Jacques Houdek is an interesting character. He's a well known Croatian singer and music producer who has been known to support right leaning political parties in his country and making statements that could be perceived as anti-gay.
However, the pull of international exposure has made him willing to backtrack his statements and represent Croatia this year. (Not that he hasn't tried before--he's wanted to represent Croatia since 2003 and was finally internally selected by the Croatian national broadcaster.)
Jacques Houdek "My Friend"
This is much less a song than a piece of performance art--Houdek performs both the operatic Italian and poppy English lyrics in the song and he intends to perform both in Kyiv.
If he is able to pull this off, I suspect that it will do quite well. However, if the tone is off, this will go down as a memorable fiasco. It will be recapped in Eurovision retrospectives in the "crazy Eurovision entries" section either way, so whether it does well or flops, it's a win for the singer.
And here are the ten songs who made it through to the final on Saturday
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Croatia
Czech Republic
Cyprus
Hungary
Malta
the Netherlands
Russia
Seven out of ten isn't particularly bad, and after watching the final,
I can't really say that I disagree. After watching the show, nine out of ten of these are ones that were obvious finalists.
The Biggest Surprise
Nina Kraljić "Lighthouse" Croatia
I had thought an early place in the running order combined with an over-the-top costume would prevent Croatia from qualifying. The Croatian broadcaster hasn't always been the best at staging songs, so I'm glad to see this overcame the visual deficiency.
The Biggest Disappointment
Samra "Miracle" Azerbaijan
In my opinion, "Miracle" was the song that didn't deserve to qualify in the top ten. The staging was tacky and the vocals were weak. And the gold plated American football uniform? Don't get me started.
The Song I Would Have Voted For
Highway "The Real Thing" Montenegro
Although the Czech Republic would have gotten my first vote, Montenegro came in a close second. While the somewhat experimental hard rock was something that would have never qualified, I really responded to the music and staging. In a semifinal of things that were polished to an inch of their life, "The Real Thing" was interesting because it was deliberately unpolished.
The Can't Miss Song
Serhat "I Didn't Know" San Marino
I could have gone with the Armenian or Russian entries here, but really you'll see them elsewhere. San Marino's utter weirdness deserves to be highlighted here. It's trying so hard to be kitschy camp and it fails. It's worth a watch.
I love writing about my favorite songs for any country, because these are songs I want you to take a listen to and my favorite five Croatian songs are definitely ones that you should take a listen to.
Let's get started!
5. Magazin & Lidija Horvat-Dunjko “Nostalgija” 1995
You take one of the biggest bands from Croatia and put them together with an opera singer and you get this song. It is undeniably weird and I find it absolutely entrancing. It wasn't accessible enough to win the contest, but it placed a respectable sixth in 1995. It also grabbed "douze points" from Malta, Spain, and Slovenia.
4. E.N.I. “Probudi me” 1997
Girl power was big in 1997 and E.N.I. was the Croatian response to it. Yes, this performance isn't the greatest and they are obviously a knockoff of the Spice Girls. But it's good bubblegum pop and these ladies are able to pull of some dance moves in cantilevered shoes.
3. Danijela Martinović "Neka mi ne svane" 1998
Yep, Martinović was the singer in Magazin. She came back as a soloist with this dramatic number three years later and landed in fifth place. She has a clear voice with a beautiful tone that really pulls you into the song. Just not crazy about the costumes change and the sexy arms...
2. Nina Badrić “Nebo” 2012
I love this song. I love her performance. But the staging and camera angles ruined the song and sabotaged the chances for "Nebo" to make the finals. There was no need for the dancers. The backup singers needed to be hidden and in a darker color and Badrić needed to not wear a sheet. Had they kept the shots on Badrić and allowed people to connect with the song, this would have made the finals.
1. Goran Karan "Kad zaspu anđeli" 2000
This is how a Balkan ballad needs to be performed. Straightforward staging. Flawless vocals. Karan is attractive and knows how to work the stage and camera. Wish they had gotten rid of the girl in a bag. But it's 2000--everybody had a gimmick.
