Eurovision Song Contest 2014: "#JoinUs"

Semifinal allocations happen on Monday! Whet your appetite by watching the Robin Thicke impersonator charged with representing Belarus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WBxIWsP9oM

Here's Ukraine's entry:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oBCsNoloy4

Ukraine is a disappointment.

Looking forward to seeing what Conchita Wurst comes up with.

Italian song sounds very Italian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mtgyseWeaQ

oops didn't mean to embed

"Cheesecake" is so bad it sullies the memory of ILOVEBELARUS

After the sad non-pre-selection of My Lesbian Girl I'm now 100% behind Doinita Gherman's awesome rock-ethno-disco banger "Energy" to represent Moldova:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS6QnE-lAv0

If you squint, this is basically a K-Pop track.

Have a feeling this will be great live. Moldova almost always punches above it's weight.

Conchita Wurst is actually not that great, guys. Don't expect a whole lot.

For mine, Hungary has the front-runner so far:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b2GYRRbv50

Finland missed an opportunity, not sending this Robyn-esque but also kinda 80s electro-pop number, could have been this year's "I Feed You My Love":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIVcg1U1M0Y

They sent an adequate song with guitars instead.

Latvia may be the worst song in the competition's recent memory.

I kind of like Latvia...and Iceland.

Fully recognise that it's horrible though.

Cheesecake > Cake To Bake.

(The official promo video for "Cheesecake" is if anything even funnier than the live performance)

Poland return with one of the most Eastern European looking videos I've ever seen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr1DSgjhRqE

Cheesecake is the worst, even worse than Spain.

Still surprised that Poland have decided not to throw the contest for once and sent something half-decent.

Need to find a good stream for Melodifestivalen, there's a band called 'Pink Pistols' and I'm really hoping for a Vanilla Ninja 'Cool Vibes' style track.

"Cheesecake" is basically a pre-2010 German entry with Belarusian production values.

xp Pink Pistols is this year's sop to the old-and-gay contingent iirc

The broadcaster of Melodifestivalen is pretty hard on streams and youtubes and such. But you can torrent the heats pretty easily if you want to see Pink Pistols. (Also, slsk). The song's no good either, the above is correct.

Ah ok cheers for the info, bring on Turkvision then.

that finland reject is good (tho not as OTT as 'i feed you my love'). i really like the modulation on the chorus.

also the video's set reminds me of the bar in parks and recreation.

I like the Italy song a lot.

Also PAULA FUCKING SELLING & OVI are contesting the Romanian preselection tomorrow! This is the song, a bit more Guetta than duelling pianos, and there are a few melodic bits that skirt very close to being pinched from something else (I'm thinking of this song called "Changes In My Life" that I have heard in the occasional gay bar), but it'd comfortably sit in the top half of entries so far.

Clear highlight of the Irish selection show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX-ClGVhgBQ

yurk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX-ClGVhgBQ

Ovi & Paula for Romania. YES!

I've listened to four Norwegian pre-selecation candidates and three of them sounded like Bruno Mars. What gives?

Ovi/Paula don't have much of a song though; I might like it better if they resurrect the transparent fire-breathing double piano.

The French song is growing on me! I think I'm just happy there will be at least one guaranteed unserious song in the final.

This should have won the Romanian selection though:

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

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

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

<3 this guy too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjqT_ZZ3yUM

UK entry, cos I know everyone's been refreshing this thread daily:

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

I guess it's more in tune with what the contest sounds like these days...kind of miss the way that Engelbert/Bonnie stuck out from the crowd.

CHILDREN! CHILDREN! FUTURE! FUTURE!

