Moldova is another one of those nations that I frankly knew little about until I started paying attention to Eurovision. A former Soviet republic scrunched up between Romania and the Ukraine, it's considered to be the poorest nation in Europe. Despite this, however, Moldova is the land of great wine, mămăligă, and unexpectedly great Eurovision entries.
Moldova's first foray into the ESC was back in 2005, when ska-funk band Zdob şi Zdub made a splash with "Boonika Bate Doba (Grandmama Beats the Drum)", featuring a drum solo by Lidia Bejenaru, the Boonika herself. Supposedly, the band decided to cut a member from their Eurovision line-up in order to make sure that Lidia had a place on stage, as there can only be six people on stage at once. Making it all the way to a 6th place finish (and coming in 2nd during the semifinal), "Boonika Bate Doba" still stands as Moldova's highest placement in Eurovision, and possibly their most memorable entry. A friend and colleague of mine was living in a small town in Moldova at that time, and she tells me about how excited her host community was to see their hometown boys doing so well on the stage in Kiev. For them to not only hear their language and see their traditional costumes on stage, but also to make such a huge impression on the scoreboard...it was a big deal!
Two years later, right on the heels of Finland's victory with "Hard Rock Hallelujah", Moldova sent a rock song of their own, Natalia Barbu's "Fight", making it back into the top 10. However, when they went the smooth-jazz route the next year with Geta Burlacu's "A Century of Love", they failed to make the finals for the first time.
Last year, they decided to step the energy back up with the wonderfully manic pop-folk number "Hora Din Moldova (Dance of Moldova)" by local star Nelly Ciobanu. Although they only made it to 14th place, they received a full set of 12 points from Romania and Portugal.
This year, Moldova's keeping the energy high with "Run Away" by The SunStroke Project featuring Olia Tira.
This one's a bit weird for me. Between the violins in the beginning, the disco-pop beat and vocals, and the random saxophone throughout, "Run Away" sounds like it's coming to us from three decades at once. It's undoubtedly fun and upbeat, and it will be the first song performed in the first semifinal, but that's often a disadvantage as voters might not remember the first song out of the gate. This one may be a tough sell, and if it makes it through to the finals, I doubt it will reach Zdob şi Zdub or Natalia Barbu territory.
Oh, and just as a side note, Moldova is also the nation that brought us this:
(No, not Gary Brolsma...he's from New Jersey. But the band that sang "Dragostea Din Tea", O-Zone, hails from Moldova. And now you won't be able to get it out of your head. Sorry!)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
ESC 2010 Reviews: Malta
Ah, Malta. A land known for a film-noir falcon, crunchy chocolate balls (no, wait...those are Maltesers...), and an almost fanatical devotion to Eurovison. They've had a total of 22 entries in the ESC since 1971, and despite having no shared borders or culture with any other participant, they've come in the Top 10 a dozen times. They've never actually won the whole thing, but they've had two silvers and two bronzes. This is even more surprising considering that Malta only has a population of about 400,000 (about half of the population of Cyprus, or 10% of Georgia, or just about 1% of Poland).
Their first few entries, back in 1971 and 1972, both scored in dead-last place. I don't think this had anything to do with the quality of the songs presented, but rather that they were sung completely in Maltese, a language that bears a passing resemblance to Sicilian Italian, but blended heavily with Arabic. As wonderful as it was that their home language was represented, it went over the jury's heads, and every Maltese entry since then has been performed in English (with the exception of one verse of the entry from 2000). Switching to English was a positive change (and completely permissible, as English is co-official in Malta, and Eurovision used to mandate that all songs be performed in that nation's official language). After a hiatus from 1976-1991, Malta came back with a vengeance, racking up eight top-10 placements in a row.
However, for all their success in past years, Malta's entries, like Greece's, have generally left me cold. They seem to have cornered the market on big, syrupy ballads and pop numbers, and that formula has very nearly taken them to the top of the scoreboard on a number of occasions. It's not that they're bad songs at all; it's just not what I personally listen to on a normal basis. Frankly, many of these songs sound like they could have been extracted from the Disney songbook of the early-to-mid 1990s. But ballads and pop tend to go over quite well in Eurovision, so Malta keeps it alive.
