Eurovision 2020 (now featuring Eurovision 2021)

I noticed that there wasn't a thread yet.

UK entry picked by BMG:
Eurovision 2020: James Newman announced as United Kingdom's entry

corona, carona, let’s call the whole thing off:

https://escxtra.com/2020/02/26/coronavirus-eurovision/

(first case in the Netherlands has just been confirmed)

mid-tempo meh

the uk entry or the spread of the coronavirus?

France will do worse than usual (and that’s saying something) so let’s just name Joey Corona the winner and call it off

Horrific set of English titles among the entries that are known so far: “The Best In Me”, “Don’t Break Me”, “Chains On You”, “Release Me”, “My Last Breath”, “Still Breathing”, and okay, “Violent Thing”. Is this 1964? (tho it could also read as some kind of torture scene, I guess).

The French song (“The Best Of Me”) is like a parody of a generic anthemic song. The UK one is made-to-measure for last place in the final.

“The Best *In* Me”

and oh, there’s also “On Fire” - par for the course

The UK entry and everything surrounding it is so low effort. It's going to come last and everyone involved knows it, but they could at least pretend that this'll be the year the UK wins.

🇮🇸
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=emb_title&time_continue=52&v=VFZNvj-HfBU

Please, please tell me “Daði Freyr” is Icelandic for “Lonely Guy”.

I do recommend this podcast for American listeners:

http://eurovision.whatelseison.tv/

Maura's been on a few times, and I've just been invited to comment on a forthcoming episode.

Iceland has some competition.

Here comes 🇷🇺
https://escxtra.com/2020/03/12/little-big-uno-russia-eurovision-2020/

This is...interesting.

BREAKING: #Eurovision 2020 has been cancelled. Official statement coming tomorrow:

Eurovision 2021 will be held in Rotterdam, but with new acts and new songs. All artists from this year will be invited back; but due to the rules, all current songs will no longer be eligible. pic.twitter.com/OVCLJxKxvX

— sᴜᴘᴇʀ ᴛᴠ (@superTV247) March 17, 2020

What’s another year

shit got real :(

New acts but artists invited back? Sounds contradictory

this is really dumb, it's a song contest not a performer contest, should have found a way to move it online

Xpost obviously not all this years acts will want to do it again next year

As compensation to the Dutch organisers, Afrojack and DJ Tiesto to remix all songs for next year.

Is this certain? The Eurovision account itself hasn’t tweeted anything. The cancellation wouldn’t surprise me but the idea that the same artists with new songs will compete next year is a bit strange.

I think we could have some good fun with an online-only contest, come on now

I imagine something like plug.fm, with dancing bears avatars.

I think it's more like the artists are not banned from entering again, but the songs each year have to be written the year of the contest, so even if they enter the same artist it can't be the same song. Some of you seem to be reading it as mandatory that the same artists appear, which isn't what the tweet says. (NB I could be wrong myself, but this is how I read it.)

I don't know what "supertv" is, but there's no official report about it being cancelled.

(yet, I s'pose)

It's off officially now btw

were there going to be any good songs this year?

Of the ones I‘ve heard (admittedly, not a whole lot) I liked Iceland, Switzerland, and Ukraine most.
Bulgaria had a credible Billie Eilish facsimile, but forgot to bring in the Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares choir as backing vocalists to make it truly special. Also have a soft spot for the Czech entry.

Relistening to these now, I’m giving my 12 points to Ukraine, no question (plus a bonus point for reminding me of Die Wilde Jagd’s “2000 Elefanten” with that flute motif).

You’ll probably be able to hear snippets of the entries (hopefully all 41 of them!) during this placeholder event on 16 May: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision:_Europe_Shine_a_Light

Portugal should have chosen this one instead of the insipid ballad it chose.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5znBj_mg10

Ukraine performance on Youtube has massive Eurovision Bingo energy. Good song too.

