This morning, the EBU announced one of the major changes for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. Unlike in previous years, each delegation's first rehearsal will take place behind closed doors, with fan press being able to watch on screens in the Euroclub.
Importantly, this means that there will likely be no video clips of initial rehearsals - except perhaps for those on official Eurovision YouTube channel.
As someone who doesn't like to watch rehearsal videos, I fully approve of this. In recent years, the rush to be the first to have a rehearsal video uploaded has meant that a lot of false impressions are given, with the first run-through often only a dry run with no-one putting in much effort. This means that acts often look and sound a lot worse than they really are - not an impression many are happy with, I imagine!
More importantly though, the advent of the video clips has meant a drop in the quality of actual writing about rehearsals. Five years ago, a Eurovision blogger had the quite difficult job of succintly summing up the appearance of the performance and the vocals, describing backdrops and costumes, as well as how the song was coming across on stage.
Now it's more or less deemed sufficient to embed a video and say 'Lithuania's coming across much better than we expected' and leave it at that.
That latter approach is boring, quite frankly, and does nothing to differentiate the content of various sites, or make them interesting. It means that the experience of reading the rehearsal blogs is far less enjoyable than it could be.
So, I hope that there are no videos at all of the initial rehearsals. I look forward to reading some strong, vivid material produced by some really good writers - and I hope to be doing the same thing myself.
Friday, 21 December 2012
Saturday, 15 December 2012
Swiss Final - Preview
Tonight, it's the turn of Switzerland to select their representative for Malmö. Nine entries will battle it out on stage in Kreuzlingen, and the winner will once again be chosen by televoting.
RSI, the Swiss Italian language broadcaster held its own pre-preselection again, though this year on radio rather than with Barbara Berta offering her comments while propping up the bar. The first qualifier was Ally, whose American-sounding, jazzy number 'Catch Me' is unrelentingly repetitive. Her voice isn't much less annoying, and I don't see this troubling the top end of the results sheet.
Chiara Dubey (above) came 3rd last year, with the lovely 'Anima nuova'. Her entry this year, 'Bella sera', is even more quiet and understated, and has the potential to come across beautifully on stage. Fingers firmly crossed for second time lucky.
Carrousel bring a very French sounding entry to the Kreuzlingen stage, which reminds me a little of Les Fatals Picards in 2007. The fact there's a woman involved generally brings the likelihood of it being as punchable as that excruciating three minutes down a little, but I always approach this kind of song with a degree of caution.
Do the Monkey... do I have to? This kind of song is all about the performance and the video (which is of course how acts should be thinking about their Eurovision entry), but listening to just the audio files, it's close to unbearable. Anthony Bighead's live performance will almost certainly redeem the lack of melody if they can make it fun and engaging though - and they'll have the benefit of only having to keep that atmosphere going for two minutes tonight.
The German Finals in the era from 1997-2005 almost always had something like this - melodic rock with a God-bothering edge - and it always did better than you'd expect it to. The edge is more of an entire side this time around, and with a strong chorus, Heilsarmee must have a really decent chance.
After what are, for better or worse, two of the more interesting entries in tonight's contest, comes the most unremarkable. Nill's rock-lite sounding 'On My Way' is perfectly serviceable but has absolutely nothing to recommend it for a second listen. Doomed.
Melissa has been a favourite of the fans since even before the finalists were announced. This may be because she was once in a national final before or may even be because she's nice to them on Twitter. She does however have the most obviously fan-friendly song, but, unfortunately, 'The Point of No Return's chorus is a let-down after a promising verse. You'll be hearing this in Malmö, but it's more likely to be in Euroclub than on the international stage.
'Lève-toi' is far more my kind of thing than most of the songs in this line-up, but it's another victim of the 'strong verse, weak chorus' syndrome that affects so many unsuccessful national final songs and is especially prevalent tonight. A shame, because a bigger chorus would lift this, and could help Nicolas Fraissinet (above) go very far indeed.
Jesse Ritch's 'Forever and a Day' is radio-friendly pop. It's pretty contemporary, and could even have some success at Eurovision if it's well-performed, but I'm concerned that, like so many of tonight's songs, it's just a little too mediocre and, well, Swiss. It's another one that will all depend on the performance.
So, who's going to win? I genuinely have no idea. Swiss finals in the past couple of years have been notoriously hard to predict, with the winner (and often the second and third placed songs too) often coming out of nowhere. I suspect it's probably between the Monkey and the Godbotherers, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Chiara Dubey or Jesse Ritch off to Malmö either.
And I still miss Lys.
RSI, the Swiss Italian language broadcaster held its own pre-preselection again, though this year on radio rather than with Barbara Berta offering her comments while propping up the bar. The first qualifier was Ally, whose American-sounding, jazzy number 'Catch Me' is unrelentingly repetitive. Her voice isn't much less annoying, and I don't see this troubling the top end of the results sheet.
Chiara Dubey (above) came 3rd last year, with the lovely 'Anima nuova'. Her entry this year, 'Bella sera', is even more quiet and understated, and has the potential to come across beautifully on stage. Fingers firmly crossed for second time lucky.