One of the greatest examples of Malta's contributions to Eurovision is Chiara Siracusa. Chiara is one of the rare performers to have made it to the ESC stage three times, and she's come tantalizingly close to victory. She came in a very close 3rd place in 1998 with "The One That I Love", and came in 2nd in 2005 with "Angel". Last year, Malta figured that Chiara was due for a win, so they sent her to Moscow with "What if We?". Sadly, Valetta's plan backfired, and Chiara only made it to 22nd place in the final.
This year, Malta continues its trend of balladry with 18-year old Thea Garrett, singing "My Dream" (written by the team that put together "The One That I Love" for Chiara twelve years ago).
Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Thea, or with this song. It's only crime is that it's one of approximately eleventy-billion ballads in this year's competition, and I'm not sure if it can stack up against some of the others. However, she'll be in the first semifinal, where there are only a few other similar songs (Latvia, Belgium, Belarus, and Portugal), so it's possible that Thea might squeak by, but I can't imagine her placing in the top half of the scoreboard in the finals.
Their first few entries, back in 1971 and 1972, both scored in dead-last place. I don't think this had anything to do with the quality of the songs presented, but rather that they were sung completely in Maltese, a language that bears a passing resemblance to Sicilian Italian, but blended heavily with Arabic. As wonderful as it was that their home language was represented, it went over the jury's heads, and every Maltese entry since then has been performed in English (with the exception of one verse of the entry from 2000). Switching to English was a positive change (and completely permissible, as English is co-official in Malta, and Eurovision used to mandate that all songs be performed in that nation's official language). After a hiatus from 1976-1991, Malta came back with a vengeance, racking up eight top-10 placements in a row.
However, for all their success in past years, Malta's entries, like Greece's, have generally left me cold. They seem to have cornered the market on big, syrupy ballads and pop numbers, and that formula has very nearly taken them to the top of the scoreboard on a number of occasions. It's not that they're bad songs at all; it's just not what I personally listen to on a normal basis. Frankly, many of these songs sound like they could have been extracted from the Disney songbook of the early-to-mid 1990s. But ballads and pop tend to go over quite well in Eurovision, so Malta keeps it alive.
One of the greatest examples of Malta's contributions to Eurovision is Chiara Siracusa. Chiara is one of the rare performers to have made it to the ESC stage three times, and she's come tantalizingly close to victory. She came in a very close 3rd place in 1998 with "The One That I Love", and came in 2nd in 2005 with "Angel". Last year, Malta figured that Chiara was due for a win, so they sent her to Moscow with "What if We?". Sadly, Valetta's plan backfired, and Chiara only made it to 22nd place in the final.
This year, Malta continues its trend of balladry with 18-year old Thea Garrett, singing "My Dream" (written by the team that put together "The One That I Love" for Chiara twelve years ago).
Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Thea, or with this song. It's only crime is that it's one of approximately eleventy-billion ballads in this year's competition, and I'm not sure if it can stack up against some of the others. However, she'll be in the first semifinal, where there are only a few other similar songs (Latvia, Belgium, Belarus, and Portugal), so it's possible that Thea might squeak by, but I can't imagine her placing in the top half of the scoreboard in the finals.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
ESC 2010 Reviews: (Former Yugoslav Republic of) Macedonia
Ok, before I even start looking at the history of this country in Eurovision, there's one detail that I have to hammer out. What the heck is this nation called, anyway? It's been called Macedonia, the Republic of Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Makedonia, Slavomacedonia...
So, why all the confusion? Well, Macedonia (the nation) directly borders the Greek region of Macedonia. As people have been referring to Macedonia as a whole since the time of Alexander the Great, the creation of a new state with the same name caused confusion for some, and hurt regional pride for others. Greece has been pushing for an official name change for the Republic of Macedonia for some time, but there has been no change. I think this is much ado about nothing, personally, and as long as people are being peaceful about it, Greek Macedonians and Slavic Macedonians can call themselves whatever they want. (When Georgia became an independent nation back in 1991, were folks in Atlanta hurt? Granted, I know that's oversimplifying the situation, but it's the closest comparison I can come up with...) For the sake of this article (and anything else I might write about this country), I'll be simply referring to this country as "Macedonia", with the hope that I won't further anger any of my Greek readers. Sound fair to you?