The way she pronounces "Like CleopatRRRRRa" is pretty cool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0VzBCvO1Wk

Q. Is Denmark's "entry" as hatefully smug as every year? [except for the walking Viking dudes, they were fine]
A. Why yes it is

That Ukrainian entry is a hacked and stitched together weird beast of things which don't fit at all, and I love it.

thanks to this revive I've become totally smitten with Switzerland's francophone operatic ballad. I already posted a link to the studio version, this is him singing it live with just piano:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPWeARr2M3M
Gjon's Tears • Répondez-moi (Acoustic Version)

A solid dix points from me.

Happy Eurovision day :(

To keep me company I made a playlist of my own favourites over the years, if you too agree that "I Love You Mi Vida" and "Lost and Forgotten" are all-time classics you may find something to enjoy here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL17189D58E7546917

good list!

watching this warming-up show from last December - the amazingness of “Fuego” (at the end, just before the “Euphoria” finale, but upstaging Loreen) remains undiminished.

it hurts not to have the real thing this year...

oops, here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHOezYTDpEY

anyone watching?

Yes. 30 seconds per song and it still takes 2 hours.

“former Eurovision participants offer their thoughts on coronavirus” is not the absolute pinnacle of entertainment but I guess I’ll take what I can get

Prison
Release Me
My Last Breath
Still Breathing

"In these difficult times" performed by a continent's worth of artists.

Still I guess it'll do. Now they're teasing ABBA too

It's either Benny or Bjorn.

"They don't show up much these days" -- I think Björn shows up whenever anyone asks. He could've given us some news about the new ABBA tracks at least!

Benny has been on TV a lot in the last few years as well.

I wish they'd explain why there's not Eurovision this year

Graham Norton's either been stockpiling fake tan or he's got a sunbed in his lockdown house.

Release Me sounds like that Sheryl Crow Bond theme with Portishead Live in NYC backing

(Belgium)

Had a joint watching party over FB but we hadn't realised the TV show wasn't going to be the actual songs, had to hurriedly move to youtube. Ukraine won our 12 points, but Azerbaijan were really close behind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIvaeu6Oxzc

I'm team finland

UK Eurovision 2021 news: Same guy as last year. New song. No you can't hear it yet. No-one cares.

From the still I was expecting Finland to be proper metal, not crabcore revival. Not particularly into it, but it is fun.

Ukraine are also entering the same act again, I think last year's song was a bit better but I don't see any other country topping this for me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDeMfL8Ib9A

love this

«Шум» is great, didn’t know it was another Eurovision entry! “Solovey” was my favourite last year.

"Solovey" was great, this is decent, don't think I could make it through a full Go_A album though

I’m all in for this one as well. imagine this mashing (and moshing!) up the place in a live situation - that wail at the end takes it next level

won’t get thru the semis probably tho. the Solovey love wasn’t very wide-spread last year

You reckon? Difficult for me to tell as everyone I know adored that one, but I realise my friends probably do not make up the bulk of the Eurovision audience.

Also, I'm guessing the plan is for Eurovision proper to go ahead this year? Most places seem to be doing better than the UK and even we seem to be managing to roll out vaccinations, so I guess it may be doable?

it will def go ahead, but most likely scenario will be performances without audience, either in Rotterdam or (more likely) beamed in from all the participating countries.

https://eurovision.tv/story/eurovision-2021-determined-yet-realistic-plans-for-may

(this was early Feb, but the socially-distanced audience option is going to be ditched sooner or later)

Thanks, bc.

out of the rest of the entries that are out now I like Israel’s “Set Me Free” by Eden Alene best - it’s one of several Duannabees (who’d have thunk?):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opmTs9uvENI

favourite line so far: “there ain’t no Apocalypse as long as you’re here on my lips” (© Benny Cristo, Czech Republic, 2021)

worst by some considerable distance is the German entry, which pre-emptively out-Danishes the Danes with the offensively twee “I Don’t Feel Hate” (good for you, I do). it’s probably all very wink-wink ironic, which makes it all the more punchable. here’s hoping the Danes will withdraw in admiration. they couldn’t possibly bottom this.

as we’re preparing to redo the 2020 edition in 2021, the ghost of the 2019 edition is still with us as well:

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-56210143

welcome to the contest... Flo Rida:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRAN7AzEKak

UK's entry: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-56349129
Not totally shit but it couldn't hold my interest for it's entire running time. The horns make it sound like an Olly Murs song.