Carrousel bring a very French sounding entry to the Kreuzlingen stage, which reminds me a little of Les Fatals Picards in 2007. The fact there's a woman involved generally brings the likelihood of it being as punchable as that excruciating three minutes down a little, but I always approach this kind of song with a degree of caution.
Do the Monkey... do I have to? This kind of song is all about the performance and the video (which is of course how acts should be thinking about their Eurovision entry), but listening to just the audio files, it's close to unbearable. Anthony Bighead's live performance will almost certainly redeem the lack of melody if they can make it fun and engaging though - and they'll have the benefit of only having to keep that atmosphere going for two minutes tonight.
The German Finals in the era from 1997-2005 almost always had something like this - melodic rock with a God-bothering edge - and it always did better than you'd expect it to. The edge is more of an entire side this time around, and with a strong chorus, Heilsarmee must have a really decent chance.
After what are, for better or worse, two of the more interesting entries in tonight's contest, comes the most unremarkable. Nill's rock-lite sounding 'On My Way' is perfectly serviceable but has absolutely nothing to recommend it for a second listen. Doomed.
Melissa has been a favourite of the fans since even before the finalists were announced. This may be because she was once in a national final before or may even be because she's nice to them on Twitter. She does however have the most obviously fan-friendly song, but, unfortunately, 'The Point of No Return's chorus is a let-down after a promising verse. You'll be hearing this in Malmö, but it's more likely to be in Euroclub than on the international stage.
'Lève-toi' is far more my kind of thing than most of the songs in this line-up, but it's another victim of the 'strong verse, weak chorus' syndrome that affects so many unsuccessful national final songs and is especially prevalent tonight. A shame, because a bigger chorus would lift this, and could help Nicolas Fraissinet (above) go very far indeed.
Jesse Ritch's 'Forever and a Day' is radio-friendly pop. It's pretty contemporary, and could even have some success at Eurovision if it's well-performed, but I'm concerned that, like so many of tonight's songs, it's just a little too mediocre and, well, Swiss. It's another one that will all depend on the performance.
So, who's going to win? I genuinely have no idea. Swiss finals in the past couple of years have been notoriously hard to predict, with the winner (and often the second and third placed songs too) often coming out of nowhere. I suspect it's probably between the Monkey and the Godbotherers, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Chiara Dubey or Jesse Ritch off to Malmö either.
And I still miss Lys.
Monday, 10 December 2012
Repeat offenders: Inger Lise Rypdal
In the 1960s and '70s, it seemed like there were only a handful of singers in Norway, so it's no surprise that many of them turned up in numerous editions of Melodi Grand Prix. One of these was Inger Lise Rypdal, a successful artist who had several hits in her own right, but never made it to Eurovision.
Rypdal came to fame in 1968, with Norwegian-language versions of hits by artists as disparate as Peggy March and Jeannie C. Riley, scoring two #1s on the country's singles chart. The following year she took part in Melodi Grand Prix for the first time.
Wikipedia describes Rypdal as the 'dominant female artist on the Norwegian popular music scene' in the 1970s, so it's perhaps a surprise that she never won Melodi Grand Prix. She took part almost every year, including in duets with Stein Ingebrigtsen (Christian's dad) and Jahn Teigen, even 'winning' in 1973 singing 'Å for et spill'. Unfortunately, it was as part of the group accompanied by the small band and, as was traditional, the singers of the orchestral arrangement from the national final - the Bendik Singers - represented the country in Luxembourg.
In total, Rypdal participated 13 times in Melodi Grand Prix:
Perhaps the best remembered of these is 'Voodoo', the bonkers duet with Jahn Teigen in 1976, which features Jahn exchanging his braces for a skeleton outfit. It could have been the infamous 'nul points' two years earlier for Norway, but either way, this would have been somewhat amazing at Eurovision.
Her later entries are a closer reflection of the electro sound that her career took on in later years, including this personal favourite.
And, as a little bonus, here's Rypdal receiving the Spellemann prize in 1974 and performing one of her biggest hits.
Rypdal came to fame in 1968, with Norwegian-language versions of hits by artists as disparate as Peggy March and Jeannie C. Riley, scoring two #1s on the country's singles chart. The following year she took part in Melodi Grand Prix for the first time.
Wikipedia describes Rypdal as the 'dominant female artist on the Norwegian popular music scene' in the 1970s, so it's perhaps a surprise that she never won Melodi Grand Prix. She took part almost every year, including in duets with Stein Ingebrigtsen (Christian's dad) and Jahn Teigen, even 'winning' in 1973 singing 'Å for et spill'. Unfortunately, it was as part of the group accompanied by the small band and, as was traditional, the singers of the orchestral arrangement from the national final - the Bendik Singers - represented the country in Luxembourg.