Ok, back to the ESC.
Macedonia hasn't had the best of luck in Eurovision, especially during the last few years. They've never scored any higher than 12th place, and few of their songs really stick out in my mind as truly memorable. They've tended more towards the pop-side of the spectrum, with the possible exception of last year's "Nešto što kje ostane (Something that Will Remain)", performed by Next Time, which hearkened back to the late 1980s-early 1990s Hair Metal scene. They came in 10th place during their semifinal that year, which should have gotten them a spot in the final, but due to the way the voting system worked during the 2008 and 2009 contests, the 10th spot wasn't given to the appropriate televoting result, but rather a "jury's choice". Finland got the spot that should have gone to Macedonia (and promptly came in last place during the finals), and sadly, Next Time's name was all-too appropriate. This was actually the second year in a row that Macedonia was screwed out of the finals. In 2008, juries gave the last ticket to the finals to the song from Sweden, kicking "Let Me Love You" out in the cold.
I would be completely amiss if I brought up Macedonian Eurovision entries and failed to mention Toše Proeski. His song "Life", which represented his homeland in 2004, might not have been his biggest hit, or even a huge success in the ESC (it only made it to 14th place in that year's Final), but Proeski was, without a doubt, the biggest star to come out of Macedonia. He was popular all throughout the Balkan region, and was even named a UNICEF Ambassador. When he died in 2007 as the result of a car accident in Croatia, he was given a full State Funeral and a day of national mourning was declared in Skopje. Proeski was only 26 years old. Here's a link to my favorite song of his, "Igra Bez Granica (Games Without Borders)", a song that gives me chills whenever I hear it.
So, after years of having defeat snatched from the jaws of Eurovision victory (or, at least, mediocrity), who will carry the hopes of Skopje on his shoulders this year?
Gjoko Taneski's "Jas Ja Imam Silata (I Have The Strength)" isn't bad, but again, it's not completely spectacular, either. It took me about four or five listens to this song for me to remember how it sounded, and when the video came out, it confused me even more. The song is about how Gjoko is able to overcome heartbreak, but what's up with the models in the cellophane? I mean, the girls are pretty, but that's all the video is! And the "My Name Is Love" bit seems to come out of nowhere...sometimes, a preview video has the ability to enhance a song's appeal before you see it on the ESC stage (Georgia's clip for "Visionary Dream" comes to mind, as does last year's official French video for "Et s'il fallait le faire"). This time, however, it's a detriment. Sorry, Gjoko...maybe Next Time...
So, why all the confusion? Well, Macedonia (the nation) directly borders the Greek region of Macedonia. As people have been referring to Macedonia as a whole since the time of Alexander the Great, the creation of a new state with the same name caused confusion for some, and hurt regional pride for others. Greece has been pushing for an official name change for the Republic of Macedonia for some time, but there has been no change. I think this is much ado about nothing, personally, and as long as people are being peaceful about it, Greek Macedonians and Slavic Macedonians can call themselves whatever they want. (When Georgia became an independent nation back in 1991, were folks in Atlanta hurt? Granted, I know that's oversimplifying the situation, but it's the closest comparison I can come up with...) For the sake of this article (and anything else I might write about this country), I'll be simply referring to this country as "Macedonia", with the hope that I won't further anger any of my Greek readers. Sound fair to you?
Ok, back to the ESC.
Macedonia hasn't had the best of luck in Eurovision, especially during the last few years. They've never scored any higher than 12th place, and few of their songs really stick out in my mind as truly memorable. They've tended more towards the pop-side of the spectrum, with the possible exception of last year's "Nešto što kje ostane (Something that Will Remain)", performed by Next Time, which hearkened back to the late 1980s-early 1990s Hair Metal scene. They came in 10th place during their semifinal that year, which should have gotten them a spot in the final, but due to the way the voting system worked during the 2008 and 2009 contests, the 10th spot wasn't given to the appropriate televoting result, but rather a "jury's choice". Finland got the spot that should have gone to Macedonia (and promptly came in last place during the finals), and sadly, Next Time's name was all-too appropriate. This was actually the second year in a row that Macedonia was screwed out of the finals. In 2008, juries gave the last ticket to the finals to the song from Sweden, kicking "Let Me Love You" out in the cold.