Why don't they get people or songs with personality for the UK entry, ever. I can't remember the last time. This is going to get some random votes here and there and otherwise people will have forgot about it after listening to 15 other tracks and artists that pop more.

ain’t half bad as UK entries go. it at least sounds like some run of the mill, slightly outdated UK pop instead of like some shit like it usually does

valiant effort by Daði Freyr to catch lightning in a bottle twice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORDK1XQToAY
Daði og Gagnamagnið • 10 Years

yeah :(

I know Eurovision 2020 didn't really happen, but new thread?

in many ways it’s the same edition: same host city, most of the artists are the same.

I could ask une mod to adjust the thread title accordingly, “Eurovision 2020 —-> 2021” or something.

should have added a question mark there, it’s a suggestion after all. hope snoball, the thread starter, can shine their light on the matter

I can change the title to that if you want, I guess it might make sense? I don't have strong feelings either way.

I found 'Think About Things' fairly cloying, I think this one might be more so.

ESC enthusiasts, cast your votes or vetoes before douze heures or yours is losing game, I say!

I don't have strong feelings either way.

Adding 2021 to the thread title is fine by me. Most countries seem to be sending the same acts, just different songs.

what's another year?

thanx emil.y!

solid post-Netta effort from Russia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l01wa2ChX64

France really really reminds me of something else - either that or it got stuck in my head already after two listens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9t_SwPN31s

“Шум/Shum”, “Russian Woman” and Azerbaijan’s “Mata Hari” are sort of triangled in my mind:

“Шум/Shum” and “Russian Woman” are connected through their use of folk melodies, “Russian Woman” and “Mata Hari” through their Arabic/Anatolian elements, and “Mata Hari” connects back to “Шум/Shum” through the metal-like noise (шум means exactly that, and just listen to the final 20 seconds of “Mata Hari”!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSiZmR1c7Q4
Efendi • Mata Hari
(my current favourite)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7-dxzp6Jvs
Go_A • Shum
(this is the official ESC version, shorter and somewhat toned down from the 4’ version emil.y posted upthread)

the triangle works geographically as well:

RUS
^
- -
- -
- -
v v
UKR <- - - - - - - - - - > AZE

(it does in Zing anyway lol)

all 39* entries in 14 minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6FU4wPI-ng

(Belarus was disqualified for being too political, twice,
Armenia decided to withdraw its entry because of the political crisis in the country)

audiences (Dutch only) will be allowed (unless conditions deteriorate):

https://www.escdaily.com/dutch-government-allows-reduced-amount-of-audience-at-eurovision-2021/

So, I had some thoughts on some of the entries:

😈💅 New Episode 💅😈 @nedraggett joins us to chat about the devils in the details of the #Eurovision entries from #Slovenia, #Sweden, #Cyprus, #Norway, #Croatia, and #Belgium. #OpenUp your podcast apps and have a listen to one hell of an episode! https://t.co/WqVtqhaEpP

— The EuroWhat? Podcast (@EuroWhat) April 6, 2021

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/18/russias-eurovision-entry-to-be-investigated-for-lyrcs
lol

I'm surprised (and happy) to see that the Hooverphonic are still around and are the Belgian entry. It seems so random!

I am kind of obsessed with Mata Hari as well. That chorus is massive! Can anyone recommend artist/songs in the same vein (i.e. Europop with Middle Eastern flourishes)? I'm a little disconnected from ILM so I'm unaware if there's already a thread for it.

