Eurovision 2015: Iceland

Can you believe that the population of Anchorage is about the same as Iceland?

On the American television show "The Price is Right", there is a little tune played when a contestant loses.

Go ahead an play the clip.    Now you know exactly how I feel with the winning song from the Icelandic national final--Söngvakeppnin 2015.

Söngvakeppnin 2015 ended on Valentine's Day this year, with seven songs competing for the chance to go to Vienna.  And like most years, the Icelandic national final has some cracking little songs, which is amazing considering the country has a population roughly the size of the Municipality of Anchorage.

Unsurprisingly, I enjoyed a number of competitors, like this little love song by a 16-year-old young lady.

Elín Sif Halldórsdóttir   "Dance Slow"

And this R&B number:

Friðrik Dór   "Once Again"

But instead of something new and unique, Iceland has chosen this, the song I ranked second to last in the final.

María Ólafsdóttir   "Unbroken"

Um, Iceland.  Didn't Denmark send this song two years ago?

Emmilie de Forest   "Only Teardrops"

It's not a one to one match, but "Unbroken" does feel like a pastiche of a winning Eurovision song.  It's slick, polished, and performed competently.  I just doesn't feel particularly fresh or original, something I crave with my Eurovision songs.

However, this song is built to make it to the left side of the column of the night of the Eurovision final and I don't expect it to do anything less.  It doesn't mean I have to enjoy it.

Eurovision 2014: Armenia

Every year there's the song that's touted as the front runner. This year the song from Armenia is "that" song.  Take a listen.

Aram Mp3  "Not Alone"

I may be damming this song with faint praise, but I must say "Not Alone" is very polished and very professionally produced.  I'll also say that Aram Mp3 is a competent singer and the song is well suited to his voice.

Yet the song doesn't linger after listening to it.  Nothing makes me want to listen to either the song or the singer again, making the love that is being show for it mystifying.

It's the same argument I had with the Danish entry last year, which was pegged to win when it came out fo Dansk Grand Prix and stormed to victory in Malmö. 

 Emmilie de Forest  "Only Teardrops"  Denmark  2013

Although the songs are very different, both of them have the same level of polish and professionalism.   They're songs that are calculated to appeal to the widest possible swath of people.  They're songs tailored to win the contest.

Because of that, the songs themselves are completely bland.  Instead of being something that will make a lasting impression, they hit immediately.  

"Not Alone" could very well win the contest, but it's not one that will make any impression on the European musical landscape or have any sort of afterlife once the Contest is over. 

Eurovision 2013: The Aftermath (part one)

I've had to give myself a day before I posted this up, because I'm rather disappointed by the results of this contest.

I must admit that I've never been much of a fan of the winning number, but I can appreciate it's got catchy chorus and a hummable melody.

Emmelie de Forest  "Only Teardrops"   Denmark

It just seems rather generic.   As my friend Michael W. noted, it "sounded like he had heard it before" but in  a hundred different songs".  It's not a song that is particularly memorable or original.

But as Eurovision tends not to reward originality, this is an example of a perfect winner.   De Forest will become one of those artists that will not make a splash outside of her country again but be back at Eurovision year after year after year.

Could she become her generation's Lys Assia?  Only time will tell.

My Predictions: Final 2013

Like everybody who has a love of the Eurovision Song Contest, I've been sitting down and analyzing the running order for the final.

Here's the running order, as determined by the lovely people at SVT.

1. France

2. Lithuania

3. Moldova

4. Finland

5. Spain

6. Belgium

7. Estonia

8. Belarus

9. Malta

10. Russia

11. Germany

12. Armenia

13. Netherlands

14. Romania

15. UK

16. Sweden

17. Hungary

18. Denmark

19. Iceland

20. Azerbaijan

21. Greece

22. Ukraine

23. Italy

24. Norway

25. Georgia

26. Ireland

Of course, I'm going to be looking at my personal favorite, Anouk for the Netherlands.  Unluckily drawn into the first half, she's got a good position--the last song in the first half.   She's also between two really lousy songs--the Armenian ecoballad and the (forgive me for offending delicate sensibilities) salute to menstruation--Romania, which will hopefully make the song stand out.