Verses are alright, chorus is a big bloaty bubble of nothing, though the backing singers are neat. It'll do OK.

eek

Spent a few more hours with Norway. The Norwegian preselections are generally of a high quality, and it was actually only two songs sounded like Bruno Mars. Sorry. Any of the 15 songs over the three heats would do respectably in the contest, I think. My favourite, which won't go anywhere, is the magnificent "Needs" by Dina Misund, but it probably only appeals to people who like Marit Larsen and Kacey Musgraves. I would have given it a 7 out of 10 a few days ago but now I'm sure it's a 9.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnJzmepjh1Q

The Carl Espen song will probably win the whole thing though. Big windswept Coldplay ballad with tremulousness (if not effect) turned up to 10. Not my bag but there's a big market for it. I like the Knut Kippersund Nesdal and Charlie songs a lot too, though they are both kind of trash.

woof that uk song is not good. also her mononym is seriously molly? in 2014? yuuuck

Hoping for an Ace Wilder or even Alcazar upset in Sweden on Sunday...

This is a nice song that won't win the German selection:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Gju-38tco

Yeah it's yet another good "Fade to Grey"-esque synth pop song. Her other song is called "Cotton Candy Hurricane" and I'm like wtf are you Ian Broudie or something. I fear Germany is going to pick The Baseballs. I actually think most of the contemporary artists are competent and would do fine. Not big on the oompah Kate Nash of Elaiza though.

Madeline Juno's songs aren't flattered by the 3 minute running time but she's young and likeable. Oceana is a bit like a less good version of Danish singer Nabiha but the songs are pleasant. One of the Unheilig songs is really good, and if Das Gezeichnete Ich aren't quite up to A-ha standard, they're certainly about as good as Polarkreis 18 were.

Also Ace Wilder and Alcazar are very plausible winners! Helena Paparizou and Sanna Nielsen are dominating the online polls but those things are always way more pro-schlager than the final result, HP's song is shit and on this occasion I will be happy when the excitable homosexuals get disappointed. Ace Wilder is the worthy winner I think.

That said I think Linus Svenning is going to be the winner.

So close :(

God damn it. I blame Anton Ewald for slagging Sanna Nielsen off in the press, saying something like "You can either send Sanna Nielsen, or a pop star". She wins, he comes last! Oof.

Don't think much of the Danish or Slovenian picks either.

Though lol if Russia do choose the Tolmachevy Twins (was up on Wikipedia but seems to have been rolled back).

To be fair, not a single one of the options for those two countries was any good.

This is exactly the kind of Swedish entry that lands at #9 despite bookmakers top 3-ing it we saw every year before Loreen.

To be fair it's not voter repellant like "This is My Life" or "La Voix" were.

Yeah it's just mediocre and old-fashioned. Mid-table will be doing well imo.

Oh Germany, why why why did you go mit die oompah Kate Nash :(

On the bright side, Georgia are sending this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdgGlv4eTf8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uB4JMw4ctc#t=32

Israel's good. Plus the Hebrew verse sounds like she is singing "I touch your dick".

Although MarieMarie was my favourite in Germany, they should really have gone for the ridiculous pirates over one of their Kate Nashes.

xp lol

NRK have been replaying old Norwegian Eurosong finals leading up to Sunday when we choose this year's candidate. Today it's 1985 (eventually producing a Norwegian winner) and the international jury, for the first time involved in national finals and present on stage, was interesting: Anne-Marie David, Tony Visconti, Abba manager Stikkan Anderson and BBC musical director then Ronnie Hazlehurst. Serious business.

Of course there hasn't been an international jury for Norwegian finals in recent years. I watched the Swedish one this year and was surprised to see one giving out points all Eurosong-like.

Unquestionably the best Norwegian international final #1, of course

Armenia's mega-wub balad is pretty impressive, but I still think Hungary is the stand-out song by some distance.

The Austrian tune is here; as I thought it would, it kinda sucks. Tom Neuwirth is a cisgender gay male -- Conchita Wurst is a creation of his management team. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPRHMaghPZE

Snap judgement time...At this point I think Norway will probably win, otherwise I have feelings about:

Good: France, Poland, Iceland, Latvia, Georgia
Evil: Belarus, Spain, Denmark, Azerbaijan, Belgium
Pour one out for: Ace Wilder, Doinita Gherman, MarieMarie, Hardjock

See you all back here in May!