In total, Rypdal participated 13 times in Melodi Grand Prix:
- 1969: "Eventyr" – 9th place
- 1972: "Lillebror" – 2nd place
- 1973: "Å for et spill" (with Stein Ingebrigtsen, Gro Anita Schønn and Ola Neegaard) – 1st place
- 1973: "Alternativ" – 4th place
- 1974: "Yo-Yo" (duet with Stein Ingebrigtsen) – 4th place
- 1976: "Voodoo" (duet with Jahn Teigen) – 2nd place
- 1979: "Så lenge du er hos meg" – 3rd place
- 1980: "Svart fortid" – 5th place
- 1981: "Tanker" – 3rd place
- 1981: "Født på ny" (as part of The Darlings) – 8th place
- 1982: "Lady Di" – 2nd place
- 1983: "Elegi" (duet with Freddy Dahl) – 9th place
- 1984: "Vindar" – 3rd place
Perhaps the best remembered of these is 'Voodoo', the bonkers duet with Jahn Teigen in 1976, which features Jahn exchanging his braces for a skeleton outfit. It could have been the infamous 'nul points' two years earlier for Norway, but either way, this would have been somewhat amazing at Eurovision.
Her later entries are a closer reflection of the electro sound that her career took on in later years, including this personal favourite.
And, as a little bonus, here's Rypdal receiving the Spellemann prize in 1974 and performing one of her biggest hits.
Friday, 7 December 2012
Missed opportunities: Sarah Dawn Finer - I Remember Love
In the middle of the last decade, it felt like a ballad stood no chance in Melodifestivalen. In both 2005 and 2006, nearly all the slower songs fell out of the competition in the semi-final stages, leaving a final full of upbeat pop songs, schlager-by-numbers and the occasional Caroline Wennergren.
2007 promised a much greater variety of song, and not of the type that brought us Kwanzaa and The Elephantz. And it was a relief when, in the second semi-final, Marie Lindberg made it through direkt till Globen, and then when Sarah Dawn Finer managed the same in the fourth.
In a field featuring acts like Andreas Johnson, Måns Zelmerlöw and The Ark, fourth place in the final was about as much as the unknown Sarah Dawn Finer could reasonably expect, especially with a ballad. It's one of Melodifestivalen's best though – heartfelt without being melodramatic, honest and emotional lyrics and a strong, big performance that doesn't overshadow the song.
How would it have performed at Eurovision? Probably better than The Ark, but in a year with Molitva at the top, it almost certainly wouldn’t have challenged for the win. And if 'I Remember Love' had won Melodifestivalen, we wouldn't have got the drama-fest of 'Moving On' two years later, and Lynda Woodruff have probably never been more than a spark in Sarah Dawn’s eye. And *that* would have been the real missed opportunity.
2007 promised a much greater variety of song, and not of the type that brought us Kwanzaa and The Elephantz. And it was a relief when, in the second semi-final, Marie Lindberg made it through direkt till Globen, and then when Sarah Dawn Finer managed the same in the fourth.
In a field featuring acts like Andreas Johnson, Måns Zelmerlöw and The Ark, fourth place in the final was about as much as the unknown Sarah Dawn Finer could reasonably expect, especially with a ballad. It's one of Melodifestivalen's best though – heartfelt without being melodramatic, honest and emotional lyrics and a strong, big performance that doesn't overshadow the song.
How would it have performed at Eurovision? Probably better than The Ark, but in a year with Molitva at the top, it almost certainly wouldn’t have challenged for the win. And if 'I Remember Love' had won Melodifestivalen, we wouldn't have got the drama-fest of 'Moving On' two years later, and Lynda Woodruff have probably never been more than a spark in Sarah Dawn’s eye. And *that* would have been the real missed opportunity.
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
We were never told about that: Bizek Emi falls down
Some performances in national finals are infamous. We all remember Tara from Karma fighting a losing battle against bronchitis live on stage in 2003, and that bit in the 1990 Austrian Final where the woman passes out. But there's some things in Eurovision history that, for some reason, nobody ever thought to tell us about.
Take Bizek Emi in the Hungarian Final in 2005. She sits at the piano and sings a perfectly inoffensive, if slightly dull ditty about being past the halfway-point or something. And for years we all assumed that was it.
Because somehow, nobody ever bothered to tell us that when she comes to the front of the stage to take her bow following the performance, she slips and falls flat on her face, the poor love.
It's the kind of thing you can't help but watch twenty times in a row. Go on, I challenge you not to.
This is what we watch Eurovision for. More please.
Take Bizek Emi in the Hungarian Final in 2005. She sits at the piano and sings a perfectly inoffensive, if slightly dull ditty about being past the halfway-point or something. And for years we all assumed that was it.
Because somehow, nobody ever bothered to tell us that when she comes to the front of the stage to take her bow following the performance, she slips and falls flat on her face, the poor love.
It's the kind of thing you can't help but watch twenty times in a row. Go on, I challenge you not to.
This is what we watch Eurovision for. More please.
Monday, 3 December 2012
Missed opportunities: Paula Seling - Step Back
He slides the CD into the player, links into the track and Bucharest hears 'Step Back' for the very first time.
