As the calendar year draws to a close, it’s time to look back on the last twelve months and say ‘Thank you for the music’ of the Eurovision Song Contest. Here at ESC insight we’re going to spend this last week talking about the music of 2013, from the highs and the lows of the National Finals to the delightful banquet that was put on for the world in Mälmo, via some moments where the hairs on the back of our necks stood up.
First of all, we’ve asked a number of our contributing writers and friends of the site to pick just two songs from the year as their ‘musical moments’ of 2013. No more guidance than that, no requirements to choose winners, but just a little note that said ‘no doublers, if someone else got there first choose someone else.’
The editorial team are going to reveal their picks over the weekend, before Ewan talks about the biggest winner of 2013 next week, but for now, begin the moments!
Roy Delaney
Je Ne Sais Quoi, by Rövşən Əzizov
In the early heats of Azerbaijan’s X Factor-esque qualifiers, one performer stood head and shoulders above the rest. His passionate yet slightly pitchy rendering of Hera Björk’s finest moment drew muttered sniggers from behind the hands of national final spotters Europe wide… Rövşən Əzizov.
Even I posted a slightly derisory comment over on Eurovision Apocalypse, but did applaud the fella for his guts and spunk. But then a strange thing happened. I got an unexpected note from a mutual Azeri friend who told me of Rövşən’s pride at getting overseas coverage, and that he would like to thank me for my comments.
Well didn’t I feel the heel.
About this time Ms Björk herself had got to hear his version of her tune, and posted a lovely positive comment about it on Facebook. So I dropped him a note, wishing him good luck for his performances for the rest of the week, and forwarding him Hera’s comments. He was absolutely beside himself with pride. Best of all, it turns out that he’s an absolutely lovely chap! To this day I chat with him probably once a fortnight, and the videos he sends me of him at work as a teacher are absolutely glorious affairs. The whole affair made me realise we should never forget that the artists we judge and mock are real people too, and although they shouldn’t be beyond review if they send in something really rotten, they’ve got hopes and dreams and feelings just like the rest of us.
He’s going to try to enter again this year, if he is able. So keep your eyes peeled and revel in the glory.
Mountains, by Lisa Stoll und SängerFREUNDe
If the Swiss are really serious about promoting their national culture to the world, rather than sending a gaggle of half-assed pub singers and mock funky shite to their qualifier final, they should send something like this – the near perfect embodiment of all that is Swiss. A comely lass in regional costume tooting out an optimistic tune on a massive phallic horn, while a gaggle of chunky lads of a certain age tell us just how much they love the mountains. There won’t be a purer distillation of situationist national national pride all season. It’s a beauty!
John Egan
Igranka, by Who See
To be honest I don’t know dubstep from Dublin. And my understanding of Montenegrin doesn’t allow me to understand what they’re singing about. My appreciation for hip hop isn’t exactly deep either. In other words I should hate this year’s Montenegrin entry. Instead I love it—and I think it not having made the 2013 Grand Final is the the injustice of the year. What’s more, the boys manage to perform the song entirely in-time and on beat (something many rappers fail at). Nina Zizic shreds her vocals, making an already track absolutely brilliant.
I was into this before they revealed their space shtick. Just when I thought I couldn’t’ve loved it any more. I was wrong. Freakin’ astronauts and a space diva all pimped out in LEDs! It’s been a few years since we had a stonkin’ good “na-na” song too. Na-na-na-na igranku-ku!
Kedvesem, by ByeAlex
One of the things I love about the Eurovision is something that we don’t get as much of these days: songs in national languages. Now it’s mostly English and a smattering of a few others: it’s very difficult for a song in a language other than English to win. In years past ‘Strazdas’, ‘Rändajad’ and ‘Putnici’ are some of my favourites.
When I saw the YouTube clip of ByeAlex’s national final performance I thought “really Hungary?” When I listened to it again, with the sounds turned up and with my better headphones I was entranced. When the preview video featuring his sister’s animations I was besotted. And when he managed, with his guitar playing and backup singing minions, to bring all these things together in a singularly quirky and vulnerable performance in the Grand Final, I was enraptured.
John Kennedy O’Connor
Crisalide, by Valentina Monetta
Chosen for purely sentimental and personal reasons. Having been won over by plucky San Marino with their truly excellent entry ‘Stand By’ from the wonderful Senit in 2011, it’s been a joy to play a tiny spear-carrying part in their delegation for the past couple of years. As I was not a fan of “The Fakebook Song” at all, I was genuinely stunned to discover what an amazing talent Valentina is when I first heard this timeless Eurovision ballad. It’s so evocative of a style of Eurovision that belongs to a ‘classic era’ that I grew up with. Probably because it comes from the pen of the man who’s writing dominated Eurovision during my formative years. If only it hadn’t been choreographed to death and handed the death card by SVT in the draw, things could have been so different…
When You Really Loved Someone, by Agnetha Faltskog
Although I always preferred the Abba tracks sung by Frida, it was a narrow thing and I adored both A’s equally. When Agnetha came back with her album of cover songs a while back, my excitement turned to huge disappointment at the weakness of the selection and the overrall lacklustre CD. Serves her right for being a fan of Silly Black. This time round, she got it right! A is a great album and this was the stand out track. Warmed my heart to see her so willing in promoting it and even singing it live on TV. I never thought we’d see that again. I just hope it inspires Frida to return to the studio in 2014.