Having suffered through some very lacklustre semi finals the thing about the Norwegian entry is though at first he's got the 'american idol'-type charm of being a big tough guy with a gentle voice, in fact he's shaky live and on the chorus he gets this whiny, struggling tone that grates after the first listen. The melody is instant and best the first time through. Don't know if semi + final is enough for the European audience to tire of it though.

Yeah, when I said "This is a potential winner" I was going off a studio version. The live performance certainly does not paint the song in a particularly good light but it still stood out at Melodi Grand Prix against a few Big Diva Empowerment Anthems and some trashy pop etc etc. And now it has some competition in the Enormo-Ballad stakes from Armenia to boot (plus possible Scandi-fatigue working against it). I still think it should be highly tipped but I really hope it doesn't win.

Yah NOR seems to me a bit foghorn-nothingy. What I kinda *want* to root for is EST; saw the thing on youtube, but suspect it was studio vocals with stage dance? If she is even *close* to that delivery while being swooshed around like ice-dance queen, it will do ok I predict, lacking indefinite article notwithstanding.

My recent OMG I LOVE THIS NOW is Macedonia. It shouldn't be so good. But it is!

Estonia is growing on me but the staging is.. uh.. a bit Euphoria-eque, so.

I'm on Euro hiatus before the real madness begins but can report that these songs keep popping up in my head: Ireland, Latvia, France. Have completely forgotten how the UK entry goes, other than that there's a naff "Power to the People" bit.

The field seems a little more open this year. Armenia doesn't really sound like a 6/4 favourite to me.

25/1 on Norway could be a good e/w bet.

I put my very meagre bets on Norway and Ukraine this year. Norway was nearly unbackable before Armenia was released, but I'm really not impressed by that at rehearsals, and in the absence of a Big Balkan Ballad (other than Montenegro, which sorry, is not happening even tho I kinda like it), this is the nearest thing, plus it has this kind of Celtic lilt to the melody as well, plus (like last year's Serbian song) vague similarities to Coldplay's "Paradise". It sounds like a winner to me.

Also I know this is gross but I'm going to plug TSJ's <a href="http://www.thesinglesjukebox.com/?p=11024";>Eurovision podcast</a>. Yes, I feel dirty, but trust me, it's worth it to hear Swygart's descriptions of Ukraine and Lithuania.

12: Hungary 10: Finland 8: Israel 7: Poland 6: FYR Macedonia 5: Ukraine 4: Belarus 3: Netherlands 2: Austria 1: Estonia

In terms of attractiveness, Switzerland gets all my points :(

Oh hai I forgot board code.

I put some money on Norway too...not at 25/1 though

Wouldn't be feeling super confident had I backed Armenia heavily after that.

My favourite Latvian is the guy whose only job is to say "Piece of Cake" every so often.

Magnificent.

You can always rely on the Albanians to make space for a guitar solo.

By snood wearers.

Excellent see-saw proppage from Russia. Best use of a rising platform since Sakis Rouvas' stapler/coffin. Haven't heard any booing?

The Tolmachevys were better than on record, I think. The studio version is really dull.

Azerbaijan reliably the classiest of Eurovision dictatorships.

Russia were better than Armenia in my book.

Ukraine have brought back Svetlana Loboda's hamster wheel!

Was about to say! Should have brought back Svetlana, tbh.

otm

I have no feelings of mercy!!!

Still not over the disappointment that Moldova didn't send "Energy". This is pretty good though.

<3 Valentina. Maybe this year?

If they can field eleven footballers surely there must be more than one singer in San Marino.

OK, spoken word section has warmed me to it.

Portugal is DELIGHTFUL even if they have no chance of qualifying.

I do admire their commitment to the form long after the Scandinavians have abandoned it.

Montenegro much better than I remembered it.

Is this a tragic song about a daughter abused by her father that turned into that?! Amazing.

I ignored the hype but Hungary is the only thing tonight that sounds like a winner.

Dutch song was very good

Who I want to qualify: San Marino, Iceland, Latvia, Portugal, Ukraine, Montenegro, Moldova, Hungary, Estonia, Belgium

Who I expect to qualify: too depressing to think about

Dutch song was fine but the polar opposite of what succeeds at Eurovision.