And that's that, perhaps one of the most famous missed opportunities in recent Eurovision history. Paula Seling is instantly disqualified from the Romanian Final, the producers being incredibly strict about the rules, particularly the 1st January cut-off as it was back then. For one man's error and the want of waiting just a few hours, Romanian TV loses one of its first real contenders.
The incident is notorious in fan circles. Whether the story really went down as described is debateable and probably unverifiable. Whether it would have won what was likely a deeply rigged national final is equally uncertain. And as for its chances at Eurovision, it would have had to compete against Alsou and Ines for the Britney-votes – a tough fight in 2000.
Of course, we will never know. It's still a damn good little pop song though.
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Eurovision 2012 Semi 1 - predicting and wishing
Less than two hours to go until the first semi-final, and I've been predicting. But first, here's the 10 countries I want to make the final on Saturday:
Of course, these are just my wishes, though some of them are tied to my predictions, as there's some I really need to come true if I'm to make any money in my bets! This year, as well as general bets - the most money is on Belgium in various forms - I've also put £1 on each of the ten songs I predict as my qualifiers. Afterwards, I'll come back here and let you know how much money I ended up, and we'll see if I made a profit on my £10!
IcelandIt was a close-run thing, and Jedward just missed out because of their annoying and frankly rude fans, who've made me wish for the Irish song to crash out humiliatingly tonight.
Greece
Latvia
Albania
Romania
Belgium
Cyprus
Denmark
Hungary
Moldova
Of course, these are just my wishes, though some of them are tied to my predictions, as there's some I really need to come true if I'm to make any money in my bets! This year, as well as general bets - the most money is on Belgium in various forms - I've also put £1 on each of the ten songs I predict as my qualifiers. Afterwards, I'll come back here and let you know how much money I ended up, and we'll see if I made a profit on my £10!
IcelandThat's it! Agree? Disagree? Either way, have a lot of fun tonight!
Greece
Romania
Belgium
Cyprus
Denmark
Russia
Austria
Moldova
Ireland
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Why I feel sorry for Valentina Monetta
You know, there's a lot of reasons to feel bad for this perky 37-year-old (I know!) from San Marino. First and foremost, she has to stand and sing 'Facebook The Social Network Song (Uh Oh Uh Oh Oh)' on a stage in front of millions of people. The poor girl also has to spend a lot of time with Ralph Siegel. It doesn't seem like a fun experience for anyone.
It's bad enough that a talented jazz singer has been shoe-horned into a song completely unsuitabed to her. It's a song for a 17-year old girl, though Monetta pulls off a pretty convincing impression of one in the video and in her performance. But it's the way that the campaign has seemingly overtaken her entire existence that makes me feel sorry for her.
Of course, all promotional campaigns involve creating an image for an artist, dictating where they go and who they talk to. But Monetta's has been taken to the next level. Even before the song was unveiled, a personal Facebook account had been set up in her name and started friending Eurovision fans and over the past few months has posted as if it were Valentina herself behind it. And throughout her promotional campaign, she's worn variations on the same clothes (always white and light blue, to reflect her country's flag) and always has to be pictured at a moment's notice on flights and in foreign cities allegedly 'on Facebook' or making friends.
We know nothing about her personally outside of 'The Social Network Song'. All of her interviews are about how much she loves to use Facebook and how cool social networking and the internet are, and nothing about her as a person (oh, except she loves kitesurfing, of all things!). Valentina Monetta just does not seem to exist outside of this song.
It's almost like this Valentina Monetta who we've got to know over the last few months and been friended by on Facebook is nothing but a character created by Siegel and the Sammarinese delegation to sell this song. It's as if 'Valentina Monetta' is just a creation in the way that Silvia Night was just a creation. But in this case, while she's just playing a role, there is a real person with a real career behind it, who is going to lose out.
But the reason I feel most sorry for her is that all of this effort is likely to be for about 8 points next Tuesday, and an early flight back to San Marino, and back down to earth to a bump, with nothing to show for it except for lots of blue clothes and a Facebook profile full of friends she doesn't even like.
She's Lolly for the 21st century.
It's bad enough that a talented jazz singer has been shoe-horned into a song completely unsuitabed to her. It's a song for a 17-year old girl, though Monetta pulls off a pretty convincing impression of one in the video and in her performance. But it's the way that the campaign has seemingly overtaken her entire existence that makes me feel sorry for her.
Of course, all promotional campaigns involve creating an image for an artist, dictating where they go and who they talk to. But Monetta's has been taken to the next level. Even before the song was unveiled, a personal Facebook account had been set up in her name and started friending Eurovision fans and over the past few months has posted as if it were Valentina herself behind it. And throughout her promotional campaign, she's worn variations on the same clothes (always white and light blue, to reflect her country's flag) and always has to be pictured at a moment's notice on flights and in foreign cities allegedly 'on Facebook' or making friends.
We know nothing about her personally outside of 'The Social Network Song'. All of her interviews are about how much she loves to use Facebook and how cool social networking and the internet are, and nothing about her as a person (oh, except she loves kitesurfing, of all things!). Valentina Monetta just does not seem to exist outside of this song.