Europop with Middle Eastern flourishes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF9BcOvBwfM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzKgojZqO5Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdxOCTezeTg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bridO-wD7c8

inexact application of "Middle Eastern" but first few things that came to mind

Those are:
Inga & Anush • Jan-Jan (Armenia, 2009)
Hadise • Düm Tek Tek (Turkey, 2009)
Nadav Guedj • Golden Boy (Israel, 2015)
Sirusho • Qélé, Qélé (Armenia, 2008)

thanks for posting these, seandalai – didn’t really have those older ones handy in my mind!

the current gold standard for this is Eleni Foureira’s fantastic “Fuego” (Cyprus), which should have won in 2018 over Netta’s “Toy” (and would have, if Eleni wouldn’t have been overcome with nerves in the final over the prospect). of this year’s contenders, “Mata Hari” and San Marino’s “Adrenalina” (see upthread) are following in this song’s footsteps.
feel the fire an let your pelican fly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54PHdAEmJkM

that thrilling davul/zurna hook makes it. it’s a combination of instruments that is traditionally used in wedding music all over the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean, Anatolia and the Kaukasus, part of the Ottoman footprint in the region (as well as that of the Romani in the Balkans possibly?).
of course Eurovision is just the tip of this iceberg, there are whole (thriving) genres that can be traced back to this imprint. check for example: Bulgarian chalga: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalga and Romanian manele: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manele.

Anyways, I don’t think there’s much to be found on any of this on ILM (unless it’s buried somewhere in some oughties thread or other). I do post the occasional Türkpop banger here: I don't like Turkish music, or do I?

as for “Toy”, you may remember it for its chorus, but listen to the beats/percussion in the verses: it has its fair share of Middle Easternness, like most Israeli entries these days - see “Golden Boy” above and this year’s “Set Me Free” by Eden, which features Arabic strings in the mix.
there’s Arabic flourishes in “Russian Woman” as well, as I mentioned above.
And then there’s the Albanian entry, “Karma” by Anxhela Peristeri, (quoting Wikipedia here) “a dramatic ethnic Balkan-inspired pop ballad combining modern and traditional Albanian elements.” – which means large parts also sound very Turkish. they forgot to mention the trap section tho! needless to say I love it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4D_RfEFwd4

it's the opposite of a banger, but Ukraine’s 2016 ESC winner, Jamala’s beautiful “1944”, deserves a mention as well. from Wikipedia: “The song's chorus, in the Crimean language, is made up of words from a Crimean Tatar folk song called "Ey Güzel Qırım" that Jamala had heard from her great-grandmother, reflecting on the loss of a youth which could not be spent in her homeland. The song features the duduk [...] and the use of the mugham vocal style.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-rnM-MwRHY

Thank you, seandalai and breastcrawl!

:)

This is exactly what I was looking for.

Ooh, thanks for the tips on chalga and manele, breastcrawl. I'm into this stuff but tend to find it very sporadically and semi-randomly, so it's good to have some search terms to use to go investigating myself.

you’re welcome, emil.y (and daavid of course!)

I would probably find lots to love in these genres, but I never got around to really checking them out.

bonus, because related:
Omar Souleyman, who brought Syrian wedding music to the masses at Western rock festivals a decade ago

he's got his own (busy, one time) thread: so this omar souleyman guy (RFI, RFD)

Thanks again, breastcrawl. I'll check it out.

I may start a thread about this (I still don't know what to call it), but in the meantime I'm sharing a short playlist (the product of a couple of late night YouTube rabbit holes) of the kind of stuff I've been looking for (don't even know what to call it). Comprises stuff from North Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6zyXmG5g9xEpDzbHi1waRQQWDk8WC7YH

very cool, lots of Albanian stuff there, look forward to checking those out!

(and you already gave it a name!)

j’adoooore “Meleğim”, an Algerian singer/rapper and a French-Congolese singer doing a Francophone Arabic pop song with a Turkish title, with a video shot in Istanbul, superbe

I didn’t know Sura İskenderli! “Dinle” goes hard, amazing!