C'mon, the Dutch song was a Lady Antebellum tribute to "Every Breath You Take."

Written by a guy who has actually written for Lady Antebellum.

Hahaha really. Explains a LOT.

Ah, the "local humour" segment.

Plenty of boos for Russia now.

She did it!

ICELAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only the second time in 10 years that Moldova failed to qualify. They should have sent Doinița Gherman!

Awwwwww I missed this. Just catching up, I can't decide if I love or hate Iceland. I think I love them. One of them looks like if Whiney joined ZZ Top.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwVDXWGXE_8
I know what I'm voting for on Saturday.

throwing my £4 text charge to hungary

I heard the Latvian entry on the radio this morning. I thought it was a Flight Of The Conchords song at first.

Will definitely be cheering for France, though I fear (actually at this point, it doesn't matter much) that the live show will be a shambles.

BBC Radio 2 are running a pop-up digital Eurovision channel from noon today, broadcasting until Sunday. Available by retuning DABs, updating the iOS iPlayer Radio app, or online. Programme schedule: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1TmNsvXyPnHG7Z2HhBVDRPS/radio-2-eurovision-programme-schedule

Dutch song was very good

― everyday sheeple (Michael B), Tuesday, May 6, 2014 8:18 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Dutch song was fine but the polar opposite of what succeeds at Eurovision.

― popchips: the next snapple? (seandalai), Tuesday, May 6, 2014 8:26 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

7/2 third favourite now. Still can't get my head around the kind of new reality where a mid-tempo country song with no big hooks can challenge to win. I mean, Why does Europeans never want to listen to country music?

tbf, a lot of Europeans does want to listen to country but the song is pretty unremarkable by country standards. It's pleasant enough but only really stands out in the context of a show where nothing else sounds like it.

I think it might be down to lots of the money flooding away from Armenia. I know Sanne is favourite now but it's not an obvious winner either. Netherlands had a confident performance.

I think Poland, France and potentially Norway will suffer live. Carl Espen has a decent voice on record but he sings too quietly. Israel and Austria should be elevated by the performance, i reckon, and could go a lot shorter after today.

Sting's lawyers currently salivating.

To put it mildly!

I think Poland, France and potentially Norway will suffer live. Carl Espen has a decent voice on record but he sings too quietly. Israel and Austria should be elevated by the performance, i reckon, and could go a lot shorter after today.

Agree with most of this. I like France but they'll be doing well to avoid a bottom 5 placement.

Okay then, a few minutes to go...

parents all over Europe "oh this is nice, a lovely song, not like those yokes* you see from other countries". It's going through.

*insert appropriate ethnic colloquialism here

HATE YOU MALTA.

http://i.imgur.com/lstQAhm.png?1

Fingers crossed for Norway.

Norwegians love their wood.

I'm not feeling this but I'm sure it has the jury vote.

Coming across pretty well imo. Unless you actually want to make out the words.

well yeah.

He did well! That was lovely.

Fingers crossed for Georgian prog-folk nutters.

parachute man for president

It says something about the general bad quality so far that I don't hate Georgia as much as I should.

This is amazing.

Yep

Okay, I like Poland.

Should have stuck to Polish throughout imo.

very Bond song

This is the best of the enormoballads by some way and she would be a worthy winner.

ATTENTION! I like this one a lot iirc.

It's not bad, but I think Ireland are next and that's going to make this look like a masterpiece.

Conchita was good for power balladry, definitely, but it's not my favourite Eurovision type. Lithuania: okay. Definitely a better bunch of songs than what we started with.

Finland next. Toilet break.

Almost as bad as Malta. Probably safe qualifiers though.

This is brutal.

not even diaspora vote could compel me to vote for this shit

Even ILOVEBELARUS is a welcome improvement after that shitshow.

The Swiss song is cute.

Sky high I why

There is so much you need this weekend?

Another Mumford & Sons?!?!?!

Feel like Malta a few years back was a harbinger of doom.

Surprise trampoline!

What are they going to set on fire this time?

Hopefully that piano.

