It is really hard to sit down and type up a review of the Russian entry, since than any other country there is a political bent to the song that should be addressed.
For the third year in a row, the Russian broadcaster C1R has chosen their song internally. Their choice, released on March 9th, is this song by Star Factory winner Polina Gagarina.
Polina Gagarina "A Million Voices"
Gagarina has had chart success in the countries of the former Soviet Union and the song is a simple and insipid little song about peace. Russia's entry is built to be as inoffensive as humanly possible.
The fact that "A Million Voices" is so sweet and inoffensive is where global politics comes into play. Under the rule of Vladimir Putin, Russia has been acting more like it did during the Cold War--sending military troops into neighboring countries, limiting the rights of gays and lesbians, and pushing national sovereignty in air and sea encounters with other countries.
These choices have made Russia a pariah in much of Europe. This distaste became very evident at last year's Eurovision, where the Tolmachevy Sisters were booed when they qualified for the final.
Their song, "Shine", was another inoffensive song about unrequited love and the negative reaction from the audience in Copenhagen was politically beneficial to the Russian government.
"A Million Voices" is another song in that vein--instead of unrequited love the song like "Shine", "A Million Voices" is about unity and peace. Here's the opening verse.
We are the worlds people/
Different yet we're the same/
We believe/
We believe in a dream
Praying for peace and healing/
I hope we can start again/
We believe/
We believe in a dream
So if you ever feel love is fading/
Together like the stars in the sky/
We can sing/
We can shine
This song is perfect because whatever the outcome, the current Russian government can use the results to help bolster their political power. If it's well received, it will be spun as Europe supporting Russian ideals. If it's booed or scores poorly, the "liberal Western Europe" can be blamed for not understanding Russian idealism.
It's quite brilliant in that regard.
As for my personal opinion, I'm rather disappointed. I wish they would have given Ms. Gagarina something a bit more hard edged to sing. She has a beautiful voice but the both the lyrics and arrangement let her down. It leaves me longing for the days where Russia wasn't so worried about the optics of their song.
Serebro "Song #1" Russia 2007
I'd vote for "Song #1". I wouldn't vote for "A Million Voices".
Bulgaria is an anomaly in Eurovision. While surrounded by Eurovision powerhouse nations of Greece, Turkey, and Ukraine, Bulgaria has only qualified once for the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Their only success in Eurovision came back in 2007 with this song.
Elitsa and Stoyan "Voda" 2007
The percussionists did quite well, coming in fifth in Helsinki.
So after a number of years without any success, it makes perfect sense that the Bulgarian national broadcaster went back to the same well and asked Elitsa and Stoyan to represent their country.
In the Bulgarian national final, Elitsa and Stoyan performed three different songs and a split jury/public vote selected the winner.
Two songs tied for first, and since public vote trumps the jury vote, this song was selected to go to Malmö.
Elitsa and Stoyan "Kismet"
However, due to a copyright issue on "Kismet". the song was withdrawn and replaced with the song that came in first with the jury.
Elitsa and Stoyan "Samo Shampioni"
I hate to be cynical here, but I feel like the copyright reasons wasn't the true reason for the song to be withdrawn. "Kismet" is a pretty song, but it is not close to duplicating the song the did so well in 2007. "Kismet" focuses more on the harmonies of Elitsa and her backup singers not the percussion. "Samo Shampioni" does. In fact, "Samo Shampioni feels very much like a retread of "Voda".
But even with the rather unforeseen change in songs, the Bulgaria has a good chance to qualify this year. They're placed at the end of the first half of semifinal two, and their sound is very different than anything else being sent this year. They're also in a semifinal that doesn't have as many obvious qualifying songs. I would say only Finland, Greece, and Georgia are sure qualifiers from the second semifinal. That means Bulgaria may be able to sneak in.
I personally can't wait to see where they land come result time.
As the summertime--with its warm temperatures and hours of sunshine continue to distract my judges--it's time more me to continue reviewing countries, and next on my docket is Belarus, a country I know very little about.
I am blessed with having a coworker who was born and raised in the country of Belarus, and I've been lucky to learn a great deal about Belarus--from the time of Rus to the modern day--and she's shared with me wonderful stories and pictures of the country, including the one included in this post.
The Cathedral of Saint Sophia is one of the numerous churches found in Polotsk, and is the oldest church in the country of Belarus. Photo courtesy of Olga Segelavich
As for Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest, I had to do a bit of research on my own.
Belarus hasn't been the most successful country in the Eurovision Song Contest, making the finals in only two of the seven years they've competed.
Unlike many countries, who attempt to do something completely original, Belarus seems to copy successful entries from other countries in previous years.
The best example of this "borrowing" could be found in Belarus' most successful entry in the ESC.
Dmitry Koldun "Work Your Magic" 2007
I must admit that the James Bond feel of the song, combined with the interesting dance moves and a rather strong performance from the Princess Di lookalike works really well.
But compare it to the Russian entry of the prior year, the "borrowing" is self evident.