I would be completely amiss if I brought up Macedonian Eurovision entries and failed to mention Toše Proeski. His song "Life", which represented his homeland in 2004, might not have been his biggest hit, or even a huge success in the ESC (it only made it to 14th place in that year's Final), but Proeski was, without a doubt, the biggest star to come out of Macedonia. He was popular all throughout the Balkan region, and was even named a UNICEF Ambassador. When he died in 2007 as the result of a car accident in Croatia, he was given a full State Funeral and a day of national mourning was declared in Skopje. Proeski was only 26 years old. Here's a link to my favorite song of his, "Igra Bez Granica (Games Without Borders)", a song that gives me chills whenever I hear it.
So, after years of having defeat snatched from the jaws of Eurovision victory (or, at least, mediocrity), who will carry the hopes of Skopje on his shoulders this year?
Gjoko Taneski's "Jas Ja Imam Silata (I Have The Strength)" isn't bad, but again, it's not completely spectacular, either. It took me about four or five listens to this song for me to remember how it sounded, and when the video came out, it confused me even more. The song is about how Gjoko is able to overcome heartbreak, but what's up with the models in the cellophane? I mean, the girls are pretty, but that's all the video is! And the "My Name Is Love" bit seems to come out of nowhere...sometimes, a preview video has the ability to enhance a song's appeal before you see it on the ESC stage (Georgia's clip for "Visionary Dream" comes to mind, as does last year's official French video for "Et s'il fallait le faire"). This time, however, it's a detriment. Sorry, Gjoko...maybe Next Time...
Friday, May 14, 2010
ESC 2010 Reviews: Lithuania
From Latvia, we fly over to neighboring Lithuania, a country that always seems to fly underneath the ESC radar (although, considering how bad some of their songs have been in the past, maybe that's a good thing...)
They made their debut in 1994, and set an incredibly inauspicious precedent: Lithuania is the only country to debut in the Eurovision Song Contest and not win a single point. (Other countries, such as Austria, Monaco, Turkey, Malta, and San Marino have all debuted in last place, but none of them hit "nul points" on their first shot out of the gate.) The poor score of "Lopšinė mylimai (Sweetheart's Lullabye)" left such a sour taste in broadcaster LRT's mouth that they didn't enter the contest again for another 5 years. In 1999, however, Lithuania sent Aistė Smilgevičiūtė to sing "Strazdas (The Song Thrush)", a neo-folk song performed in the Samogitian dialect of Lithuanian. Although it only performed slightly better than the nation's failed debut only 5 years earlier, "Strazdas" is one of my personal favorites.
Lithuania has made it to the Top 10 of an ESC only once. In 2006, after years of basically abysmal results, LRT sent LT United to sing "We Are The Winners". This is another one of those cases where a random link to Youtube just won't do...
I really hate to admit this, but I loved this performance. It was sort of like when you're at a wedding, and your uncles get completely drunk and start dancing on tables, singing soccer chants. (That happens in your family, too...right?) Anyway, "We Are The Winners" came in 6th place in Athens, much higher than any other Lithuanian song before or since.
Last year, we got to meet Sasha Son, a former local child star who had come into his own as an adult. His song for Moscow "Pasiklydęs žmogus (Lonely Man)" was translated into English and Russian as "Love/Adjinakij geroj", and was one of my favorites from 2009. It made it out of the Semifinal, but only scored 23rd place in the final, despite a great vocal performance. (Although, just as a criticism, the English version of the song said the word "love" a total of fifty-four times in less than three minutes. You're cute, Sasha, but it made you sound just a little bit desperate...)
This year, however, Lithuania has decided to return to the formula that gave them their only single-digit placement: a lighthearted, fun performance that will get people on their feet. That's where InCulto comes in:
InCulto - Eastern European Funk (Lithuania - Litvanya)
Uploaded by eurovision_tv. - Explore more music videos.
(If you look closely, you can find the crazy dancing bald man from LT United making an appearance in InCulto's video...)
These guys have been touring throughout their home country and the rest of Eastern Europe since 2003, and even came in 2nd place to LT United during the 2006 ESC Preselection with their song "Welcome to Lithuania". They'll be competing as the first song in the second semifinal, so that alone might be a strike against them, but they've got a high-energy song with a vibe unlike any other song in the competition this year. Also, if they copy their National Final performance, they drop their pants halfway through! For that reason alone, I'm hoping that InCulto does well.
