, there's a history 43 songs deep (since their first entry in 1961), and it took them until 2006 to clock in their first win. I'd call them the "Ugly Ducklings" of the ESC, but maybe the "Lonely Chameleons" would be more appropriate. The Finns have dabbled in nearly every imaginable genre in their quest to break the then-longest-running losing streak the ESC had seen, from disco to tango to reggae to metal, and although they're part of the Nordic Bloc, they had no close linguistic allies in the contest until Estonia debuted in 1994. They were sort of like the weird kid in a high-school clique...the one that grew up on the same block as the rest of the group, but was the only one in the Drama Club instead of the Cheerleaders.
So, how do I approach one of the biggest perpetual underdogs in the Eurovision fight? The country that would try anything once (and probably has)? Maybe I'll just throw a bunch of random songs at you and let you make up your own minds on what Helsinki gives us!
Finland has come in last place a total of nine times since their debut, but a few of those last place finishes were actually pretty underrated. In 1968, for example, the song submitted was "Kun Keillo Käy (When Time Goes By)", a sweet and era-appropriate pop song that sounds like it was plucked directly from Burt Bacharach (if he were Finnish). It sadly only scored a single point (thanks, Norway!). Fourteen years later, Kojo hit the dreaded "nul points" with "Nuku Pommin (Sleep Through the Bomb)", which I personally enjoyed. Rock in Eurovision was really just finding its footing in the early 1980s, so it's very possible that Kojo was just ahead of its time.
Finland, however, wasn't quite ready to let rock go at the ESC. After Kojo's epic faceplant on the scoreboard, Helsinki sent Sonja Lumme (and her remarkable 80s hair) to the 1985 contest with "Eläköön Elämä (Long Live Life)", possibly my favorite entry from the year of my birth. With a 9th place score, this was a definite improvement. Six years later, they re-tried their formula (mid-tempo rock + pretty girl) with Kaija, singing "Hullu Yö (Crazy Night)", a song that sadly only made it to 20th place out of 23 songs. After that unceremonious return to the lower end of the scoreboard, Finland put rock on the back burner for about 15 years.
My theory is that it took 15 years for their 2006 entry to properly incubate.
All Hail the Arockalypse! The Day of Rockening has Arrived! Where do I drop off my sacrifices of virgins and fresh goat meat to appease the might of Lordi? (Again, sorry, vegans!)
Not only did Lordi's "Hard Rock Hallelujah" shatter Finland's 42-year losing streak, but it won the highest point total of any entry ever, a whopping 292 points (until last year's Norwegian entry, but more on that later). It transcended borders and voting blocs; out of the 37 nations participating at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, only Monaco, Armenia, and Albania gave no points to the band of monsters. Finland sent rock again the next year, with Finnish Idol-winner Hanna Pakarinen singing "Leave Me Alone".
So, after finally finding redemption in rock, what has Finland given us this year?
Wait, what? Where are the dudes in platform boots and monster makeup? Where are the leather outfits and pyrotechnics? Is that an ACCORDION?
Ok, so it's not THAT bad. It's just a bit of a departure from what we've been getting from the Finns over the past few years. "Työlki ellää (One Can Work for a Living, Too)" by Kuunkuiskaajat (Moonwhisperers) is actually a pretty sweet little campfire song, and definitely different from anything else we'll be seeing in Oslo. Whether it breaks through to the finals is still to be seen, but at the very least, it's a helluva lot better than this...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