Paul Jordan
Waterfall, by Sophie and Nodi
Georgia was one of the last countries to reveal their entry in 2013. Written by Thomas G:Son, winning songwriter of “Euphoria”, “Waterfall” is a ballad which builds and builds to a scintillating climax. As far as songs go, it’s a fairly standard Eurovision ballad and I really liked this when I heard it. However in Malmo I was completely blown away by the power of Sophie and Nodi’s voices during the rehearsals and became convinced that this was the winner for 2013.
Alas it was not to be and it turned out the Georgia made it to the final by the skin of their teeth. However this song has happy memories for me since, I, along with some friends, was fortunate to attend a reception by the Georgian ambassador. It’s not every day that you get treated to an afternoon of famous Georgian hospitality! Looking back now, I think the performance was slightly too OTT, sometimes less it more. Perhaps my conviction that it was a winner was more wishful thinking since the Georgian delegation is by far the nicest I have met at Eurovision. It’s been a real pleasure getting to know Tinatin and Natia from the Georgian Public Broadcaster, who, along with their musical acts, are fine ambassadors for their country. I would really love to visit Georgia one day and have heard great things about it, maybe I’ll just have to do it, regardless of whether they win Eurovision or not.
Swedish Smorgasbord by Petra Mede (2013 Interval Act)
SVT produced a slick contest in 2013 yet it wasn’t always about the music. The slogan for the 2013 contest, “We Are One”, portrayed Europe as a united entity, emphasising diversity and multiculturalism (except Europe really isn’t one, is it?) After the controversies surrounding alleged human rights abuses in Azerbaijan in the run-up to the 2012 contest, the Swedes had a point to prove and weren’t afraid of doing so.
The interval act for the 2013 show was perhaps the most politically-charged yet and was performed by the presenter Petra Mede herself. The performance, entitled, Swedish Smorgasbord, began with scenes from a warzone, which is ironic given Sweden’s history of neutrality. The self-deprecation of Sweden’s national image and identity was evident through performance. However so too were some serious political points relating to equal marriage (featuring a same-sex kiss) and gender equality, as Mede sang “Our roles are reversing, our daddies are nursing, in all our cities the men don’t have titties but they still stay at home to raise the kids”.
Furthermore during the broadcast itself Mede addressed the audience directly, or the “10,000 dancing queens” as she referred to them; “you just haven’t met the right girl yet”. The timing of such statements couldn’t have been more crucial; in Russia the state Duma passed a law prohibiting discussions about homosexuality and in Georgia the day before the Eurovision final, riots took place after activists attempted to hold a gay pride march in Tbilisi.
Any doubts over the intention of Sweden to promote egalitarian values through the ESC were shattered by both this performance and the staging of the 2013 contest itself. Not only was this interval clever, affectionate and amusing, it had some serious points that were well-made.
Oh and we got to see Carola face her comeuppance with a wind machine! Thank you for the music!
Who Did We Miss?
Apart from a certain band from Estonia (Ewan discusses them here), who sticks in your mind for 2013? Which track is your guilty pleasure, the uncut jem, and the little bit of rough you want to take home to your parents? Let us know in the comments …and don’t forget the rest of the ESC Insight team will be along with Part Two in the next few days.
Putting my neck out on the chopping block: Spain was cruelly underrated, almost more than France. The song had well-integrated ethnic elements, a good build, and, despite what everyone else says, an emotive, fragile, and fitting performance. That little moment with the lantern was fantastic and the only gripe I can find with it is that the stage was a little too dark for such a sunny song. Aside from that, I’m clueless as to why this didn’t finish on the left-hand side of the scoreboard.
Other personal highlights for the year were Robin Stjernberg’s comeback victory in Sweden, watching Roberto Bellarosa grow and emerge from last-place pick to shock qualifier to 12th place, Germany’s NF to end all NFs, Estonia’s punk rockers, and Hungary providing my favorite ESC song of all time. Suffice it to say, it was a damn good year.
The preview performance of “Angel,” by Alex Leon ft Giorgina is the one I’ve shared most with people who aren’t interested in ESC but don’t mind a sample if it’s a bit special.
So many options … I’ll wait for part two before choosing another one.
Nick, agreed on most of them – as for Spain I think they chose the wrong song. A slow burning song needs to be pretty memorable and sung perfectly at ESC and the version we saw from the Mälmo stage was neither. ANd yes, a stunning NF from Germany. Sitting in the audience and you could see what a Roman Lobb victory would have delivered. Gutted I’m missing that NF this year for another trip.
