And so the final comes and with a heightened view, and very few disappointments in the osky-camp, I sat in Uppsala all alone watching the Eurovision Song Contest, again off the internet. I have yet to see the final live on an actual TV Station (how tragic!) Thankfully we have some new hosts and they are so much better than the previous Semi-Finals; they actually know how to talk and not be awkward.
Lithuania – Sasha Son
I still don’t understand the point of this song and why it’s in the competition. It’s not that bad, but there is nothing special about it either. He’s simply an awkward Lithuanian on stage trying to make a name for himself. The good thing about it, is that it was first off and many had simply forgotten it. I can’t even recall the tune in my brain!
Israel – Noa & Mira Awad
This song isn’t that bad either but I feel that it’s a little too political. It grew on me from the semi-finals, but it just lacks any sort of flare that I believe is required to kick some major ESC butt! Linguistically speaking it’s intriguing also, but there is too far of a message behind the song and the lyrics.
France – Patricia Kaas
Personal Favourite
This haunting and absolutly mystical song put chills down my spine. It’s simple, it’s sweet, and it’s oh so French! A lot of my colleagues aren’t big fans of Patricia Kaas, but I think she’s fabulous, and obviously they have no taste! I’m so glad the juries saw that this was a good song and it got a bunch of televotes! Inspiration baby for the music!
Sweden – Malena Ernman Personal Favourite
Well what can I say about Malena? I think the song is fabulous, but the choir sucks, and unfortunately the show doesn’t work as well as it did in Melodifestivalen, but let’s be serious here; Melodifestivalen is so much more exciting and crazy than Eurovision! I mean it’s Sweden afterall!
Croatia – Igor Cukrov feat. Andrea
Another Balkan ballad that speaks to our hearts, and has a very cute middle-aged guy singing on stage with the wooing of the background dancers. I think that the ballads speak to the Europeans and people in general, but they are getting kind of old frankly and every year we have one or two and they always do moderately well. Leave the ballads to Bosnia, though!
Portugal – Flor-de-Lis Personal Favourite
This song actually has grown on me totally. It’s cute, it’s simple, and it’s well put together. Very Portugese. I just didn’t appreciate it as much as I should have originally. Now that I know what’s good, I don’t need to wonder about anything! The colours make me think that I’m a hippy and that I’m out of the 70’s, but then I remember that I come ten years or so later; tragic!
Iceland – Yohanna Personal Favourite
Every time I hear this song it brings me to tears, it’s simply that magical and wonderful. Why are people so suprised that this came 2nd place? I’m not surprised at all, and frankly I totally called it. Everyone thought it was boring, and I thought it was just plain amazing. She’s gorgeous, the stage is simple and this ballad sets itself apart. What a bloody voice too! My other comment is about the unity of the Icelandic camp. Their background singers are the former singers, Friðrik Ómar from Euroband. I think it’s kind of cheesy, but given the status of how many people are in Iceland and how many can be good; I’m not surprised. He still reminds of my of friend Flosí!
Greece – Sakis Rouvas Personal Favourite
Sex on legs, that’s all I can say. He’s basically practically nude, dancing around to a song that gets my toes tapping and me wanting to shake my hips. The dance I will learn, and one day the world will discover the magic of Greece and Sakis and how sexy he is. He’s getting old, but I digress, I don’t understand what makes him so appealing, since I’m not into Medeterrainian things, but alas I fail! This song should have done better; he’s fab! Let’s… FLY TO THE TOP!
Armenia – Inga & Anush Personal Favourite
This song has become really awesome to me. After having spent the last few evening singing the song and laughing at “norpan” which they say, gives the reason why a lot of Swedes voted this song. Arash and Carolina alone voted at least 30 times for this song simply because they say “Norpan” which they refer to as the person that goes through the garbage in Uppsala. Ironically we ran into her on the way back from our working, and we had a good laugh! About the song, really it’s catchy and I am really impressed with the performance and how it’s culturally integrated to be amazing. I simply am impressed!
Russia – Anastasiya Prikhodko
I’m really torn on this song to be honest. I think it’s an all right song, and the singer is half decent but she’s yelling half the time. It’s a nice sounding rhythm, but the thing that made this performance the most amazing is the graphics and the screens with her face showing and ageing. I actually think they created the catastrophically and geoclasmically large stage to suit this song.
Azerbaijan – AySel & Arash
I still think that this song is such a bad one with Arash singing; he simply has a horrible voice and the only thing saving them is AySel, frankly! I think it’s catchy but I don’t mark this as being a favourite simply in protest of Arash.