Yes, I am now realizing most of these songs are Albanian.

do start that thread, it will be fun!

(and it will probably find its course, even if you’re not quite sure of the premise)

Done! A thread for pop with Arabic influences from the Balkans, Transcaucasia, North Africa and the Middle East

Also discovering a few great Chalga and Manele tracks!

20% attendance (3,500 people) allowed at every show:

https://eurovision.tv/story/eurovision-song-contest-fieldlab

Dutch TV showed the 1970 edition (also held in the Netherlands) late last night, as part of the buildup to this year’s contest.

the whole affair was over within 75 minutes, no frills that I could see, and frankly (and quite surprisingly to me) poor quality almost across the board. guess I liked Katja Epstein best, and of course it’s quite fascinating to see Julio Iglesias make his international debut.

turns out it’s on YouTube as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNoNzN12ecU

Okay, four hours to the first semifinal! And it'll actually be properly streamed over here thanks to the Peacock service.

Jesus, the announcements almost killed me. I was so sure Ukraine were going out.

Yeah that was rough

Go_AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Jesus, the announcements almost killed me. I was so sure Ukraine were going out.

Yeah I was about to explode on that front. Whew, in a word. (My four faves from this bunch all went through -- them, Lithuania, Belgium, Malta. Shame about Australia, especially given some of the trash that DID go through.)

Either they saved the best three till last, or the drink was kicking in. Or probably both. I wasn’t bowled over by Lithuania, but perhaps I was still in warm up mode at that stage. Something seemed to go horribly wrong for Ireland - the staging at the end can’t have been what was planned, which may account for why she buried her head in her hands instead of graciously receiving such applause as there was. Predictions-wise, I got a better than usual 9/10: undervalued Lithuania, overvalued Macedonia’s appeal to the “musical theatre” niche.

Ukraine superb, Russia very good, Israel pretty decent, the rest more or less forgettable.

Azerbaijan and Ukraine my favourites

I'm guessing Australia may have lost out a bit on not being actually present today nor on Saturday -- voters may have preferred all participants to actually be on stage?

Iceland cursed 🙁

Iceland's Eurovision contenders Daði og Gagnamagnið had promised BBC Newsbeat a "more is more" approach, full of lights, colours, pyrotechnics and "sassiness".

But in an emotional Instagram video, band member Jóhann Sigurður Jóhannsson tells of his sadness that they will not be able to perform live after he tested positive for Covid.

"I'm healthy. It's difficult because we've worked so hard and I really wanted this and it's been so long in the making,” he says.

The band will stay in the competition but previous rehearsal footage will be used for Thursday's semi-final and, if they qualify, the final on Saturday.

previous winner Duncan Laurence has also tested positive - won’t be able to perform on Saturday or present the trophy to this year’s winner.
quite concerning, it seems to spell trouble within that heavily tested and regulated ESC bubble

read monitored for regulated, I guess

(Laurence was there at Tuesday’s semis as well)

Iceland deserve to be cursed. But yeah, the news is definitely troubling.

I love love love the costume reveal in the Russian entry

Eefje de Visser’s album Nachtlicht is excellent. This, not so much.

so is last year’s Bitterzoet!

and in a similar vein, S10’s Vlinders album, which I love even more

(it was on my EOY ballot last year, I actually considered campaigning for it by saying try if you like the stuff on ShariVari’s Central/Eastern European & Central Asian Pop thread)

Definitely some dull stretches in the SF today but a lot of said dullards didn't go through, happily. Most of my faves did -- Iceland, San Marino, Albania, Serbia -- and while I'm sad Denmark didn't make it (the crowd chant was amazing!) Finland getting in was great because those characters know exactly what to do in the green room and I am looking forward to further LOLs, not to mention what happens when they go up against Maneskin.

