The long overdue Eurovision post: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
As some of you may know, the 53rd edition of the political showdown-cum-showgirl extravaganza Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) final was held last Saturday and to the great general surprise (or rather, shock of good taste), Russia's Dima Bilan was proclaimed the winner with his song "Believe".
*insert awkward pause*
Anyway...
Having followed the competition online and through Youtube videos, here is my recap of the event:
THE GOOD
Many, many good entries this year.
Norway: Maria Haukaas Storeng "Hold On, Be Strong"
The song has good lyrics and the melody is catchy yet soulful. Plus she has a beautiful voice that's just a mite smoky, and she's not half-naked. What more could one want?
Romania: Nico&Vlad "Pe-o margine de lume"
Now this is LOVELINESS. Nico (the woman) sings in Italian and Vlad (an opera singer by training)in Romanian. Two truly beautiful voices with a very melodic arrangement (that might just be a tad melodratmatic---but hey, this is Eurovision and there are worse things than melodramatic good music happening here!).
Their little interview with the hostesses after the performance is so cute, too.
"Vlad, what is an opera singer doing in the Eurovision Song Contest?"
"...Singing, you know."
Switzerland: Paolo Meneguzzi "Era Stupendo"
♥ ♥ ♥
Paolo Meneguzzi is my new musical crush. He's 31 year-old, an Italian-speaking Swiss and competes in song festivals all over Europe.
"Era Stupendo" is so beautiful and DOES HE NOT LOOK CUTE OR WHAT?
What's even cooler is that this isn't a "love" song per se where the singer is proclaiming how cool he/she is or how much the other wants him/her. I know that there's some kind of controversy going around about whether or not the song was stolen from Amy Diamond's "It Can Only Get Better" (the songwriter of "Era Stupendo" is Swedish), but quite frankly, I don't care. Hai Paolo.
I'm sad that this song didn't even make it through to the finals.
Another song of Paolo's that I absolutely adore is Musica. And the video, oh Paolo. What a beauty! The dress shirt. The tie. The tousled brown hair and puppy eyes. THE FREAKIN' ANGEL WINGS!!!
[I refuse to acknowledge that I might be biased towards him because his name is Paolo and he sings in Italian. ;p]
Portugal: Vanha Fernandes "Senhora do Mar"
I'm assuming that the title means "Lady of the Sea" ("Senora del Mar" in Spanish that would be), but aaaah, who cares about the name?
It's dramatic, verging on the mystical and the instrumentals are just so BEAUTIFUL.
Dreamy. Powerful lady with a big voice. The stage performance actually works for me.
(And I agree with bustedflush: Portuguese IS such an odd language!)
HONOURABLE MENTION
Andorra: Gisela "Casanova"
Okay, okay. So what she wore and that HAIR during the performances were unforgivable, but the song is catchy and cute. The beat is unabashedly techno/club-ish and I feel like the song doesn't take itself very seriously.
This is the official video. It's so shiny and pretty, lol. I particularly like the fairy tale theme, though the fact that the guy is called Casanova seems ironic...
THE BAD (BUT SADLY ALSO OFTEN ANNOYINGLY CATCHY)
UGH. Where to begin?
Okay, first, to quote schnabeltier300: The skanky bimbos of doom need to go. Alas, they get votes.
Cases in point:
Greece: Kalomira "Secret Combination"
Oh.My.Paolo. *headdesk* She's half-American, dammit, and WHY IS THE SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD? ;_;
I'll admit that she's better than most ESC bimbos, because she's somewhat cute. But so annoying. I'll give her that she sings live okay though...
The song is so...bland though. So...boring. And the lyrics....
My secret combination/Boy you have to try it hard/To win a destination/In the center of my heart
...
Ukraine: Ani Lorak "Shady Lady"
Those poor men who are dancers for these kind of performances...
Once again, nonsense lyrics THAT MAKE NO SENSE. But at least she can sing live, right? Right?
Poland: Isis Gee "For Life"
I'm sorry...but what are you saying?
Okay voice, Barbie look, been there done that performance-wise.
Russia: Dima Bilan "Believe"
Yes, men can be bimbos too. Watch him unbutton his shirt towards the end.
My first thought: HOLY CRAP IS THAT YEVGENY PLUSHENKO....ON ROLLER SKATES?!?!? O.o
Second thought: Wow, the Russia government is really taking this seriously....