It's almost like this Valentina Monetta who we've got to know over the last few months and been friended by on Facebook is nothing but a character created by Siegel and the Sammarinese delegation to sell this song. It's as if 'Valentina Monetta' is just a creation in the way that Silvia Night was just a creation. But in this case, while she's just playing a role, there is a real person with a real career behind it, who is going to lose out.
But the reason I feel most sorry for her is that all of this effort is likely to be for about 8 points next Tuesday, and an early flight back to San Marino, and back down to earth to a bump, with nothing to show for it except for lots of blue clothes and a Facebook profile full of friends she doesn't even like.
She's Lolly for the 21st century.
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Eurovision 2012 interviews
Almost two weeks ago now, I visited the London Eurovision Party as accredited press and took the opportunity to interview several of this year's performers.
As press, you always want to keep your cool and appear professional, but the one artist I was absolutely desperate to meet was Kaliopi from Macedonia. I'm a big fan of hers and have been for many years. After hanging around while she was in massive demand early in the day, I eventually managed to grab her right after her soundcheck. It's always a concern when you meet your idols, in case they don't live up to your impression of them, but I had nothing to worry about. Kaliopi was absolutely lovely and hugged and kissed me after the interview when I confessed what a big fan I am.
And she was a delight to interview too, and was shocked at how knowledgeable I was about her career (as well as a little humourously put out that I reminded her how old she was!). It was such a pleasure to meet her, and you can read my interview with her for ESC Nation here.
After having achieved my main goal for the day, I set about grabbing as many more interviews as I could. I'd made contact with Andrej Hofer, the Slovenian press representative, earlier, and he'd promised me an interview with Eva Boto, but she'd been snapped up by Channel 4 and the BBC. He came to find me immediately after my hugs and kisses from Kaliopi, and hustled me into the toilets where I finally got my interview with Eva. You can read that, as well as my chat with 2005 representative Omar Naber, here.
Filipa Sousa from Portugal wasn't very in demand compared to many other performers, as spent much of the afternoon sitting chatting to her parents, who'd she'd flown across to have a brief holiday with in London. I perched on a couch next to them, and her interview is here.
Finally, I ventured into the press scrum upstairs, where at least four acts were sitting with fan and professional journalists queueing up and trying to hold their ground to get their five minutes in. Compact Disco from Hungary headed off very suddenly, but I did manage to sidle my way on to Anggun's table, and did a very quick interview with her too, which you can read here.
The final performer who was hanging around was Sabina Babayeva, who was very sought after by the TV stations present, and I was warned that they were eager for a story on Azerbaijan's human rights record. With a large crowd waiting to get to talk to her, and finding myself at the back of the queue, I bade a hasty retreat. I wasn't able to stay for the party in the evening, where all the acts sang their songs and other hits, before fans and performers danced the night away to Eurovision music until the early hours.
As press, you always want to keep your cool and appear professional, but the one artist I was absolutely desperate to meet was Kaliopi from Macedonia. I'm a big fan of hers and have been for many years. After hanging around while she was in massive demand early in the day, I eventually managed to grab her right after her soundcheck. It's always a concern when you meet your idols, in case they don't live up to your impression of them, but I had nothing to worry about. Kaliopi was absolutely lovely and hugged and kissed me after the interview when I confessed what a big fan I am.
And she was a delight to interview too, and was shocked at how knowledgeable I was about her career (as well as a little humourously put out that I reminded her how old she was!). It was such a pleasure to meet her, and you can read my interview with her for ESC Nation here.
After having achieved my main goal for the day, I set about grabbing as many more interviews as I could. I'd made contact with Andrej Hofer, the Slovenian press representative, earlier, and he'd promised me an interview with Eva Boto, but she'd been snapped up by Channel 4 and the BBC. He came to find me immediately after my hugs and kisses from Kaliopi, and hustled me into the toilets where I finally got my interview with Eva. You can read that, as well as my chat with 2005 representative Omar Naber, here.
Filipa Sousa from Portugal wasn't very in demand compared to many other performers, as spent much of the afternoon sitting chatting to her parents, who'd she'd flown across to have a brief holiday with in London. I perched on a couch next to them, and her interview is here.
Finally, I ventured into the press scrum upstairs, where at least four acts were sitting with fan and professional journalists queueing up and trying to hold their ground to get their five minutes in. Compact Disco from Hungary headed off very suddenly, but I did manage to sidle my way on to Anggun's table, and did a very quick interview with her too, which you can read here.
The final performer who was hanging around was Sabina Babayeva, who was very sought after by the TV stations present, and I was warned that they were eager for a story on Azerbaijan's human rights record. With a large crowd waiting to get to talk to her, and finding myself at the back of the queue, I bade a hasty retreat. I wasn't able to stay for the party in the evening, where all the acts sang their songs and other hits, before fans and performers danced the night away to Eurovision music until the early hours.
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Eurovision 2012 - a draw analysis
It's been a week, which is plenty of time for the draw for the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest to sink in a little, so here's my take on what those random little balls have done to the chances of some of our favourite songs.