And there's my top five Croatian entries.
Rumors are circulating that Croatia will return to Eurovision in 2016, and like many people I hope those rumors are true. The more I watch Eurovision, the more I love the music from the former Yugoslavia. Having Croatia back means more music from a region I love.
Back to my "Countries in Review" and back to the Balkans with Croatia.
Croatia used the TV show "Dora" to select their entrant for a number of years.
Croatia has entered Eurovision 21 times, starting in the first growth of the contest eastward in 1993. After a rough couple of years, Croatia did quite well in the contest. Croatians were perennially in the top ten in the early in the 1990s and early 2000s. But poor finishes in recent years (combined with the European financial crisis) have made them sit out for the past two years.
In this entry I'm going to be looking at the songs I ranked from 6 to 21. Watch for my next post for my favorite Croatian entries
----
Croatia's sent two types of songs to Eurovision. The first is the Balkan ballad, a dramatic song usually about love. This type is exemplified by this interesting, technically difficult song from the 1996 contest.
"Sveta ljubav" Maja Blagadan 1996
This song didn't crack my top five for one reason only--the high note that really doesn't need to be there. I'm impressed Blagadan is able to hit B Flat 5, but the song doesn't need it. (It did work in the voting, though. Croatia came in fourth in 1996 garnering them one of their best results.)
The other type is the the female pop ballad.
Vesna Pisarović "Everything I Want" 2002
Every country sends these sort of songs, and Croatia's entries were no better or worse than other countries' offerings. Because of this, most of them fall in the middle of my list.
On occasion, Croatia would send something a little different--like this quirky little entry from 2008--
Kraljevi ulice & 75 Cents "Romanca" 2008
but you could really depend on Croatia to stick to those two types of songs.
That said, I have to highlight perhaps one of the worst songs ever presented at a Eurovision Song Contest.
Daria Kinzer "Celebrate" 2011
Unlike a lot of other songs that come across horribly, this one is special because I feel nothing but pity for the singer. "Celebrate" is a terrible song with staging ten years out of date and completely intimidated by the audience. It's like the Croatian broadcasted spent the bare minimum to get Kinzer to Düsseldorf and it's not suprising Croatia stepped away from the contest a couple of years later.
For those of you who are curious where the other Croatian entries fall, here's my full ranking of the songs from 6 to 21.
6. "Sveta ljubav" Maja Blagadan 1996
7. "Mižerja" Klapa s Mora 2013 Cool but not a Eurovision song.
8. "Romanca" Kraljevi ulice & 75 Cents 2008
9. "Marija Magdalena" Doris Dragović 1999 It’s the most successful Croatian song in Eurovision, but the performance leaves me cold.
10. "Lako je sve" Feminem 2010 They are competent singers wearing bridesmaid dresses.
11. "Lijepa Tena" Igor Cukrov featuring Andrea 2009 He looks so smarmy and doesn’t have the charm to pull off the Balkan ballad the way other singers can.
12. "Vukovi umiru sami" Boris Novković feat. Lado 2005 A standard male Balkan ballad but, Novković does have a bit of charm. Too much crap on stage, though.
13. "Everything I Want" Vesna Pisarović 2002
14. "Vjerujem u ljubav" Dragonfly feat. Dado Topić 2007 I like his voice, but she’s off key and it pulls the song down in my ranking.
15. "Moja štikla" Severina 2006 Highly ethnic in the ethnic period. Lots of effort for no real result.
16. "Strings of My Heart" Vanna 2001 She has no stage presence. That’s what knocks this song, when this is my favorite song on the CD.
17. "Više nisam tvoja" Claudia Beni 2003 I am sleeping. The lack of enthusiasm and stage presence is making me cry.
18. "Don’t Ever Cry" Put 1993 I have no idea what they’re singing, but taken all together it feels like a Christmas song.
19. "Nek' ti bude ljubav sva" Tony Cetinski 1994 Did Chuck Mangione butt in for a trumpet solo?