Dima's song was much better two years ago and could have won the title(which went to Finland's Lordi--remember them?), but GIVING HIM THE TOP PRIZE IS NOT A WAY TO MAKE IT UP. Ugh. >.<
Which begs the most important question of the entire competition:
How many countries did Russia threaten to cut off their gas pipelines in order to secure this win?
Oh Eurovision. Everybody knows that it's all about politics...but still. I don't think anyone actually expected Russia to win, no matter how camp and over-the-top the performance and song was.
Speaking of the song...
Why do singers insist singing in a language they can't speak properly? What's wrong with singing in Russian???
Sample lyrics: There is not a limit to what I can dream/Cause I’ve got something to believe in/Mission to keep climbing
...oi. But apparently when the Russian government BELIEVES (har har) in you and dispatches Plushie to skate for your performance yes, any "mission" is possible.
And finally, saving the best for last:
Spain: Rodolfo Chikilicuatre "Baila el Chiki Chiki"
LOLOLOLOL.
You know what this is?
*THIS* is the culmination of Eurovision riduculousness. The guy's song is so absurb that it's hard to believe that HE ACTUALLY GOT VOTED THROUGH TO THE FINAL. Is this not a satire of Eurovision or what?
The guy's either a genius or a total doofus.
The lyrics are kinda funny actually, LMAO.
*does the breakdancing, the crossed legs, the Michael Jackson and the Robocop*
OTHER ENTRIES THAT SHOULD BE MENTIONED
Azerbaijan: Elnur & Samur "Day After Day"
DUDE. GIVE IT TO THEM ALREADY.
1) They performed as GOOD VERSUS EVIL. ZOMM conceptualization!
2) DUDE. They're DRESSED UP as good (angel) and evil (demon)!
3) They effin' incorporated opera wailing singing with Azerbaiji folk singing. Isn't this what ESC is all about???
4) THE COUNTRY CHOSE TWO GUYS DRESSED UP AS GOOD VS. EVIL WAILING OPERA AND RASPING PSEUDO-METAL TO REPRESENT THEM. You've gotta admire their guts! (Or doubt their taste, but eh.)
Armenia: Sirusho "Qele qele"
I can't make up my mind if this is good or bad. The song is bimbo-esque, but the girl can actually sing and perform, and the lyrics are fun.
You wanna be with me/You think and dream of me/Come qele/Move qele
Very catchy. Plus she's not half-naked!
....eh.
What are your opinions on Eurovision this year?
*insert awkward pause*
Anyway...
Having followed the competition online and through Youtube videos, here is my recap of the event:
THE GOOD
Many, many good entries this year.
Norway: Maria Haukaas Storeng "Hold On, Be Strong"
Click to viewThe song has good lyrics and the melody is catchy yet soulful. Plus she has a beautiful voice that's just a mite smoky, and she's not half-naked. What more could one want?
Romania: Nico&Vlad "Pe-o margine de lume"
Now this is LOVELINESS. Nico (the woman) sings in Italian and Vlad (an opera singer by training)in Romanian. Two truly beautiful voices with a very melodic arrangement (that might just be a tad melodratmatic---but hey, this is Eurovision and there are worse things than melodramatic good music happening here!).
Their little interview with the hostesses after the performance is so cute, too.
"Vlad, what is an opera singer doing in the Eurovision Song Contest?"
"...Singing, you know."
Switzerland: Paolo Meneguzzi "Era Stupendo"
♥ ♥ ♥
Paolo Meneguzzi is my new musical crush. He's 31 year-old, an Italian-speaking Swiss and competes in song festivals all over Europe.
"Era Stupendo" is so beautiful and DOES HE NOT LOOK CUTE OR WHAT?
What's even cooler is that this isn't a "love" song per se where the singer is proclaiming how cool he/she is or how much the other wants him/her. I know that there's some kind of controversy going around about whether or not the song was stolen from Amy Diamond's "It Can Only Get Better" (the songwriter of "Era Stupendo" is Swedish), but quite frankly, I don't care. Hai Paolo.
I'm sad that this song didn't even make it through to the finals.
Another song of Paolo's that I absolutely adore is Musica. And the video, oh Paolo. What a beauty! The dress shirt. The tie. The tousled brown hair and puppy eyes. THE FREAKIN' ANGEL WINGS!!!
[I refuse to acknowledge that I might be biased towards him because his name is Paolo and he sings in Italian. ;p]
Portugal: Vanha Fernandes "Senhora do Mar"
I'm assuming that the title means "Lady of the Sea" ("Senora del Mar" in Spanish that would be), but aaaah, who cares about the name?