Nothing quite like a bunch of pantsless Lithuanian men to brighten your day! :-D
They made their debut in 1994, and set an incredibly inauspicious precedent: Lithuania is the only country to debut in the Eurovision Song Contest and not win a single point. (Other countries, such as Austria, Monaco, Turkey, Malta, and San Marino have all debuted in last place, but none of them hit "nul points" on their first shot out of the gate.) The poor score of "Lopšinė mylimai (Sweetheart's Lullabye)" left such a sour taste in broadcaster LRT's mouth that they didn't enter the contest again for another 5 years. In 1999, however, Lithuania sent Aistė Smilgevičiūtė to sing "Strazdas (The Song Thrush)", a neo-folk song performed in the Samogitian dialect of Lithuanian. Although it only performed slightly better than the nation's failed debut only 5 years earlier, "Strazdas" is one of my personal favorites.
Lithuania has made it to the Top 10 of an ESC only once. In 2006, after years of basically abysmal results, LRT sent LT United to sing "We Are The Winners". This is another one of those cases where a random link to Youtube just won't do...
I really hate to admit this, but I loved this performance. It was sort of like when you're at a wedding, and your uncles get completely drunk and start dancing on tables, singing soccer chants. (That happens in your family, too...right?) Anyway, "We Are The Winners" came in 6th place in Athens, much higher than any other Lithuanian song before or since.
Last year, we got to meet Sasha Son, a former local child star who had come into his own as an adult. His song for Moscow "Pasiklydęs žmogus (Lonely Man)" was translated into English and Russian as "Love/Adjinakij geroj", and was one of my favorites from 2009. It made it out of the Semifinal, but only scored 23rd place in the final, despite a great vocal performance. (Although, just as a criticism, the English version of the song said the word "love" a total of fifty-four times in less than three minutes. You're cute, Sasha, but it made you sound just a little bit desperate...)
This year, however, Lithuania has decided to return to the formula that gave them their only single-digit placement: a lighthearted, fun performance that will get people on their feet. That's where InCulto comes in:
InCulto - Eastern European Funk (Lithuania - Litvanya)
Uploaded by eurovision_tv. - Explore more music videos.
(If you look closely, you can find the crazy dancing bald man from LT United making an appearance in InCulto's video...)
These guys have been touring throughout their home country and the rest of Eastern Europe since 2003, and even came in 2nd place to LT United during the 2006 ESC Preselection with their song "Welcome to Lithuania". They'll be competing as the first song in the second semifinal, so that alone might be a strike against them, but they've got a high-energy song with a vibe unlike any other song in the competition this year. Also, if they copy their National Final performance, they drop their pants halfway through! For that reason alone, I'm hoping that InCulto does well.
Nothing quite like a bunch of pantsless Lithuanian men to brighten your day! :-D
ESC 2010 Reviews: Latvia
So the next stop on our whirlwind tour of the 2010 participants in the Eurovision Song Contest is Latvia. They were the last of the Baltic States to join the ESC (in 2000), and they debuted with a bit of a splash. Riga band Brainstorm (also known by their Latvian name, Prāta Vētra) performed "My Star", a sweet and melodic Brit-rock-influenced song, kicked into high gear by lead singer Renārs Kaupers's insane dance moves. (Latvia must be on the forefront of some major medical research...Kaupers had the bottom half of his body surgically replaced with pipe cleaners and bendy straws!) Renārs and his crazy legs took Latvia to a bronze-medal finish in their debut entry, and the nation claimed victory in the contest only two years later, with Marie M's "I Wanna", a completely standard Latin-inflected number that was honestly only memorable for its fantastic costume change. (My apologies to all Latvian fans out there...but I preferred Brainstorm!)
Since Marie's victory, Latvia's kind of wandered through the Eurovision woods, with a string of generally less-than-memorable performances. They've tried rock, popera, acapella (the first instrument-free song in Eurovision history), and, in a possible moment of pure desperation, piracy.
