Right then, through a mix of summer holidays and running out of time because I’m doing a daily radio show from the Edinburgh Fringe (which you can listen to over on The Podcast Corner), last week’s highlights from Every Eurovision Song was missed.
No worries, though, as we’ve rolled some of the picks into a glorious six-pack of tracks from the history of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Settle in as we make up time here on ESC Insight, and don’t forget you can follow the project every day at EveryEurovisionSong.com.
Every Eurovision Song, week 8 & 9 gallery
So, without any more delay, an extra large portion of highlights from Every Eurovision Song.
Yugoslavia 1969: Pozdrav svijetu, by Ivan & 4M
Or as I like to call it ‘Learn to say “Hello” With General Zod’
Now you have that image in your head, it’s going to be really hard to get out, but I’ve no regret. There is a nice composition here, but rattling through the languages of the contestants and asking them all to kneel before you shake hands is side-stepping the point of a Song Contest.
It’s not quite a novelty entry, but it’s certainly lyrics that feel disingenuous for the then fourteen year old Contest. Ivica Krajač and the swaying backing singers can do far better, the composers can do far better, and only the orchestra gets a thumbs up here.
and I can still sing “bring me Jor-El” in the chorus…
(via Every Eurovision Song on Tumblr)
Italy 1978: Questo amore, by Ricchi e Poveri
Don’t mention Abba. Don’t mention two male and two female singers with a bit of a glam fashion sense. Don’t mention that it’s yet another song about loving the power of love. There’s no similarity or lifting of any previous Eurovision component. At all. Stop it.
That said, if you want the missing link between Abba and Bucks Fizz, here you go.
I love the build-up through this song. It starts of with a quiet male introduction which itself builds in volume. Then we get the female counterpoint. The small phrase repeating, then the repetition of the growth, this is a layered approach that makes for an accessible and memorable song.
They lose points for resorting to a ‘na-na-na-na’ refrain at the end, but given they could be singing ‘bite, bite, bite’ for the rest of the lyrics it’s not a huge deduction. And it does cap the song off and help signal the upcoming crescendo.
It’s a safe song, but sometimes you need that. Congrats Italy, you pitched this one just right.
(via Every Eurovision Song on Tumblr)
Spain 1986: Valentino, by Cadillac
Proving once more that the Song Contest is generally three years behind the popular music scene, Spain deliver up a slice of synth pop from 1983 for the 1986 Contest. It’s all here, the keytars, the electronic drum kit, and a video clip that feels straight out of a betamax of Spandau Ballet’s ‘Gold’.
Actually looking back at ‘Valentino’ it does’t sound as dated as it would have done in 1986. then it was clearly years out of touch, now it’s just “a song from the eighties, in the eighties,” and while synth is automatically dated, it’s dated in a nice way.
(via Every Eurovision Song on Tumblr)
Spain 1993: Hombres, by Eva Santamaria
This is a good song, but it is in completely the wrong environment.
‘Hombres‘ (as if anyone in the lyricists target audience needs a translation) has one advantage that many Eurovision songs do not have. No matter which thirty second clip of the song you listen to, you will always hear exactly the same part of the song. That makes it easy when it comes to the recap clip, what a shame you judge a the song on the whole three minutes.
There’s no real introduction to the song. It just starts at a convenient point in the melody for all the instruments to start at the same time. Santamaria finds her level almost immediately and away she goes. They’ve labeled the song ‘dancefloor’, the tempo as ‘comfortable hip shaking’ and the excitement level as ‘three out of five’.
‘Hombres’ is acceptable for a nightclub as a song to catch your breath between the faster beats. On the Millstreet stage it’s a bit… boring.
(via Every Eurovision Song on Tumblr)
Slovenia 2007: Cvet z juga, by Alenka Gotar
Wheel out Alenka Gotar’s visually stunning popera number whenever anyone says the Song Contest is cheap and tacky music. ‘Cvet z juga‘ sounds mystical and powerful, emotional, controlled, and aggressive. When I want a song that has that elusive mix for contrast and consistency over the three minutes, this is one of the songs I turn to.
Of course it’s a live vocal performance from a performer that can deliver on the big stage, and that helps a lot. When your National Final defaults to the ‘find a new star’ route, you have to cross fingers for the live performance. Slovenia went in the other direction. Gotar delivered, taking Slovenia to Saturday night for the first time in the Semi Final era.
It’s not to everyone’s tastes, but it ticks a lot of my own personal Eurovision boxes. It’s sung in native language; it has the confidence to go on, be itself, and not worry about what others might think; it’s staged well with great camerawork; and it stands up to repeated listening.
This is how to do your Eurovision entry.
(via Every Eurovision Song on Tumblr)
Armenia 2010: Apricot Stone, by Eva Rivas
It’s not about the oldest man to take to the Eurovision stage (until the Swiss Salvation Army came along with a 95 year old D3 badge holder). It’s not about the potential political tones underlying the lyrics. Or the expansive theatrical storytelling on stage.
It’s all about that first moment where you try to make eye contact with Eva Rivas, and cannot help but look elsewhere.
From those tantalising opening shots, through the pyro effects and traditional instrumentation, to the dawning realisation that the titular stone is growing into a tree on stage, ‘Apricot Stone‘ is an impressive three minutes.
All the props and teases would come to nothing if the song wasn’t up to scratch. The impressive writing team behind the lyrics and composition are the equal of the storytelling and interpretive dance on stage. It has a fast but not punishing pace with a relativly strong chorus that’s easy enough to sing along with. Rivas’ impressive stage presence holds your focus in what could have turned out to be a hot mess in lesser hands.
It suffers when you listen to it without the visuals, but that’s for the history books. On the night this was worth three minutes of your time.
(via Every Eurovision Song on Tumblr)
Who’s Next On The Stage?
You can follow the project every day at EveryEurovisionSong.com, or check back here on ESC Insight for the weekly highlights. We should pass 300 songs reviewed by the end of the week…