I don't know how I've lived my life without seeing Ukraine's entry from 2007 until today. Truly one of the greatest things I've ever clapped eyes on

Hello everybody!
My name is Verka Serduchka
Me English nicht verstehen!
Let's speak dance!…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfjHJneVonE

I was impressed at how there was a nip slip and nobody even thought it worth mentioning (although here I am mentioning it)

Jed, our wonderful Ukraine representatives this year covered it, too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKDXxNKfu9M

Thanks!

Denmark's was the best by a mile, no wonder it didn't get through.

J'ai rencontré l'homme dans la rue, et c'est un con

the Danish entry was amazing by Danish standards, which means hey, it was quite nice actually. it not going through was karma for all the utter crap they have inflicted upon us throughout this century

is there a thread for Eurovision countries whose entries are your own personal nails on chalkboard?

I think I might have missed Denmark's entry last night, which ones were they? Pretty much anything would've been better than Portugal getting through, though, ugh.

is there a thread for Eurovision countries whose entries are your own personal nails on chalkboard?

Ha, I was wondering about a poll for the opposite - countries whose entries tend to be your faves. For me I def get amped up about seeing what Azerbaijan and Ukraine have to offer but I've never checked back to see if they are really the most consistently good entries or if I just ~~feel~~ like they are. Obv some countries have longer Eurovision histories than others, but I reckon people could even make a case for Australia's consistency (never my favourites but I don't think I've disliked any of their entries, unless something's eluding my mind).

over the years France have had countless low-key great entries which inevitably finish mid-table, and they don't seem to mind

I think I might have missed Denmark's entry last night, which ones were they?

They were the very 80s duo who ended the performance section -- the song's just all right but the performance was amazing. Really should have gotten in over a couple of those other entries.

thought the Danish song was a bit rubbish sorry (performance was good but having a good song is more important)
Czech Republic should have got through.

the Danish entry was amazing by Danish standards, which means hey, it was quite nice actually. it not going through was karma for all the utter crap they have inflicted upon us throughout this century

Only remotely good Danish entry was tall inspirational Viking dude from a few years back.

Classic: Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, France, San Marino, Greece, Bosnia

Dud: Denmark, Poland, Germany, Switzerland

This year's picks: Ukraine, Bulgaria, San Marino

excited for tonight!

hoping 1) Azerbaijcan or 2) Ukraine will win, but there’s plenty of others I like.

(Ukraine possibly the best Eurovision country of the 21st century - I also have a lot of time for Albania)

I'm 5 mins behind. I need a boring one to ffwd through to catch up with Twitter.

Not seen any of the semis etc

Hooverphonic representing Belgium. Kind of like if the UK managed to get Portishead.

I liked their last year one, an inoffensive Bond thing.

I was about to say Boring Belgians In Black.

Portugal have a left-wing government...I expected better

Quite strong entries so far - by now we've normally had some snoozefest man in a hat

NB I haven't got to Portugal yet

Guess what?

I blame myself...

"Get Brexit Done"

Fucks sake why have we got this
I still can't get over the 2020 one being called 'My Last Breath'

I can’t I see this. And nor should you. pic.twitter.com/pSZ3ODSyWX

— Attitude (@AttitudeMag) May 22, 2021

heehee

I will give Moldova points in the category of 'chorus rhymes with country name'

lol

Wow Moldova were amazing #Eurovision pic.twitter.com/XwaHkFfBUY

— george (@georgegriffiths) May 22, 2021

Germany going down the Fathers Crilly and Maguire route.

Russia, Iceland and Finland so far

Germany's Jendrik followed by his edgy Finnish older brothers Blind Channel.

back up back up what you gonna do now

Germany genuinely one of the worst things I've ever heard / seen at Eurovision, an achievement of sorts.

I had the exact same thought.

Finland sounded like a PWEI b-side.
but hey, in the grand scheme of things, thats a bonus.
Germany was dreadful.
Enjoyed Iceland a lot.

What does this bulgaria one sound like?

Telex failed to win in 1980 so it only seems right that Iceland should win in 2021 with a song that sounds like Telex in 1980.