This year, Latvia's asking for help from a higher power to get them out of the semifinals, sending Aisha with "What For (Only Mr. God Knows Why)". Now, Aisha's voice isn't bad by any stretch, and she's definitely cute enough to garner a few votes from some of the 13-year-old boys watching the contest, but this song just kind of mystifies me. It's kind of depressing at times, and confusing at others. Who the heck is Uncle Joe? Why can't he speak? Does Mr. God have a first name? Does he need an upgrade in his cellular service? What the heck is going on here? I don't know if I should be taking this song seriously or not, and I doubt it will break through to the finals. If God's phone is out of range, can Aisha expect Eurovison voters to have any better luck?
Since Marie's victory, Latvia's kind of wandered through the Eurovision woods, with a string of generally less-than-memorable performances. They've tried rock, popera, acapella (the first instrument-free song in Eurovision history), and, in a possible moment of pure desperation, piracy.
This year, Latvia's asking for help from a higher power to get them out of the semifinals, sending Aisha with "What For (Only Mr. God Knows Why)". Now, Aisha's voice isn't bad by any stretch, and she's definitely cute enough to garner a few votes from some of the 13-year-old boys watching the contest, but this song just kind of mystifies me. It's kind of depressing at times, and confusing at others. Who the heck is Uncle Joe? Why can't he speak? Does Mr. God have a first name? Does he need an upgrade in his cellular service? What the heck is going on here? I don't know if I should be taking this song seriously or not, and I doubt it will break through to the finals. If God's phone is out of range, can Aisha expect Eurovison voters to have any better luck?
Thursday, May 13, 2010
ESC 2010 Reviews: Israel
(Just to warn you all, this is going to be a long one...)
When I speak to people about Eurovision for the first time, and mention that one of the most consistently strong entrants to the competition is Israel, I generally hear a variation of the same reaction.
"Israel? That's not even in Europe!"
Well, geographically speaking, that's true. However, entry to the ESC is not actually based on location, but rather whether a nation is a part of the European Broadcasting Union. Morocco has participated in the past under this rule, and Lebanon nearly participated in the 2005 competition. However, Israel has been the only "non-European" nation to have a continued presence in Eurovision, with some major successes and some equally major controversies.
Israel made its debut in 1973, with "Ey Sham (Somewhere)" sung by Ilanit. Sounding like it could have been taken from the catalog of Carole King or Carly Simon, Ilanit took her country to 4th place during a highly-competitive year that saw ESC classics from Luxembourg, Spain, and the UK, among others. It didn't take long for Israel to reach victory; in 1978 Itzar Cohen and the AlphaBeta took home the crown with "A-Ba-Ni-Bi", a song whose chorus was basically in the Hebrew version of Pig Latin. The next year, Israel scored a rare second consecutive win with "Hallelujah" by Gali Atari featuring Milk and Honey, a song that I distinctly remember hearing back in Hebrew School while training for my Bat Mitzvah.
Since "Hallelujah", Israel has racked up some pretty strong results, generally with either uptempo numbers often referring to the nation itself (such as 1982's "Hora", 1983's "Chai (Alive)", and 1991's "Kan (Here)") or big-voiced ballads (like 1990's "Shara Barchovot (Singing in the Streets)", 2005's stunning Hasheket Shenishar (The Silence that Remains)", or 2008's "The Fire in Your Eyes").
Granted, broadcaster IBA's sent some pretty crazy entries, as well. Check out 1987's "Shir Habatlanim"...also known as "The Lazy Bum's Song". When in doubt, try channeling the Blues Brothers, I guess. Supposedly, the Israeli Minister of Culture was so disgusted by the song that he threatened to resign if the network went through with sending the Bums to the ESC. I suppose a respectable 8th-place finish put him in his place, as there's no record of him leaving his post.
Even beyond the little tiff between the IBA and the humorless Minister of Culture, Israel is no stranger to Eurovision-based controversy. As I've mentioned before, many nations throughout the Middle East and North Africa are entitled to enter the ESC if they so choose. However, as many nations refuse to acknowledge Israel as an independent nation, and even go so far as to edit out the Israeli songs, many possible participants have refused to enter just on the grounds that Israel's there. In fact, when it became evident that Israel had won the 1978 contest (before voting had concluded, as it was a decisive victory), a Jordanian station showing the contest cut to an extended commercial break and eventually announced runners-up Belgium as the winner.