And we’re getting to the Estonians, don’t you worry…
Good call on Angel, Zolan, although it’s a bit ‘static’ for my tastes.
1. The Netherlands with Anouk progressing to the final for 1st time in 9 years and getting top 10 result, with a song that can only be described as un-eurovision. Exactly the boost a country needed for not given up. Also proving that a good song performed by a good singer, without any circus act, can do well in this contest.
2. Lithuania – I admit I had some reservation about the song and I also admit that the words are the most illogical one can think about, but somehow it is a song that stays, longer than one could possibly imagine.
I’m going to be cheeky and mention three. From the national finals, I have a great guilty pleasure in “Ég Syng!” by Iceland’s delicately named Unnur Eggerts. It’s so “six year old girl skipping down the street to the sweetshop” but it’s also so well produced and catchy and I had hoped Iceland would go for something a bit quirky for once, since so much of their exported pop culture is nothing if not quirky!
My other favourite from NF season came from Finland’s Iina Salin and “Last Night”. I loved this because not too long prior I fell in love with an excellent track by German DJ Tensnake featuring Syron. It was noted quite simply for being an extremely tastefully produced throwback to club music of the early 90’s. It sounded old-skool but not out of date. People were referring to it as the start of a nu-90’s wave.
Iina Salin seemed to go down similar lines with her song which, to me, sounded like a brilliant and commercially credible M People comeback song. It had that modern club vibe going on while at the same time reminding me of the sort of “Saturday night” songs I heard on the radio as a kid. I also have a bit of a thing for afros on girls so Iina gets vignt-quatre points from me for coming up with a cracking pop song and looking hot at the same time
Finally, from ESC itself, I’m going to pick Madame Berger. I hadn’t heard I Feed You My Love at all before the Melodi Grand Prix 2013, but the second I saw that Viking Bond girl gliding towards me backed by strobe lights and a harsh electronic throbbing, I was captivated. As a fan of electronic music of a higher calibre than anything I’ve ever heard coming out of ESC, I was frankly gobsmacked to see something like this actually getting picked for Eurovision. Everything about it was so brilliantly executed. The understated choreography was perfectly expressing the tone of the song. Even though Margaret’s vocals left something to be desired when we finally came to Sweden (and her follow up single left even more!) I am overjoyed that this song managed 4th place in the face of a lot of naysayers. It shows that Eurovision truly is only as good as the music entered into it, and it doesn’t need to permanently exist in this bubble of cheesy weirdness and esoteric ethnic showtunes.
If I may echo what the mighty PeR said in an interview I listened to this year, I’m not a fan of what Eurovision is. I’m a fan of what it could be, and I Feed You My Love is a shining beacon that represents all that is better about European music. We need less contrived 3 minute songs that are designed for the performance, less hasbeens and amateurs like (sorry) Andrius Pojavis, and more professionals like Margaret, Marco Mengoni, ESDM (despite Raquel’s vocal) and Cascada and people who represent their country for the sake of their own music, not to be a pretty face and a voice for a small group of obsessed songwriters churning the same old shitake mushrooms out every year.
*deep sigh* Happy 2014 everyone!!
I am well known as a guy who loves rock, fragile ballads and everything electronic, and thus I could have mentioned Norway, Hungary, the Netherlands or Montenegro on this occasion. Since all those songs have already been mentioned, I choose ‘Rak bishvilo’ now, which is a dramatic ballad and thus shouldn’t feature high on my list. And in fact, the song was not among my favourites when I listened to the Israeli hopefuls before Kdam. However, the second Moran Mazor came onto stage, I was first blown away and then realised that I had found an artist I love. It is all about Moran’s personality onstage. She could sing ‘Leto svet’ and I would probably still love it.
From the national finals I like Herciana Matmuja’s ‘Kush ta dha këtë emër’, Nenad Milosavljević’s ‘Ruža od baruta’ and PeR’s ‘Sad Trumpet’ best.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a good rock, punk or metal song to be found this year.
I HATED those silly “gay jokes” of Peta Meda…it just was cliched, stereotypical…just underlining the stilly stereotypes and myths some people have about ESC and the fans…
Get real…If ESC / fans should be expected to be taken seriously…we should NOT treat it like some sort of “gay entertainment” – but something for EVERYONE. AND it IS! OK – you have some “gay chauvenists” who seem to like the idea of ESC being something “exclusive for them”. But the fact is that LOTS of male fans are STRAIGHT! AND lots of FEMALE fans too! The strength in the appeal of ESC is how it unites rather different people…regardless of age, country, culutre, religional, social “status”, musical taste, sex…and such things. THAT why it has had widespread appeal for SO long….because it has something that appeal to a lot of people. First of all, a music contest…but also much more.
Maybe it was a lame attempt of irony…but it all was lost. I just felt pissed off!
Nothing wrong with gays…but it’s such a tired cliche! I actually complained to EBU about it!