It's dramatic, verging on the mystical and the instrumentals are just so BEAUTIFUL.
Dreamy. Powerful lady with a big voice. The stage performance actually works for me.
(And I agree with bustedflush: Portuguese IS such an odd language!)
HONOURABLE MENTION
Andorra: Gisela "Casanova"
Okay, okay. So what she wore and that HAIR during the performances were unforgivable, but the song is catchy and cute. The beat is unabashedly techno/club-ish and I feel like the song doesn't take itself very seriously.
This is the official video. It's so shiny and pretty, lol. I particularly like the fairy tale theme, though the fact that the guy is called Casanova seems ironic...
THE BAD (BUT SADLY ALSO OFTEN ANNOYINGLY CATCHY)
UGH. Where to begin?
Okay, first, to quote schnabeltier300: The skanky bimbos of doom need to go. Alas, they get votes.
Cases in point:
Greece: Kalomira "Secret Combination"
Oh.My.Paolo. *headdesk* She's half-American, dammit, and WHY IS THE SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD? ;_;
I'll admit that she's better than most ESC bimbos, because she's somewhat cute. But so annoying. I'll give her that she sings live okay though...
The song is so...bland though. So...boring. And the lyrics....
My secret combination/Boy you have to try it hard/To win a destination/In the center of my heart
...
Ukraine: Ani Lorak "Shady Lady"
Those poor men who are dancers for these kind of performances...
Once again, nonsense lyrics THAT MAKE NO SENSE. But at least she can sing live, right? Right?
Poland: Isis Gee "For Life"
I'm sorry...but what are you saying?
Okay voice, Barbie look, been there done that performance-wise.
Russia: Dima Bilan "Believe"
Yes, men can be bimbos too. Watch him unbutton his shirt towards the end.
My first thought: HOLY CRAP IS THAT YEVGENY PLUSHENKO....ON ROLLER SKATES?!?!? O.o
Second thought: Wow, the Russia government is really taking this seriously....
Dima's song was much better two years ago and could have won the title(which went to Finland's Lordi--remember them?), but GIVING HIM THE TOP PRIZE IS NOT A WAY TO MAKE IT UP. Ugh. >.<
Which begs the most important question of the entire competition:
How many countries did Russia threaten to cut off their gas pipelines in order to secure this win?
Oh Eurovision. Everybody knows that it's all about politics...but still. I don't think anyone actually expected Russia to win, no matter how camp and over-the-top the performance and song was.
Speaking of the song...
Why do singers insist singing in a language they can't speak properly? What's wrong with singing in Russian???
Sample lyrics: There is not a limit to what I can dream/Cause I’ve got something to believe in/Mission to keep climbing
...oi. But apparently when the Russian government BELIEVES (har har) in you and dispatches Plushie to skate for your performance yes, any "mission" is possible.
And finally, saving the best for last:
Spain: Rodolfo Chikilicuatre "Baila el Chiki Chiki"
LOLOLOLOL.
You know what this is?
*THIS* is the culmination of Eurovision riduculousness. The guy's song is so absurb that it's hard to believe that HE ACTUALLY GOT VOTED THROUGH TO THE FINAL. Is this not a satire of Eurovision or what?
The guy's either a genius or a total doofus.
The lyrics are kinda funny actually, LMAO.
*does the breakdancing, the crossed legs, the Michael Jackson and the Robocop*
OTHER ENTRIES THAT SHOULD BE MENTIONED
Azerbaijan: Elnur & Samur "Day After Day"
DUDE. GIVE IT TO THEM ALREADY.
1) They performed as GOOD VERSUS EVIL. ZOMM conceptualization!
2) DUDE. They're DRESSED UP as good (angel) and evil (demon)!
3) They effin' incorporated opera wailing singing with Azerbaiji folk singing. Isn't this what ESC is all about???
4) THE COUNTRY CHOSE TWO GUYS DRESSED UP AS GOOD VS. EVIL WAILING OPERA AND RASPING PSEUDO-METAL TO REPRESENT THEM. You've gotta admire their guts! (Or doubt their taste, but eh.)
Armenia: Sirusho "Qele qele"
I can't make up my mind if this is good or bad. The song is bimbo-esque, but the girl can actually sing and perform, and the lyrics are fun.
You wanna be with me/You think and dream of me/Come qele/Move qele
Very catchy. Plus she's not half-naked!
....eh.
What are your opinions on Eurovision this year?