The topic of peace in the Middle East (and the lack thereof) has come up often in Israel's entries. In 2007, the entry "Push The Button" by Teapacks was nearly disqualified for alluding to the growing nuclear capabilities of Iran (sample lyric: "There are some crazy rulers/they hide and try to fool us/with demonic technologic/willingness to harm/They're gonna push the button"). Last year, IBA decided to approach the theme from a different direction, bringing Yemeni-Israeli singer Noa and Bulgarian-Arabic-Palestinian singer Mira Awad together to sing "There Must Be Another Way". For the first time, Arabic was sung alongside Hebrew and English in an Israeli entry, and the song had the unique ability to inspire some listeners and completely enrage others. On one hand, you had two wonderful performers from two different faiths, ethnicities, languages, and cultures singing a song of hope and empathy together. However, many hardliners on both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict saw Noa and Mira as traitors, or at least overly optimistic during times of war. I personally was one of those inspired by the two women, and I wholeheartedly appreciated their efforts (and their song).
You can't mention the words "Eurovision", "Israel", and "controversy" in the same breath without mentioning Dana International, however. She took the 1998 ESC by storm with her disco-anthem "Diva", winning the first Eurovision decided by a public televote. She gave Israel its third victory, and sealed her own international notoriety. So, why all the fuss?
Dana was actually born male. Conservatives all over Israel and the rest of Europe were gobsmacked, but Europe embraced Dana, and the victory of "Diva" is considered one of the seminal moments of the Eurovision Song Contest.
So, after all of that, who's carrying the Magen David to Oslo?
This year, the honor goes to "Milim (Words)", performed 28-year-old Harel Skaat. A small preselection followed his internal selection by IBA, where Skaat sang 4 songs written specifically for the occasion (my personal favorite of the four, "Le'an (Away)", came in as runner up).
In a year full of ballads, "Milim" truly stands head and shoulders above the rest. Harel's incredibly talented, both in vocal ability and presentation. There are rumors that he might perform the song with a verse in either English or French, which may take away from some of the impact of using Hebrew, but it may also make the song more accesible to a non-Hebrew-speaking audience (which is, of course, the vast majority of ESC-viewers). However, Israel's 3 previous victories were sung entirely in Hebrew, so you never know. I can almost guarantee that this will not only qualify for the final, but it may be in the running for the win. I can't wait to see what Harel brings to the Eurovision stage in a few weeks!
When I speak to people about Eurovision for the first time, and mention that one of the most consistently strong entrants to the competition is Israel, I generally hear a variation of the same reaction.
"Israel? That's not even in Europe!"
Well, geographically speaking, that's true. However, entry to the ESC is not actually based on location, but rather whether a nation is a part of the European Broadcasting Union. Morocco has participated in the past under this rule, and Lebanon nearly participated in the 2005 competition. However, Israel has been the only "non-European" nation to have a continued presence in Eurovision, with some major successes and some equally major controversies.
Israel made its debut in 1973, with "Ey Sham (Somewhere)" sung by Ilanit. Sounding like it could have been taken from the catalog of Carole King or Carly Simon, Ilanit took her country to 4th place during a highly-competitive year that saw ESC classics from Luxembourg, Spain, and the UK, among others. It didn't take long for Israel to reach victory; in 1978 Itzar Cohen and the AlphaBeta took home the crown with "A-Ba-Ni-Bi", a song whose chorus was basically in the Hebrew version of Pig Latin. The next year, Israel scored a rare second consecutive win with "Hallelujah" by Gali Atari featuring Milk and Honey, a song that I distinctly remember hearing back in Hebrew School while training for my Bat Mitzvah.
Since "Hallelujah", Israel has racked up some pretty strong results, generally with either uptempo numbers often referring to the nation itself (such as 1982's "Hora", 1983's "Chai (Alive)", and 1991's "Kan (Here)") or big-voiced ballads (like 1990's "Shara Barchovot (Singing in the Streets)", 2005's stunning Hasheket Shenishar (The Silence that Remains)", or 2008's "The Fire in Your Eyes").