Semi 1
Semi 1 starts with, who else, Montenegro! A song like this was always going to struggle to qualify, and I think going first more or less wipes out any chances it may have had. It'll certainly be an entertaining start for the viewers! Iceland and Greece follow, two strong songs which should have decent chances of making the final from any starting position.
I personally feel that Latvia and Albania were always facing an uphill battle to qualify. Latvia risks coming across amateur and silly, if they aren't very careful with it, and Albania is probably just too weird for mainstream ears. In this draw, they're going to struggle. Romania probably isn't the kind of song that's really affected by the draw, but it certainly benefits coming after Albania - two songs could barely be more different!
Romania is followed by Switzerland, which I've automatically assumed is pretty doomed, especially in the first half of the draw. Following Switzerland we have Belgium and Finland. As good a draw as either were going to get really, once we knew they were in the first half, though both could have seriously benefited by getting to be the 'sensible', competent pop song in position 17 after a lot of silly stuff.
The song that effectively gets that opportunity is Denmark, performing after San Marino and Cyprus, one of which is almost certainly going to be ridiculous and hopeless, with the other definitely having the potential to be (I'll let you decide which is which!), as well as Israel's quirkiness. Either way, Denmark, which was already sailing through to the final, really does benefit from this draw.
Denmark is further helped by preceding the Russian Grannies too. Late on in the semi is a decent enough draw for them, but, in contrast, it doesn't work for Hungary. Initially I thought they'd got a great draw, but listening through in order, it really doesn't work coming after Denmark and Russia. Which means that Austria following Hungary comes in like a breath of fresh air; its qualification chances went right up for me after this.
Moldova is Moldova, and has a pretty decent draw, performing close to the end. And the semi concludes with Jedward. Watching these through in order, 'Waterline' came across as very ragged and a little bit hopeless coming on last, but we know how well Ireland polished up 'Lipstick' last year, and Jedward of course have form qualifying from the final starting position. They're almost certainly through.
Semi 2
The second semi-final this year is dominated by the ex-Yugoslav countries, so let's take a look at their draws first. Serbia opens the show, and, while it's probably not the best position for this atmospheric, quiet number with a long introduction (especially if the Azeris choose something along the same lines for the opening act), Željko is obviously qualifying. Less clear is Kaliopi singing for Macedonia in the unfavoured second position. I think these two songs would both benefit from performing the other way around. Slovenia and Croatia have been drawn together in the middle of the running order, probably not a great draw for either, and their chances will wholly depend on their performances. If one of Nina and Eva commands the stage and kills it, then the other is probably screwed. And Bosnia takes position 17. As the last ballad, it surely has strong chances of making the final.
Other fan-favourites in this semi-final include Joan Franka, performing third for the Netherlands, and Tooji taking 16th position for Norway. It's probably the worst draw that Joan could have got - I feel that her song would have benefited the most by coming across as a refreshing break from silly, amateur pop, and while Serbia and Macedonia won't be everyone's cup of tea, there's no arguing about whether they'll be performed professionally. Tooji, in contrast, needed a late draw, and he got it.
Others benefiting from the draw include Estonia, who get to perform their ballad after the potential madness of Georgia and Turkey, and also favourites Sweden, who get to follow two ballads. The draw isn't particularly kind for many of the first half - Malta, Belarus and Portugal all probably had slim chances of qualifying anyway, and would have benefited from being in the second half, and Bulgaria risks coming across as a less-good version of Ukraine, which it follows. Ukraine, with its storming performance, is probably pretty safe anywhere, and couldn't have picked a better song to perform after than Portugal.
Which leaves Slovakia, which I generally think is pretty chanceless wherever it performs, and Lithuania. The Lithuanians selected to go last, clearly believing it to be the best position to perform from, and they may well be right, with only one non-qualification from the last spot in the semi since 2008. But still, I do think there's a risk performing last, and that's that you take the chance of coming across as a silly interval act, or just simply not good enough. Both of those things arguably happened to the Netherlands in 2009, and they were effectively left with just one point, from Denmark (plus 10 from the barmy Albanian jury). If you're on last, you have to give people at least some reason to watch, and to vote, otherwise everyone's off to the loo before the reprise. Needless to say, I'm not sure Lithuania made the best decision here.
Final
Moving on to the final, which is much harder to say anything concrete about, since, as much as a late draw can be important for an act, perhaps more crucial is the combination of songs surrounding them.
Either way, performing first probably isn't great for the UK. It didn't work for 'Da Da Dam', another ballad, in 2011, which lost a bunch of its votes from the semi by the time the final voting came around, and if the Azeris put 'Running Scared' in the opening act, it'll be a downbeat first fifteen minutes to the show. Whichever of the semi-final qualifiers gets drawn as the first uptempo of the night should be hoping to do pretty well come the scoreboard.
Later on we have France and Italy drawn together again (at 9 and 10), though this time I don't think the draw hurts France as much as it did last year, with both clearly going for rather different audiences. 13th before the break is probably decent for Azerbaijan, and Spain and Germany will both be pleased to be on towards the end of the show. Their chances, though, will greatly depend on what gets drawn around them.