Dima Bilan "Never Let You Go" 2006
When the cribbing is well done, I'm have no issue with it. I prefer Koldun to Bilan and wouldn't have minded a better placement than sixth, which is where "Work Your Magic" placed in 2007.
However, borrowing can also produce something that is totally inferior to the song it's using as a template--for example my vote for the worst song Belarus has ever sent to Eurovision.
3 + 2 "Butterflies" 2010
I admit I might be controversial, since this was the other of the two Belorussian songs that been performed in the Eurovision final, but this song is absolutely horrible.
However compare the song and staging to the following song, which was performed the prior year.
Jade Ewen "It's My Time" United Kingdom 2009
The classy route really worked well for Ms. Ewan, who gave the UK their best placement in years, but instead of giving the floor to one very talented singer, they gave it to five less talented singers who were off key--making the song ear-cringingly bad. Combined with a stupid gimmick and lyric that is trite makes "Butterflies" my least favorite Belorussian entry.
But that gloss of class really helped.
My favorite Belorussian Eurovision song is probably going to be controversial as well, but for an entirely different reason.
Anastasia Vinnakova "I Love Belarus" 2011
People say that politics and Eurovision are not connected and the European Broadcasting Union tries to keep political songs out of the contest. However, this song can be seen as very political when looking at the climate of Belorussian international politics at the time.
The previous December, Alexander Lukashenko the President of Belarus, won his fourth election as president. His reelection was marred by protests and soundly condemned by most Western countries, who felt the elections were neither free nor fair and the European Union increased sanctions on the president and other high level members of the Belorussian government.
"I Love Belarus" was announced as the Belorussian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest a few months later, Ms. Vinnakova's ode to the love of her country can be read as more than a light pop song. It can also be read as a statement from Belarus to the rest of Europe--which has even more power when you realize that this song was delivered in Germany--the center of the European Union.
There's no way you can deny that the combination of politics and pop makes this a tantalizing song, and is why this is definitely my favorite Belorussian song.
And for those of you who are interested, here's how the rest of the Belorussian entries stacked up:
1. Anastasia Vinnakova "I Love Belarus" 2011
2. Aleksandra and Konstintin "My Galileo" 2004 Let's face it, I love quirk. Even if you can't understand a word the singer is saying.
3. Polina Smolova "Mum" 2006 A for effort, dear, but WHAT are you wearing?
4. Litesound "We Are The Heroes" 2012 Had they not changed the song and made the group wear ridiculous outfits, this one would be a contender for my favorite.
5. Dmitriy Koldun "Work Your Magic" 2007
6. Angelica Agurbash "Love Me Tonight" 2005 Enjoyed the gimmick, wish she could stay on key.
7. Ruslan Alekhno "Hasta La Vista" 2006 Why didn't this work? It should have... It just doesn't.
8. Petr Elfimov "Eyes That Never Lie" 2009 They promised hard rocking, but Elfimov is a low rent Tom Jones with over-processed platinum hair.
9. 3 + 2 "Butterflies" 2010
And that's it for Belorussian entries to Eurovision. I'm looking forward to next year's contest and what they'll send. Will they be original or will they send the Belorussian take on "Euphoria"? Either way, I'm I'll have an opinion.
I can't review the Israeli entrant without telling you a story about the first person in the US that I started telling about my interest in the Eurovision Song Contest.
My passion for the Eurovision Song Contest began in the late 1990s, when I lived in the Emerald Isle as an exchange student, but I kept my passion to myself until the 2007 contest, when I finally decided to share my passion with my friends, starting with my best friend here in the Last Frontier to the joys of Eurovision.
Yep, this little ditty about global thermonuclear war made the mysterious Janet S. a Eurovision fan. Or at least yelling "Push The Button" on a regular basis...
So I had to send the Israeli song to her and get her opinion.
Izabo "Time"
And she likes it. She is grateful that she's not scared of clowns, but other than that its good. But then she said, "If I like it, it has no chance to do well."
And I can't disagree with her. I personally love the song, and I've listened to it numerous times, which is rare for me, a Eurovision fan. But I wonder if Europeans will like the indie/college rock vibe of Izabo. I hope they do, because I'd like it to get to the final and do well.
OK. I realize I'm beating a dead horse with my review of the San Marinese entry, because pretty much everybody has had the same reaction the "The Social Network Song" and it's really the easiest song to criticize. I mean, all you really need to do is read the lyrics at the beginning of the post to understand why. I do not condone any song that uses the word "cybersex".
And with an introduction like that, you're probably dying to hear the full song:
Valentina Monetta "The Social Network Song"
Although the song's lyrics are really smutty, I have to say the music is catchy and that's because the music was written by Ralph Siegel, who is Germany's Mr. Eurovision, Siegel is famous for composing nineteen songs that were performed at Eurovision, most famously this winner:
Nicole "Ein Bißchen Frieden" Germany 1982
Yep, Nicole's song about peace is a long, long distance away from hooking up online.