Lithuania = Butlins Fischerspooner.

It's taken me all evening but I've worked out that the three little notes just before each song sounds a bit like Wow by Kate Bush

Really liked Lithuania and France, Ukraine is still getting my vote though.

Finland was generic sports metal from 20 years ago, completely unremarkable in every way.

smh at Graham Norton's continued insistence that the Finnish and Italian entries are somehow both 'heavy metal'.

Feels like France have been sending songs like that to Eurovision every year for the last 50-odd years, not sure what's so different about this one?

Remember the days when putting subtitles on would give you the English translation? Technological backward steps etc

xp I mean yes, but they are usually very good and that one was particularly, won't win of course.

https://media.tenor.com/images/4e0464d1324b3c31d359bbfcf1dddbe0/tenor.gif

LOL UK. We're shit and we know we are.

European public OTM.

LOL crying Italian goths.

This was top 5

Also:

when a european couple on vacation ask if you want to swing and you’re like, shit maybe https://t.co/TYVKAt12Ki

— international gender champion (@AliceAvizandum) May 22, 2021

They love their slightly heavy rock in Eastern Europe so maybe the UK can look into going down that path in next year's contest.

Ukraine did better than I was expecting them to, so that makes me happy. But the Italian song is not really much of anything, not sure why they were so incredibly popular?

Ah that was great. Zero problems with the Italians, from when I saw their original video for it I was all "I like these trash rockers, bring it." And totally happy with Iceland and Ukraine top five.

My 86 yo mum shouted "SHITE!" when one of the juries gave Malta douze points lol.

She'd had two vodkas.

Malta got rooked in the popular vote I thought -- a winner no, but that final total should have been higher.

They love their slightly heavy rock in Eastern Europe so maybe the UK can look into going down that path in next year's contest.

― Are Animated Dads Getting Hotter? (Tom D.), Saturday, May 22, 2021 10:56 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

UK will continue to send nice acts doing serviceable songs in a competent way, as they represent 'Britain' in the way that any decent British music does not feel the need to.

And will still lose embarrassingly and people will moan about politics, as if its the same countries that win it every year.

Think of every winner over the past ten years, and consider which alternate universe contains a reality where any of those songs could conceivably have been the UK entry.

brexit may be a factor in the UK's popularity ?

more precisely the UK's inept uselessness at EV lo these 40* years is a cause of brexit

*im a katrina and the waves truther, this was a bad boring song and shd not have won, 1981 and buck's fizz was our last solid victory

on twitter max tundra is angling to write next year's song but i think we shd adopt the ukrainian model and deliver some sinister microtonal neo-folk, david tibet can't be that busy

I hated the song that won. My least favorite this year (perhaps tied with the German entry).

Combine it with the proven Lordi template and mask it a costumed folk-horror band. Sinister mummers and Morris dancers, the whole thing. Song by Julian Cope and Stock-Aitken-Waterman.

Liking these ideas. Rather have Rose McDowall than David Tibet though.

Bill Bailey offers to represent UK at Eurovision 2022 https://t.co/xwJif7KwQY

— The Independent (@Independent) May 23, 2021

lordi wouldn't cut it any more as proven template, it was a weak poprock song played loud and gruntily w/grebt costumes which cut thru via novelty and gumption

the italian song had strong guitar parts, an actively unusual feature in an EV song*: johnny thunders and sylvian sylvain can't be that busy

*also it reminded me of the (very good) themetune for SUBURRA: BLOOD OF ROME aka sex, drugs, violence and ZONING (and the wickedest of these is zoning, my son)

bill bailey barred for using the detestable phrase "throw my hat in the ring"

Yes, even the 'rock' songs on EV, like the Finnish song, don't usually have much in the way of rock guitar.