My top 10: Georgia, Greece, Austria, Poland, Norway, Lithuania, Romania...kind of don't care after this...I guess Israel, Switzerland, ILOVEBELARUS.

Poland and Austria for me. A bunch of others that I don't mind, but they're the only two I'm really rooting for.

Austria now at 4/1 to win the whole thing chez Paddy Power...not sure about that.

omg

Wtf. Israel or Austria out.

Fucking hell, the bastards. Keeping everyone on tenterhooks, there.

Yaaaaaah!

Really feel for Israel though.

Can't believe I got 13/10 on Ireland not going through.

how did Belarus get through over Israel

on a positive note, never heard a Eurovision crowd chant like they did for Austria at the end

Yep. Fuck you, Russia!

On Tuesday they were chanting for Portugal at the final reveal.

apparently the Portugese entry was dodgy according to a friend from there, money changing hands and it's now being investigated by the police

Sad for Estonia boo!

Was thinking about Armenia, which I haven't heard since Tuesday now, and recalling its close-to-odds-on favourite status earlier. As I remember it, it *does* have hooks (two, to be precise), but just a very weird structure. I cannot remember any verse/chorus/etc permutation to speak of, just a first half of quiet "you're not alone" (hook one), and then a big change leading into a loud "da da da DEE-da-da-da-daaaa" (hook two, from which I remember no words). Intewesting.

Imo Sweden succeeded this year at what they failed at last year: a melodic hook *perfectly* linked with a word/phrase (u-hu-hu-hun-doooo) and not overdone. The you-whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hôo-ing on the title "You" last year *could* have been fine, except it was *everywhere* *all the time*, in verse *and* chorus, and became a pest before two minutes.

In semifinal 2, I think I honestly liked exactly no song at all. In semifinal 1, Sweden, Hungary and Estonia (boo! ok then, it was mostly because of the dance/sing biathlon) were all "it'll do", at least. I predict this will go down in history as a "poor year" like 2011. But that's all right, I love it anyway.

Important poll:
Eurovision 2014: #PollUs

2011, man, that year has not dated well has it. I simply can't imagine you playing the songs that came 1-10, and the ones that came 11-20 to a casual music listener and them NOT saying that the latter were stronger. (Slight insanity talking, but.. you know, "I Can", "Čaroban" "So Lucky", "No One" and "Coming Home", still like them).

"Čaroban" and "So Lucky" for sure, can't remember the others off the top of my head. Was "Coming Home "the Icelandic Mumfordfest with the dead guy?

*looks up Wikipedia*

I'll still rep for "What About My Dreams?" and even "Get You" as well, but yeah that was the worst line-up of the past 10 years.

Popular was 2011 right?
I love that track, not the best Saade song but still!

Have the 2008 contest on while getting the house ready. Starts slowly , but then BOOM.

<3 Teräsbetoni

How 'bout that Polish butter.

2008 #18-23 probably my favourite five-song run ever: Ani Lorak, Sebastien Tellier, Elnur + Samir, Kalomira, Rodolfo Chikilicuatre.

A little less than two hours left! Excited!

Same here!

Have fun, guys. Bit miffed I can't join you, mostly glad I don't have to endure Malta again.

Don't blame you.

Will be posting mostly on Twitter for this!

Oh, I thought these guys were just the semi-final presenters.

John Grant has a writing credit on No Prejudice!

Poland - :-O

disco polo has come on a bit since i left.

Ruth Lorenzo from X Factor!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnTPiznIYAAibCG.jpg

Malta was pretty gash huh?

It's not quite as awful as Mumford & Sons meets Gary Barlow would suggest but I'd be pretty miffed if it won.

on a night where i've enjoyed almost all of the songs i'd place it last

UK entry pretty cynical imo

think i like Azerbaijan and Italy the best, am ruling out Italy as testosterone may be interfering with the decision

Armenia was good too but i hear the guy's a tosser

He's apparently charting in Azerbaijan though!

it's a big tune, dunno what the exact story is behind him complaining about the Austrian entry

Did they give a shout out to opium?