So, there you have it! Do you agree, or do you have another opinion on this draw? Comment below and share your thoughts!
This blog also appeared in a slightly modified version at ESC Nation.
Semi 1
Semi 1 starts with, who else, Montenegro! A song like this was always going to struggle to qualify, and I think going first more or less wipes out any chances it may have had. It'll certainly be an entertaining start for the viewers! Iceland and Greece follow, two strong songs which should have decent chances of making the final from any starting position.
I personally feel that Latvia and Albania were always facing an uphill battle to qualify. Latvia risks coming across amateur and silly, if they aren't very careful with it, and Albania is probably just too weird for mainstream ears. In this draw, they're going to struggle. Romania probably isn't the kind of song that's really affected by the draw, but it certainly benefits coming after Albania - two songs could barely be more different!
Romania is followed by Switzerland, which I've automatically assumed is pretty doomed, especially in the first half of the draw. Following Switzerland we have Belgium and Finland. As good a draw as either were going to get really, once we knew they were in the first half, though both could have seriously benefited by getting to be the 'sensible', competent pop song in position 17 after a lot of silly stuff.
The song that effectively gets that opportunity is Denmark, performing after San Marino and Cyprus, one of which is almost certainly going to be ridiculous and hopeless, with the other definitely having the potential to be (I'll let you decide which is which!), as well as Israel's quirkiness. Either way, Denmark, which was already sailing through to the final, really does benefit from this draw.
Denmark is further helped by preceding the Russian Grannies too. Late on in the semi is a decent enough draw for them, but, in contrast, it doesn't work for Hungary. Initially I thought they'd got a great draw, but listening through in order, it really doesn't work coming after Denmark and Russia. Which means that Austria following Hungary comes in like a breath of fresh air; its qualification chances went right up for me after this.
Moldova is Moldova, and has a pretty decent draw, performing close to the end. And the semi concludes with Jedward. Watching these through in order, 'Waterline' came across as very ragged and a little bit hopeless coming on last, but we know how well Ireland polished up 'Lipstick' last year, and Jedward of course have form qualifying from the final starting position. They're almost certainly through.
Semi 2
The second semi-final this year is dominated by the ex-Yugoslav countries, so let's take a look at their draws first. Serbia opens the show, and, while it's probably not the best position for this atmospheric, quiet number with a long introduction (especially if the Azeris choose something along the same lines for the opening act), Željko is obviously qualifying. Less clear is Kaliopi singing for Macedonia in the unfavoured second position. I think these two songs would both benefit from performing the other way around. Slovenia and Croatia have been drawn together in the middle of the running order, probably not a great draw for either, and their chances will wholly depend on their performances. If one of Nina and Eva commands the stage and kills it, then the other is probably screwed. And Bosnia takes position 17. As the last ballad, it surely has strong chances of making the final.
Other fan-favourites in this semi-final include Joan Franka, performing third for the Netherlands, and Tooji taking 16th position for Norway. It's probably the worst draw that Joan could have got - I feel that her song would have benefited the most by coming across as a refreshing break from silly, amateur pop, and while Serbia and Macedonia won't be everyone's cup of tea, there's no arguing about whether they'll be performed professionally. Tooji, in contrast, needed a late draw, and he got it.
Others benefiting from the draw include Estonia, who get to perform their ballad after the potential madness of Georgia and Turkey, and also favourites Sweden, who get to follow two ballads. The draw isn't particularly kind for many of the first half - Malta, Belarus and Portugal all probably had slim chances of qualifying anyway, and would have benefited from being in the second half, and Bulgaria risks coming across as a less-good version of Ukraine, which it follows. Ukraine, with its storming performance, is probably pretty safe anywhere, and couldn't have picked a better song to perform after than Portugal.
Which leaves Slovakia, which I generally think is pretty chanceless wherever it performs, and Lithuania. The Lithuanians selected to go last, clearly believing it to be the best position to perform from, and they may well be right, with only one non-qualification from the last spot in the semi since 2008. But still, I do think there's a risk performing last, and that's that you take the chance of coming across as a silly interval act, or just simply not good enough. Both of those things arguably happened to the Netherlands in 2009, and they were effectively left with just one point, from Denmark (plus 10 from the barmy Albanian jury). If you're on last, you have to give people at least some reason to watch, and to vote, otherwise everyone's off to the loo before the reprise. Needless to say, I'm not sure Lithuania made the best decision here.
Final
Moving on to the final, which is much harder to say anything concrete about, since, as much as a late draw can be important for an act, perhaps more crucial is the combination of songs surrounding them.
Either way, performing first probably isn't great for the UK. It didn't work for 'Da Da Dam', another ballad, in 2011, which lost a bunch of its votes from the semi by the time the final voting came around, and if the Azeris put 'Running Scared' in the opening act, it'll be a downbeat first fifteen minutes to the show. Whichever of the semi-final qualifiers gets drawn as the first uptempo of the night should be hoping to do pretty well come the scoreboard.