the portuguese song had more of a guitar solo (= unusually much of a guitar solo in this context) (but not in a horrible "the darkness" way) (i did not take the portuguese song to be camp and retro-winky btw)

there's no good reason to like graham continuity-wogan in this role obv but his irritating repeat joke abt metal as "angry music" was especially smug and dullardish (i enjoyed how crestfallen and disgusted he was at the outcome for the UK, it quite took the joy out of his perky-cheeky shtick lol) (good)

Norton sounding crushed was almost as fun as the Swiss lad looking crushed

swiss lad had a genuinely gorgeous impressive voice spoiled by an over-fey (tho probably sincere) performance and a not-great song gussied by by production melodramatics

probably unrepeatable but the points reversals as the popular vote came in were genuinely amazing theatre (as well as a sustained passage of rubbing salt into the uk wound lol lol lol)

i'd like to think if you could vote for your own nation the UK would still have finished nul point

there are 39 juries and 39 countries of popular vote. That means that in 78 different races, the UK didn't manage to score 10th place or better in any of those. That's actually quite an achievement.

xpost Waiting for the first negative points entry from them.

the uk entry had colossal entireled and yet half-assed will-this-do energy

this is why it was so much worse than the german entry, which was skilled and laser-focused trolling (and knowingly achieved its intention)

that's right

yes, but I would prefer to watch something half-arsed, bland and crap than be trolled with some of the most deliberately awful music / visuals I've ever encountered.

https://i2-prod.walesonline.co.uk/incoming/article20658489.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_2.jpg

this is my favourite post-mortem take, if we really want to display our contempt to Europe let's have JHB take over next year.

https://i.imgur.com/7ztJK9e.png

hangover or still pissed? you decide

germany got its points from juries [2 from austria, 1 from romania] which is to say from professional game-recognise-game acknowledgment of the deliberate deliver of the intended effect

televoters agreed across the board with camaraderie ("it may be a skill but fvck it it offends me")

I suspect the Austrian / Romanian judges may have thought "hey this isn't for me but it's the kind of shit the idiotic public seem to like" -whereas

yes, but I would prefer to watch something half-arsed, bland and crap than be trolled with some of the most deliberately awful music / visuals I've ever encountered.

― A viking of frowns, (Camaraderie at Arms Length)

Nah. I hated Germany with a passion but not as much as I hated Portugal.

UK needs to go drill or go home, imo.

Closest UK came to a point was Polish jury (11th). Managed to clock up twenty-one 25th+26th finishes across the 78 polls. EVERY juror on the Israel panel placed UK last, as did the Israel public vote.

Two points from Austrian jury for Germany mostly because of "Juror A" (is that you, Arnie?) and their lunatic 5th-place vote.

We need a deep dive on how the various juries are made up -- i'm guessing it's approached differently by different countries -- but if they do vote so as to prdict and accord with the popular voter then they are not doing their jobs IMO. The divergence is a strength: it amplifies and dramatises the gulf between how those within the craft (music-biz ppl including musicians) assess music and how the general public asssesses it.

also divergence makes the reversals of the final stretch super-exciting

UK panel on Lithuania: 22nd, 13th, 21st, 20th, 25th. UK televote: 1st.

👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

lithuania was one of my faves.
i always enjoy the switcheroo with the public votes, it looked worryingly like that wasn't going to happen last night at the start

Lithuania was the best but I'm not shocked Gary Barlow didn't get it

Lithuania overdid the quirky but the song was good.

Don't have strong feelings about Italy either way, but if feels like one of the least catchy winners in recent memory? I can hum a line or two of pretty much every song that won in the past 15 years (ok maybe not Jamala) but yeah I have nothing for "Zitti e Buoni".

“1944” has a strong hook tho:

Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım

(this is not snark btw)

'1944' is an awesome song, didn't remember it being unpopular on here?

yes, it is awesome

it is awesome! I just couldn't remember how it goes

Nah. I hated Germany with a passion but not as much as I hated Portugal.

https://scandipop.co.uk/norways-eurovision-2022-song-subwoolfer-give-wolf-banana/

We have a new thread!

Eurovision Song Contest 2022

ah, ty