Eurovision 2013: France

Dear France 3,

We need to have a talk.  

I love what you send to the Eurovision Song Contest.

You gave me the anchor song when I do my marathon training.

 

Jessy Matador   "Allez Ola Olé"   2010

 

You've inspired my friends in a local burlesque troupe.

 

 

Anggun   "Echo  (You and I)"   2012

 

You've won my approval for taking the Eurovision with a big dose of humor:

 

 

Les Fatals Picards   "L'amour à la française"   1997

 

 

And last but not least, you made me fall in love with her.

 



 



Patricia Kaas   "Et s'il fallait le faire"   2009

 

But this year you chose to send this.

 



Amandine Bourgeois  "L'enfer et moi"

 

I've listened to it.  I've tried to embrace it.  I just can't.  This makes me sad. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Paul at Alaskans Like Eurovision 

Eurovision 2012 Entrants: Estonia

Estonia has been one of my favorite countries at the Eurovision Song Contest, in the past few years, they've sent songs that have gone onto my favorites playlist on my iPod, so I was kind of looking forward to the Estonian entry.

Ott Lepland  "Kuula"

Although he gets major brownie points for singing in Estonian, his performance leaves me flat.  It's just a guy standing at a microphone, holding the stand like he's on a merry-go-round.  No matter how gorgeous the voice or how handsome the man singing the song, just standing there just isn't good enough.

Well, unless you're this person

Patricia Kaas  "Et s'il fallait le faire"  France  2009

All bow down to the greatness that is Patricia Kaas.

Sorry.  Got distracted for a minute...

However, I know a way that this dull staging can be changed, and Estonia can put some more people on the stage.  Just adapt this video and it's sure to be in the final.

"Kuula", interpreted by HOFF - the Haapsalu Horror And Fantasy Film Festival

A Eurovision song and zombies.  Yep.  I'm in.  And so would all my friends, the least of which is the lovely Janet S., who is a zombie fanatic. 

Zombies and Eurovision, two things that go surprisingly great together...

Why did you send this?: Sweden 2009

Sometimes you have to wonder what's going through the minds of countries when they select their entrants to the Eurovision Song Contest.  The voters in Melodifestavalen, Sweden's contest to determine their entrant to the ESC, decided that Malena Ernman, a Swedish opera singer with Harlow blonde hair warbling over a disco beat straight out of the 1990s.

Malena Ernman  "La Voix"

The song came in 21st out of 25 entries in the final and rightly so.

What's even more frustrating it that the first runner up in the contest that year has become one of my favorite Eurovision songs, even though it didn't make it to the finals.

Caroline af Ugglas  "Snälla, snälla"

Yes instead of techno-opera, Sweden could have sent a bluesy song about a woman begging her lover not to leave her for another woman.  And a song sung with more emotion than Ms. Ernman, an opera singer, could muster.

It probably wouldn't have won, but my god, it could have been the classiest song in the contest.  And considering France sent chanteuse Patricia Kaas, that's saying something.