Countries in Review: Belgium (part 3)



Belgian chocolates, perhaps the most famous in the world.
(It was either that or Belgian waffles...)

And finally my top five Eurovision songs from Belgium:

Starting with number five:

Kate Ryan "Je t'adore" 2006

Before I sat down and actually watched this performance, I had written this one off as a a typical dance song performed poorly and hadn't given the song a second thought.

I was wrong, Ryan comes off admirably and the harmonies with the two backup singers is superb.  The only quibble I have is with the choreography.  Everything that the dancers do distracts from the song (like the fluorescent mike stands) and combined with the lack of friendly countries in the contest didn't put it into the finals.  Shame.  It's a great song and Ryan gave a solid performance.

My number four:

 

  Dream Express   "A Million In One, Two, Three"  1977

This one popping up in the top five shouldn't be surprising, considering I cited it in my review of the 2013 Belgian entry. 

Bianca, Stella, and Patricia Maessen are no strangers to the Eurovision Song Contest, having represented the Netherlands in 1970, but here, along with Bianca's husband Luc Smets, they had one of my favorite Eurovision songs from the late 1970s.  Sure, it's kind of a ripoff of Brotherhood of Man's Save Your Kisses For Me, but the infectious music and the personality of the singers just won me over and has won a frequent rotation in my own personal Eurovision mix.

Number three:

  

Sandra Kim "J'aime la vie" 1986

 

Belgium has only won the Eurovision Song Contest once, and even I can't deny that this is a perfect example of mid eighties Europop. 

 

Sandra Kim was all of thirteen years old when she performed this song in Bergen, Norway, and comfortably won the contest, and it's understandable.   The satin jacket with huge shoulder pads, acid pink pants and pink bow tie were adorable and perfect for the so-called fifteen-year-old, and her performance was flawless.  And the song even ages well--it's good twenty six years later.

My second favorite:

Witloof Bay   "With Love Baby"  2011

Even I'm shocked by how highly I rated this one.  After going through all of the songs, I would thought I would have put this somewhere in the middle.  But after watching their performance in Dusseldorf, I had a complete change of heart and put their performance above almost every other Belgian entry.

I must admit this is due to my own background in choral music.  A capella music was always my Waterloo--I had a tendency to go flat and take down the rest of the group I was singing with, so the ability of the six singers of Witloof Bay to both stay on key and not be cringe worthy--another issue I have with a capella singers--puts "With Love Baby" above almost every other Belgian song.

And finally, my pick for best Belgian Eurovision entry.

Pas de Doux   "Rendez-vous"   1983

 

When "Rendez-vous" was presented in 1983, it was radically different than anything else presented in Eurovision.  The two singers only sing one phrase over and over again over some faux-Asian synth pop.   It's pretty "out there" and it's fantastic risk taking--something that happens very rarely in Eurovision.  And it's a risk I happen to like a lot, and that's why it's my personal pick for best Belgian Eurovision entry.