Anouk   "Birds"   the Netherlands

I hope for a good result for the Dutch entry--maybe a top ten position.   I doubt Anouk can win--the song is kind of too classy for the room.  If it does, just expect me to be very, very, happy.

As for likely winners, if I were to put down some money, I'd actually go with Ukraine. 

Zlata Ognevich   "Gravity"   Ukraine

It's well placed and if performed the way it was in this clip, it's worthy of winning the Eurovision Song Contest.

And as a long shot, I'd put some money down on this song too:

Krista Sigfrieds   "Marry Me"   Finland

Hatred has turned to love on this one.  

But to be honest any number of countries songs would be worthy.   Norway, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Greece,  France, Russia, Moldova, and Iceland are all songs that I would be happy to see win.  

Really there are only three songs that are likely winners that I don't particularly care for.

Cascada   "Glorious"  Germany

Emmilie de Forest   "Only Teardrops"   Denmark

Both of them seem way too generic to actually inspire love, but they are true fan favorites. 

Farid Mammadov   "Hold Me"   Azerbaijan

And on this one, the song is very much back burner to the fantastic gimmick.   It's like the sand lady from Ukraine a few years back.    That's not a particularly flattering comparison, but it's going to get votes.



But all of this analysis is really pointless.  I'm just looking forward to tomorrow morning--the final starts at 11 AM local time here in Alaska.   And then comes my favorite part of the Eurovision season.  The Eurovision parties to determine Alaska's Choice!

Eurovision 2013: Denmark

This is "Only Teardrops" too...

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, the Danish national final, took place back on January 26th, with ten songs competing for a chance to perform just across the Øresund Strait in Malmö, Sweden.

It took me until now to review the contest, because some of the songs and performances were not readily available on YouTube, my source for all of the national finals.

But after some digging, I was able to find the full contest, and I feel like I can comment the contest as a whole, even though I may not be able to post links to the actual performances--like Brinck's performance of  "Human"--which I would love to vivisect because it was bad in so many ways.

But instead I'll write about:

 

The Winner

  

 

Emmilie de Forest    "Only Teardrops"

 

Denmark wants to win the contest again, and their choice of song pretty much proves it.  "Only Teardrops" takes a things from prior successful songs--staging notes from "Euphoria" last year and the Celtic flair from the Irish winners back in the 1990s.  Then they stole the lighting and costuming from this song:

 

 

Aloysha   "Sweet People"   Ukraine   2010

 

Altogether, the song is very eye catching and likely to do well in the contest, fitting in with the goals SVT has for the contest.

 

Do I personally like it?   Not really.  I find the song and performance overly melodramatic.  But then again Loreen and "Euphoria" didn't speak to me either.

 

Should Have Won 

 

It's either a good thing or a bad thing that there were really no stand outs for me on what song should have won, and I can't even criticize the songs that made it into the top three and the superfinal.  However of the three songs in the finals, I would have voted for this song:

 

 

 

Simone  "Stay Awake"

 

I will admit this this song feels dated--it looks and sounds like something that might have been sent to the contest in the late 90s or early 00s.  But Simone controls the stage in a way that de Forest didn't, and I must confess I'm all for a Latin beat and girls swirling around in fringe-covered dresses.  So I have to go with my own personal preference here, even though I think "Only Teardrops" will be stronger in May in Malmö.

 

 

My Favorite

 

I'm going to go a little outside the box for my favorite, because I really enjoyed the interval act--a medley of Eurovision winning performances:

 

 





 

 Brotherhood of Man   "Save Your Kisses For Me"   United Kingdom   1976

Herreys   "Diggi-Loo  Diggi-Ley"   Sweden   1984

Johnny Logan   "Hold Me Now"  Ireland   1987

 

I have to say I enjoy having old winners brought out and have them perform their winning songs, and this medley is more watchable than most of the songs that were presented in the actual contest.

 

Is that bad?

 

All in all, I think Denmark put on a good show and chose a strong song.  That's what a successful National final should be.