I think the whole thing relied heavily on opium.

netherlands!

that was pretty good but Graham Norton's awful Radio 2 good taste has put me off it a bit

Well done Europe!

I think France, Poland and Italy were most closely aligned with what i would typically listen to outside of a Eurovision context but as a song and as theatre, Austria was a worthy winner. The voting also served as a nice reminder that Eastern Europe isn't the black and white homophobic backwater so many people seem to assume it is. smh at the constant booing of Russia.

Conchita's was a v. good song but i'm not crazy about extra-musical narratives clogging up the contest tbh

as opposed to...

like, if you have an issue with politics influencing voting then maybe eurovision isn't your thing

i don't really give a shit about the voting. sorry for enjoying it wrong.

I was at a very gay Eurovision party.

It was so obvious beforehand that Austria would win. Brilliant song, charismatic performer. I had a measly bet on it that won me £8.

I also had a cowardly £2 bet on Russia - cos it was the best song - at 270/1 that would've won me a holiday. I guess there was no chance, but I've always an eye on the profit from evil.

Our party cheered for Choncita, so congrations all around.

So runck.

How did France come last in this???

Well, I was at a gig where Olympia totally won everything, and it's super nice to come back to find Austria won. Yes, it's the extra-musical narrative that makes it for me, but honestly Conchita needed to win.

Haven't gone through all the split votes but France were consistently out of the bottom six for most of the countries but obviously virtually never in the top ten.

Saw this graphic doing the rounds.

https://31.media.tumblr.com/c6298da4bacdf0e89ed14dd5c0b39697/tumblr_n5f2lkEqvt1sube5lo1_500.jpg

Yeah, they published the full details and the Poland-Malta swing is massive. It's well illustrated by the fact that Poland came first in both the UK and Ireland televoting but got no points from either since they came last in both jury rankings. Anyone voting for Poland was essentially wasting their time.

far more aggravating than any of the imagined political stuff and presumably much more to do with the kind of tossers that get appointed as "industry experts"

The UK panel was headed by TV vocal coach and former Fame Academy judge Carrie Grant and included soprano Laura Wright, music producer Steve Allen, DJ Candice McKenzie and writer/composer Gus Gowland.

Do away with the jury. Pointless

http://www.eurovision.tv/page/results?event=1893&voter=GB

Changing from combining the top 10 from televote and top 10 from jury, so if you come in the top 5 on the televote you're guaranteed at least a point, and moving to juries rating all the songs really ups the potential for a jury to scupper a song in particular it doesn't like. And you can see that the jury for Azerbaijan has essentially done just this. Note that Romania was thought to have been a similar victim of this last year but the EBU didn't post the hard data, and it has this year. Transparency is good! Perhaps the British jury this year just doesn't like Polish people and a whole bunch of other jurists didn't like Romanian people very much, but I wouldn't make such an accusation lightly.

Still really narked about Israel's dreadful showing - second last in the semis only ahead of Georgia! Admittedly in a semi which produced a lot of the contenders, but still, Mei Feingold was awesome.

How can Israel take part in this, since it's not actually in, near or part of Europe?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Broadcasting_Area

Oh, I see - http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Broadcasting_Union - nothing to do with "Europe"

Does this mean all the countries in blue there on thewikipedia page could take part if they wanted to?

Indeed, xp

And the area answers that question too,thx

It's confusing, this Europe thing. And I'm supposed to vote for something European in a couple of weeks.

I remember Morocco taking part.

I think that there was a story a few years back that Lebanon was going to participate, but as they'd planned to not show the Israeli entry they weren't allowed in.

True. Aline Lahoud was supposed to participate with a frankly boring entry in French. (If she'd sent a song like her amazing and hugely gay-friendly dance anthem "It's Over" then it would have genuinely been a huge loss).

People have been speculating wildly that if Israel withdraws next year Lebanon might actually turn up.

Another quirk is that there is nothing in the rules to say that the performer has to be a national of the country they are representing. Celine Dion is Canadian but represented Switzerland and Vicky Leandros is Greek but representd Luxembourg. The official line is that the entry is the song, not the performer.