20. "You Are The Only One" Ivan Mikulić 2004 Both dull and off key.
I would love to be able to stay impartial, but I can't help it. My favorite song made it to the final this year!
Anouk "Birds" The Netherlands
Absolute perfection as far as I'm concerned--the shots of her with the crowd waving along to the song with the stage behind her completely sold it.
Mind you I about had a heart attack watching the results. The results are random. Yeah, right. They were specifically calibrated to give me a freaking heart attack.
But the real shock of the first semifinal was the absolute lock out of any countries from the former Yugoslavia. None of the four countries from the former Yugoslavia made it through to Saturday night.
It could be because of the new ranking of songs, where all are ranked instead of the top ten. But when you look back at the songs from Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia, none of them were true contenders this year, because they were either poorly performed or inaccessible to Europe as a whole.
For example:
Who See "Ingranka" Montenegro
This is a pretty amazing performance, and perhaps the most "in your face" performance in the semifinal. It feels fresh and modern, but outside the Balkans nobody would vote for it.
But the shock qualifier for me was another Benelux country:
Roberto Bellarosa "Loff Keels" Belgium
Bellarosa looked like a scared chicken when he was performing and his English pronunciation of phrases like "Love Kills" and "bitter pill" (excuse me "beater peel") make me wonder what was in the water to put Belgium's number over something like this.
Klapa s Moro "Mižerja" Croatia
When something like this happens, I have to remind myself it's not always about the quality of the performance, it's what sounds more popular. So the amazing Klapa s Moro are going home while the Belgian chicken clucks another day. (I'm not bitter. Not one bit.)
I am looking forward to Thursday and the second semifinal. If the production is half as good as the production for this semifinal, it's going to be the best Eurovision Song Contest in years.
Any country who can put a fresh spin on last year's winning song
Loreen and Children of Malmö "Euphoria"
and provide comedic relief that is actually funny gets my vote.
Lynda Woodruff (Sarah Dawn Finer)
(Sadly they don't have her first part of her tour of Sweden isn't available online yet. Enjoy this clip from this year's Melodifestivalen.)
If you have the time, you really should watch the entire contest--it's easily streamed from the official Eurovision website.
Now back to listening to the songs. Maybe after another six or seven listens I can actually figure out what's going on with the Serbian entry...
Croatia did what a number of other countries that decided to select their song internally for the 2013 contest, and they chose to highlight a local variety of folk music--klapa.
Klapa s Moro "Mižerja"
Klapa s Moro is a supergroup, bringing together singers from a number of klapa groups in the company, and "Mižerja" appears to be a good example--with tight harmonies, passionate lyrics, and little musical accompaniment--hallmarks of a classic klapa.
I must admit I am mesmerized by the song--I am a sucker for tight harmonies and impeccable musicianship--but this has almost no chance of getting out of the semifinal.
I don't think that's a bad thing though. I believe that the Croatian broadcaster entered this song in 2013 not to win the contest, but to highlight a local style of music and promote it to a worldwide audience. At that purpose, they've succeeded. I have been listening to klapa since I've heard this song, and I look forward to seeing it staged in May.
As promised, here's the next of the Balkan songs--and it's another ballad from Croatia.
Nina Badrić "Nebo"
"Nebo" is lovely as Balkan ballads go. Badrić voice is powerful, and I'm all in with men wrapped up in nothing but a sheet. In other words, it's heads and shoulders over last year's entrant and if Badrić's performance is as good as the video shows, it has a good chance to make it to the finals
Daria "Celebrate" Croatia 2011
However, "Celebrate" has something that "Nebo" doesn't. A sense of fun. Daria may have been off key and the quick changes may be cheesy, but the spirit of joy and fun can't be denied.
I have a suspicion that the plethora of ballads comes from the fact that the European economy has been adversely effected by the current European economic crisis. Belt tightening usually means everything has to be a bit more serious.
But I'd much prefer happier, more upbeat numbers. Hopefully next year.