Bosnia & Herzegovina – Regina
This is a favourite amongst my friends but I don’t really think it’s special or magical. It’s really serious and political and masculine. Hence perhaps why I’m not a fan. Bistra voda, with all it’s water and flowingness really doesn’t show m
uch on stage as this sounds more like a march to freedom than anything. I think that the part I like most about it is the ascent during the chorus, apart from that it’s pretty one, two, three-ish.
Moldova – Nelly Ciobanu
Really I’m not getting it, still. She’s cute but the song reminds me too much of Ani Lorak gone Moldovan, and wrong. Lucky for her, her dress stands out so she doesn’t mesh in with the larger men that surround her. Too many “hey hey”‘s to keep me interested.
Malta – Chiara Personal Favourite
Despite the fact that this song is nearly a copy of the last time she sang in Eurovision, just with different words, I find her voice so impressive that I can’t help but sing along. It’s crisp, clear and perfectly controlled. Just a shame that another ballad (like the upteenth) will just get lost in the crowd, and sure enough did!
Estonia – Urban Symphony Personal Favourite
What an amazing, mysterious, Estonian, and dark song. Simple with nothing too flashy, and a beautifully-Easter Baltic woman singing and playing a violin. I’m lost in the simplicty and I simply raise my arms and sway around in circles feeling the music and the rhythm take me where the win or water will flow. Top 5 from the start and thank the world for voting accordingly!
Denmark – Niels Brinck
Another reason for me to dislike Danes, despite their attractiveness. This guy looks so out of place on stage and this nasal whiny voice drives me up the wall. The song itself is okay, but he looks like he’s picked up from the street, thrown some clothing on and then is on one of the largest European stages; it just looks wrong.
Germany – Alex Swings Oscar Sings!
I’m confused. I thought that glitter and leather pants were dead, and here they make a come-back that will be squashed. The song is okay, but he looks Austrian so I’m totally put off from it. Fun song, but really now. The only other comment that I will have about this is that the dancers are lesbian, and the singer shakes his hips like a gay stripper, not that I’ve ever seen those before. I just think it’s pretty pathetic of the Germans to need to fly Dita von Teese in, a burlesque artist, in to get some votes. Epic fail!
Turkey – Hadise
Same shit different year, not impressed clearly.
Albania – Kejsi Tola
I still can’t get over this song and the green man that runs around. Juho my friend absolutly loves the song, and I’m half-convinced simply becasue it’s him, but the other half of me thinks that there were better songs, and it’s just another Albanian teenager that they vote into the final; is this a demographic representation of Albania?
Norway – Alexander Rybak
Winner Personal Favourite
This song, again rocks my socks and I only wish that I could be Alexander Rybak. He’s modest, cute, a decent singer, a good musician, and an even weirder song artist. I think that half the reason why this won, and was so catchy, was the fact that the composition was so strange and different. Musically it’s an odd way to work through a song, but I’m a total fan, no doubt about it. Front runner from even before the competition started, and I even voted for it, totally!
Ukraine – Svetlana Loboda Personal Favourite
I have a few comments about this one. First of all it’s porn on stage, and she looks cross-eyed. The Russian camera crew either sabotaged this entry, or simple are horrible at camera-work. I can’t understand why the camera runs around and can’t keep anything in focus. The entire song was out of focus, but the way that the sexy dancers were going, it’s not surprising. I think I was more interested in the dancers, frankly speaking!
Romania – Elena Personal Favourites
The Balkan Girls, they like to Party like Nobody! like Nobody! The song could be better with better choreography and a more clear singer. Good catchy song, it’s just in the middle as I’m taken aback by others! Mice dresses tho!
United Kingdom – Jade Ewen
What a surprise with this song, really, and by that I mean the end result! I think the song is good and the singer is amazing but it’s such a Andrew Lloyd Webber song it’s not even funny. It feels like it’s taken right out of a musical that he wrote on crack; cause he looks like he’s on crack. What is even more cracked up is that he was actually the pianist on stage, and that makes me think of Alexander Bard and his desperate attempt to get air-time. Get over it buddy, you know you’re good, and we know too, just give it up!
Finland – Waldo’s People Personal Favourite
Shame that this was a total flop, cause the song is good, minus singers. Twelve points to the flame-throwing dancers, though! Seriously! It was the only non-awkward thing going on here.
Spain – Soraya Arnelas
What the hell is going on here? I don’t even know what to say because it’s so weird and I can’t understand anything that’s going on. The recording actually
had me thinking that this could be good, but then when I see it I think “what the fuck?!” Her singing is horrible, the dancing is messy and it’s all around a weird entry. Spain, get better please, I have faith in you!
All in all it was a great year with the results that I wanted. Go team me!