There's also nothing that says the song has to be written by nationals of the country. Even "great new songwriting talent" Molly Smitten-Downes' song was co-written with a Swede (I don't have any reason to doubt that she wrote most of it herself and it was just tweaked by the collaborator, but still).

To say nothing of Azerbaijan outsourcing their songs, or Ralph Siegel writing entries for every country going, or the very fluid representation of the former Yugoslav republics. Or David Brandes writing both the German _and_ Swiss entries in 2005. It's v. wacky.

In recent years Swedish songwriters have been involved in the writing of entries from several countries. For instance, in 2010 the songs from Denmark, Norway, Ireland and Azerbaijan were written entirely or partly by Swedes, in 2011 the songs from Russia and Azerbaijan, in 2012 the songs from Italy, United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Norway, Azerbaijan and Spain and in 2013 the songs from Georgia, Finland, Norway, Russia, Netherlands and Azerbaijan.

Was going to say that Swedish songwriters are all over this competition - I assume no-one in Azerbaijan and Russia can actually write music or lyrics - but there didn't seem to be as much of them this year (LOL @ UK jumping on the bandwagon when everyone else is getting off).

FWIW, didn't like the winning song, bombastic showtunes are not really my bag. Also don't buy all the blarney about the supposed significance of a drag queen winning Eurovision - everyone knows Eurovision is gay as a window anyway - and when was Dana International again? Norton's implication that everyone east of the Elbe are homophobes was irritating - didn't he see the Romanian entry last year (to name but one)? And how about doing a smidgen of research, Norton, Slovenia happens to be right next to Austria so why shouldn't they give them maximum votes... oh I forgot, they're Slavs.

You'd have thought the camera switching to Verka Serduchka in the audience a couple of times would have been a reminder.

It's not necessarily that it's *significant* that a drag queen won Eurovision, it's that it's a net positive. And particularly if the reports of attempted censorship are true. Even if they're not entirely true, the violent move toward homophobia in Russia has made it important to keep Eurovision not just gay, but visibly and joyfully gay. It's also a positive that Conchita's presentation was not entirely 'traditional' in drag queen terms, as it adds visibility to a fluidity in gender that the mainstream media are slow to pick up on (obviously there will be narratives that are nothing more than "hur hur a bird with a beard what a novelty", but to me, and from what I've seen also to others who inhabit queer/fluid circles, it resonates differently).

Also, what you've said reads a lot like "a trans* person already won once, so never needs to again", which is just... uh. Okay.

Apropos the discussion of songs being written by Swedes: Read a Danish article this week claiming that over the last four years, out of all the songs on the Billboard top ten, 471 had been at least partly written by Swedes... The same number for Danes: 1 (Born This Way)

is Madonna Danish? (sorry, couldn't resist)

Jeppe AKA Senior of Junior Senior was one the writers on that song.

re: above discussion about whether Conchita would get votes: 1. Dana International was long enough ago that the overall make-up of the contest was very different. 2. As a drag act, Conchita's was very different to other drag acts in the past -- Sestre, DQ, Verka Serduchka did not do a song like this with a message that would lend itself to this sort of identification, even if any of them had won. 3. I don't think it was ever in doubt that Conchita would be popular with televoters. My, and others', suspicion was more that the juries in some countries would rank the song down so low that it would nullify that popularity, as the UK jury did with Poland. And some of those juries have some puzzling, out-of-step evaluations to me - Azerbaijan, Montenegro, (slightly) Belarus.

I definitely think that it was an important and significant restatement of the contest's values, as well as a worthy winner, but the narrative that was being pushed in a lot of places that enlightened western Europeans would 'get it' but backwards Eastern Europeans wouldn't wasn't particularly helpful and ignores the long history of gay men, camp icons and people with fluid gender identities contributing to pop in those regions. It arguably also ignores the decline in the number of out gay men / women and people with fluid gender identities in mainstream British pop over the last few decades but that might be another story.

Also, what you've said reads a lot like "a trans* person already won once, so never needs to again", which is just... uh. Okay.