Granted, broadcaster IBA's sent some pretty crazy entries, as well. Check out 1987's "Shir Habatlanim"...also known as "The Lazy Bum's Song". When in doubt, try channeling the Blues Brothers, I guess. Supposedly, the Israeli Minister of Culture was so disgusted by the song that he threatened to resign if the network went through with sending the Bums to the ESC. I suppose a respectable 8th-place finish put him in his place, as there's no record of him leaving his post.
Even beyond the little tiff between the IBA and the humorless Minister of Culture, Israel is no stranger to Eurovision-based controversy. As I've mentioned before, many nations throughout the Middle East and North Africa are entitled to enter the ESC if they so choose. However, as many nations refuse to acknowledge Israel as an independent nation, and even go so far as to edit out the Israeli songs, many possible participants have refused to enter just on the grounds that Israel's there. In fact, when it became evident that Israel had won the 1978 contest (before voting had concluded, as it was a decisive victory), a Jordanian station showing the contest cut to an extended commercial break and eventually announced runners-up Belgium as the winner.
The topic of peace in the Middle East (and the lack thereof) has come up often in Israel's entries. In 2007, the entry "Push The Button" by Teapacks was nearly disqualified for alluding to the growing nuclear capabilities of Iran (sample lyric: "There are some crazy rulers/they hide and try to fool us/with demonic technologic/willingness to harm/They're gonna push the button"). Last year, IBA decided to approach the theme from a different direction, bringing Yemeni-Israeli singer Noa and Bulgarian-Arabic-Palestinian singer Mira Awad together to sing "There Must Be Another Way". For the first time, Arabic was sung alongside Hebrew and English in an Israeli entry, and the song had the unique ability to inspire some listeners and completely enrage others. On one hand, you had two wonderful performers from two different faiths, ethnicities, languages, and cultures singing a song of hope and empathy together. However, many hardliners on both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict saw Noa and Mira as traitors, or at least overly optimistic during times of war. I personally was one of those inspired by the two women, and I wholeheartedly appreciated their efforts (and their song).
You can't mention the words "Eurovision", "Israel", and "controversy" in the same breath without mentioning Dana International, however. She took the 1998 ESC by storm with her disco-anthem "Diva", winning the first Eurovision decided by a public televote. She gave Israel its third victory, and sealed her own international notoriety. So, why all the fuss?
So, after all of that, who's carrying the Magen David to Oslo?
This year, the honor goes to "Milim (Words)", performed 28-year-old Harel Skaat. A small preselection followed his internal selection by IBA, where Skaat sang 4 songs written specifically for the occasion (my personal favorite of the four, "Le'an (Away)", came in as runner up).
In a year full of ballads, "Milim" truly stands head and shoulders above the rest. Harel's incredibly talented, both in vocal ability and presentation. There are rumors that he might perform the song with a verse in either English or French, which may take away from some of the impact of using Hebrew, but it may also make the song more accesible to a non-Hebrew-speaking audience (which is, of course, the vast majority of ESC-viewers). However, Israel's 3 previous victories were sung entirely in Hebrew, so you never know. I can almost guarantee that this will not only qualify for the final, but it may be in the running for the win. I can't wait to see what Harel brings to the Eurovision stage in a few weeks!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Thank You!
Wow...looking at my hit counter in the bottom of my page, it looks like I've hit 100 readers (or, at least, individual computers...and only two of those are mine, I promise!) I just wanted to say "thank you" for reading my random rants and raves on the ESC. I started writing here just for my own enjoyment (and also to keep from ranting about it to everyone I know), but to know that I've got other people enjoying what I'm doing...it means a lot to me. Keep telling your friends, other ESC fans, anyone! If you're an OGAE Member, tell the rest of your club about my little corner of the Internet...all are welcome!
I'd love to know more about who's reading ESCInsider, though. Feel free to leave me a comment, tell me what you like, what you don't, if you think I'm right or wrong about Country X or Song Y, where you're from, how you found me...I genuinely would love to know!
All the best to you, dear readers...and again, thank you!
-Sam
I'd love to know more about who's reading ESCInsider, though. Feel free to leave me a comment, tell me what you like, what you don't, if you think I'm right or wrong about Country X or Song Y, where you're from, how you found me...I genuinely would love to know!
All the best to you, dear readers...and again, thank you!
-Sam
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