But vulgar lyrics aren't my big issue with the song, there have been some songs with vulgar lyrics before, and I can overlook it.
Serebro "Song #1" Russia 2007
It's pretty awful, but I'm willing to forgive this. And that's because the girls singing it are barely out of their teens. It is sexist and ageist, but teenaged girls singing songs that are barely covered come ons are more acceptable than a more mature woman--especally a woman who has been tarted up to look like a teenager.
It's a shame really, because Monetta has a decent voice and is very attractive. Had she been given a song that would fit with her image, she could have sold the song into the finals, but this song is definately not going there.
Well, this is the last of my reviews for the former Yugoslav republic, and Slovenia is sending another woman singing a Balkan ballad.
Eva Boto "Verjamen"
It's, well, a knockoff of this song.
Marija Šerifović "Molitva" Serbia 2007
I suppose it makes sense, since the composer of the winner of the 2007 was the same composer on the Slovene entry this year. Problem is in comparison to Šerifović, Boto seems like an elementary school teacher at a talent night., and no matter how good this song is and how well Boto performs the song, it's going to get lost with all the other Balkan female singers...
It's a shame, because Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Slovenia have sent really competent singers with songs that are, on their own, really lovely. But they're all the same. Dramatic ballads sung by a woman. They're likely to cancel each other out, and that's a shame because in a different year with different types of songs coming from the neighboring countries, each one of the four songs could do quite well.
Compared to all of the other countries in Western Europe, Andorra is a newcomer to the Eurovision Song Contest, and the reason is simple. To take part in the Eurovision Song Contest the country must have a broadcaster that is a member in good standing of the European Broadcasting Union, and Andorra didn't have a national broadcaster until 1989, when the Andorran government created Rádio i Televisió d'Andorra and didn't join the EBU until 2002.
Considering the city of Anchorage, Alaska is more than three times as big as the country of Andorra, I was shocked to find that the Caldera Spa in Andorra is the continent's largest.
Andorra has entered the contest only six times, from 2004 to 2009, without any success in making it to the finals, and has not competed since, for financial reasons and is not likely to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest again.
Had the country had more success in the contest, I suspect that that they would still be participating, but in their six years, they never made it out of the semifinals.
The reason is pure and simple--a small country new to broadcasting and on a very tight budget is not likely to be capable of putting on the quality of performance that other countries--like Sweden or Azerbaijan are capable of putting on. So they're at a disadvantage in getting votes, and having a small talent pool to draw from, you're not likely to be able to pull the quality of singers you could get from countries like Russia or Greece.
That means these songs have to be graded on a curve much lower than the Albainian songs.
The Worst
After listening to this song more times than I care to admit, I have to say that the worst song in my mind is this one:
Marian van der Wal "La Mirada Interior" 2005
It's not because of the singing. Ms. van der Wal is able to stay on key, which can't be said by other entrants. What this song suffers from is "let's throw a lot of crap on stage and see if it works" syndrome.
That's not to be said that it's a bad thing. In fact, two recent winners--"Believe" and "Fairytale" could be said to have "thrown a lot of crap on stage", but unfortunately in this case, it worked against the song. The Grecian outfits on the women, the half naked men in velour bell bottoms, and the fans. They just didn't go together, and distract from the singer, not enhance the performance.
The Best
How I desperately want to say that this song is the best:
Jenny "Sense Tu" 2006
If I were judging the best on the quality of singing, Jenny is head and shoulders above any of the other Andorran songs. And it's the only Andorran Eurovision song that I don't skip over when it comes on the stereo in my car.
But the staging is completely wrong. It's absolutely atrocious, and I can understand why it came in last in the semifinal that year. I'm certain the choreography and costuming was going for sexy, but it just comes across as sleazy and makes poor Jenny look dumpy. She's an attractive woman, but in the overlong lace housecoat over a black negligee, she just looks kind of sad.
I'd also like to say this was the best song:
Anonymous "Salvem el món" 2007
But poor Niki Francesca was absolutely terrified. His vocals were flat and he appears to he hiding behind the microphone. Lead singers should have charisma, and considering the rest of the staging was so strong
So, to cut the difference, my best is this one.
Susanne Georgi "La teva decisió (Get A Life)" 2009
The singing is gruff, not up to par with Jenny and the staging isn't as good as Anonymous, but as a whole it's the most pulled together entrant Andorra ever entered. Besides, Ms. Georgi is pretty darn cute when she's holding her guitar.
So I'll summarize--from best to worst
1. Susanne Georgi "La teva decisió (Get A Life)" 2009
2. Anonymous "Salvem el món" 2007
3. Jenny "Sense Tu" 2006
4. Marta Roure "Jugarem a estimar-nos" 2004 The dancing was great, sadly the singing wasn't.
5. Gisela "Casanova" 2008 My god, what is she wearing?
6. Marian van der Wal "La Mirada Interior" 2005
And as always, if you're interested, you can listed to all of the songs by following this link.