I'll do the decent thing and ignore this comment

Sestre, DQ, Verka Serduchka did not do a song like this with a message that would lend itself to this sort of identification

I don't really listen to lyrics much, so I've got no idea what the song is about

(xxxp) OTM

It's a re-write of "I Will Survive".

he narrative that was being pushed in a lot of places that enlightened western Europeans would 'get it' but backwards Eastern Europeans wouldn't wasn't particularly helpful and ignores the long history of gay men, camp icons and people with fluid gender identities contributing to pop in those regions.

This is quite possibly true, but is kind of undercut by what's been happening in Russia. I can't really speak for the other Eastern European countries, but I guess one should never underestimate the potential for xenophobia to take charge of a narrative.

I'll do the decent thing and ignore this comment

Or you could do the actually decent thing and go "I'm sorry it could come across so offensively, it's not actually what I meant".

You expect me to apologise for your interpretation of what I said? Are you serious?

I mean, that's the end of the internet right there.

edwardo and ShariVari both otm up there on various points. I too was unsure whether more conservative countries (not just in the east) would buy Conchita's persona and message, but Graham Norton really overegged the "Slavs hate gays" narrative. I don't think that Conchita winning will have much impact on the future of the contest (unless it caused e.g. Russia to withdraw, but that wouldn't be just because of Conchita anyway), though the fact that *Austria* won may have more influence by keeping Mitteleuropa on board.

stats fans ruminating on homophobic voting might ponder the correlation between this ILGA map of LGBT rights in europe & the points each country gave to conchita

http://wwwpinknewscouk.c.presscdn.com/images/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-13-at-17.36.02.png http://24.media.tumblr.com/4aae1cec0dc3b6d4897f29fd90506306/tumblr_n5dvytmaUh1qdkvdgo1_500.png

worth noting that juries in armenia, azerbaijan, belarus, montenegro & poland weren't as keen as conchita as the televoters. still feel that any people involved in eurovision are less likely to be The Enemy than the general population, but w/e

sorry for awful image sizes

xps,

Few pop fans in Russia could be in any doubt that gay men are very well represented in their domestic pop scene. There are definitely issues with how open many feel they can be in talking about it but it's not a major secret. There have been hugely successful openly gay pop stars (like Oskar) and videos (like Ruki Vverh's On Tebya Tseluyet) that have featured prominent gay themes.

My main issue with the idea that Russia is hostile to gay musicians, and with the booing, is that it positions the country as a bigoted monolithic rather than somewhere that is going through a process of liberalisation and conservative backlash. Recognising that there's a culture war going on within Russia, and many of the other countries in the region, and supporting / recognising the people on the right side is more useful than painting a picture of wholesale prejudice. The scum who are beating up gay men in Russia aren't likely to be staying up until 3:30am to watch Eurovision but their victims, and the people who are mobilising against them, probably will be, and it's always worth keeping that in mind.

I thought people were also booing Russia because of Ukraine... or am I wide of the mark there?

You expect me to apologise for your interpretation of what I said? Are you serious?

There's this thing called language, and a thing called using it badly. If you use it so clumsily it looks horribly like you're being *massively* offensive, then yes, maybe you should apologise. If your statement is 'blah blah I don't give a shit about this person winning and besides someone else who I perceive as similar won before so fuck this', it's pretty easy to read as 'we only need one token person of this sort'. I was assuming/hoping that my interpretation was a misreading, which is why I said "it could be read as" that, but considering you're being such a dick I'm guessing it wasn't, and you really are that much of an asshole.

Think what you like then, you don't know me and I don't know you and, after today's nonsense, that suits me fine. Right?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnhC8lXCUAAixAQ.jpg

There's this thing called language, and a thing called using it badly

Your interpretation of what Tom D said is so cloth-eared that you should beware this kind of blether.

Thank you, I was beginning to think I'd lost my mind and I was in the wrong after all. Anyway fuck all this, I'll show up to contribute to ILX comps because, you know, making music is more enjoyable and fulfilling than bickering with total strangers, but that's it as far as this stupid fucking place goes (and to think I was defending ILM over on ILE last week!)