Later on we have France and Italy drawn together again (at 9 and 10), though this time I don't think the draw hurts France as much as it did last year, with both clearly going for rather different audiences. 13th before the break is probably decent for Azerbaijan, and Spain and Germany will both be pleased to be on towards the end of the show. Their chances, though, will greatly depend on what gets drawn around them.
So, there you have it! Do you agree, or do you have another opinion on this draw? Comment below and share your thoughts!
This blog also appeared in a slightly modified version at ESC Nation.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Melodifestivalen 2012 - My Top 32
1. På väg - Abalone Dots
A beautiful country ballad with tight harmonies, this was always going to be my favourite. And it even has a really well-executed key change too!
2. Why am I crying - Molly Sandén
Big emotional break-up ballad, with lovely thoughtful lyrics - just my thing!
3. The Girl - Charlotte Perrelli
See, I do like schlager sometimes!
4. Amazing - Danny Saucedo
I wasn't particularly expecting to like this, but I really do! I find it really uplifting and positive to listen to.
5. Euphoria - Loreen
Not as dark as 'My Heart Is Refusing Me', and therefore not as interesting, but a goodie nonetheless.
6. Soldiers - Ulrik Munther
7. I mina drömmar - Maria BenHajji
8. Sanningen - Carolina Wallin Pérez
9. Why start a fire? - Lisa Miskovsky
10. Förlåt mig - Mattias Andréasson
11. The boy can dance - Afro-dite
12. Det går för långsamt - Mimi Oh
13. Jag reser mig igen - Thorsten Flinck & Revolutionsorkestern
14. Mirakel - Björn Ranelid feat Sara Li
15. Baby Doll - Top Cats
16. I din himmel - Sonja Aldén
17. Kyss mig - Axel Algmark
18. Goosebumps - Hanna Lindblad
19. Just a little bit - Love Generation
20. Aldrig Aldrig - Andreas Lundstedt
21. Sean den förste banan - Sean Banan
22. Shout it out - David Lindgren
23. Stormande hav - Timoteij
24. Youngblood - Youngblood
25. Salt and pepper - Marie Serneholt
26. Ge aldrig upp - Thomas di Leva
27. Lovelight - Andreas Johnson
28. Mystery - Dead by April
29. Land of Broken dreams - Dynazty
30. Don't let me down - Christer & Lotta
Well, you did let me down. I was hoping that this might be a charming little old-people number, along the lines of 'C'est la vie' from 2004. It's not, it's just horrible.
31. Allting blir bra igen - OPA!
Pointless. Why bother, really. I'm all for diversity in Melodifestivalen, but not when it comes up with songs as poor as this.
32. I want to be Chris Isaak (This is just the beginning) - The Moniker
HAAAA-HAAAA!
And to get the taste of The Moniker out of my mouth, here's my favourite, 'På väg' by Abalone Dots.
A beautiful country ballad with tight harmonies, this was always going to be my favourite. And it even has a really well-executed key change too!
2. Why am I crying - Molly Sandén
Big emotional break-up ballad, with lovely thoughtful lyrics - just my thing!
3. The Girl - Charlotte Perrelli
See, I do like schlager sometimes!
4. Amazing - Danny Saucedo
I wasn't particularly expecting to like this, but I really do! I find it really uplifting and positive to listen to.
5. Euphoria - Loreen
Not as dark as 'My Heart Is Refusing Me', and therefore not as interesting, but a goodie nonetheless.
6. Soldiers - Ulrik Munther
7. I mina drömmar - Maria BenHajji
8. Sanningen - Carolina Wallin Pérez
9. Why start a fire? - Lisa Miskovsky
10. Förlåt mig - Mattias Andréasson
11. The boy can dance - Afro-dite
12. Det går för långsamt - Mimi Oh
13. Jag reser mig igen - Thorsten Flinck & Revolutionsorkestern
14. Mirakel - Björn Ranelid feat Sara Li
15. Baby Doll - Top Cats
16. I din himmel - Sonja Aldén
17. Kyss mig - Axel Algmark
18. Goosebumps - Hanna Lindblad
19. Just a little bit - Love Generation
20. Aldrig Aldrig - Andreas Lundstedt
21. Sean den förste banan - Sean Banan
22. Shout it out - David Lindgren
23. Stormande hav - Timoteij
24. Youngblood - Youngblood
25. Salt and pepper - Marie Serneholt
26. Ge aldrig upp - Thomas di Leva
27. Lovelight - Andreas Johnson
28. Mystery - Dead by April
29. Land of Broken dreams - Dynazty
30. Don't let me down - Christer & Lotta
Well, you did let me down. I was hoping that this might be a charming little old-people number, along the lines of 'C'est la vie' from 2004. It's not, it's just horrible.
31. Allting blir bra igen - OPA!
Pointless. Why bother, really. I'm all for diversity in Melodifestivalen, but not when it comes up with songs as poor as this.
32. I want to be Chris Isaak (This is just the beginning) - The Moniker
HAAAA-HAAAA!
And to get the taste of The Moniker out of my mouth, here's my favourite, 'På väg' by Abalone Dots.
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